Sam Bell Former state lawmaker and lobbyist Sam Bell, III died unexpectedly March 14th. Bell represented Volusia County as a Democrat in the Florida House of Representatives from 1974 to 1988. He served as appropriations chair and was on the verge of becoming House Speaker when he lost his reelection to a Republican challenger in Read more about In Memoriam[…]
FLORIDA EXECUTION The U.S. Supreme Court denied the request of an execution stay in the case of a Florida death row inmate. The convicted murderer alleged that he had a neurological condition related to being exposed to alcohol before birth, which contributed to his behavior. Donald Dillbeck was executed by lethal injection on February 23rd, the first Read more about Legal Updates[…]
SEAWEED While it may sound like something from a horror film, a 5,000-mile-wide blob of seaweed is makings its way to Florida’s Gulf coast. The sargassum seaweed bloomed in the Atlantic Ocean and is traveling through the Caribbean to the Gulf of Mexico. The blob can potentially dump mounds of smelly seaweed along the Gulf Read more about Issues of Interest[…]
Florida Legislators began their 2023 Session on Tuesday, March 7th. A total of 1,759 bills have been filed and are making their way through committees. Senators and representatives are seeking funding for a wide variety of projects. Over 1,450 requests totaling $2.76 billion were filed in the Senate and 2,333 requests totaling $770 million were made in Read more about From the Capitol[…]
SAVE OUR HOMES A joint resolution to revise the limitation on increases of homestead property tax assessments is making its way through the legislative process. The current Save Our Homes amendment limits annual increases in the taxable values of homesteaded property to 3 percent. Voters would decide in 2024 whether to lower that cap to 2 Read more about Legislative Issues[…]