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Studio 67FAC News Clips – October 14, 2026
COUNTY
Cape Coral Breeze
County commissioners discuss impact of, solutions for Amendment 3
An increase in the homestead tax exemption from $50,000 to $250,000 under a proposed state referendum on the November ballot would likely mean higher county taxes and fees, as well as widespread cuts to county departments, under budget projections county commissioners are being faced with.
The Floridian
DeSantis Awards $27M in Infrastructure Upgrades, Includes Florida Panhandle
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced $27 million in awards to fourteen small and rural communities for economic growth as part of Florida’s Rural Infrastructure Fund while speaking at a press conference in Vernon this week.
Tallahassee Democrat
When the Florida legislature overrules local communities | Opinion
The best government is the government closest to the people. If a neighborhood floods, a road cannot handle more traffic, or a proposed development threatens a treasured place, residents ought to be able to turn to officials they can meet, question, and vote out of office.
My Panhandle
Bay County leaders warn Amendment 3 may cut services and urge voters to vote “no”
BAY COUNTY, FLA. (WMBB) – Local leaders in Bay County are raising concerns about Amendment 3. They say that a little extra money in your pocket could affect local services.
Wink News
Collier County considers creating veterans affairs advisory committee
GOLDEN GATE, Fla. (WINK) — Collier County commissioners are moving forward with talks about a permanent Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee.
PROPERTY TAXES
WLRN
FL’s Amendment 3 would cut property taxes. Could it gut local police, fire, emergency money?
As Florida voters weigh a proposed property tax cut on the November ballot, realtors, sheriffs and local officials are clashing over whether Amendment 3 will strip funding from local police, fire and emergency services.
Florida Politics
Amendment 3 support insufficient among informed voters, AIF-commissioned poll finds
Is there a path to passage in November?
Florida Politics
The listings site’s own estimate found eliminating property taxes would lift home values 7% to 9%, with first-time buyers paying the difference.
Sun North Port
DeSantis: ‘I’ll be involved somehow’
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to express increased support for the property tax cut measure the Legislature put before voters on the November ballot.
Wink News
CC sheriff warns Amendment 3 could cut millions
CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell is doubling down on his opposition to Amendment 3, defending his spending decisions and warning of potential cuts to public safety funding as Florida voters consider a proposal aimed at providing property tax relief.
DATA CENTERS
Bradenton Herald
Florida county commission votes for data center moratorium
STUART – Martin County Commission is on its way to establishing a one-year moratorium on data centers, a move that would give staff time to review potential impacts of projects.
WTXL
Leon County commissioners approve data center moratorium
County officials say the 18-month pause gives staff time to study the impacts and develop new regulations around the centers
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
Z105
DeSantis Announces Hurricane Isaias Relief Efforts in Florida Panhandle
Santa Rosa County, FL – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis provided an update Tuesday on hurricane recovery efforts as state officials continued distributing emergency supplies across Northwest Florida.
FAC News Clips – October 13, 2026
COUNTY
WESH
Demings backs more than $800M in tourism-tax projects, including $46M for UCF
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings is proposing more than $800 million in tourist development tax funding for 13 projects and programs across the county, including $46 million for a soccer stadium and track facility at the University of Central Florida.
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
The Capitolist
122,000 still without power in Florida after Hurricane Isaias
Over 122,000 Florida customers remained without power Monday after Hurricane Isaias ripped through over the weekend, claiming the lives of four people.
Wink
Lee County first responders’ home after Hurricane Isaias
LEE COUNTY, Fla. — First responders from Southwest Florida are back home after spending four days helping communities hit by Hurricane Isaias.
PROPERTY TAXES
Orlando Sentinel
Florida property tax Amendment 3: The latest poll results
The most recent round of public, preelection polls show Florida voters are stressed about affordability and the cost of living.
Tallahassee Democrat
The real price of Amendment 3 shows up close to home | Opinion
Most people don’t spend much time thinking about community planning.
Tallahassee Democrat
Amendment 3 is a ‘shell game’ Florida can live without | Opinion
I’m a retiree on a fixed income and a virtual life-long Florida resident having moved here at the age of 5.
Midflorida Newspaper
Property tax reform: How about a little common sense? | Opinions
“I consider Amendment 3 a political stunt.”
WFLA
St. Pete renter says no on Amendment 3; Florida Realtors say yes
- PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) – The effort to raise the homestead exemption in Florida during the midterm political cycle will come to an end on Nov. 3.
FEDERAL
Florida Politics
Could a proposed Census rule cost Florida billions in aid — or even a House seat?
A POGO report said Florida suffers from an undercount, which will hurt worse if counts exclude undocumented immigrants.
FAC News Clips – October 12, 2026
PROPERTY TAXES
Bradenton Herald
If Amendment 3 is so great, why do so many oppose it? | Letter
Few are fooled by Amendment 3
Bradenton Herald
$40 million Sarasota County park plan faces Amendment 3 uncertainty
The Sarasota County Commission unanimously approved the master concept plan for the Wellfield Regional Sports Complex in Venice, though the timeline for development and funding remains in limbo until after Florida voters weigh in on Amendment 3.
Florida Politics
Republican support fell to 60%, and Black voters flipped from support to oppose.
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
North Escambia
Escambia County Hurricane Recovery Need To Know Info
Escambia County is continuing recovery efforts following Hurricane Isaias, including damage assessments and debris clearing across roadways.
My Panhandle
FPL working to restore power in Bay County following Isaias
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) — Florida Power & Light (FPL) is having thousands of crews work around the clock to restore power to thousands still sitting in the dark from Hurricane Isaias.
