The Florida Roundup - Breaking down Amendment 3, court orders Hope Florida report expunged, weekly news

Episode Date: October 9, 2026

This week on The Florida Roundup, we spoke about the pros and cons of Florida’s property tax amendment. First, we heard about spending around the amendment with Jackie Mitchell, researcher at OpenSecrets (00:00), then we spoke with the CEO of Florida Realtors about why that group is supporting the amendment (08:34). And we heard from Ava Habif with Friends of the Miami-Dade Public Library and Sarah Burris with Friends of the Bay County Public Libraries about their concerns over the measure (20:00). Plus, a look at the latest in the Hope Florida scandal with the Orlando Sentinel’s Jeffrey Schweers (31:10). And later, news from the week including an update on Hurricane Isaias (37:20), the dengue outbreak in Hillsborough County (39:04) and a debate between fossil fuels and solar power (41:50).

This is the Florida Roundup. I'm Carlton Gillespie. For many voters, Florida's Amendment 3 may not take top billing at this year's midterm elections. We are electing a new governor and U.S. Senator after all. Many of you may be voting for a new congressperson or be in a new congressional district after the state's mid-decade redistricting went into effect earlier this year. Pair that with statewide cabinet and Florida legislative races and let's just say there's a lot going on. But today, we want to focus on Amendment 3 because the implications of property tax reform will impact everybody in this state. Here's the basics. Voting yes on three would triple the current homestead exemption from $50,000 to $150,000 per year in 2027. That would go up to $250,000 in 2028. Here's Governor Ron DeSantis summing up what that means for property taxes for those homeowners. Tax is purely in your hands. You vote for it. You'll pay less. End of story. But that's not quite the end of the story. Property taxes are how many municipal services are funded. And if Amendment 3 passes, cities and counties across the state will lose the ability to fully fund themselves. That means budget cuts. It could even mean budget cuts to critical services. Here's part of an advertisement from the Florida Association. of sheriffs who have come out strongly against Amendment 3. Property taxes fund public safety. Period.

Slash that funding and the politicians will slash deputies, firefighters, and 911. Or they'll raise every other tax to cover the difference. That's not a tax cut. It's a tax shift. Either way, you pay. On today's program, you're going to hear from advocates for and against Amendment 3. Plus, some interesting discussion on the funding in this race. But more importantly, we want to hear from you. What are your thoughts on Amendment 3? Are you a homeowner excited to save money?

Are you worried about services being cut? Do you feel like you get your money's worth from paying property taxes? Call us 305-995-1800. Radio at the Florida Roundup.org. Up first, we're going to look at the money coming into this amendment. And to do that, I spoke with Jackie Mitchell, a researcher for ballot measures and money in politics with open secrets. Let's talk about what's actually on the ballot for voters in November because this effort to reform property taxes has been going on in Florida for more than a year. And we've heard things that there will be carveouts for public safety spending.

There will be carve-outs for school tax districts, but what's actually going to be on voters' ballots on November 3rd? So DeSantis called a special session of the legislature on June 2nd to address property tax relief. So DeSantis' original proposal included school tax relief and a trust fund mechanism for the state to backfill lost local government revenue. But those provisions were not included. the legislature's final proposed amendment. So at the beginning of this campaign, DeSantis did not immediately come out in support of it, saying that it was so different from what he originally proposed, but he has since endorsed Amendment 3. The amendment does not have any backfilling mechanism for replacing local lost government revenue. So what voters will be deciding on is increasing

the homestead exemption applicable to non-school taxes. from $25,000, the current amount, to $150,000 in 2027, and then increased again to $250,000 in 2028. And then thereafter, that exemption amount would be tied to inflation. Property owners who aren't permanent residents of Florida as of the end of 2026 wouldn't be eligible

for the full exemption amount. They would be eligible for an exemption amount of $50,000 until they have attained residency for five years. So there's nothing on there that explicitly protects, say, spending on law enforcement or spending on schools? So the amendment would limit counties and municipalities to using property tax revenue solely for public safety, education, infrastructure, natural resources, bond debt service, public employee retirement benefits, operations and administration. Right. And so I guess what that essentially means, is while public safety spending is something they can spend their money on, that doesn't mean that they're going to end up with the same amount of money to spend on public

safety. Right. And that's why so many individuals involved in public safety, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Sheriff's Association, firefighters, have come out against the amendment because they see that the tax base will be shrinking. I think the most startling thing about your research is just how big the funding gap is between those opposed to the passage of Amendment 3 and those who are pro Amendment 3. Just how wide is that gap? So currently the Vote Yes on 3 campaign has received $18 million all from the Florida Realtors Association. And that's compared to $551,866 that the two opposition committees have raised.

