Polk County, Florida

A ConsumerAffairs analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data ranks the Jacksonville metro area No. 2 among the 100 largest U.S. metros for property taxes rising faster than home values from 2022 to 2024. The typical homeowner's tax bill rose 21.7% while median home values increased 8.1%, a gap second only to Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida. Nationally, home values rose faster than taxes over the same period, though a five-year view shows Jacksonville home values up 63.1% since 2019, outpacing a 44.9% rise in taxes.

Florida's Amendment 3, needing 60% approval, would raise the non-school homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028 while cutting the non-homestead assessment-growth cap from 10% to 5%. Backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, it has split Republicans and drawn opposition from police, firefighter, and county groups warning of billions in lost local revenue; proponents argue local governments can absorb cuts after years of rapid tax collection growth.

Florida sheriffs and firefighters have come out against Amendment 3, a ballot measure that would raise the homestead exemption and cut property tax bills on primary residences. At a Tampa news conference, Polk Sheriff Grady Judd and Florida Professional Firefighters President Wayne Bernoska, representing over 33,000 first responders, warned the measure would strip local governments of reliable funding for staffing, equipment and emergency response. Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, who backs the amendment, argues local governments can cut spending elsewhere while preserving core services. Gov. Ron DeSantis supports the Republican-drafted measure, though a judge recently found its language does not protect core services, and Lt. Gov. Jay Collins says an implementation bill would be needed if it passes.

The Polk County Board of Supervisors approved a $57,565 contract with Bolton & Menk to study the intersection of NE 56th Street and NE 94th Avenue near Bondurant, Iowa, following a second fatal crash there in five months. Linda Fristoe died Sept. 30 in a three-car collision at the two-way stop; her husband suffered serious injuries. Nineteen-year-old Samantha Moore died in May after colliding with a dump truck at the same site. Families of both victims have petitioned for changes. The study will assess crash history, speeds, and traffic controls, and recommend options such as a four-way stop, signal, or roundabout, with preliminary findings due in two weeks.

Palm Beach County Republican Party Chair Carl Cascio addressed the controversy surrounding Mike Caruso, who served about a year as Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller after being appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in August 2025, before being suspended amid child sex charges. Caruso's continued appearance on a voter guide following his arrest drew scrutiny, which Cascio discussed on WFLA's Battleground Florida podcast alongside broader Republican prospects in Florida's midterms.

The podcast also featured Rep. Darren Soto, who is seeking reelection in Florida's 9th Congressional District against Republican Dan Green, a Trump administration Department of Defense appointee whose campaign did not respond to requests for comment. Soto's district, redrawn mid-decade under DeSantis and the Republican legislature, now has more registered Republicans than Democrats. Also featured was Branden Scrivener, a No Party Affiliated, self-described progressive candidate challenging Rep. Gus Bilirakis and Democrat Kimberly Overman in District 12, as independent candidates seek traction in competitive races ahead of November.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has withdrawn the death warrant for William Lee Thompson, 74, the first time he has reversed a signed execution order since taking office. Thompson had been scheduled to die Tuesday for the 1976 murder, kidnapping and sexual battery of Sally Ivester in Dade County. DeSantis gave no reason in his Thursday letter to the Florida State Prison warden, but the move follows reports from Thompson's attorneys that he suffers from dementia, heart failure and declining cognitive capacity, including not recognizing he had been sentenced to death. DeSantis had previously ordered a psychiatric panel to evaluate Thompson's sanity after counsel argued he could not understand his impending execution. The Florida Supreme Court had denied a stay hours before DeSantis acted. Thompson remains on death row and could receive a new warrant later.

A second execution scheduled for the same day, James Robertson, 63, convicted of killing his cellmate in 2008, is still set to proceed. The reversal comes amid heightened scrutiny of capital punishment nationally following Tennessee's botched execution attempt of Christa Pike.

Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, which earned its Level 1 trauma center designation in June, treated 10 of the more than 40 people injured in Monday's deadly school bus crash in Polk County, Florida. Hospital officials say the recent upgrade meant pediatric patients could be treated locally rather than transferred across county lines to Tampa or Orlando, as would have previously been required for trauma patients under 16.

James Wright, the hospital's associate vice president for emergency services, said the facility regularly trains for mass casualty events and that having Level 1 capabilities — including trauma surgeons and operating rooms equipped for severe injuries — allowed staff to treat crash victims without the added stress of a long commute for families. As of the latest update, eight of the ten patients admitted after the crash have been treated and discharged, one remains in intensive care, and another is recovering in the pediatric ward. Officials noted that keeping patients near family can also support recovery.