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Studio 67FAC News Clips – August 19, 2026
COUNTY
352 Today
Marion County Just Hit Pause on a Kratom Ban — Here’s Why
Commissioners agreed to wait on federal action targeting synthetic products after public speakers and staff warned that a blanket local ordinance could unfairly punish traditional leaf users and responsible businesses.
Miami Herald
Orange tourism panel passes on reviving half-billion-dollar convention center plan
A panel filled with tourism-industry representatives surprisingly voted Tuesday to forward without change a citizens task force’s report that did not recommend funding a $523 million expansion of the county’s convention center.
News 4 Jax
St. Johns County commissioners greenlight $100M conservation bond for November ballot
- JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County commissioners voted Tuesday to put a major land conservation measure on November’s ballot, giving residents the final say on a bond that could reshape how the county protects its natural lands for generations to come.
PROPERTY TAXES
Tallahassee Democrat
Florida voters to next decide on property tax amendment
‘It is likely to fundamentally change the way our local governments do business,’ one expert says.
Click Orlando
Amendment 3: Tax cut or ticking time bomb?
Amendment 3 would slash your property taxes — but cities say it could gut police and fire
DATA CENTER
West Volusia Beacon
County votes against allowing data centers in non-city areas
After almost three hours of talk from the public, county planners, lawyers and themselves, the Volusia County Council Aug. 17 unanimously adopted a total ban on the location and development of artificial-intelligence complexes, known as large-scale data centers, within the unincorporated portions of the county.
FEDERAL
Miami Times Online
Weakened federal heat protection rules leave Florida workers sweating
On a hot afternoon last July, a tropical plant nursery worker named Sandra fainted while driving an open-air tractor down a public road between fields in Homestead, Florida.
PARTNERS
La Familia de Broward
Florida Power & Light’s investments in solar deliver more than $1.3 billion in customer savings
Latest milestone strengthens energy diversity, supports reliable service and helps keep customer bills as low as possible
FAC News Clips – August 18, 2026
COUNTY
Midflorida Newspaper
Sumter is working on two budget potentials – proposed and alternate
If Amendment 3 passes, Sumter jobs, programs and services will be impacted
Tallahassee Democrat
Leon County ballot to include “historic harms’ charter amendment
Leon County voters will get a chance to weigh in on the county’s “historic harms” charter amendment this November.
DATA CENTERS
WFTV
Volusia County votes to ban large-scale data centers
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — The sun had set by the time Volusia County Commissioners left the chambers on Monday night, most of the evening’s agenda spent on just one hotbed issue; the prospect of Large-scale Data Centers coming to the county limits.
PROPERTY TAXES
Fox 13
Polk County commissioner proposes 1% infrastructure sales tax to offset Amendment 3
BARTOW, Fla. – A Polk County leader is proposing a major tax swap to prevent severe budget cuts if Florida voters approve Amendment 3.
Florida Politics
Ron DeSantis still sees 60% for Amendment 3 under its new ballot language
A proposal workshopped for more than a year appears to be in its final form.
AROUND THE COUNT(R)Y
Route-Fifty
Flock Safety tightens safeguards as states, cities question surveillance network
More than 50 communities have canceled contracts or deactivated cameras this year.
Route-Fifty
6,000 BEAD projects need 86K+ permits, report finds
Researchers found that over half of those projects will need at least 10 permits, while 1 in 7 will require more than 20 across the state, local and federal levels.
FAC News Clips – August 17, 2026
COUNTY
Ocala News
Marion County to evaluate local kratom ban during meeting
Marion County commissioners will meet tomorrow to discuss the public health threat posed by kratom and evaluate potential local regulations or bans on the possession, sale, and distribution of the substance across the county.
PROPERTY TAXES
Flagler Live
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has submitted for judicial review a rewritten version of the title and ballot summary for Amendment 3.
WUWF
Property tax amendment raises questions about funding for children’s programs
Florida’s proposed property tax amendment is sparking questions over how it’ll affect funding available for children’s programs.