So that's about a 33 to one gap, something like a $17 million gap. And when you say all of the money on the pro-amendment three side is coming from that one organization, does that, you mean every single dollar? Yes. What do we know about what they're spending $18 million on? So far, the Vote Yes on three campaign has reported about $4.2 million. and expenditures, with all but 1,200 of that going to SGS, Inc., which is a Republican consulting firm located in Gainesville.

SGS, Inc., also known as ORASGS, Inc., basically seems to be a full-service political campaign consulting firm. When you look at the disparity there, 33 to 1, how does that stack up to other, maybe contentious amendments across the country or that have happened in Florida? before that you studied? Right. So currently there are 164 ballot measures on the ballot in states across the country. And 75 of those measures have campaign finance activity.

Currently, Florida Amendment 3 ranks number 11 of those 75 measures as far as the largest gap goes. The measures that have the largest gaps are the California propositions regarding the billionaire tax. So they have funding gaps of $70 to $100 million. I guess that makes sense, right? If it was anything, it'd be the billionaire tax. Right. And what's interesting is that this is a large gap for a legislative referral. So like I said, those California ballot initiatives, their initiatives, they were placed on the ballot through citizen initiative signature drives. We don't typically see tons of money being poured into legislative referrals. Typically, they're the more

boring measures, and especially something like a property tax legislative referral doesn't typically draw millions of dollars in contributions. That was Jackie Mitchell, a researcher of ballot measures and money in politics with open secrets. We recorded that interview after our show last week, and I want to update some of the numbers that we talked about in there. The gap between the support money and opposition money has been slightly reduced. It's now 26 to 1 in favor of the pro amendment 3 side, as opposed to 33 to 1 that Jackie and I talked about. One of the key players that you've just heard, right, in support of Amendment 3 is Florida Realtors. So who better to talk to about this than Margie Grant?

She's the chief executive officer for Florida realtors. So we just heard the reporting from Jackie Mitchell there from Open Secrets talking about how wide the gap in fundraising is between the pro and anti-amendment three side. and your organization, Florida Realtors, is the biggest proponent, maybe the only proponent of this Pro Amendment 3 PAC that they looked at. Why are Florida realtors supporting this measure so much? So as the voice of real estate in Florida, we are an advocacy organization. One of my colleagues is fond of reminding me that there's no National Association of Homeowners, but there is an association of realtors. And for decades, realtors have been advocates of affordable housing.

down payment assistance and making sure that the Florida economy continues to be the strongest one in the country. So Floridians have the ability to live, work, and play in the state that they choose that has been so good to all of us. Right. But I think from a realtor's perspective, right, is there something in lowering property taxes that makes it, you know, easier to sell homes or a better housing market? Or what's the calculation there for this? Look, we're a housing advocacy organization. So it's not just about selling homes. As a matter of fact, the realtor. role in a real estate transaction goes way beyond the closing. These are all community advocates. I represent more than a quarter of a million small business owners, realtors, who are in every single community in Florida statewide. And the one thing they have been telling us, as they've been

home with their clients, customers, and friends is that the affordability challenge for Florida families is a real issue and that something has to be done. And that is why we are proud to support Amendment 3, because that's going to allow so many hardworking Florida families to keep more of the money that they work so hard to earn. And what about those concerns of some of those local services, right? In certain counties, that includes things like affordable housing stipends or, you know, it could have a negative impact on some of those small business owners. Their commercial rents may go up if a county or a city can't collect ad valorem tax revenue

from a homeowner. What about those kind of concerns? Well, and that's something that actually gets lost in this conversation is Amendment 3 and the passage of Amendment 3 is a two-part process. This is step one. The passage of Amendment 3 is what's going to allow Floridians to have a little bit of a less burden in terms of the amount of taxes that they're paying on their homes. But there's a second part of Amendment 3 that goes right to your second point. And that is that in addition to increasing the homestead exemption, it also reduces the assessment cap on non-homestead properties. And it takes it from a 10% cap, which we were huge advocates to get that 10% cap in place to a 5% cap. So I don't believe. that non-homestead property owners are going to be unfairly burdened when Amendment 3 passes. Look, we all have to realize that local government revenue has grown so much faster than household incomes. Over the same period, Florida's population grew an estimated 16%. Median wages only grew

roughly, something like 52%. And county property tax collections, and this is the big one, that has increased 99%. So it's not unusual that we're asking our cities and counties to make adjustments to protect your citizens who are dealing with one of the biggest affordability crisis, you know, in recent history. There are worries that there could be other costs, right? Not just these assessment costs, but say if a city can't fund a, you know, fully fund its police or fire fund, that could potentially impact insurance costs, right? There are some sort of tradeoffs that you make with this, right?

