The Florida Roundup - Florida’s new map set for midterms, property tax plan faces challenges and more

Episode Date: June 12, 2026

This week on The Florida Roundup, we checked in with reporters from across the state to look at how the 2026 Florida midterms are shaping up (00:00). Then, we looked at a legal challenge to the property tax ballot amendment (21:10) and took a closer look at its language with Douglas Soule, Your Florida state government team reporter (33:56). Plus, we hear from the mother of one of the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting and look at how grief has reshaped the local community 10 years after the tragedy (37:22). And we also learned about some unseen threats to livestock and humans (44:30) and a match between professional beach volleyballers in South Florida (47:20).

This is the Florida Roundup. I'm Tom Hudson. It is great to have you on board this week. The deadline for candidates to file paperwork to officially appear on the Florida ballot just ended as we come on the air just at noon on Friday. The Florida Supreme Court this week declined an emergency request to block the newly drawn map in Florida for Congress and early voting in Florida's primary election begins in less than two months. So welcome everybody to the 2026 campaign season. It is officially. underway. So how are voters navigating these changes? We want to hear from you. Do you know who your congressperson is? Did you vote for them? Do you know who's going to be on the ballot for the primary election coming up? Call us now 305-995-800. 305-9-9-8100. Now we will be talking about the latest developments in the effort to reduce some property taxes in Florida a little bit later on in the program. But now it's the political shuffle. As the qualifying period is over, political boundaries have been redrawn. on and some candidates are facing new challengers while voters are facing new choices. We're going to check in with Florida Public Radio reporters across the state this hour for a better

sense of the shifting boundaries and candidates. And we want to hear from you, 305-995-1800. 305-995-1800. Cynthia Handy lives in Miami Gardens. She was at the New Generation Missionary Baptist Church in Opelock in Miami-Dade County for a recent. meeting about Florida's congressional redistricting. It seems like they're trying to erase the middle class and the redistricting. It's just going to affect a lot of neighborhoods and unfortunately it's going to be in the black communities and in the lower income communities. Reverend Rhonda Walker Thomas lives in Broward County and says the new political boundaries

will directly impact the voting power of black communities. Florida now has a red map where you have four little ones. blue spots. We're about to repeat a form of history that did not look good for black people. The new maps survived one court challenge this week when the state Supreme Court rejected an effort to stop the maps taking effect right away. And while this latest decision will not end the legal battle, it does mean the new districts will be in place for the upcoming midterms. Genesis Robinson leads the Equal Ground Education Fund, one of the advocacy groups suing the state over the new political districts.

The action taken by the Florida legislature amounts to a partisan power grab in service to Donald Trump. President Trump has pushed GOP states to redistrict in a battle for the U.S. House majority. Some Democratic states have responded as well. Florida's new maps may help Republicans pick up as many as four more seats in Congress. Evan Power is the chair of the Florida Republican Party and is running for Congress in District 2. That's in the panhandle. I think that people are going to find that the new maps are fair and compact and will give them more of a chance to weigh in on who they want to represent them. So let's begin at the southern end of the state where there have been some significant shifts to congressional boundaries.

Dana Rivera is an investigative reporter with our partner station in South Florida, WLRN. Danny, welcome back to the program. Thanks for having me. All right, a little bit of political math here. We'll start with District 20. This is historically a black majority district. It's redrawn. Describe this district for us.

Right. So this district was originally drawn in 1992 in many ways to be a black majority district. And for that reason, it has stretched from the northern part of Miami-Dade County up through mostly black parts of Broward County and into Palm Beach County, generally representing black majority area. So it's been held by a black Congress Democrat since 1992. And the lines have been shifted in a way it's it's not majority black anymore, but it is plurality black. It's like 48% black and with Hispanic, there's still minority majority. Democrats are still favored in this district, but the lines have been redrawn in some black democratic-leaning parts of the district have been redrawn. into other seats just as part of this line's, you know,

redrawing process. And that's why some of the names in this District 20 in South Florida, some familiar, some familiar in pop culture, for instance, some familiar in political culture here. But because of the shifting districts around this District 20, it really has become a focus here. And seen as Democrats as one of the persons that we just heard from described as a blue dot on the map in Florida.

So describe this. the folks who are running here. Right. So we have, I mean, many, many people. Former Congresswoman Sheila Sherferliss McCormick is running for the district. She's, she resigned from Congress a couple months ago. She's facing federal charges on money laundering. She's running for that.

Dale Holness, former county commissioner in Broward County, lost the primary election to Sherfellis McCormick by five votes in 2022. Okay. Elijah Manley, a young progress. He's ran for many seats in the last couple years. He hasn't won any, but he's running for that. And then we have Luther Campbell, aka Uncle Luke. Two-Life Crew.