Tallahassee Democrat
Gov. DeSantis has not been campaigning for Florida property tax plan
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has pushed for a constitutional amendment to drastically change the property tax system. Now he’s sitting out the debate. Why?
News Chief
Inept state government is grandstanding with Amendment 3 | Commentary
I had the privilege of serving 12 years on the Polk County Commission.
AROUND THE COUNT(R)Y
Miami Herald
Patients wary of governments, companies pushing AI as a rural healthcare solution
HOT SPRINGS, S.D. – Two of the nation’s most powerful health officials predict artificial intelligence will play a key role in solving rural America’s health challenges.
HOUSING
Herald-Tribune
Sarasota needs more affordable housing. A new law could help build it.
Weeks after Congress passed a major federal housing bill into law, state and local experts continue to dissect the fine print while expressing tempered optimism about its long-term potential to help alleviate an affordability crisis.
LEGISLATION
Florida Politics
Another Special Session for medical freedom and AI? The ball is in Gov. DeSantis’ court
Will DeSantis take another swing?
FAC News Clips – August 11, 2026
COUNTY
Alachua County
Alachua County Leaders Appointed to NACo Committees
Alachua County is proud to recognize five county leaders who will be serving in leadership and advisory roles with the National Association of Counties (NACo), bringing their expertise to national discussions on human services, transportation, public safety, agriculture and other issues affecting communities across the country.
Citrus County
Citrus County Earns 17 National Achievement Awards for Effective Government Programs
CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. (Aug. 10, 2026) — Citrus County has been recognized with 17 2026 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo). The awards honor innovative, effective county government programs that strengthen services.
American Infrastructure
NACo urges Congress to maintain existing transportation funding
The National Association of Counties (NACo) urged Congress to maintain full funding levels for surface transportation by extending it in a pair of letters to the Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.
World Atlas
Cities That Are Also Their Own County
Local government in the United States is typically structured with cities nested inside counties. Two unique groups of exceptions exist, however, in which a city and a county become one and the same, or where the county layer is completely absent.
104.5
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan joins Jacksonville’s Morning News each month.
The Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee on Thursday will begin its first of multiple reviews of Mayor Donna Deegan’s $2 billion budget.
Orange Observer
Orange County recognized for its Single Parent Captive Insurer initiative
The county’s Risk Management Division was recognized for its efforts by the National Association of Counties.
PROPERTY TAXES
FL Voice News
Uthmeier: Law enforcement should have been involved in property tax exemption proposal
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier told Florida’s Voice on Monday that the rollout of the ballot title and summary for a proposed constitutional amendment expanding Florida’s homestead property tax exemption should have included greater transparency and input from law enforcement leaders.
WFLA
Tampa afterschool programs at risk if property tax amendment passes
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — School is back in session in Hillsborough County which means hundreds of families will be relying on afterschool programs.
CW 34
Florida property tax amendment raises questions about funding for first responders
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Florida’s proposed property tax amendment is raising questions about how local governments would continue funding essential services if they collect less tax revenue.
CBS 12
Will Amendment 3 lower your property tax bill? Property appraiser says it’s not guaranteed
MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — If Florida voters approve Amendment 3 this November, their taxable property values would go down — but Martin County Property Appraiser Jenny Fields says no one can promise homeowners their final property tax bills will go down with them.
STATE
Bradenton Herald
In Polk, DeSantis touts Florida as leader in ‘flying-car’ development
AUBURNDALE – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis strode toward a lectern, accompanied by the theme from “The Jetsons,” the 1960s cartoon about a futuristic family.
WUWF
Federal parks, public lands need $680 million in repairs in Florida. Park lovers say there’s a fix
The wear and tear on Florida’s national parks and public lands, regularly hammered by increasingly intense hurricanes, throngs of visitors and cuts in funding, has fueled a ballooning statewide maintenance backlog that has swelled to $687 million in the last five years.
GROWTH MANAGEMENT
Midflorida Newspaper
HB 399: What it means for local government
One of the Legislature’s most significant land use bills this year is House Bill 399.