Bradenton Herald
As power is restored, Escambia County eyes longer-term Isaias recovery
More than 55,000 Florida Power and Light customers had power restored on Sunday, Oct. 11, as the second day of recovery from Hurricane Isaias came to an end.
Florida Politics
‘We have some work to do. (But) it is inspiring to me … to see the resilience of Floridians.’
FAC News Clips – October 6, 2026
COUNTY
Spectrum News
Volusia County data center ban heads to first reading
DELAND, Fla. — Volusia County leaders are set to discuss a proposed ordinance that would ban large-scale data centers throughout unincorporated Volusia County.
GROWTH MANAGEMENT
Flagler Live
Landowners Rushing to Convert Farms Into Subdivisions as Florida Law Shifts Control to Tallahassee
Florida developers are racing to take advantage of a fast-track approval process for turning rural land into subdivisions, a process that state lawmakers expanded this year in their latest move to shift control over Florida’s sprawling growth from local governments to Tallahassee.
PROPERTY TAXES
WLRN
Tax relief or ‘fake relief’? Florida sheriff warns of cuts, new fees
With mail-in voting underway, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri warned that a property tax proposal on the November ballot may offer homeowners an appealing promise of relief but could threaten public safety and other programs.
Florida Politics
Kathleen Passidomo helped put Amendment 3 on the ballot. Now she’s voting ‘no’
‘I think it is a well-intentioned bill, but you know, the road to hell is paved with them.’
Florida Politics
Ron DeSantis rebuts argument that homestead exemption hike hurts renters
The Legislature may have changed the Governor’s plan, but he’s still a staunch advocate for it.
FAC News Clips – October 5, 2026
COUNTY
Sun Sentinel
Developers and residents weigh in on new Ag Reserve plan
A new vision for the Palm Beach County Agricultural Reserve is closer to reality after many people came forward to share what they do and don’t want to see within the 22,000-acre region.
Bradenton Herald
Volusia council to vote on ECHO requests totaling $13 million
Volusia County Council members this week will consider spending some $13 million of ECHO funds on 10 projects, including public site improvements to The Brown, formerly known as the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach.
PROPERTY TAXES
WFSU
DeSantis railed against ‘Defund the police.’ Amendment 3 could do just that
In Sarasota and Manatee counties, where law enforcement consumes the lion’s share of general fund spending, sheriffs say losses of the magnitude being projected could force them to reconsider services that extend beyond patrol and criminal investigations. Smaller police departments have even less room to maneuver.
Bradenton Herald
Sarasota braces for Amendment 3 with spending cuts and new budgets
The new budgets are in for Sarasota County and its three cities, with a mix of spending increases, cuts and largely steady property tax rates as officials brace for a potential revenue hit if voters approve Amendment 3.
PUBLIC SAFETY
WFLA
St. Lucie County Finds 13 Unpermitted License Plate Cameras
St. Lucie County, FL – Officials are examining roadside surveillance equipment after finding license plate cameras installed without required permits.
PARTNERS
Florida Politics
TECO does it right: A model approach to serving data centers while protecting customers
Data centers are in the campaign ads, the candidate forums, and the direct mail this cycle.
FAC News Clips – October 1, 2026
ENVIRONMENT
WMNF
Florida faces bigger role in wetland protection after federal changes
Environmental activists, legal experts, and community leaders gathered in Fort Myers to discuss changes to federal wetland protections and what they could mean for Florida’s water.
PROPERTY TAXES
Florida Politics
Jeff Brandes: If Amendment 3 passes, Florida will need city hospice
‘Florida cannot fundamentally rewrite the economics of local government and then pretend the map of local government must remain frozen in time.’
Amendment 3: What It Could Mean
Homeowners are facing higher insurance premiums, housing costs, gas prices, and higher maintenance costs; so are cities and counties.
Lake and Sumter Style
Florida Amendment 3: What It Means for Your Property Taxes
Property taxes have become one of Florida’s hottest political issues, and when voters see Amendment 3 on their November ballot, the promise of relief may sound simple.
Flagler Live
Flagler Forum Exposes Deep Uncertainty and Evasions on Proposed Amendment 3 Homestead Exemptions
It was 93 minutes into last night’s Flagler Tiger Bay forum on Amendment 3, the proposed constitutional measure to raise the homestead exemption to $250,000 by 2028 then index it to inflation.
Your Observer
Live Local rulings bring mixed results in lawsuits against the county
Although Sarasota County commissioners received some relief in a Sept. 17 ruling by Judge Hunter Carroll of the 12th Judicial Circuit Court, lawsuits brought by developers may continue in their quest to build affordable housing residential developments in largely rural areas in the northern part of the county.
Daytona Times
Tax policy group: Amendment 3 would cost local governments $12 billion a year
Local governments in Florida would see a cut of $12 billion in tax money every year if voters approve Amendment 3 on November’s ballot.
Bay News 9
State of Osceola focuses on Amendment 3’s potential impact
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — With election day just over a month away, Osceola County leaders are preparing for the possibility that voters approve Amendment 3 on Nov. 3.
PUBLIC SAFETY
WFLA
Palm Beach County Commission Wants Answers From PBSO On Flock Camera Data
Palm Beach County leaders want to know how data from Flock cameras are shared and who is allowed to search the data.
LEGISLATION
Pensacola News Journal
New Florida laws go into effect today Oct. 1.
Here’s what changed on Oct. 1