So I don't believe that that's a tradeoff. If you actually look at the language of the amendment, there are a specific direction to municipalities that they are to make sure that safety and fire and core services are protected with the remaining revenue. And when you think about the additional revenue that the locals have collected, there's room to do more. Growing communities have needs, so we also have to consider what people funding those budgets can afford. And so what about for the individual homeowner? Do you have an estimate on how much potential savings this could mean for one family or one hundred, homeowner? We do. In Miami-Dade, its estimated savings are up to like 1775, $1,775 in 2027, and in 2028, almost $3,000. You know, of course, individual savings will vary based on person and county,

but that's just an example of Miami-Dade, and we have numbers on all of the counties. Is there, are there any that you see could be like particularly helpful, right? Miami-Dade gets talked about a lot, but what does this mean for someone in a, in a smaller county where the conversation is about stripping, you know, stripping county services versus personal savings, right? There's, there's been talk from Democratic. Can I tell you? That's a great question, Carlton, because look at Monroe County, one of our smaller counties. Local taxes levied in 2025 were $437 million and change. That was up 95% in 10 years, just less than 95%.

Anticipated savings for a homeowner in 2027 is up to $793 for homeowner. And in 2028, it's more than $1,300 per homeowner. Margie Grant is the CEO of Florida Realtors. Margie, thank you so much for joining us. Hey, great to be here. Now we want to hear from you about Amendment 3. Let's go to Juan in Miami Shores. Juan, you're on the Florida Roundup.

Hey, thank you, guys. I just want to say that when you look at the mass, you know, it's like they have $14 billion budget, 26, 2027. they raised property taxes $3.37 billion in property taxes. So if you look at the math, they are talking about, oh, we're not going to have any money for basic stuff. I think the question that's deeper than this is what is the government, the local government or the county is supposed to do? I think that from $14 billion to, you know, if they get $3 billion less, what difference can that make? I mean, you cannot tell me anybody that have worked with the county and that know what the county.

is doing, they cannot say that they're not wasting some of their money. You're talking about Miami Day, and I just want to be clear. Yeah, well, we're talking specifically about Miami Day. I'm sure other counties have other issues, but Miami Day, you know, if they receive $3 billion less, you know, this is a lot of money, but they have a $14 billion budget. Yeah. I mean, you know, we don't, we as property owners, you know, we feel like we don't own the property because we still have to pay taxes every month.

Right. You still have to almost paid rent to the county. Juan, can I ask you? Can I ask you, do you think you get what you pay for with your property taxes? I think it's too much. I think it's overblown. You know, I'm for firefighters. I'm for public safety, education, health.

I like to see those things. But, you know, there is a lot of stuff with nonprofits and cultural things and, like, a whole bunch of things that may not be necessary. I appreciate it, Juan. Thank you so much for your call. I appreciate it. I want to read this note from Carmen Vasquez. She says, I'm now over 80.

We have a family business. I'm retired now, and I live in the South Miami Sunset area. I am voting for the greater property tax relief and homestead exemptions. I think local governments need to go on a diet. You have firemen retiring on over $100,000 year pension. Also, our tax dollars are funding private charter schools. The cost of property taxes are pushing me out of my home. We now sold one home and lived two generations under one roof.

My brother Dennis is a retired veteran of Vietnam and lives Orlando. He has a similar situation with his son, a West Point graduate. She did say she would have to lose libraries and services to do so. Thank you, Carmen. Let's go to Julia in Lake Mary. Julia, you're on the Florida Roundup. Hi, thanks for letting me talk. Yeah, can I jump right in? Please do. Okay, well, I'm actually very much opposed to Amendment 3. I am a homeowner in Florida. I'm in Seminole County. I figured out that because of the Save Our Homes caps that's been in place for many decades. When this goes through, I'm only going to save about $600 on my property tax bill. That's $50 a month. I would gladly pay $50 a month to have parks and rec and libraries and a public

health department and a fire department that's fully funded and a police department that's fully funded and all of the wonderful things that the county government and my city government provide for me. And I think that if you took into account what it would cost to pay a private company for all the things that our local government supply to us, you'd see you'd be paying a heck of a lot more than anybody is on their property taxes. So I'm very strongly against aminatory. And I do hope that people in Miami-Jay who perhaps do have higher taxes because they have higher home values will take into account all the other counties. I mean, Ford's got 67 counties. They all have different needs. They all have different budgets.