Who was the head of Two-Live Crew, won a landmark civil rights battle at the Supreme Court. Yeah, First Amendment case, absolutely. It was a huge court case. Yeah, back in the 90s. Has a very big name recognition. And, you know, since his days as a musician, he's really, you know. It's been a youth football coach and community organizer, right? He's, he had a column for many years about local politics.

He's been pretty outspoken on a lot of political things. So that's pretty interesting there. So that's the pop culture name here, but the big political name is. And then we have Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who does not live in the district right now, and this is a point of contention. Which you do not have to do for Congress. Exactly. To represent the district, you don't have to live in the district. But this has become a point of contention.

And all the other aforementioned names are black Democrats. She's thrown her hat into the race to get the Democratic nomination, which has caused some controversy. Well, it's really upset a lot of Democrats. The Florida Democratic Party chair, Nikki Fried, says she's disappointed. The Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz is running in this district. The House Democratic leader in Washington, Hakeem Jeffries from New York, has twice declined to endorse his colleague in the Democratic caucus.

running for this. So kind of what's the status here? Right. I mean, there's really two reasons why people are somewhat upset about this. Ever since 1992, Florida has had three or more black members of Congress. If Debbie Wasserman Schultz wins the nomination for the Democrats for this district, that number will probably go down to two, which there's never been that few black elected officials at the federal level in Florida,

going back to, you know, reconstruction. I mean, it's a, so black representation is a huge reason why a lot of, like, the black congressional caucus is upset. The other part is just the party line. I mean, Debbie Wasserman Schultz lives in the 22nd district, which was redrawn and is slightly favored to Republicans now. Now, she has massive name recognition.

And there's a feeling that she could actually win that seat if she ran in that seat. And because she's not the existing district she lives in in 22 versus she's running for quote-unquote re-election in District 20. Exactly. So the district where she lives now, it's now a wide open race favor to Republicans. So Republicans could pick that seat up. And there's an argument of, well, if she stayed where she lived, she could actually keep that seat for Democrats. So that's the math. In the shuffling here, that's District 20, District 22.

Now let's move a little bit south into the heart of Dade County, District 24, a long time a black district, minority representative district with Frederica Wilson, who is retiring from Congress after decades of service on the hill. So an open seat here. It is an open seat. Thought to be safe for Democrats, though, right? It is numerically generally safe. It's the only existing black majority district in Florida at this point. Congresswoman Wilson is stepping away. She's not nominated a successor.

We have three names that have pitched their name into the hat. One is Oliver Gilbert III, a longtime county commissioner, and former mayor of Miami Gardens, which Miami Gardens is a huge city. And he ran that for two terms. It's where the Hard Rock Stadium is. It's where the Hard Rock Stadium is. The FIFA World Cup's taking place there right now. He has certainly a lot of name recognition. Also, we have Gene Monastine, who's a former county commissioner on the county commission here locally has been a very strong voice in supportive immigrants. He himself came on a boat from Haiti in the 1980s, brings a lot of that record. And, you know, Haitians know him. And there's a lot of Haitians in this district. Also, we have Kendrick Meek Jr., the son of Kendrick Meek, former congressman, and grandson of Kerry Meek, who also was a black Democrat in Florida. Trying to work on a political dynasty there a little bit. Exactly.

And she was one of the first ones in 1992 since Reconstruction. And then last week, we have state senator Chevron Jones, who is also thrown his hat into the race there. you know he's considered a progressive Democrat he has a pretty strong political machine and has certainly made a name for himself locally they're all trying to get that nomination yeah it'll be fascinating there to replace congresswoman wilson an open seat for the democrats at least seen as democrat safe first time in a long time danny rava watching the political math and boundaries in south florida much appreciated danny thanks so much thank you tom let's hear from lucretia in port st john thank you for holding on you are on the radio hello thank you

you for having me. Of course. Go ahead. Your thoughts on this. Well, I, just as a citizen of the United States, not just Florida, I would love the opportunity to just vote for who I would like to vote for versus having everything very much. You're breaking up on your phone a little bit, Ecclesia. Try again. I would love the opportunity to be able to vote for who I'd like to vote for without having the districts gerrymandered to the point of obliterating the clarity of it all. And just not being represented by who we would like to be represented by or have an idea of what's out there. Right. And it's more the politicians telling us rather than the people voting. You feel that the districts are being imposed on you as a voter? Correct. I see. Lucretia, thank you.

Thank you for joining the conversation there from Port St. John. Let's go to the Central Florida area with Sam Stockbridge, reporter with our partner station, Central Florida Public Media. Sam, there's districts kind of in play, certainly in your neck of the woods as well. What are some of the biggest changes in the new map for Central Florida? Yeah, absolutely. One of the biggest changes, I think, is to, I mean, it's really centered around Orlando. The biggest one, obviously, is to the South Orlando and Kissimmee and Osceola County District 9, which is currently held by Darren Soto, who is a Democrat.

