Author: Owen E. Richason IV
-
Hillsborough County commissioners are seeking a detailed report on how Florida’s newly passed property tax relief plan could affect the county, following the legislature’s approval of the measure during a special session on Tuesday. The amendment will appear on the November ballot, and if approved by 60% of voters, it would raise the homestead exemption…
·
-
Florida legislators approved a constitutional amendment Wednesday that would eliminate property taxes on primary residences, sending the measure to voters for a final decision this November. The vote came during a special session called last week by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has framed rising property taxes as a mounting burden on Florida homeowners. For the…
·
-
As June marks National Homeownership Month, many Tampa Bay residents are still struggling to enter the housing market, with mortgage rates remaining above 6.5% and everyday costs high. Experts say inflation — driven in part by global instability and rising energy prices — continues to make borrowing expensive. Sylvia Alvarez, CEO of the Housing &…
·
-
Local governments across the Tampa Bay region are raising concerns about a state property tax relief plan being debated in a special legislative session in Tallahassee, warning that cuts to property tax revenue could force reductions to city services beyond public safety. Florida lawmakers convened a special session to consider major changes to the state’s…
·
-
Florida lawmakers returned to Tallahassee Tuesday for the second day of a special legislative session focused on a proposed overhaul of the state’s property tax system, with final votes expected as early as this week. The special session was called by Gov. Ron DeSantis to consider a constitutional amendment aimed at reducing or eventually eliminating…
·
-
Gas prices across Florida have dropped sharply in recent days, offering drivers some relief after months of steep increases tied to the ongoing U.S.-Israel military conflict with Iran. The price of crude oil has largely declined over the past two weeks, falling from $108.66 per barrel down to $87.36 on Friday. The drop has translated…
·
-
Duke Energy Florida customers will see lower electricity bills this month after the company implemented its third rate reduction of 2026, which took effect Monday. The latest reduction is expected to save residential customers roughly $6 per 1,000 kilowatt-hours used. Combined with two earlier reductions this year, customers’ monthly bills are now approximately $50 lower…
·
-
Florida legislators are gathering in Tallahassee today for the state’s third special session of the year, taking up a sweeping property tax relief proposal put forward by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The governor’s plan, called “Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes,” centers on increasing the homestead exemption to shield the first $250,000 of a home’s…
·
-
As hurricane season officially gets underway Monday, the City of Tampa used a weekend expo to roll out its first-ever Hurricane Preparedness Guide and remind residents of the lessons learned from the devastating 2024 storm season. City leaders unveiled the guide Saturday at a hurricane preparedness expo at Cordelia B. Hunt Community Center, which drew…
·
-
Florida lawmakers approved a nearly $115 billion state budget Friday following a special session called to break a deadlock between the Republican-led House and Senate — the second consecutive year a special session was required to finalize spending. The budget passed the House 99-6 and cleared the Senate unanimously. Supporters said the package includes significant…
·
-
Florida homeowners saw their insurance premiums climb at roughly twice the national pace between 2021 and 2025, according to a new report, with experts divided over the cause. The report, from the national nonprofit Coalition for an Insurable Future, found that homeowners’ insurance costs rose an average of 38 percent across the United States during…
·
-
As the 2026 hurricane season gets underway, Duke Energy is giving a look inside the nerve center it relies on to manage power outages across Florida. The company’s Distribution Control Center in St. Petersburg is where Duke Energy monitors the entire electric grid for the state. The room is organized by region, with staff dedicated…
·
-
A lawsuit filed by the Florida Education Association challenging the state’s school choice programs sparked competing press conferences Wednesday, as supporters and critics of Florida’s scholarship and charter school system squared off in St. Petersburg. The FEA’s suit challenges parts of the state’s education scholarship and charter school programs, calling for greater transparency and accountability…
·
-
Dunedin city commissioners voted on May 19 to study implementing a fire services assessment as a possible replacement for property tax revenue that could be lost if state lawmakers eliminate or significantly reduce property taxes. City Manager Jennifer Bramley told commissioners the city stands to lose as much as $9 million under a bill that…