There are at least 14 counties, because I looked it up on a real estate firm's website, there are at least 14 counties where the typical home value is already under $175,000. So how much income is that county going to get if this goes through? And then the following year, I mentioned I'd only save like $600 a year when they passed the first year. The second year, you know, they're going to raise it up again, and I'll have absolutely no additional savings from that, but they're going to have to cut even more. I mean, I figured the first year they'll cut out, as the other person was talking about,

was, you know, grants to nonprofit and arts and culture and parks and recs, which they may not be the things that keep us alive, but they're the things that make life worth living. The second year, when they up at another $100,000 exemptions to $250,000 that you don't have to pay anything on, where are they going to cut? I mean, the only thing that's going to be left are the things that keep us alive, like the public health department, the police department, the fire department, the paramedic.

Yeah. This is a bad idea. Well, Julia, Julia. Anyway at all, and it's a bad idea. I really appreciate the insight. Thank you, Julia. And thank you to everyone who's called it and written. We will get to more of that.

After the break, we're going to talk to some folks from the library services that could be in jeopardy if Amendment 3 goes through. You're listening to the Florida Roundup from your Florida Public Radio Station. This is the Florida Roundup. I'm Carlton Gillespie. We're going to continue our conversation on the impact of Florida's Amendment 3. Here's what you've been saying. Christy in Tallahassee says when a city of 24,000 people compensate their city manager $200,000 a year, that is a burden and a poor return on investment to taxpayers. This is just one of many examples. Jay in St. John says, so much wrong with Amendment 3. Tax reform deserves real data and public input. We didn't get it. it. However, it really amounts to a Tallahassee takeover of local government. The local property tax is the main revenue local voters control, and Amendment 3 shrinks it. Constrains our spending, and lets Tallahassee dictate how the rest is spent. Well, one of those local constraints could impact your local public library or library system. So to talk about that, we've brought in

Sarah Burris with friends of the Bay County Public Libraries. Sarah, how are you? Doing good. How are you? I'm also joined by Abba Habee, from Friends of the Miami-Dade Public Library. Hey. Hi. Sarah, I want to start with you. And before we talk about libraries, I want to make sure that you are hunkered down

and have a plan for Hurricane Isayas. I know it's scheduled to make landfall west of you, but I assume you'll be feeling some big impacts. We probably will. We're waiting for storm surge as well as possible tornadoes, but we've got plenty of snacks and ready to go. Well, that's good to hear. I wish you in that community luck.

Let's start with you. I mean, libraries are. much more than just loaning out books, right? Can you tell us what kind of other services the Bay County Public Libraries provide? Well, in addition to books, we've got programs, computers, some people don't even have access to computers and Wi-Fi at home. So that is something that is heavily utilized in our public library. And then there's study spaces and reference assistance. It's a little bit of everything. It's a really very much a community hub. And it's in danger right now with Amendment 3. Can you give us a sense of the size of your library system? How many, you know,

how many branches, how many users? Well, the main one that I'm going to focus on is the Bay County Public Library, which is the headquarters, but it is a seven-branch library system with a mobile library as well, and it's three counties. So, for example, if a county or two loses libraries, then Amendment 3 with budget cuts could also affect how much state funding we get if we lose branches. So everything's kind of like a domino's effect in terms of our headquarters and how it affects other branches. Eva, you are the head of the Friends of the Miami-Dade County Public Library System. That's the largest public library system in the state, right? Just how big is that? Yes. So the Friends of Miami-Dade Public Libraries, we support the 50 branch, Miami-Dade Public Library

system, which is the largest in the state and one of the largest in the country. And yes, so 50 branches, We also have bookmobiles that do regular service in areas that do not have libraries where we've had population booms. And the library system has not been able to acquire land to build a new library yet. And we also have a techno bus that does regular stops as well. Did you estimate just how much funding you could possibly lose if Amendment 3 passes? Sure. And so in Miami-Dade County, it's a little bit clearer cut because our library system has a millage, which means that for every $1,000 in taxable value, homeowner typically pays about 28 cents that goes directly to the library and in Miami

County that's about $42 a year for the average homeowner. Sarah is your library system funded the same way or do you have a different mechanism? I understand it's different across the state. It is and every library itself is kind of funded differently even within our library system. So for ours is really looking at Bay County itself and it's projected to lose 36 million by 2028. And unfortunately, that's not going to cover your library services, parks, and rec, your Bayway Transit. There's going to be a lot of services that are going to not fall within that budget. And it's just a numbers game.

Let's go to Daniel from Gainesville. He is on the phone. He wants to jump into this conversation. Daniel, go ahead. Hi. Thank you so much for a time caller. I just want to say that the best and most representative, former government, with local government.

