Check out all our latest updates In this month’s newsletter…Florida's Amendment 3 Presentation by Marty Kiar, Early Voting in Wilton Manors, Wilton Manors Project Updates, Wicked Manors Event Info, Candidates Forum Photos and Video Link and list of Upcoming Events. Florida's Amendment 3 Property Tax Reform Presentation by Marty Kiar Monday, October 19th Hagen Park Community Center Social: 6:30 PM Presentation: 7:00 PM Get an in-depth explanation from Marty Kiar, Broward

Broward arts groups ‘rethinking entire existence’ as state DEI funding ban looms By Zoey Thomas WLRN Public Media Phil Dunlap spent seven years building a program to support Broward County arts organizations. He spent his last two months on the job watching it unravel. Dunlap left his position as director of the Broward County Cultural Division in August, two months after a sweeping state law changed the way his county, and others across the state, issued grants. The Brow

By Romy Ellenbogen Tampa Bay Times TALLAHASSEE — This November, Floridians can shape the state’s financial future. Three proposals, if adopted, would amend the state’s constitution to change how Florida collects taxes and budgets its money. To pass, an amendment needs at least 60% voter support. Here’s what to know about each amendment, all of which were put on the ballot by the Florida Legislature. Amendment 1: Budget Stabilization Fund Key supporters: House Speaker Daniel P

By Skyler Swisher Orlando Sentinel SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL Ten days ago, the Florida Senate demanded that the Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel destroy a long-hidden state report detailing property insurers’ payments of millions to sibling companies whose profits remained secret. Now the news organizations are publishing the complete report. The existence of the 2022 “Affiliated Fee Analysis” of insurer profits and losses, performed for the state Office of In

By Sun Sentinel Editorial Board | Sun Sentinel PUBLISHED: September 21, 2026 at 2:51 PM EDT | UPDATED: September 21, 2026 at 3:06 PM EDT No precedent justifies the state Senate’s arrogant demand that the South Florida Sun Sentinel and Orlando Sentinel destroy records exposing gross profiteering by Florida’s property insurance industry. But it serves a useful purpose by showing dramatically how badly the scales in Tallahassee are tilted in favor of moneyed special interests an

Amendment 3 is the most reckless gamble out of Tallahassee since the 1861 convention that voted for Florida to secede from the Union. The yahoos in our capital would wreck only the state this time, and not the whole country, but the irresponsibility is the same. The witless legislators who voted to put Amendment 3 on the Nov. 3 ballot should pray that the voters have better sense than they did. If it passes, counties and cities will be forced to beg Tallahassee to pay for the

By Emily L. Mahoney Tampa Bay Times Consumer advocates filed explosive new documents Tuesday in Tallahassee, alleging in a case before regulators that Duke Energy is trying to saddle Floridians with billions’ worth of increases to their bills because of data centers. There’s only one catch: The exact number is hidden from the public. Duke’s approach to data centers “leaves a dramatic, unprecedented gap— (REDACTED) — for the general body of customers to fill,” reads the filing

By Ryan Gillespie Orlando Sentinel Two of Florida’s best-known conservative sheriffs blasted the proposed Amendment 3. Tuesday, calling the property tax rollback a “train wreck,“draconian,” and an “emergency” as campaigns on both sides of the contentious issue ramp up ahead othe Nov. 3 election. Alongside about two dozen sheriffs and representatives from several police and fire unions, Republican Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said voters should reject the increased

State Senate demands news outlets destroy records or face possible criminal ‘implications’ By Skyler Swisher | sswisher@orlandosentinel.com | Orlando Sentinel, Ron Hurtibise | rhurtibise@sunsentinel.com | South Florida Sun Sentinel and David Fleshler | dfleshler@sunsentinel.com | South Florida Sun Sentinel PUBLISHED: September 19, 2026 at 7:00 AM EDT | UPDATED: September 19, 2026 at 7:03 AM EDT As Florida legislators debated sweeping reforms in 2022 to rescue the state’s prop

An outreach program at the David Posnack JCC focuses “not on what separates us, but on what we share,” writes the JCC’s CEO. South Florida doesn’t struggle with diversity — it struggles with what to do with it. That’s why we need to elevate programming that brings together our community by focusing on what we have in common as opposed to our differences. In Broward County alone, more than 2 million people live side by side, representing a striking mix of backgrounds. Hispanic

Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks about his property tax cut proposal during a news conference at the Florida REALTORS headquarters in Orlando on Monday, March 31, 2025. (Rich Pope, Orlando Sentinel) By Marc Wigder PUBLISHED: July 12, 2026 at 5:00 AM EDT Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis called state and local governments “laboratories of democracy,” places to test policies without risking the entire country. Florida is about to run one such experiment with its property tax system

By Susannah Bryan South Florida Sun Sentinel For decades, yellow-hued water has flowed from faucets in homes, hotels and restaurants serviced by Fiveash, the 1950s-era Fort Lauderdale water plant that’s way past its prime. But a pricey new water plant dubbed Prospect Lake Clean Water Center is on the rise. And when it opens later this year, crystal-clear water will stream out of its pipes. That clear water will come at a cost: $666 million, which comes to $1.4 billion over th

Con jobs aren’t limited to Ponzi schemes or a promised prize from a fake lottery. Politicians can be just as sneaky. One of the sleaziest scams you’ll ever see is Amendment 3, the assault on local government that Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida’s weak-kneed Legislature put on the November ballot. Here’s what Tallahassee politicians didn’t want to know before acting: State economists said last week it would cost Florida’s local governments nearly $5 billion in real estate taxes

By Abigail Hasebroock South Florida Sun Sentinel Some renters may face higher costs if Florida voters approve property tax cuts on the November ballot — dealing another blow to housing affordability, real estate experts say. To make up for tax-cut losses, local governments might raise tax rates on nonhomesteaded properties, which could include rental properties, said Ken Johnson, the chair of real estate and professor of finance at the University of Mississippi and the founde

By Gray Rohrer News Service of Florida Climate Reporting Network TALLAHASSEE — Two former local elected officials and a nonprofit group filed suit Thursday in Leon County Circuit Court against the property tax cut amendment placed on the November ballot by lawmakers, alleging it is misleading. The group is called Save Our Voters From Misleading Ballot Language and the two officials are Thomas Campenni, former mayor of Stuart, and Michael Davey, former mayor of Key Biscayne. T

(Sun Sentinel Opinion) There is a quiet but unmistakable irony in Gov. DeSantis’ proposal to phase out property taxes on primary residences. He presents it as a liberation for homeowners, a kind of populist gesture meant to shield ordinary Floridians from rising costs. Yet the very structure of Florida’s Constitution, and the long-standing balance between state and local authority, makes his plan not only impractical, but deeply destabilizing for the counties and municipaliti

Misleading numbers and secretive spending aren’t mere glitches in this administration. They are prominent features. But none of it is as destructive as his plan for eventually doing away with homestead property taxes. It’s no coincidence that he gave lawmakers a week to parse the math and three days to approve it. In two days, the Legislature largely went along with a plan for dramatically slashing taxes on a homeowner’s primary residence, a primary source to run all 67 count

the amendment can reduce your federal itemized deduction for state and local taxes (SALT), because you can only deduct what you actually pay in property taxes. And if local governments replace lost revenue with fees instead of taxes, those fees are not deductible at all. Here’s the full picture, clearly laid out. 🟦 1. Your federal SALT deduction goes down if your property taxes go down The IRS allows you to deduct up to $10,000 in state and local taxes (SALT), including: Pro

Opinion / Sun Sentinel The drastic demolition of cities and counties sought by the Legislature is the most irresponsible enactment by Tallahassee since 1861, when an elected convention made Florida the third state to secede from the Union. How did that turn out? Then, as now, the people gambling recklessly with Florida’s future had not thought out the consequences — and didn’t much care. This time is different. Voters have the final say on Nov. 3. The tax scheme will be on th

Clock ticking for cities to make their approvals By Rafael Olmeda South Florida Sun Sentinel With just three months to go before a crucial deadline, Broward County has passed what officials are calling the “linchpin” of the master plan of the Solid Waste Authority’s ambitious effort to massively increase recycling and reduce local trash output. The 28 municipalities that are part of the Solid Waste Authority must vote on adopting the master plan by Aug. 14. The Broward Coun