Suncoast Searchlight

The overhaul would also restrict how local property taxes can be spent and make it harder for local governments to replace the lost revenue.

The transition comes a week after Suncoast Searchlight published details of a third-party review commissioned by the district to vet complaints of cheating, sexual harassment and misuse of school resources at Riverview High.

After nearly three hours of emotional public comment, DeSoto County commissioners on Tuesday took the first step toward a one-year moratorium on data centers.

The vacation-home boom has collapsed. Second-home purchases fell nearly 68% in Sarasota-Bradenton since 2021, suggesting the pandemic-era rush into vacation properties has fully reversed.

The pushback is the latest in a series of similar steps by local governments across the state, joining Pasco, Nassau and Citrus counties, which have all pursued rules blocking any new data centers. City commissioners in Lakeland took steps this week to do the same.

A third-party investigation found Riverview High School leadership and district investigators mishandled complaints of cheating, sexual harassment and misuse of school resources.

Local officials say an effort by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature to cut property taxes could be a knockout punch amid efforts by the state to erode home rule, strip power away from local governments and shift crucial community decisions up to Tallahassee.

The lawsuits come amid a rush of new Live Local applications before a July 1 deadline, after which new state restrictions will make it more difficult to build apartment complexes on rural land.

Republican incumbent Mark Smith faces challenger Kristina Sargent in the District 2 Sarasota County Commission race, a contest to represent the county’s most politically moderate district.

Local government officials are pushing back on a plan by Gov. Ron DeSantis to eliminate property taxes for many Floridians, saying the sweeping cuts would cripple basic services that range from classrooms to hospitals and libraries.

Since Donald Trump took office in January 2025, federal funding policies based on culture-war debates have created uncertainty around grants, contracts and other kinds of government support.

National polling shows a favorable political environment for Democrats in 2026. That could extend all the way down-ballot to a county commission race.