This amendment three will gut funding for local government. I'm glad that you had Miami-Dade Library on. They're one of the entities across the state level. Libraries will get gutted. Parks will get gutted. Funding for paving and fixing

tacos will get funded. Basically, it takes away funding with no obvious replacement for being able to do any of that. And so it makes Florida a less inviting place for anybody to want to lose to or live in because all of the amenities that make it wonderful are potentially being stripped away. Final piece on that, some of the smaller rural communities could potentially face disincorporation

because they could lose the majority of their funding and wouldn't be able to operate whatsoever. And these are communities that already potentially contract with their county for police and fire. But that means that these smaller communities would have no representation for their people, their citizens that used to have a small city there, and may long there exist after this Amendment 3, if it were to pass. Well, thank you, Daniel. I appreciate the call. I want to read this from Adam and Browardy says, I'm a big supporter of libraries. The first American library was established by Ben Franklin.

Libraries are very democratic, but at risk under Amendment 3, in my view, libraries equal community, libraries equal knowledge, libraries equal sharing. The most common patrons are our youth and our seniors. And I want to make a shout out to the friends of the Sterling Road Library in Hollywood because they do extraordinary things. Thank you, Adam. Ava, your response to Adam's note and to the call you heard from Daniel. Yeah, I couldn't agree more. I think that libraries are the ultimate democratic institution in America. In Miami-Dade, many, many of our libraries are used as election polling sites. So we're looking at about a 20% cut across the board, which would include locations. So it would be harder to vote. It would be much hard.

to vote and I think, you know, people turn to the library. It's not just on election day. People turn to the library for trusted information and access most of the time to Internet. That's one of the biggest things that the library does is kind of gap, cover the digital divide in America, people who do not have access either to Wi-Fi, Internet, or device itself. They go to the library to get those. And it's difficult for public officials, and especially elected officials or employees to support or oppose ballot amendments like this, but you are friends of the library,

not library employees, so you have that capacity. To that end, you've created the Keep Libraries funded, you know, to advocate for libraries on your behalf. Why, Ava, is this so galvanizing for libraries? I think it's a really important moment for the library system, really across Florida.

Yes, so Keep Libraries funded. And we have a website, keep librariesfunded.org. So in Miami-Dade, we saw that this was coming. And really, for us, we were able to do that. math because of that millage. And other library systems across the state are in similar boats in terms of funding. They know it'll be a huge cut, but they don't know how much it will be. So for them, you know, they're not sure if they're, you know, they're coming behind emergency services, police fire, hurricane relief. And they don't know what their system, what the impact will be,

but they know it's going to be huge. And yes, we're all friends of groups and foundation groups because library employees, though their jobs may be at risk, they are not allowed to speak as government in place. Right. Sarah, we've heard proponents of this amendment call in and say that they think government spending is out of control. They're seeing budgets go up and up and up. What do you say to those who are supporting the amendment for that reason? And could you give us an idea of what's been the trendline for library budgets in the last five to 10 years? Are they increasing their funding in the last period of time across the state or in your jurisdiction? Well, I would say that I was a former librarian before being a president of the friends.

So I know that libraries pinch pennies. We stretch the dollar the most that we can as the library services. And so libraries are actually one of the places that you see your tax dollars hard at work. I, as a stay-at-home mom, I save probably two grand a year, if not more, with programming and books and e-books and board books. And so it's just been an asset, even not just working at the library, just as a community member.

And yeah, I think every grant that is given to a library, they really make sure that each dollar is spent wisely and goes and stretches the longest and furthest it can. So libraries really are an asset to your community. We have a caller in Miami. We've got Rhonda. Go ahead. You're on the Florida Roundup. Good afternoon. Thank you for taking my call.

First of all, I want to say that this is a fully funded tax cut for the rich and the wealth off. Taxes pay for services. We all know that we don't get things for free in life, that we have to pay for things that are really important. Don't be fooled. When you need first responders and the libraries that support our children and support services for disabled adults and also children, and all of our community, you need to know that these things could be reduced or gone. Okay, so it's very important that we focus on that. We want to ask ourselves, how long do we want to be on 911 before help will arrive? Is somebody going to answer that phone? Is there going to be the resources we need to answer that phone?

We need to know what is the relief that we can really get from insurance rates. That's where the meat and potatoes are. The insurance rates that all of us pay are extremely high. And we need to have something done with that. So we need to remember that insurance rates, homeowners insurance programs that support people, these are important things. And it's going to be too late once they're gone. So please vote no on Amendment 3.

Well, thank you, Rhonda. We appreciate the call. Eva, I want to give you the last word here on Amendment 3. You've heard from pro and anti-people. What are you feeling about the response you've heard today? Sure. I think a lot of the commenters or callers that we've heard from have talked about the affordability crisis in Florida, and I absolutely could not agree.

I am a homeowner myself. The pressure that people are feeling is real, but the amount of return that you get on your tax dollars and the services that you get, even if you never step foot inside of a library, you are benefiting from other people in your community stepping foot inside those places, and they really are just absolutely essential things in the community. Ava Habeefe is the executive director of the Friends of the Miami-Dade Public Library and Sarah Burris, president of the Friends of the Bay County Public Library. Ava, thank you for joining us.

