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DeSantis wants $5.1B property tax relief with $1,000 rebates for homeowners | Florida

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Steve Wilson | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-03-31 13:00:00

(The Center Square) – Property property tax relief for Floridians through $5.1 billion in a proposed sales tax cut is being sought by Gov. Ron DeSantis. 

He wants lawmakers to issue $1,000 for each of about 5.1 million homesteaded properties in the state. The rebates would be issued in December, covering state-mandated school property taxes, which he says would prevent a loss in funding for districts. 

The state House of Representatives proposed reducing the state’s sales tax from 6% to 5.25% on Wednesday. 

DeSantis added a state-level version of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency should examine local budgets to determine savings that can be passed to homeowners being hit by rising assessments on property values. 

“Of all the taxes impacting Floridians, property taxes are the most significant,” DeSantis said. “So when you’re doing proposals, whether it’s working with the Legislature, whether it’s putting something on the ballot, to me, the threshold question is the tax relief needs to be Florida first.

“We need to focus on our Florida residents and to focus on in this case, Florida homeowners, particularly our homesteaded homeowners and we need to focus our relief there.”

The second-term Republican governor and former presidential candidate said he wants a ballot initiative aimed at lower property taxes on the 2026 ballot that he says will provide “robust protections” for homeowners in the state constitution. 

He also said property taxes are an anomaly because these taxes aren’t voluntary consumption based and basically mean homeowners are paying “rent” to the government for their property, even if the mortgage is fully paid.

“I know people that bought their homes for $250,000 30 years ago and now they’re assessed at over a million dollars. That’s not something out of the ordinary,” DeSantis said. “That’s a source of wealth if you’re free and clear of the mortgage, but one of the drawbacks is in the form of property taxes and so people have seen that even with a homestead exemption that has not be enough to be able to protect people against these rising assessments.”

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News from the South - Florida News Feed

Dad dies trying to save daughter from drowning off Fort Lauderdale beach, officials say

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www.youtube.com – CBS Miami – 2025-06-16 16:52:25

SUMMARY: A man visiting Fort Lauderdale with his family died trying to save his daughter from drowning on Father’s Day. The incident occurred just after 7 p.m. near a beachfront hotel. Another man, who saw the girl struggling in the water, jumped in to help. He was able to reach her and assist her toward shore, nearly drowning himself in the process. Tragically, the girl’s father, identified as Antwan Wilson, did not survive. The rescuer, now out of the hospital, said he would risk his life again without hesitation. Police are treating the incident as an accidental drowning.

A Lauderhill father who tried to save his daughters from drowning Sunday night near a Fort Lauderdale hotel has died, officials said.

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How else could Iran retaliate over the ongoing Israeli strikes targeting the country?

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www.clickorlando.com – Jon Gambrell, Associated Press – 2025-06-17 04:22:00

SUMMARY: As Israel conducts airstrikes on Iran’s military and nuclear sites, Tehran proposes retaliatory options beyond missile attacks, echoing past strategies. These include disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz—a critical global oil route—potentially causing energy market shocks. Iran could also withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, abandoning IAEA oversight and escalating nuclear efforts, risking U.S. intervention. Additionally, Iran might increase asymmetric attacks via allied militant groups targeting Israeli interests, although these proxies have weakened recently. These responses carry significant risks, potentially destabilizing the Middle East and global markets, while Iran seeks to avoid direct conflict with the U.S.

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The post How else could Iran retaliate over the ongoing Israeli strikes targeting the country? appeared first on www.clickorlando.com

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Florida children sentenced to prison as adults, now advocating against using solitary confinement

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www.youtube.com – ABC Action News – 2025-06-16 22:00:49

SUMMARY: In Florida, children as young as 12 have been sentenced to adult prison, where many endure solitary confinement, causing severe mental trauma. Ian Manual, sentenced at 13 and later released after a Supreme Court ruling, now advocates against such treatment, sharing his painful experience of isolation. The Florida Department of Corrections calls solitary confinement “close management,” claiming it’s used only for safety concerns, but advocacy groups argue it constitutes child abuse as juveniles’ brains are still developing. Survivors like Catherine Jones, sentenced at 13 and confined for 16 years, emphasize the system’s failures and abuse endured. Efforts to ban youth solitary confinement continue amid ongoing investigations.

Ian Manuel, sentenced to life in prison in 1991 for attempted murder in a downtown Tampa botched robbery at 14 years old, is now sharing his story as an adult.

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