Florida Government News for September 2019
Gov. DeSantis announces 2020 environmental priorities; state efforts to weaken local control continue; gun safety will again be a legislative priority; and senators introduce “Canadian Snowbirds Act.”
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Curated news and posts of interest to Florida voters
Word of the Week: ERIC
Last month, Governor DeSantis announced that Florida would join ERIC. ERIC (Electronic Registration Information Center) is a non-profit organization whose sole mission is helping states improve the accuracy of their voter rolls and increase access to voter registration for all …
Word of the Week: TRIM Notice
A TRIM Notice is something that property owners receive from the county’s Property Appraiser each August. It says what next year’s property taxes would be if the County Commission adopts what it’s currently proposing for the tax rate. When you …
Collier Government News for July/August 2019
Top stories: Next year’s tax rates and budgets to be adopted this month; Collier County reviews its rural growth plan amid looming disagreements; commissioners approve a new 78-unit affordable housing project and borrowing $29 million to buy Golden Gate golf …
News for Florida Voters – July/August 2019
Top stories: Florida joins national voter registration database. Judge hearing case on felons’ voting rights asks: is Amendment 4 even constitutional? Governor names state’s first “resilience officer.” School districts lose again over law that bolsters charter schools. Chances of a …
News for Collier Voters – June 2019
Top stories: Collier County agrees to continue funding school safety officers for 2019-20 budget year. Public response to commissioners’ previous decision to fund just half the cost led to the unanimous reversal. Full Story Collier County taxable value to increase …
News for Florida Voters – June 2019
Top stories: Governor Ron DeSantis signed a record $91 billion budget and a controversial guns-in-classrooms bill. Florida won’t aid the 2020 Census count. Cheaper prescription drugs from Canada could be heading Florida’s way. Supreme Court’s ruling on gerrymandering doesn’t directly affect …
News for Collier Voters – May 2019
Top stories: developments in two proposed projects about which residents had expressed concerns; the City of Naples tightened its fertilizer ordinance; the City of Marco Island is close to on-boarding a new City Manager and Police Chief; and the Collier …
State News in Review – May 2019
As I wrote in my May 12 post, Florida’s 60-day annual Legislative Session ended on May 4. Since then, much of the news about state government were stories explaining or editorializing about the Legislature’s actions. This Month-in-Review post includes some …
Recapping Florida’s 2019 Legislative Session
Legislators fulfilled their sole constitutional responsibility — passing a balanced budget — last Saturday, May 4, one day later than scheduled. It came in at $91.1 billion, up 2 percent from last year’s $89.3 billion, and set another Florida record. …