And Sarah, please stay safe. Thank you. This is the Florida Roundup. You're listening to the Florida Roundup from your Florida Public Radio Station. Next week on the Florida Roundup, the federal government accountability office has released a report saying, ICE wasted taxpayer dollars on its immigration detention facilities. That includes Florida's alligator Alcatraz. And we want to hear from you on the eve of early voting.

How are you feeling about the midterms? But that's next week. This week, there was another turn in the Hope Florida scandal. A district judge has expunged the grand jury report that leaked a few months ago that said the governor's administration misappropriated $10 million. Joining us to talk about the latest developments is Jeffrey Schwears, the Orlando Sentinel's Tallahassee Bureau reporter. Jeffrey, thank you for joining us.

Thanks for having me. It's a pleasure to be here. We appreciate you joining us, Jeffrey. Could you give us, just for our listeners, a brief recap of the scandal up to the judge's ruling this week before we talk about it? Get everybody a lay of the land of where we are. Okay, so what came to light during a legislative session in 2000,

was that $10 million that had originally been part of a Medicaid settlement agreement for overbilling from a company called Centine, it was supposed to go to the state, was diverted to the Hope Florida Foundation, which was a charity set up to support the Department of Children's Families efforts and the whole Florida program that was championed by First. lady Casey DeSantis. Representative Alex Andrade held committee hearings on this and determined that there was enough evidence to show that there was a conspiracy to commit fraud to divert the $10 million of that $67 million settlement to political campaigns to defeat Amendment 3, which was a citizen initiative to legalize marijuana. Right.

That's not the Amendment 3 that we've been talking about. This is the Amendment 3 from 2024. Right. Okay. Just wanted to be clear for everybody. Yeah, that's a good distinction to make because we have that amendment free on the ballot now, which would give people a huge homestead exemption, which you just already were talking about. Thank you.

So anyway, that he forwarded that what his findings to the state attorney and the state attorney convened a grand jury to further investigate these allegations. And they came out with a report, which is called a presentment, that came short of indicting anybody. I mean, it described a conspiracy to divert taxpayer dollars for political purposes and named a lot of high-level public officials in the DeSantis administration without actually charging them with any crimes. Now, I can stop there, but I can explain how this- That's good. I think so I think that's the key, right, is that this grand jury report, because this is central

to the courts ruling this week. That grand jury report did not charge anyone with crimes. It stopped basically, like you said, just short. So what did the judges ruling this week say about that grand jury report? Well, among other things, I mean, it said that the report was inconsistent with its own logic in saying, you know, that there was this conspiracy and giving a bunch of definitions of what would amount to criminal charges and then deciding not to charge anybody, saying that they could not come up with the evidence to charge anybody with the crime because nobody either could remember who was responsible for, you know, coming up with the idea to defend.

those funds or nobody would claim responsibility themselves for doing so, which as the Orange County State Attorney Marie-Manique Warrell told me is was ridiculous because that's what state attorneys do all the time. They charge people with crimes that they don't want to claim responsibility for. Uh-huh. So now what the judge, I'm sorry, I was just going to say real quickly, what Judge Neff, who wrote the lead opinion on this, said that was that a grand jury may investigate and report, but may not declare conduct unlawful and then decline to charge and may not condemn people

by name without indicting them. So that was his main, you know, argument that they, and the main slap was the state, you know, basically impugned the reputation of several state officials without actually charging them. And then they released the confidential, document that should never have been released according to, you know, the ruling. Yeah. So here's here's what DeSantis has said about the judge's ruling. This process has now culminated. And what I think is probably the biggest judicial smackdown that I have ever seen in my entire career as an elected official. All the narratives crashed and burned. So Jeffrey, he's claiming total victory. And in, in the, in the, in the

30 seconds we have left, and I'm sorry to keep you so short. Should he be declaring victory? Is there not an investigation from Monique Worrell's office? Maybe hanging over his head here? Well, I mean, that is still a possibility. And remember, expungement does not necessarily mean exoneration. And there is, you know, an option to appeal this court's decision to the Florida Supreme Court. I don't know that they've made a decision on whether they want to do that or not.