He's held that seat for about nine years. There are some minor changes also to the boundaries of the district that's currently held by Maxwell Frost, who's another Democrat, the youngest member of Congress. But those aren't really expected to affect his ability to win re-election that fall, this fall. So, yeah, now, conveniently, for voters, those two districts are keeping the same numbering scheme

as they were under the previous math. And that's actually the case for most of them up here. So at least that's, you know, one concession is that you won't have to relearn new numbers. Yeah, yeah, you don't have to learn the new numerical system. But for Representative Soto, he's been in Congress there in that ninth district since 2017. So how is he responding to some of the boundary changes? Yeah. So he's looking at, so essentially to back up a little bit, some of the changes are to his district is that it gives Republicans an advantage.

By his estimate, it's about a six-point advantage compared to he won that seat with 55% of the vote in 2024. So that's a pretty big swing for him. And even though he's had, he's been in there for, as you mentioned, almost a decade, that is going to pose some challenges for him as he has to work with constituents in four new counties that were not previously under his boundaries. The new map stretches, his new district stretches about twice as far south as it did under the previous. iteration, so it'll include Okiechobie, Indian River, Glades, and Highlands Counties. And the communities are also going to be more rural, and they'll have different issues, different topics that are going to animate them. Yeah, much more rural there for that new boundary.

What about in the Webster District, Congressman Daniel Webster, a long-time Republican number of terms retiring, and so there's no incumbent in that seat now? Yeah, that's a, you know, that's such a topical question because, you know, you know, that's such a topical question because, you know, the filing, the qualifying deadline just passed. If you had asked me that a couple hours ago, I would have given you a very different answer. I would have said that there's going to be a big primary battle between two Republicans. But about less than two hours ago, one of those candidates, Lake County Commissioner Anthony Sabatini said that he's withdrawing from the race, which means that pretty much the, I think

it's fair to say that the presumptive Republican frontrunner is going to be Lake former Lake County property appraiser, Carrie Baker. And that's already a pretty solidly Republican district already, even before the new districts got drawn. Last year, Republicans won it by about 20 points, so pretty significant. Pretty safe district, but some new names there on the ballot for those folks. Sam, I appreciate you running through some of those changes in Central Florida. Sam Stockbridge, a reporter with our partner, Central Florida Public Media. Let's hear from Cheryl in South Miami.

Cheryl, it's your turn. You're on the radio. Go ahead. I'm not a regular listener, sorry, but definitely a supporter of LRN. Well, what can we do to make you a regular listener, Cheryl? We appreciate you listening today, and you're with us now. Make your point, please. Go ahead.

So a couple of weeks ago, I went to get my driver's license renewed in person, and it was the easy process. But I got in the car and noticed I have a brand-ed license number, driver's license number. I thought it was a mistake. I looked it up and said, oh, no, in 2024, the Florida made a new law thing, all renewals get a new number so then i went and looked up to some little more information and now you have to make sure that you contact voter registration you let them you on you have a new

number okay um and which it could affect whether you can vote if you don't get it done yeah you just you didn't realize so i just want to make sure your listeners um we're aware of that nobody i've mentioned it too at doctors offices insurance companies no one had any idea Yeah, we appreciate the heads up there, Cheryl, in South Miami. Great idea there. If you've got a new driver's license in Florida, make sure you have that new number. The Putnam County Elections Office has shared with us,

not to forget to check the box that says yes when updating your voter information, even if you're not making any other changes. That's the guidance from one of the elections office in our 67 counties. Let's head over to the Tampa Bay area where reporter Steve Newborn and our partner station WUSF has been watching the ballots here. So Steve, how does the new map reshape the congressional

districts in your neck of the woods. Well, the maps here are really been scrambled. Let me tell you. You have to wonder if people even know who their congressperson is. I mean, myself and my own house, I've had three representatives in the past five years. Now I'm represented by somebody I never

even had a chance to vote on. So you have to wonder if people know who they're going to vote for. So the big change in the Tampa Bay area is. The one blue district was District 14. A pretty safe Democratic seat for Kathy Cassie. She's been around for 20 years, but her blue district, which included most of Tampa, has now been shifted to the south and east in rural Hillsborough County.

So this is an area that President Trump would have won by about 10% in the last election. So the big question here is, will her name recognition be enough to carry her to another term? And she has decided to stay in that district as opposed to look for another neighboring district. So where's the natural political support that she has in general? It is in the Tampa area, but, you know, she's represented this area for, like I said, 20 years. Right. Big name recognition. Her mom, even Betty Castor, was president of the University of South Florida and a former legislator herself.

