First, do no harm.” That medical maxim, taught to physicians for ages, would serve Florida well if the Legislature were to adopt it. The need is now. In the mercifully final year of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ eight-year reign, he wants lawmakers to commit two enormously harmful misdeeds. First, he would end much of the property taxation that runs cities and counties. He has not specified how, but he denounced a House scheme to put up to seven conflicting constitutional amendments to

Cities and counties raise concerns about budgeting funds TALLAHASSEE—Republicans in the Florida House are quickly moving forward on a smorgasbord of ballot initiatives that would ask voters to dramatically overhaul the state’s property taxes—deepening the anxiety for local officials who rely on those funds for their budgets. When the Legislature convenes January 13 for its regular 60-day session, House lawmakers will have seven tax proposals they want to pass and then prese

Condo and homeowners’ associations are suddenly on their own when it comes to interpreting fair housing law — and that’s a dangerous place to be. HUD’s decision to withdraw years of guidance on discrimination, assistance animals and protected classes may appear to be deregulation. Still, it underscores the importance of boards staying disciplined, documenting their decisions, and seeking legal counsel before acting. In September, the Department of Housing and Urban Developmen

More homebuyers have been backing out of home-purchase agreements in many parts of Florida and across the U.S., a new analysis shows. Florida and Texas are seeing more newly built homes “than anywhere else in the country, ”leading some buyers to back out of deals because they feel they might find a better option, according to Redfin, a real estate data and service provider. About 53,000 home-purchase agreements—or 15.1%of homes that went under contract in October—got cancel

GOP-led panel OKs exemption for those who have insurance TALLAHASSEE — A proposed constitutional amendment that would increase the homestead property-tax exemption for residents who have property insurance is ready to go to the full Florida House after the 2026 legislative session starts in January. The Republican-controlled House Ways & Means Committee voted 10-5 along party lines Wednesday to approve the measure (HJR 209), which was part of eight property-tax proposals tha

President Trump is pressuring Republican-led legislatures, including Florida’s, to conduct mid-decade redistricting. It is a pure power grab designed to lock in his grip on Congress through 2028 and, perhaps, beyond. What is new and deeply alarming is that Florida’s Legislature appears to be taking steps to satisfy his most anti-democratic wishes. Floridians cannot allow the legislature to rig our elections for the president. Now is the time to speak up, regardless of your

Your voice matters. You need to tell your state legislators what you think. The fact that the state Capitol in Tallahassee is hundreds of miles away is all the more reason why you have to make your voice heard. Most legislators love hearing from their constituents. It helps them make decisions, and it’s just as important for them to hear a contrasting point of view. The Legislature’s websites ( flsenate.gov and flhouse.gov ) are easy to use. If you want to be heard on a sp

Changes could help homeowners, but leave $1.4B hole in municipal budgets The most comprehensive analysis to date of the impact of proposals to overhaul Florida property taxes shows the dramatic and far-reaching impacts the plans would have in Broward County. Individual Broward homeowners could see thousands of dollars in savings a year. But the cumulative effect of those tax reductions on homes and condos could add up to the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars, or more

Broward County has a waste crisis. We generate about 20,000 pounds of waste every minute, which is about 10.6 billion pounds every year. Our county landfill is nearing capacity and the waste-to-energy facility is at capacity. Our garbage must go somewhere. This crisis will cost us a lot more to manage if we do not change our behavior. Right now, our recycling rate in Broward County is approximately 39%, which is embarrassing. The state goal is 75%. At this pace, future dispo

An thony Man | aman@sunsentinel.com | South Florida Sun Sentinel PUBLISHED: November 8, 2025 at 7:00 AM EST Momentum for drastically reducing property taxes in Florida is seemingly unstoppable. So city, town, village and county officials have stepped up warnings about the jeopardy such cuts present to the local government services people rely on for their safety and quality of life. Even if every last dollar of what critics deem wasteful or frivolous is squeezed out of loca

A new Florida law allowing select charter school operators to set up their programs within the walls of traditional public schools, rent free, is a lesson in power, politics, money — and how the three combine late at night in the state Capitol. The result got a failing grade from state Rep. Robin Bartleman, a Weston Democrat, former teacher, former assistant principal, and mother of a teacher. “I was crushed,” she said in an interview. “I am crushed.” It wasn’t just the polic

TALLAHASSEE—The Florida House on Thursday rolled out a series of proposed constitutional amendments to cut property taxes, while looking to shield funding for schools and law enforcement. House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, outlined the menu of proposals, which came as Gov. Ron DeSantis has made a top priority of asking voters in the 2026 elections to slash homestead property taxes. “If we have faith in the voters to elect us, we should not be afraid to let them be a part

New rules for insurance company owners that are now out of state regulators’ reach. An emergency relief fund to help low-income...

Solutions will require a change in our lifestyle as well as additional costs. (Blind ignorance is not a realistic option) Read the Sun...

Florida lawmakers are navigating a political minefield: whether to radically reshape or even eliminate property taxes that cities and...

The share of lawsuits against Citizens Property Insurance Corp. originating from South Florida has declined sharply. Lawsuits against...

The Broward County Commission voted Tuesday to cut the annual property tax rate, a mostly symbolic move that won’t lower anyone’s bills...

As property values rise, how high will taxes go? The Broward County Commission is poised to meet Tuesday evening to decide once and for...

August 08, 2025 Facebook Twitter Email Messenger Copy Link Message Share By Judy Wilson | Associate Editor A recently passed US House...

Two new lawsuits have been filed that seek to void all settlements and rulings involving customers of Citizens Property Insurance Corp....