I'll tell you, you know, the court was pretty clear and also saying that they didn't make their case that the $10 million was misspent or misappropriated. That it certainly, you know, fell within the state's right to use that money as they saw fit. All right, Jeffrey. So clearly a couple of turns left in this scandal. You're listening to the Florida Roundup from your Florida Public Radio Station. This is the Florida. Rounder. I'm Carlton Gillespie. Hurricane Isayas, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, is expected to make landfall tonight. Meteorologist Megan Borowski from the Florida Public Radio

Emergency Network brings us the latest forecast. Hurricane Isaies, a category three hurricane now moving northward through the Gulf, expected to make landfall near Pensacola sometime late tonight. We already have bands of showers working their way on shore to the panhandle, and that rainfall will continue throughout the day-to-day. Flash flooding will be possible across the panhandle. In addition, storm surge amounts are going to start to peak later on today into tonight, our peak storm surge for the forgotten coast west of the Emerald Coast, 5 to 7 feet. For parts of the Big Bend, 4 to 6 feet, the nature coast, 4 to 5 feet, and out toward the Tampa Bay Area 1 to 3 feet from Citrus County south to Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

Hurricane Force winds will be felt closer to the core of the storm as it makes landfall later tonight, but tropical storm force winds will be possible across the panhandle as far east as the state capital. Isayas will depart northward, drawing a very humid air mass over our state tomorrow. Feeder bands of thunderstorms will be possible across the eastern panhandle and across the entire peninsula tomorrow. Some of those storms could produce very heavy rain rates flash flooding will be possible, and a few of those thunderstorms could produce tornadoes. Our highest risk for tornadoes will be across the eastern panhandle into the big bent. By Sunday, our rain chances continue across the peninsula and the eastern panhandle,

but a drier air mass will begin to arrive to the western panhandle. By Monday, less humid air and blue skies for north central Florida. By Tuesday, skies clear for the rest of the peninsula. Rain chances will remain elevated through the weekend for much of the state. The wet weather could worsen, a growing dange outbreak in the Tampa Bay region, as rain can create additional breeding sites for the mosquitoes carrying the virus. The latest update from the Florida Department of Health says Hillsborough County has posted 259 confirmed cases since the first report in July. That's up 36 from last week.

County Health Officer Carla Fry says the outbreak is neither ramping up nor wrapping up. We have not seen what we call the epidemiology curve, you know, dip to show us that we are getting where we need to be. She added that the statistics don't reflect the true number of cases. We have so many folks who are walking around who have dengue. They're pretty much asymptomatic. They don't even know that they have it. There are signs the spread may be pushing towards Pinellas County, which added seven cases for a total of 20. Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Pascoe County are all currently in a local state of emergency due to the growing case numbers.

Statewide, 44 new cases were added, bringing the total to 296. In other health news, Dr. nurses and parents from across Florida are weighing in on the state's proposal to remove vaccine requirements for students. From our partner station, Central Florida Public Media in Orlando, health reporter Joe Mario Pedersen tells us about a public meeting this week, hosted by the Florida Department of Health. The state is seeking to remove four shots required for school entry. The shots include vaccines that would prevent chickenpox, hepatitis B, pneumocococcal conjugate, and homophilus influenza type B, also known as Hibb. Florida residents gave.

their opinion about the removal of the mandates, including Florida resident Tara Hill, a mother of four unvaccinated children. She says this hearing wasn't about being for or against vaccines. It was about informed consent and giving parents the right to choose. Where parents are empowered to research the many documented risks of vaccines and make the best choice for their own children without fear of being ostracized, demonized, or penalized by the state. Speaking against the state's proposal was Maitland resident Kyle Honeycutter. He was joined by his seven-year-old daughter, Evelyn, who is a cancer survivor and medically vulnerable. Her dad said she could only attend class because her classmates were all vaccinated.

And somewhere in Florida today, another parent is sitting beside a hospital bed, holding their child's hand while they're undergoing treatment. Another family is doing everything they possibly can to keep that child safe. Those families are part of this conversation too. Florida residents who weren't in attendance can still send comments to the state by email until October 19th. Joe Mario Pedersen in Orlando. I'm Carlton Gillespie, and you're listening to the Florida Roundup from your Florida Public Radio Station. Rising electric bills in Florida have brought about debate on whether utilities should be using fossil fuels or renewable energy to more cheaply power our homes. In the second installment of the energy series from our partner station WUSF in Tampa, Jessica Mazzaro,

breaks down the two options for us. And the answer is not as simple as you might think. That's Tico, Tico, Tico, Tico. 75-year-old, Thaddeus Williams is sifting through months of electric bills strewn across his kitchen table. This is ridiculous. The single parent rents a 1920s two-bed, one-bath home in South Seminole Heights, which he's paid up to $340 to power for just a month.

For this retired vets living off Social Security, electricity is his second highest expense after rent. Williams reads through the list of 10 or so charges on his Tampa Electric bill. What are all these charges and what electricity that I'm pulling from fuel charges, from the clean energy? Like many Floridians, he pays for the fuel needed to make electricity, plus any clean energy upgrades that utilities make, like putting solar panels online. This brings up a huge debate happening across the state and beyond. Fossil fuels versus renewables to generate your electricity. Williams paid as high as almost 60 bucks for a month of fuel this February,

and nearly $7 for clean energy. In Florida, fuel typically means natural gas, which is mostly made of methane. It does burn cleaner than coal or oil, but still pollutes the atmosphere with heat-trapping gases. You know, we're breathing all this stuff. Every day, this pollution. And the stuff that we're paying for is help killing us.