So she's got a lot of name recognition, and she has only token opposition in the primary. So at least this part of the race should be pretty easy for her. And on the Republican side, anything noteworthy that she might face come November? Yeah, right. So the NRCC, the National Republican Congressional Committee, has targeted her seat as one that can flip. So it shows you the importance they're placing in this. So the big name here is former state representative Kevin Steele. He's got the backing of all three of the state's elected cabinet officials, and he's running as the MAGA candidate.

He's already attacking Castor and ads as being entrenched in Washington, pushing the quote-unquote radical Democratic agenda. and such. So he's the big name here. There are several other Republicans running, former state representative Mike Beltran, B. Valenti, who was a domestic political advisor to Senator Ashley Moody, Attorney Dan Weldon, and Rocky Rocheford, who ran for the seat in 2024. A bit of a crowded ballot there on the Republican side for District 14. We'll see who the outcome is in August. Steve Newborn with us from our partnership station WUSF. all the callers. Sorry we couldn't get to all of them, but clearly we talk politics almost each and every week here on the Florida Roundup. More to come. This is the Florida Roundup. I'm Tom Hudson. We'll be broadcasting live from Fort Myers very soon with our partner station WGCU. It's the end of June, Friday, June 26 at the Tribby Arts Center at Shellpoint Retirement Community. We'd love to see you there. Now, if you heard about your health span, it's like a lifespan, but it's how long you are able to live healthy. And there's an effort to extend the health span of folks in Southwest Florida.

by seven years, seven more years of healthy living. No groaning when getting out of the chair, maybe. We'll talk about that. We'll also have the Hartley Jazz Trio with us live in Fort Myers. It's June 26th. Now it's free. Seating is limited and RSVPs are beginning to pile up. We want to make sure your seat is reserved.

So you can go to wgcccg.org slash events. Yes, wgccccc.org slash events. That's the website for, are June 26, live in Fort Myers program. Next week on the show, commemorating June 10th, the day recognized as the effective end of slavery in the United States. It's been an uneven and unsteady journey of civil rights for black Americans, a journey that journalist Eugene Robinson traces with his own family.

History is not about making people feel uncomfortable or sad or guilty. It's simply about telling the truth. Plus, Florida's official Black History Museum will be built in St. Augustine. The first free black settlement in, you know, what is now America here in St. John's County. And then while Juneteenth is a federal holiday, Emancipation Day came a few weeks earlier to the Sunshine State. May 20th, 1865, as a Floridian, is a critical marker. The yoke of slavery is broken. So be sure to tune in next week for our special Juneteenth edition of the Florida Roundup.

This week, how far? far does Florida's property tax amendment go and how much might it cost local governments? $25 million in Boca Raton is one estimate. Fifty million in Tampa. Manatee County says it could cost $230 million in lost tax revenue. Palm Beach County leaders say they are preparing for what could be the biggest budget cuts ever, nearly $400 million in operation costs over the next two years if voters approved the ballot item in November. Taxes go to support public parks, libraries, other essential services would be in jeopardy according to the county. Here's the Palm Beach County administrator Joe Abruzzo. We are making arguably the largest cut potentially in history. We feel

comfortable running the government with these cuts. We don't believe it will throw any types of services out of whack and we will be in my estimation extremely fiscally responsible. Palm Beach County Commissioners are considering cuts to the sheriff's budget, increased beach parking fees and other revenue streams to offset the potential shortfall. So here we are today again, about property taxes, 305-995-1800. We want to hear from you. 305-995-1800 or Radio at the Florida Roundup.org. Radio at the Florida Roundup.org. The referendum would increase the value of a home or a condominium that is exempt from property taxes as long as the owner lives in that house or condo. And if approved by voters, the homestead exemption would jump from the current $50,000 up to $150,000 in January,

and then $250,000 one year later. Peggy in North Central Florida emailed us. If we're going to eliminate property taxes for state revenue, perhaps it is time for a state income tax. Oh, that is a third rail here, Peggy, as you know, in the Sunshine State. Terry and Melbourne emailed us, I'm uncomfortable with the top-down imposition of tax cuts. Few specifics are available as to the entities who will lose revenue,

who they are and the impact in local lives will have. We need answers. I would get a tax cut I don't need. David emailed, if the best and most responsive government is the closest to the people, then local governments must have the ability to tax to fund local services the electorate want. If voters don't like what local government does, vote them out. The state legislature wants to tell everyone else what to do. David writes, I don't want someone from the Panhandle or South Florida telling central Floridians what they can do.

Let's hear from Roger in Pinellas Park on line four. Go ahead, Roger, you're on the radio. Yeah, thanks for taking the call. It sounds like a few of your email replies kind of echo what I have to say, which is, yeah, we already decide the property tax. You know, it's published every year by our municipality and county. We vote for the officials that make these decisions, and there you have it. Now, I'm one of 30,000 registered voters in my town. I'm one of 13.5 million voters in the state, and I don't think the state has any business here.