·
-
Cross Bayou Elementary School held its final day of classes today, Thursday, May 28, 2026, and will close permanently after nearly 70 years of service in Pinellas County Schools. The school, which opened in 1958, wrapped up operations as students transitioned to nearby Pinellas Central and Bardmoor elementary schools. Its Deaf/Hard of Hearing program will…
·
-
A shortage of apartment maintenance workers is leaving Tampa Bay residents waiting longer for repairs, and a local industry group is stepping in with a new free training program to help fill the gap. Rose Nurse, who leads the Bay Area Apartment Association — which represents more than 250,000 apartment homes in the Tampa Bay…
·
-
Even as Pasco County continues to add tens of thousands of new homes, its public school district is losing students — a paradox that officials say demands careful planning before any major decisions are made. District enrollment dropped by 1,393 students during the current school year, while voucher participation grew by about 1,965 students, and…
·
-
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday that he is calling a special legislative session beginning June 1 to advance a property tax reform proposal that would appear on the November ballot as a constitutional amendment. The measure seeks to provide significant property tax relief for Floridians, with the governor stating it would eventually eliminate property taxes…
·
-
Citrus County commissioners held a public hearing on Wednesday on a proposed temporary moratorium that would halt new zoning applications for artificial intelligence data centers in unincorporated parts of the county. County leaders said the pause would give them time to study the potential impacts of the facilities before approving any future projects. In recent…
·
-
Florida’s top-ranked public universities will receive no special state funding this year after legislative budget negotiators agreed to eliminate the preeminence program entirely from the upcoming spending plan. The Legislature concluded its budget talks late Sunday during a Special Session, called after lawmakers failed to pass a budget during the 60-day Regular Session. The Senate…
·
-
Florida state lawmakers have tentatively reached a budget agreement that would transfer the University of South Florida’s Sarasota-Manatee campus to New College of Florida, a move that could significantly reshape higher education options in the region. The proposal, backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis for the past two years, is included in the state budget and…
·
-
The Florida legislator is set to vote today on a state budget after House and Senate leaders reached a tentative agreement earlier this week. The spending plan, which takes effect July 1, comes in at nearly $115 billion — less than the Senate’s preferred figure but more than the $113.6 billion the House had sought.…
·
-
Nearly two years after Hurricanes Helene and Milton forced it to close, Sunset Beach Pavilion on Treasure Island is preparing to welcome the public again. The pavilion’s official reopening is scheduled for June 4, with a celebration featuring food trucks and live music on the beach. Restoration work began in January. Hurricane Helene flooded the…
·
-
Florida’s insurance market added three new property and casualty carriers this week, state officials announced. Insurance Commissioner Mike Yaworsky announced that Builder Reciprocal Insurance Exchange, Frontline Insurance Reciprocal Exchange, and Wingsail Insurance Company have been approved to operate in the state. Builder Reciprocal Insurance Exchange, headquartered in Texas, was approved to write homeowners’ multi-peril insurance…
·
-
With hurricane season opening June 1, St. Petersburg has kicked off a public planning process around long-term flood resilience — even as many residents in one of the city’s most vulnerable neighborhoods are still rebuilding from storms nearly two years ago. The city held the first in a series of public meetings Tuesday night focused…
·
-
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is signaling that his long-running push to eliminate property taxes on primary residences could finally move forward this summer, targeting a November ballot measure. Speaking at a roundtable in Melbourne on Monday, DeSantis urged state lawmakers to finish the state budget so the property tax effort can advance, posting on social…
·
-
Tampa Electric is alerting customers to a rise in sophisticated scams targeting utility customers — including fraudsters using artificial intelligence, fake websites, and threats of immediate service shutoffs to steal money. Scammers are posing as TECO employees through calls, texts, emails, and even in-person visits to customers’ homes. Spokesperson Cherie Jacobs said the problem has…
·
-
