COUNTY 

Chronicle Online 

Levy County showcases community pride at Rural County Days in Tallahassee  

TALLAHASSEE — The Levy County Board of County Commissioners once again represented Levy County at Rural County Days, returning to the Florida Capitol for another year to promote tourism to the area and showcase locally produced commodities. 

 

TC Palm 

Has DeSantis succeeded at blocking Florida’s largest data center? 

State politics may be strangling the proposed St. Lucie County data center 

 

Tallahassee Democrat 

Leon County commissioners sound alarm on property tax cuts 

Leon County is keeping a close eye on the legislative session this year as they could see a hole blown in their budget if eliminating property tax makes its way to the statewide ballot. 

 

GROWTH MANAGEMENT 

Insurance Journal 

Florida House Panel Approves Bill to Waive Building Permits on Work of Less Than $7,500 

Spending $7,500 on home repairs may not seem like much in 2026. But a bill approved by a Florida House of Representatives panel on Wednesday would allow construction work below that threshold without a building permit, a change that could have an unexpected impact on inspections and some insurance claims. 

 

Yahoo News 

Florida Follows in Indiana’s Footsteps by Pushing Bill To Loosen Land Laws and Ramp Up Starter Home Construction 

Florida and Indiana lawmakers are advancing similar proposals to stop local governments from creating land-use restrictions that stifle construction of smaller starter homes. 

 

Florida Politics 

House panel OKs bill to weaken local land use control, curb review fees, examine ending Miami-Dade’s UDB 

Supporters say the bill cuts red tape and boosts housing. Critics argue it undermines home rule and environmental safeguards. 

 

PROPERTY TAXES 

Orlando Weekly 

Florida property tax cuts threaten to flatline public safety funding 

Gov. Ron DeSantis and CFO Blaise Ingoglia want to cut taxes collected by local governments, but offer no solution for how to fund law enforcement and fire rescue 

 

Midflorida Newspaper 

Almost half of Florida voters favor property insurance relief over property tax relief 

A new poll conducted on behalf of the nonpartisan Florida Policy Institute found that 63% of Florida voters – including 73% of Democrats, 58% of Republicans and 60% of independents – believe that property insurance relief should be a higher priority for the state Legislature than property tax relief. Only 32% of voters said that property tax relief was the higher priority of the two options. 

 

DOGE 

Florida Politics 

Blaise Ingoglia berates St. Petersburg for overtaxing residents by $49.4M 

Ingoglia said local governments expanded budgets rapidly after COVID, fueled by federal aid and rising property values, and then locked in higher spending levels. 

 

WTSP 

What DOGE says is ‘wasteful,’ ‘excessive’ spending in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Manatee counties  

Blaise Ingoglia, accuses multiple counties of excessive spending in an already contested report, focusing on DEI initiatives and other expenses. 

 

LEGISLATION 

The Destin Log 

Florida may rethink a ‘jumbled’ religious freedom proposal 

‘It’s more of a religious expression and a freedom-to-build-a-playground bill,’ the measure’s sponsor said. 

 

Florida Politics 

Senate committee advances bill stopping Property Appraisers from penalizing homeowners for storm prep 

This legislation has 2 committee stops ahead. 

 

Florida Politics 

Senate bill upping e-bike regulations rolls through second committee 

‘Parents worry when they’re walking with their young children. Right now, the rules haven’t caught up.’