These funds remit to the municipality and the county. I think they should, I think it's a big mistake, and I think voters will probably pass the measure. Oh, yeah, it'll cut my expenses. Well, you know, there's other ways the state could cut our... exposed. Roger, it sounds like you're a no on this in November. Is that right? Certainly am.

All right. We look forward to hearing from you throughout the campaign cycle. Roger and Pinellas Park there. Brian and Panama City emailed, Tom, there's way too much handwinging over the proposed homestead increase. The homestead exemption hasn't been increased in over a decade, so it is overdue for an update. Also, the municipalities that I see in the Panhandle have been busy spending their budget

dollars on new vehicles. In addition, Brian and Panama City writes, many of the single-family homes, will still have to pay some tax due to the home value. Plus, in many parts of Florida, there are a large number of homes that are second homes or rentals and wouldn't qualify for the tax break. Well, this week, two Florida voters filed the lawsuit against that ballot referendum. They did it on Thursday. They argued the ballot language is illegal and misleading. Jamie Cole is with us now with Wiseerota Healthman Cole and Bierman, an attorney representing the two voters, as a nonprofit save our voters.

Jamie, welcome to the program. Thanks for your time, counselor. Thank you. Nice to be here. Before we talk about the argument and the lawsuit, I would like to ask about the plaintiffs. This group, save our voters from misleading ballot language as the group. It was formed on Monday in Broward County, then sued the state on Thursday. This ballot is a question, of course, has not been approved. Why do these voters have standing to sue? Who's been hurt by the proposal? Well, any voter who's registered in the state of Florida has standing to sue because they're going to be voting in November. And when they go to vote, they are entitled to a fair, accurate ballot question. I mean, the Constitution is the bedrock of our democracy. And in order to change it, you need 60% of the voters to vote in favor of it. And if you get a misleading or improper and accurate ballot question, that right to vote becomes the right.

a nullity. This ballot question is the most politically biased ballot question we've seen in years. The title is basically a campaign slogan, and then the summary itself is a whole bunch of political taglines. That's not what ballot questions are supposed to look like. The Florida standard in ballot questions is for clear and unambiguous language, clear and unambiguous language. So the title, let's start with the title of this, that it will appear on our ballots as we talk here today, at least, Jamie. The title is save our homes from excessive property taxes. What's ambiguous about that? Well, the standard is not just clear and ambiguous. The courts have said it also has to be fair and accurate. The save our homes from excessive

property taxes is a campaign slogan. It's not a ballot question. There's a provision in Florida statute in the Florida Constitution that was approved that called Save Our Homes. That when even when that was approved. The ballot question didn't say save our homes. It said, you know, homestead tax exemptions. This is not a proper ballot title. For example, ballot titles over the years have been things like property tax limitations or ad valorem property taxation or something like that. This is just a campaign slogan and it's completely biased and is not a neutral statement. By its nature, isn't a ballot question asking voters to approve or reject something biased? No.

If a question just says increased homestead exemption as the title, that's not biased. That would be a neutral way of saying it. And that's what this should say. It should say increased homestead exemption. It should not say save our homes from excessive property taxes. I would suspect that the people that are going to be campaigning for this measure will be using that exact statement as their campaign slogan. because that's what it is.

The lawsuit claims the ballot language in addition to just the title that we've been talking about, but the language of the actual amendment is factually inaccurate. What are the inaccuracies that it's claiming? Okay, well, it says, for example, ensuring funding for core services. That's a political tagline that is just simply not true. There's nothing in this measure that ensures funding for core services. In fact, what it will do is a lower the tax base. and most likely reduce the amount of funding available

for core services. It also says that it's protecting small businesses. The word small businesses don't even appear in this measure. There's no definition of what is a small business. There's nothing that protects small businesses. In fact, there's nothing that protects any businesses. And what's going to happen is most cities are going to increase their millage rates. And when they increase the millage rates,

small businesses that rent property are going to pay higher taxes because their property is going to pay higher taxes because their property taxes will be passed through to them through their cam on their leases. Through the leases, right? So what are you asking for in the lawsuit? The only thing we're asking for is to have this language corrected. There's a Florida statute that says if a court declares a ballot misleading or improper that the attorney general has 10 days to rewrite it and to make it conform with the judge's order, that's the only thing we're seeking. We're not trying to get it off the ballot.

All we're trying to do is get the language change so it will be fair and neutral. There are people for this. There are people against it. I've been listening to you over the last five minutes, and there's obviously going to be an interesting debate about this. But you can't rig the election. You can't have the ballot question be a campaign slogan. In fact, the summary even says this amendment benefits Florida taxpayers. That's how it starts.

