Citrus County Chronicle  

Editorial l Budget battle looms between officials 

THE ISSUE: Sheriff plans $7.5 million budget request. OUR OPINION: Taxpayers, Board should support needs. If measures aren’t taken soon, Sheriff Mike Prendergast said, the county’s in danger of falling behind its crime rate. That’s the warning cry from the two-term sheriff, who is preparing to ask county leaders for another several million dollars to bolster his agency’s upcoming budget, which is due to county commissioners by June 1, told the Chronicle Editorial Board as well as a number of homeowners associations throughout the county. 

 

Bay News 9 

Time dwindles for Orange County residents to provide input on penny sales tax proposal 

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Monday marks the last chance for Orange County residents to weigh in on Mayor Jerry Demings’ proposed penny sales tax increase before commissioners decide whether to add it to November’s ballot. County residents have until Monday at 11:59 p.m. to fill out an online survey about their experiences with public transportation and whether they support a proposed sales tax increase.  

 

WUFT 

Tiny home owners across Florida are seeking peace with local governments 

Krsna Balynas and her husband Govinda Carol finished building their first tiny house in Alachua in May 2020 and listed it as an Airbnb a month later – mostly just to see what would happen. Within two weeks, it was booked almost a month out. Almost two years later, the couple’s company Simplify Further now rents 12 tiny houses across Alachua County via vacation rental websites: 11 in Alachua City – including four on their own property – and one in La Crosse. They’ve hosted over 7,500 guests. 

 

WCJB 

Marion County Commissioners approve septic-to-sewer conversion plan to reduce pollution 

MARION COUNTY, Fla. (WCJB) – Marion County Commissioners approved a septic-to-sewer conversion plan that could save on costs and reduce water contamination. The program intends to convert homes with existing septic systems to sewer systems and is meant to reduce pollution into water sources.  

 

NBC6 South Florida 

Mayor Levine Cava Announces New ‘Plastic Free 305′ Program at Baynanza Cleanup Event 

Miami-Dade County’s 40th Annual Baynanza cleanup event took place on Saturday at various locations along Biscayne Bay in celebration of Earth Day. Special guests like Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Commissioner Eileen Higgins and Zoo Miami’s Ron Magill all showed up to do their part. 

 

Tampa Bay Times 

Now that DeSantis signed Disney bill, who assumes all that bond debt?  

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a bill aimed at dissolving a special taxing district that has granted Walt Disney World unique self-governing powers for more than five decades as a leading bond-rating agency cautioned investors about the proposed changes. The bill (SB 4-C) targets the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which encompasses about 25,000 acres in Orange and Osceola counties on property in and around the “most magical place on earth.”  

 

Route-Fifty.com 

How One State Measures Post-pandemic Recovery 

Economic leaders in New Jersey can see indicators and contextualize metrics with a solution that combines government, geographic and third-party economic data into an interactive dashboard. New Jersey’s Office of Information Technology has turned to data to get a better handle on the state’s post-pandemic economy and determine how best to deploy American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. 

 

Governing.com 

What Inflation Means for State and Local Budgets 

In February 2009, the economist Mark Zandi spoke at a conference hosted by Governing. He predicted that the still-painful Great Recession would be done by that fall. More precisely, he predicted it would be over on Sept. 15. As it happened, Ben Bernanke, then the chairman of the Federal Reserve, gave a speech declaring that “the recession is very likely over at this point” — on Sept. 15, no less. 

 

Route-Fifty.com 

The Outlook for States and Localities if a Recession Hits 

One leading economist puts the odds of a mild downturn at one in three over the next year. But experts who spoke at a Volcker Alliance event described factors states and local governments have in their favor. The economy could be in for a bumpy period but states and municipalities are well-equipped to weather the turbulence.