FAC News Clips – August 10, 2026
COUNTY
Click Orlando
REPORT: Florida ranks among best states to live in. Here’s why it placed so high
ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida landed in the top 10 of WalletHub’s new list of the best states to live in, ranking No. 10 overall in the latest analysis that compared all 50 states across several metrics tied to livability.
Alachua Chronicle
Alachua County Commission to consider ICE resolution on Tuesday
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – On Tuesday, August 11, Alachua County Commissioners will consider a resolution “expressing community concerns regarding law enforcement practices, affirming compliance with [state laws], and encouraging transparency in law enforcement identification.”
PROPERTY TAXES
WUSF
Why sheriffs have concerns over the property tax amendment
On “The Florida Roundup,” Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods talked about how tax cuts could potentially affect public safety across the state.
Palm Beach Post
Why renters could pay the price for Florida’s property tax break
Camilo Mejía, director of policy and advocacy at the nonprofit Catalyst Miami, knows many Florida homeowners see Amendment 3 as a lifeline, a property tax break in a state that is becoming more unaffordable every day.
Florida Politics
The draft language is ‘great.’
DATA CENTERS
98.7 Gator
Palm Beach County Zoning Commission Approves AI Data Center Moratorium
Palm Beach County’s zoning commission is unanimously recommending a one-year moratorium on large-scale data centers.
LEGISLATION
Florida Politics
Daniel Perez to resign as House Speaker after Senate confirms Brazil ambassadorship
Perez is leaving roughly 3 months before his Speakership was already scheduled to conclude.
AROUND THE COUNT(R)Y
Route-Fifty
Lack of broadband service, funding gives rise to telehealth services in rural clinics
Clinics with better internet connections are now offering telehealth services to patients who can’t do it from their homes.
FAC News Clips – August 6, 2026
COUNTY
Wink News
Local governments must finalize budgets before Florida voters decide on property taxes
LEE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — Florida voters won’t decide the fate of Amendment 3 until November, but cities and counties across the state don’t have that luxury.
WESH
Orange County advisory task force weighs billions in tourist tax project requests
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. —
Billions of dollars in funding requests are on the table as some of Central Florida’s largest venues and tourism projects compete for a share of Orange County’s tourist tax dollars.
Flagler Live
Flagler County’s 911 Team Recognized for Membership in ‘Missing Kids Readiness Program’
The Flagler County Emergency Communications Center team was recently recognized for its membership in the “Missing Kids Readiness Program” at the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) National Conference by the National Center Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
Orlando Weekly
Orange County expands medical debt relief initiative
Since 2024, the county has eliminated over $637 million in medical debt for more than 427,000 Orange County residents.
PROPERTY TAXES
Florida Politics
Democratic lawmakers join advisory committee for anti-Amendment 3 push
The plan to increase homestead exemptions strikes them as a scam.
News 4 Jax
What needs to change after judge orders Florida property tax amendment must be reworded for ballot?
You’ll still find the Florida Property Tax Amendment on the ballot in November. It will just be worded differently.
Click Orlando
Here’s what lawmakers cut from Florida Gov. DeSantis’ property tax plan
Latest amendment will go to voters in November
WPTV
Florida property-tax amendment faces growing opposition
Groups representing police, firefighters, sheriffs, hospitals, cities and counties have raised alarms about Amendment 3, warning it could drain nearly $12 billion annually from local governments.
GROWTH MANAGEMENT
News 4 Jax
St. Johns County takes first step toward challenging Florida’s agricultural enclave law in court
- JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County commissioners voted Tuesday to have the County Attorney’s Office explore whether the county has legal grounds to challenge Florida’s agricultural enclave law, Senate Bill 686.
DATA CENTERS
Mid Florida Newspaper
County weighs data center moratorium as AI infrastructure questions grow
Lake County officials are weighing a temporary ban on data center development while they draft local rules to address the fast-growing demands of artificial intelligence infrastructure.