That tells the voter that it benefits Florida taxpayers. That's certainly not fair. So to be clear, the group that you represent here that have filed lawsuit against the state for this ballot language, this group, save our voters from misleading ballot language, is not taking a position on the merits of this effort, but rather the language used by the legislature for this to appear on the November ballot. That's absolutely correct. The entity is not taking a position on the substance. This is purely to try to make sure the voters get a fair ballot question and that. this can be decided by the voters. Okay, well, we'll certainly watch,

and counselor will invite you back in the program. We appreciate your time. Well, thank you very much. Jamie Cole, the attorney representing two Florida voters who filed suit this week against the state effort on the amendment to eliminate or reduce, rather, reduce some local property taxes. Jamie's with Wise, Sorota, Elfman, Cole, and Beerman law firm.

Let's talk to, let's see, Michael in Highlands County, Michael, great to have you a long board today. Go ahead. You're on the radio. Hi, I'm calling about the homestead exemption. Yes, sir. What do you think? When I came here 28 years ago,

the homestead exemption of $50,000 was more than half of the value of my property. Now it's less than a seventh. So even if it's increased to $150,000, as a percentage, it'll still be far less than what it was 28 years ago. Yeah. Even raising it to 250 still will be a smaller percentage, I believe, than what it was 28 years ago.

Yeah, one of the arguments that supporters say is that this homestead exemption has not kept pace, not only with inflation, certainly, but certainly the sharp increase in underlying home values in Florida. And that seems like what you're putting voice to here, Michael. Which way are you leaning on this ballot measure right now? I think it should be approved that the home stay exemption should be increased. And there's a very real difference between value and valuation. The homes haven't increased in value. Inflation has just pushed the valuation higher. Well, I suppose it depends on where you live in Florida, right?

I mean, there's some places where a property's value has sharply outpaced the overall inflation rate. in no small part because of supplying demand, certainly, Michael, but we appreciate that voice from Highlands County. Let's hear from Chris in St. John's County. Go ahead, Chris. You're on the radio now. So, hi. Another thing I want to bring up,

if this was rushed through in this emergency session, and most of the people voted on it didn't really understand what the impacts would be. Another thing people should consider is that there's, we have water management district funding, mosquito control district, Other things that would be impacted from this loss, we could lose a third of our funding to water management districts across the state of Florida. There would be so many negative repercussions from this property tax.

If we do want to investigate this idea as Floridians, we definitely need more time rather than the rust measure that was pushed through the legislature in this special session. Chris, you bring up a really important point, which is where all the property tax dollars go. it's not just for parks and libraries, but certainly that's part of it. But yes, water management district in some areas, mosquito control. Some counties have health districts, public health hospitals, for instance, take a slice of that property tax as well. Chris, thanks for your voice there from St. John's County. You are listening to the Florida Rundup from your Florida Public Radio Station.

Let's talk to Douglas Sol now, are your Florida state government reporter with our partner station WUSF here, Doug. We continue talking about this ballot referenda in language matters here, right, because the measure exempts a quarter of a million dollars in value from all property taxes except school taxes. And then it goes on to say, quote, requires through general law a schedule for full elimination. So what does that mean, Douglas, full elimination? No property taxes, not to schools, not to water management districts, not to hospitals, not to anyone? That's the potentially million dollar question here. And it's one that we don't, at least I don't have it.

clear answer on. And I've even talked to lawmakers and gotten differing takes on that. It was very good timing that you just had Jamie Cole, the attorney on, to discuss that lawsuit. Because that lawsuit mentions this question, actually. And those plaintiffs of Ledge that the proposed constitutional amendment language that says that requires through general law, a schedule for full elimination is false. They say it does not do that. It just creates a framework for counties if they choose to eliminate the tax. legislators, a majority of them voted on this, approved it so it can appear on the ballot. So what are those lawmakers say their understanding is of the language that they voted for?

The responses when I was there for the special session were mixed. Some even mixed among high up lawmakers in the process for this property tax proposal. One told me that it gives counties and cities and other local governments an optional framework to increase their exemptions down the line. A different high-up lawmaker told me that it would allow lawmakers on their own without a voters vote in the election to raise it legislatively, the legislative process. And so, yeah, there are a lot of outstanding questions here. And I just go, and one of the lawmakers who told me that it would allow lawmakers to increase it on their own, also admitted that this is something that's going to have to be debated and even potentially

litigated as it currently is being litigated through that lawsuit that was just discussed. Yeah, so some lawmakers say it's up to the local government, other lawmakers say, and no, it's up to the state legislature. And, of course, they're looking at that same language that they all looked at during this special session. Douglas, watching the state legislature with the Your Florida Reporting Project with WUSF. Douglas, always a pleasure. Thank you, sir. Thank you.

We've gotten any other emails as well about property taxes. Jill and Merritt Island sent us this note writing, I believe removing property taxes in Florida is only beneficial to the millionaire homeowners, realtors, and apartment owners. It's not good for the rest of us. Jill writes, I'm planning to vote against this bill. Keep it coming.

