TALLAHASSEE, Fla. \u2014 A new political party got a name. A governor’s race got louder. “Alligator Alcatraz” got closed. And Florida’s property-tax fight got hotter.<\/p>\n
WATCH BELOW: Governor\u2019s race gets louder while ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ shuts down<\/p>\n
Governor\u2019s race gets louder while ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ shuts down<\/p>\n
GOP governor\u2019s race gets louder \u2014 but still no debate<\/p>\n
With Florida’s Aug. 18 primary creeping closer, the Republican race for governor kept intensifying this week \u2014 though still not on a debate stage.<\/p>\n
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds remains the only Republican candidate meeting the party’s debate criteria<\/a>, leaving rivals Paul Renner, Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and James Fishback continuing to argue voters deserve a head-to-head contest before ballots are cast.<\/p>\n “What they’re doing, really, is Byron Donalds’ bidding,\u201d Renner said, criticizing the debate process in a recent interview<\/a> and suggesting internal party politics are helping protect the frontrunner.<\/p>\n Donalds has rebuffed the calls. Most recently<\/a> it was during a Florida Chamber press conference announcing their endorsement of his campaign. Donalds called the governor\u2019s race a job interview.<\/p>\n “If I\u2019m applying for a job, it\u2019s not my responsibility to help my competitor get a job interview,\u201d said the Republican.<\/p>\n So far, no debate has materialized \u2014 even from local news outlets \u2014 but the race is moving quickly elsewhere.<\/p>\n Collins announced what his campaign called a \u201cmulti-million dollar statewide\u201d advertising blitz, while Donalds is planning a $20 million statewide ad buy through the primary.<\/p>\n Fishback, meanwhile, tried to keep his insurgent campaign in the spotlight by naming<\/a> former South Florida police officer and deputy campaign manager Sean Lozano as his running mate.<\/p>\n “We will not politely manage Florida’s decline,” Lozano said at the announcement in Tallahassee. “Let me be clear. There is a decline. We will stop it.”<\/p>\n ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ closes, but controversy continues<\/p>\n The week also brought the official endgame<\/a> for “Alligator Alcatraz,” the Everglades immigration detention facility that became one of the most controversial projects of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ second term.<\/p>\n DeSantis announced Thursday<\/a> the site is now empty, saying it served its purpose as an emergency expansion of immigration detention capacity.<\/p>\n “This mission has made the state of Florida safer,” DeSantis said.<\/p>\n But the shutdown does not end the fight over the facility. Critics continue pointing to questions about the cost, detainee treatment, hurricane safety and environmental damage. Environmental groups have also argued the state failed to properly account for the impact on the Everglades and Big Cypress region.<\/p>\n DeSantis, meanwhile, again said he expects the federal government to reimburse Florida for the project\u2019s price tag, which has climbed into the hundreds of millions of dollars.<\/p>\n Property-tax fight adds another layer<\/p>\n Florida\u2019s property-tax fight also picked up another layer this week.<\/p>\n DeSantis signed<\/a> new laws tightening how cities, counties and special districts can raise property-tax revenue. The measures generally tie local governments closer to the rollback rate \u2014 the rate designed to bring in roughly the same property-tax revenue as the prior year \u2014 and require larger votes to go higher.<\/p>\n “We need government at all levels to start thinking about spending cuts,\u201d Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia said.<\/p>\n Supporters call the changes taxpayer protection and say local governments have allowed budgets to grow too quickly as property values rise. Local officials warn the new restrictions, combined with the proposed November constitutional amendment, could leave cities and counties with major budget holes.<\/p>\n That amendment<\/a>, appearing on the November ballot as Amendment 3, would expand homestead exemptions on non-school property taxes \u2014 first to $150,000 in 2027, then to $250,000 in 2028. Backers say it would deliver meaningful relief to homeowners. Opponents warn the savings for some property owners could lead to service cuts, higher fees or tax shifts elsewhere.<\/p>\n