Pinellas County residents may notice a slight change in the taste or smell of their tap water over the coming weeks — but officials say there is no cause for alarm. Pinellas County Utilities switched its water disinfection method from chloramine to chlorine on Monday, May 18, a change that will remain in effect through…
·
-
St. Petersburg’s Northeast Sewer Plant has completed a $67 million upgrade that public works officials say allows it to withstand a 15-foot storm surge — more than double the surge that forced it offline during Hurricane Helene. The plant was shut down for the first time during Helene’s 6.3-foot storm surge in 2024, causing one…
·
-
The Florida State Board of Education has approved a new intervention plan for Gulf View Middle School in Pasco County after the school received a D letter grade from the state for three consecutive years, despite the district’s own turnaround efforts. The district is now weighing four options: continuing its own improvement plan, converting the…
·
-
Southwest Florida is in the grip of its most severe water shortage in almost 10 years, and the effects are visible at one of the region’s most critical water facilities. The Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority’s main reservoir, built to hold 6 billion gallons of water, is now half empty. The authority is…
·
-
The National Hurricane Center has begun issuing its daily tropical weather outlooks for the 2026 season, though forecasters say no tropical development is expected over the next seven days. The outlooks, issued four times daily, kick off each year in mid-May to coincide with the start of the eastern Pacific hurricane season — a few…
·
-
The St. Leo Town Commission voted Wednesday night against a rezoning request that would have allowed developer Ryan Homes to replace the 66-year-old Abbey Golf Course with 628 new homes, preserving one of the small Pasco County community’s last remaining green spaces. The proposal would have rezoned nearly 289 acres from permanently open land to…
·
-
With school nearly out, many Tampa Bay parents are feeling the financial squeeze of summer childcare on top of already rising grocery and gas bills. Kari Thomas, a South Tampa mother, says she wants to give her child everything, but the cost makes it feel impossible. She told FOX 13 she experiences “mom guilt” each…
·
-
Citrus County commissioners are pursuing a temporary moratorium on building permits and property rezonings for data centers, following a packed public meeting in which residents strongly opposed a proposed facility in the Lecanto area. The proposal would place a data center on 800 acres of land near County Road 491 and Tram Road, near Lecanto.…
·
-
Sarasota County has finalized the purchase of roughly two acres of waterfront property at Stickney Point Road, displacing nearly all of the businesses that operated there and setting the stage for a potential public park and fishing pier. County commissioners approved the acquisition for just under $21 million. The funding came through the Neighborhood Parkland…
·
-
Pinellas County Schools Superintendent Kevin Hendrick is set to present school board members on Wednesday with data from a recently concluded weapon detection pilot program, as the district weighs whether to expand the technology on a permanent basis. The district launched the pilot program at Gibbs High School and Palm Harbor University High School on…
·
-
The city will host its third annual Bluffs Hurricane Expo on Saturday, June 6, ahead of the start of Atlantic hurricane season. The free event runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Belleair Bluffs Community Center auditorium, 2747 Sunset Blvd., and is presented in conjunction with Largo Fire Rescue and Pinellas County Emergency…
·
-
After two legislative sessions and one special session failed to produce a property tax relief plan, Florida’s Republican leaders are signaling a summer showdown over one of the state’s most ambitious fiscal proposals in decades. The question now is not whether lawmakers will return to Tallahassee, but what plan they will bring with them —…
·
-
As the 2026 hurricane season approaches, Sarasota County has installed color-coded poles at local beaches to help residents and visitors understand just how high storm surge can rise during a hurricane. The poles, placed at Siesta Key and Manasota Key beaches, indicate the peak storm surge levels recorded during Hurricanes Helene and Milton. According to…
·
-
Florida school districts are heading into budget season without a clear picture of their state funding, as lawmakers return to Tallahassee this week to resume negotiations on a spending plan they failed to finalize during the regular 60-day legislative session. Orange County Public Schools leaders say the delay is making it difficult to plan for…
·
-
The St. Petersburg Development Review Commission voted 4-3 Wednesday night to approve a redevelopment proposal for the Tierra Verde Marina, despite strong opposition from hundreds of area residents who packed City Hall to protest the project. The meeting stretched past four hours, with overflow crowds filling two additional rooms. Opponents submitted more than 200 emails…
·