Our inbox is always open to hear your thoughts. Radio at the Florida roundup.org. Radio at the Florida Roundup. I'm Tom Hudson. Stick around. We've got plenty more to come. You're listening to The Florida Rondup from your Florida Public Radio Station. This is the Florida Roundup. I'm Tom Hudson. This week marks 10 years, 10 years since what many consider Orlando's darkest day. One of the darkest days in the United States, the second deadliest mass shooting in American history. In the early hours of June 12th, 2016, a gunman opened fire at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. 49 people were killed, 58 were hurt. Before that night, Pulse was a safe space for the LGBTQ Plus community.

From our partner station, Central Florida Public Media, Joe Mario Pedersen spoke with the mother of one of the victims about grief and why it tends to be more powerful during milestone remembrances. For Christine Leineninon, in June 12, 2016, is a day she will never forget. It's the day her son, Christopher Drew Linen and his boyfriend, Juan Ramon Guerrero, had gone to Paul's Nightclub for Aladdin Dance Night. The two men were among the 49 people killed there that day.

That thought always brings me back to my little, because I still think of my son, he was 32, but I still think of him being a little one. He's just a little, my little son. He's my little fourth grader, laying on the floor of that club. Linenen recalls waking up at 3 a.m. and seeing a Facebook post from one of Christopher's friends about an attack at Pulse. She got in her car and drove from Polk County, a bit more than an hour away to a 7-11 about a block from the club hoping to get answers. She ended up about a mile away at Orlando Regional Hospital, where hundreds of other people were also looking for information about their loved ones.

That night, Orlando Police began escorting families to a conference room, asking for pictures and other identifiable information. She was then told to go home. She did, but according to a post she wrote online, once she arrived home, she was asked to drive right back. After a total of 33 hours waiting for the dreaded news, Orlando police confirmed that Christopher was one of the victims. It's been a long time since that day, but Linenin says that the grief of losing her son still sneaks up on her. Last week, she was driving. And I was transported right back to 10 years ago, and I started. crying as if I was like, come on, Christine, it's 10 years.

Usually, she channels her grief into LGBTQ plus and pulse activism. But lately, Linen says the pain has been more powerful. Well, I'm a little sadder than most years. I don't know if 10 years is just hiling on the gravity of 10 years is just feeling heavier on my heart this year. than most years. That's a common feeling, according to Deborah Bidal. She's the executive director of a University of Central Florida Research Center working to better treat people with post-traumatic stress disorder.

And so I think this idea that there's a certain pathway and that there are certain milestones that we all have to reach at the same time. I think that's one of the biggest misunderstandings. Bidle worked with survivors, family members, and first responders after Pulse. I think what we see in a lot of the survivors is they learn to live with. I think for some people, they're going to have maybe a little bit of a shock because as we all talk more and as we get close to that date, people who think that maybe they were over it are going to find they have some symptoms again. But those feelings aren't isolated to those directly impacted by the tragedy. The reach of the pulse shooting was wide, as are the feelings of grief, says John Super, a UCF professor of psychology who also worked with victims and families.

They didn't know that neighbor. they knew they were close, they were two degrees of separation from the massacre itself. While those unexpected moments of grief that may occur now can be hard, Bidal and Super both say it's part of the healing process and everyone's path is a little different. People are going to do this in their own period of time and we have to accept that everybody's going to do it when it's right for them. As the healing process continues, many recognize that the community has changed, but not all the change is painful.

After the Pulse tragedy, Central Florida responded in a big way, people donating blood and supplies, people donning large white angel wings made from PVC pipe and white fabric as a means of spreading love and protecting those in need. 50,000 people at a candlelit vigil in downtown Orlando. This community's response was just beautiful, and I think the sentiments still exists. Among the throngs of people to come to that vigil was a large group of Muslim women. For a lot of us, we were like, we want to go. But how will that make people that are there feel if a bunch of Muslims showed up? That's Fatima Saddaf Saeed, co-founder of the Muslim Women Organization. She says because the shooter claimed allegiance to the Islamic State,

Central Florida Muslims were hesitant to come out and support. Saeed says they were afraid they would be met with anger. But that didn't happen. There were people giving out flowers. and they turned to us and gave us flower and gave us hubs. And I think everybody needed that. That shared pain, that grief broke down walls between different communities. Saeed says that the group was welcome at churches and LGBTQ plus functions following the days of Pulse.

