Takeaways from Tallahassee — Return to sender

 From: Extensive Media Enterprises

Florida politics: property taxes, insurance relief, investigations and campus news.

Amendment 3 was made in Tallahassee. Tallahassee would like to return it.

Leon County’s opposition coalition stretches across nearly every corner of local civic life. Sheriff Walt McNeil, Reps. Allison Tant and Gallop Franklin, Superintendent Rocky Hanna, County and City Commissioners, School Board members, Bethel Missionary Baptist Church and the Big Bend chapter of the AFL-CIO are all telling voters to reject the proposed property-tax overhaul.

That is not unanimous opposition from every county officeholder. It is, however, an unusually broad show of local resistance that crosses the customary political lines.

Tallahassee City Commissioner Jack Porter delivered the coalition’s clearest explanation of what is at stake.

“Amendment 3 is not just a tax-shift; it’s the ultimate power grab by the state to control cities by stripping them and their residents of control over our budgets and our futures,” Porter said. “If you care about local voices making local choices, vote no on 3.”

The numbers supply the blunt-force version. The Florida Policy Institute estimates local governments and special districts serving Leon County could lose $158.8 million during the amendment’s first two years. That includes approximately $112.5 million from county operations, more than $30 million from Tallahassee and over $4 million from the local Children’s Services Council.

Return receipt requested.

Leon County Commissioner David O’Keefe said the county could eventually face more than $70 million in annual cuts, leaving it just $3.5 million after paying mandated costs to fund everything else.

Franklin supplied the release’s most memorable line.

“Real, transformative relief cannot be microwaved on short notice,” he said, noting that lawmakers moved the proposal from concept to a vote in less than three days.

Franklin supports property-tax relief. He wants the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, which convenes next year, to develop it through something resembling a normal policymaking process.

Local pushback arrives as support for Amendment 3 inside the Capitol grows increasingly squishy. Senate President Ben Albritton, who voted to place it on the ballot, now plans to vote no. Former Senate President Kathleen Passidomo is opposed. Gov. Ron DeSantis remains nominally supportive — lukewarm, if not tap-cold — but does not intend to campaign for it.

Leon officials may be preaching to the choir. A recent St. Pete Polls survey found just 44% support for Amendment 3, while voters who had already cast ballots opposed it 45% to 40%. That is a deep hole for a measure requiring 60% approval.

The Legislature served Amendment 3. Leon County’s leaders are sending it back to the kitchen.

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Coming up, the usual assortment of news, intel, and observations from the week that was in Florida’s capital city by Peter Schorsch, Drew Wilson, Drew Dixon, Liam Fineout and the staff of Florida Politics.

But first, the “Takeaway 5” — the Top 5 stories from the week that was:

— Take 5 —

State event, campaign pitch — DeSantis continues to evangelize for property tax relief on the November ballot, using what was billed as an official state of Florida event to stump for a political item. Joined by U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, the term-limited DeSantis argued in St. Petersburg that the proposed homestead exemption increase in Amendment 3 would benefit homeowners and that local governments could afford it. DeSantis held a similar roundtable event in South Florida, blurring the line between policy and politics as the 2026 General Election nears. His arguments would be familiar to anyone who has heard him speak on the amendment in recent months. He again said the amendment doesn’t shift taxes from property owners to other mechanisms, saying that local governments should fund core services (“the things we all agree on”) rather than “whatever social cause” a local government may want.

Federal help for the Panhandle — President Donald Trump has approved a major disaster declaration for the Panhandle following Hurricane Isaias, a designation Moody had been pushing for. Isaias made landfall near Destin as a Category 2 hurricane, and thousands were evacuated as it approached. Moody said she was thrilled by the declaration. She led an effort by members of Florida’s congressional delegation to urge Trump to approve DeSantis’ request. “This declaration is so important to Floridians and communities still suffering from the impact of Hurricane Isaias,” Moody said. “While the state is working diligently to restore areas destroyed by this major hurricane, Trump’s approval of the Major Disaster Declaration will help bolster ongoing efforts in Florida’s Panhandle.”

The FEC goes dark — The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has confirmed technical issues are affecting campaign finance report filings days before the 2026 Midterms. Reuters first reported that the agency’s website was hacked, disrupting the public reporting of spending by campaigns and super PACs. The FEC has confirmed its electronic filing system went offline, and work to restore full access is ongoing. “Work continues to resolve the electronic filing system outage. FEC.gov’s other campaign finance data searches remain available as do PDFs of reports,” reads a post on the FEC’s official X account. The FEC is posting updates on a status page. The most recent update reads: “The issue has been identified and a fix is being implemented.”

Rate relief lands — Florida homeowners are in line for lower property insurance rates. CFO Blaise Ingoglia and Insurance Commissioner Mike Yaworsky highlighted a batch of rate decreases that took effect this month. The reductions affect more than 824,000 homeowners, who could see decreases of up to 12.1% on new policies or renewals. “I am thrilled to highlight more rate decreases for Florida homeowners, with the most recent large batch all being effective for new customers or renewals this October,” Yaworsky said in a news release.

Remembering Allison DeFoor — Allison DeFoor, President and CEO of the North Florida Land Trust (NFLT) and a leading figure in Florida’s conservation movement, has died of complications from pneumonia. He served with the organization for eight years. DeFoor helped broker multiple agreements among corporations, private landowners, government agencies and environmental groups that set aside hundreds of thousands of acres of protected land. Sarah Hande, the NFLT’s Director of Strategic Communications, said the loss is hard for an organization that often reflected his personal passion for the environment. “It’s hard to quantify the loss that we feel,” Hande said. DeFoor was also an Episcopal priest. Before leading the land trust, he had an extensive legal career as a prosecutor, public defender, judge and law professor. He also was elected Monroe County Sheriff. He resigned to run for Lieutenant Governor on the Republican ticket supporting Gov. Bob Martinez in his unsuccessful 1990 re-election bid.

— Water fund splash —

Drip, splash.

On Wednesday in Crystal River, DeSantis awarded $100 million across 45 projects to restore and protect Florida’s water resources through the Springs Restoration and Alternative Water Supply grant programs.

These programs and projects will help protect and restore Florida’s iconic springs, expand alternative water sources, and promote water conservation.

“Today in Crystal River, I was proud to announce $100 million for springs restoration and alternative water supply projects throughout Florida. These strategic investments will build on the progress we’ve made in protecting our natural resources and improving water quality in communities across Florida, so that we can leave this state to God better than we found it,” DeSantis said.

The state will award $50 million to 23 projects to restore Florida’s beautiful springs through wastewater upgrades that will collectively reduce total nitrogen by more than 55,000 pounds per year.

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