Reducing Florida’s Property Taxes: A Proposal from Governor DeSantis

Reducing Florida’s Property Taxes: A Proposal from Governor DeSantis

Governor Ron DeSantis discusses his newest proposal at a recent news conference. Photo: State of Florida
Governor Ron DeSantis discusses his newest proposal at a recent news conference. Photo: State of Florida

Some long awaited property tax relief may be coming for Florida homeowners. In a recent initiative to alleviate the financial burden on Florida homeowners, Governor Ron DeSantis has proposed a significant increase in the state’s homestead exemption. The Governors proposal aims to provide substantial property tax relief amid rising housing costs and interest rates, but it won’t be easy to do.

SpaceX Second Stage

SpaceX Has Another Second Stage Issue With Falcon 9

Starlink 11-4 at liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base
Photo: from SpaceX livestream

Third Stage-2 Problem In The Last Six Months

SpaceX seems to have experienced an issue with the second stage of the Falcon 9 used for the recent Starlink 11-4 launch. After lifting off on February 1st with no problems, Falcon 9 delivered its payload of Starlink satellites into their intended orbit after a brief circularization burn of the second stage, as planned. What apparently has not gone to plan is the de-orbit burn of the second stage, as it is still in orbit five days after the active part of the mission was completed.

The company has not commented on the matter.

angry customer

Why Is Customer Service So Bad Now?

Ever feel like customer service used to be better? You’re not imagining things.

These days, calling a company for help often means dealing with long wait times, frustrating automated systems, and representatives who seem either undertrained or just plain indifferent. That is, if they even have a phone number where you can reach them. It can feel as though the company designed the process to be so cumbersome that customers will just give up.

It’s enough to make anyone wonder: Why is customer service so bad now?

Researchers Tag Massive 14-Foot Great White Shark Off Florida Coast

Researchers Tag Massive 14-Foot Great White Shark Off Florida Coast

The OCEARCH team tags A 1600 pond Great White Shark on January 27th. Photo: OCEARCH/Facebook
The OCEARCH team tags a 1600 pound Great White Shark off the southeast coast on January 27th. Photo: OCEARCH/Facebook

Marine researchers from OCEARCH have recently tagged their largest male great white shark yet, Contender, off the Florida-Georgia border. According to OCEARCH, Contender Measures nearly 14 feet in length and weighs approximately 1,653 pounds.

Retirees enjoying a camping trip. Public Domain photo

Retiring Workers Will Soon Impact Many Florida Cities

Photo:Public Domain
The cascade will come from people already living in the Sunshine State

Florida has long offered some of the best places to retire, offering warmer winters, tax advantages, and an abundance of recreational activities for people. However, with a significant portion of the population in certain Florida cities on the cusp of retirement, the state is poised for substantial demographic shifts.

According to recent data from SmartAsset, Pembroke Pines and Cape Coral top the list of cities in the state with the highest percentage of residents nearing retirement. More than 17% of the population in Pembroke Pines is approaching retirement age, while Cape Coral follows closely behind at 16.69%. Many other Florida cities will see a large percentage of their populations taking the gold watch and calling it a day on their careers as well.

Weekend Fun in Florida: Your Guide to Events on February 8-9, 2025

Weekend Fun in Florida: Your Guide to Events on February 8-9, 2025

Tallahassee Highland Games
Tallyhighlandgames.com

As another beautiful Florida February weekend approaches, there are plenty of things to do catering to both residents and visitors. From art festivals and state fairs to cultural celebrations and conventions, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Here’s a curated list of notable happenings across the Sunshine State:

FCC Filing Hints At Possible Starship Flight 8 Launch Date

FCC Filing Hints At Possible Starship Flight 8 Launch Date

Flight 7 lifted off from Orbital Launch Pad A (OLP-A) on January 16, 2025, at 22:37:00 UTC (4:37 pm CST, local time) at the Starbase launch site in Texas. Photo: Richard Gallagher/FMN
Starship Flight 7 lifted off from Orbital Launch Pad A (OLP-A) on January 16, 2025, at 22:37:00 UTC (4:37 pm CST, local time) at the Starbase launch site in Texas. Photo: Richard Gallagher/FMN

Figuring out Starship’s next launch date is never easy, but the are early indicators you can watch, One of them came in the form of an FCC filing late last week.

Disney World’s Star Wars Hotel to Be Repurposed as Office Space

Disney World’s Star Wars Hotel to Be Repurposed as Office Space

Virtual space windows and an AI droid came with every cabin on the Halcyon. 
Matt Stroshane/Disney
Virtual space windows and an AI droid came with every cabin on the Halcyon. 
Matt Stroshane/Disney

Walt Disney World announced last week plans to repurpose its former $400 million Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser resort hotel into office space for Disney’s “Imagineer” employees. After being open for only 18 months, the hotel was closed on September 2023. Since the closure, Star Wars Fans have speculated that the hotel would still be repurposed into some type of Star Wars related attraction, but last week’s announcement put an end to their hopes.

Veteran driver Sebastien Bourdais very dissapointed in the team disqualification.

Racing: Winning Car At 24 Hours of Daytona Disqualified

The #8 Tower Motorsports Oreca 07-Gibson makes its way to the sharp Turn 3
Photo: Eric Moore / FMN

The 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona delivered high-stakes drama, not just on the track but also in post-race inspections. In a stunning decision, IMSA disqualified the #8 Tower Motorsports ORECA 07-Gibson, which had initially taken victory in the LMP2 class.

Florida’s Housing Market: Is the Sunshine State Cooling Off?

Florida’s Housing Market: Is the Sunshine State Cooling Off?

Florida houses are sitting on the market longer  Photo: Zillow
Florida houses are sitting on the market longer Photo: Zillow

In recent years, the housing markets in Florida and Texas have been the top two states in the country for inbound migration. As you might expect, this trend caused a steep increase in homeowner’s market values, much to the delight of sellers, but not so much for buyers. It appears that the trend is now over.