Honestly, not really having interacted much with the LGBT community until that moment in time. That was difficult for the Muslim group, she said. Gay and trans people are not typically seen in a kind like. in Muslim teaching, Saeed said. But after being welcomed by churches and the LGBTQ plus groups, Saeed says the local Muslim community is evolving in its views. And I think we are a much better community because of it. And we've been able to navigate issues about, you know,

trans Muslims in the community and queer Muslims, all kinds of things that have come up in those days after. We've been able to navigate it in a way that is much more compassionate merciful. She says it's still a struggle for some in the community, but the Muslim women organization has evolved in a progressive direction. Disasters and hardship, sadly. Bring people together. As with any disaster, a flower that has bloomed right after. As for Christine Linenin, she's never gone to a remembrance ceremony. On days that remind her of Christopher, like holidays, Linenin treats them like any other day. Making them into days is just so painful.

It's just more pain than my heart can handle. I just choose not to go. And maybe one day I won't go. Maybe even this year I'll go. Who knows? I could change my mind. Joe Mario Pedersen in Orlando. The city of Orlando holds its annual pulse remembrance ceremony on this Friday at 5.30 this afternoon at the First United Methodist Church.

All are welcome. I'm Tom Hudson, and you're listening to the Florida Rondup from your Florida Public Radio Station. As we enter the hottest months of the year, there's something you should know before you go to the beach. Add Vibro Fulnificus to your Florida Beach vocabulary of Rip Current and SPF. Vibro Fulnificis, it's a flesh-eating bacteria found in coastal waters in the Gulf and sometimes in the Atlantic. It can infect people by consuming raw shellfish, such as oysters or through open wounds. I always tell patients in the public to inform a provider, a health care provider, that they've been in the water. They've been in brackish water, salt water, and this wound was exposed to salt water, just so that there's a little bit more awareness that this could be a fibro infection, and that we may want to take it a little bit more seriously.

That's Dr. Norman Beattie. He's an infectious disease specialist at the University of Florida. Now, the Sunshine State here tends to see the higher rates of infection after major storms. When we have these weather events in our community, we're cleaning up, we're trudging to this water, then they actually go into the water to free of a boat or something. And at that time, a lot of this water has been disturbed, and the bacteria are found in areas where they normally wouldn't be found. Beattie says there are symptoms to look out for. One, if you have a wound, it's either acquired in the water itself or you went into the water with that wound, keep a close eye on that wound for redness that surrounds it, new pain that may be present

and swelling. Now, he's got a couple of precaution ideas to take if you're heading out to the water. If you're going out, wait fishing, you know, tomorrow morning, you would want to just ensure that your feet are protected from stepping on in the moisture or acquiring a cut while you're wading in the water. So just be mindful of developing any cuts or abrasions, as well as if you do have a cut or an abrasion, keep it covered somehow. You know, put some sort of a bandage on it that can prevent water from touching it.

State health officials have reported eight cases so far this year. And while we're talking about living organisms that can be harmful, screw whirps. New World screw worms. Now, thankfully, they have not been detected here in Florida, and state officials are ramping up protections to keep it that way. Mike Braun, with our partner station WGCU and Fort Myers, has more. Following additional detections of New World Screw Worm in Texas and New Mexico, the Florida Department of Agriculture will strengthen current efforts to prevent the reintroduction of the destructive pest into the state by implementing a new emergency rule. The updated rule expands restrictions on animal imports from affected areas and prohibits importing rescue and shelter dogs and cats from states with confirmed New World Screw Worm detections.

It revises the definition of infested zones to any county and its surrounding counties. with the confirmed detection of the pest. I'm Mike Braun. Finally on the Florida round up this week, the World Cup has kicked off officially. Now, the first of seven matches here in Florida is Monday, and the biggest early contest is in a couple of weeks when Columbia and Portugal

meet in Miami Gardens. So sure, the world's most popular sport has come to North America, and Florida plays a central role. But what about moving 300 tons of sand miles away from any beach? That's the sound of loaders dumping and spreading the sand at Sephora Arena in Medley. That's in South Florida.

The Association of Volleyball Professionals, AVP, plays its week three matches in the Sunshine State this weekend. And it's a battle between two states that tend to compete each other on lots of stages, Florida versus Texas. Professional beach volleyball teams from Austin and Dallas will play teams from Miami and Palm Beach. Now, just so you're clear here on the rules, World Cup soccer, no hands. Professional beach volleyball, hands. That is our program for it 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 Royle is WLRN's senior producer of content streaming and news products. WLRN's director of live original programming is Katie Munoz. The vice president of radio is Peter Maris. The program's technical director is M.J. Smith. Engineering help each and every week from Doug. Doug Peterson, Harvey Bessard, and Ernesto J. Our theme music is provided by Miami jazz guitarist Aaron Leibos

at Aaronleboos.com. Don't forget, join us in Southwest Florida on June 26th, a live program in front of a live audience in Fort Myers with our partner station, WGCU. It's free, but seating is limited and going fast, so be sure to RSVP now at WGCU.org

slash events. Thanks for calling, emailing, listening, and of course, supporting public media in your slice of the Sunshine State. I'm Tom Hudson. Have a terrific weekend.