Plus, the cost is unpredictable, says Susan Glickman of the Clio Institute, a nonpartisan climate organization. Hold on to your wallet because gas prices have always been volatile. Like four years ago, when natural gas prices doubled in the U.S. after Russia invaded Ukraine, Glickman says Florida is powered by up to 90% natural gas. She'd like to see that totally replaced by solar energy. Solar is cheaper and you're taking out the fuel cost. We could be doing so much better if there was a push to take advantage of the sunshine. While Florida's major investor-owned utilities are bringing more solar online,

they say they won't rely on solar panels 100% of the time. It's only generating electricity when the sun is shining. Andrew Sutton is with Florida Power and Light. FPL, along with Duke Energy, Florida, and Tampa Electric, use what's called a fuel mix, which includes things other than solar to stabilize the grid, primarily natural gas, or in some instances, nuclear, oil, or coal. On average, utilities generate about 10% of their energy from solar. And even though they all have plans to expand, they say it will never be a primary source. If it's not natural gas, then it will be something else that does provide that 24-7 reliability. Solar could be stored in giant batteries to use 24-7, but Duke Energy's Anna Gibbs says it would require a lot of land. She says it takes 10 acres just to support 100 megawatts of battery storage, which equates to about two hours of power. Right now we absolutely have to have natural gas until the technology. catches up. Glickman with the Clio Institute doesn't agree with the utility's arguments against

relying totally on solar. It's in many ways sort of a propaganda because we see many other countries meeting huge significant portions of their energy need with solar and now with battery storage coming online at a reasonable cost. That's just simply not true anymore. Germany and Japan, for example, are quickly growing their battery storage. capacities, although both countries still use fossil fuels as part of their fuel mixes. When asked if bringing more solar onto the grid actually lowers your energy bill, Tico's Sherry Jacobs says, the answer is yes. It's reflected in fuel. So the more solar utilities use, the less fuel they have to buy. It's important to note that while customer fuel charges may go

down, clean energy transition costs could go up at the same time. Florida's consumer Advocate appointed by the legislature says solar adoption by major utilities hasn't really played out the way people think. This utopia where we're living in just the solar and renewable world is not reality. Walt Trierweiler with the Office of Public Council says adding solar to the grid has sometimes increased fossil fuel usage along with people's bills. That's because solar only works in the sunshine, so utilities also add combustion turbines to burn more natural gas. They're expensive. They burn a lot of fuel, but it's a way to bring up your power levels in a hurry or to address peak loads effectively. So fossil fuels are needed to meet the 24-7 demand. Right now,

solar is not necessarily replacing fossil fuels. It's being used to expand the grid, to provide more energy. Trierweiler says solar could potentially replace fossil fuels if battery storage is incorporated to meet grid demands. But? Now, it's been more expensive than traditional fossil. The price of battery storage has been coming down, though. Then there's the personal option for some homeowners who can afford the installation, rooftop solar. Some pay just the base rate needed to be connected to the grid, which can be around 30 bucks a month or less. Federal tax incentives made it easy. to afford the upfront cost of solar panels, but that program ended this year. For renters like Thaddeus Williams, solar was never an option.

His bill is directly tied to any decisions made by utilities and their regulators. Being on a fixed income, he says the monthly charges for things like fuel and clean energy are needed elsewhere. Put more food in our house. Put more gas in my car. For now, he has to make some tough financial decisions to pay for his family's basic needs. I'm Jessica Mazzaros in Tampa. Finally, this week on the Florida Roundup,

as Election Day draws near, we want to know what you care most about in this midterm, and which, if any, candidates or campaigns are resonating with you. Send us a note or a voicemo with your thoughts, radio at the Florida Roundup.org, and we may share it in the lead-up to November 3rd. That will be our program for today. The Florida Roundup is produced by WLRN Public Media in Miami,

with assistance from WUSF in Tampa. The show is produced by Bridget O'Brien. Denise Royal is WLRN's senior producer of content streaming and news products. WLRN's director of live original programming is Katie Munoz and the vice president of radio is Peter Merritt. The program's technical director is M.J. Smith. Engineering help from Doug Peterson, Harvey Bessard, and Ernesto J.

Our theme music is provided by Miami jazz guitarist Aaron Leibos at Aaron Leibos.com. If you missed any of today's show, you can download it and pass programs on the NPR app. Thanks for calling in and listening.