Austin, TX
Austin's Soros-backed DA faces Dem challenger pledging to 'return power' to crime victims: 'Enough is enough'
A former prosecutor in the office of a progressive district attorney in Austin, Texas is running as a Democrat against his former boss and told Fox News Digital the Soros-backed DA’s policies have been “hurtful to the community” and based on political ideology rather than upholding the law.
“I noticed that there were simple things that weren’t being done and I knew that the expertise level had been so diminished with all of the prosecutors who left,” Jeremy Sylestine, a defense attorney and Travis County prosecutor for 15 years, told Fox News Digital when asked why he has decided to run against Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza.
“It just became apparent that the DA’s office wasn’t maintaining its basic functions and it seems to me that we’re seeing that in the results of cases and the numbers that we are experiencing in terms of crime right now.”
DA Garza has been widely criticized in the community for alleged soft on crime policies and labeled a “rogue prosecutor” by those who say his office has focused on “reimaging policing” and prosecuting police officers rather than taking criminals off the streets and honoring the wishes of the families of crime victims.
FAMILY OF MURDERED TX MAN SAYS SOROS DA IGNORED THEIR WISHES, CUT DEALS WITH SUSPECTS: ‘ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED’
L- Jeremy Sylestine R – Jose Garza
Sylestine, who left Garza’s office to start his own practice in December 2021, roughly a year after Garza was sworn in, told Fox News Digital he has heard the concerns of those families and aims to “return power to the victims.”
“It seems like every day there’s a new story that comes out where someone has been left holding the bag and disrespected by the DA’s office,” Sylestine said. “I know from being a prosecutor that there are tough decisions you have to make, but the cases that I’m seeing in terms of domestic violence and sexual assault are just very incongruent with what my experience was and what I want to do is return that power to the victim because the system isn’t designed to protect their rights.
“It’s the DA’s job I think when the case is right, when the evidence is there to make sure that we’re putting our best foot forward and I think that that’s what victims and survivors want to see, is that somebody is willing to stand up and fight those hard fights.”
Sylestine, a Texas native and member of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, pointed to the fact that he is a “proud Democrat” and believes in progressive reforms but said good can come out of the system only if the tools are used “properly.”
SOROS DA PUT MURDER CASE ON ‘BACK BURNER’ BECAUSE IT DOESN’T ‘FIT’ LIBERAL AGENDA: VICTIM’S FAMILY
Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza (Travis County DA Website)
“What I’m seeing now are those tools being used in a way that’s hurtful to the community. So, you know, ignoring crime that is happening is not the answer. Going light on sentencing is not the answer. The reason I know that is I’ve tried over 75 cases to jury here in Travis County and I know how thoughtful and intelligent they are and I know that they care about this stuff.”
“So when we start taking those decisions away from them, we really don’t have the feedback that we need to prop the system up. The juries that come in and hear these cases are the backbone of the entire system and if we’re not willing to put those cases in front of them, then we are saying that their opinions don’t matter and that’s the wrong way to go about this and I think that’s exactly what this DA’s office is doing, is assuming that it knows better than the citizens here in Travis County and I want to return back to a system where we rely on the citizens to speak into it.”
Sylestine pointed to one specific example of a case where he says DA Garza ignored his obligation to protect the people of Austin which involved a homeless man named Hilario Adrian who was let back out on the street, despite violent assault charges, and then arrested once again for allegedly stabbing another homeless man to death.
AUSTIN’S SOROS-BACKED DA SLAMMED AFTER WOMAN CONVICTED IN PLOT TO MURDER IN-LAWS DODGES PRISON
District Attorney Jose Garza in Austin, TX (Photo by Spencer Selvidge for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
“The guy was in jail for aggravated assault and he was alleged to have been swinging a golf club and a hatchet at someone and he went to jail,” Sylestine explained. “During that time, the DA’s office had 90 days to get a case indicted and they failed to do that. They missed their deadline. So by operation of law, he gets a dollar bond and after that gets out and commits a murder. I just think that’s so egregious that it needs to be highlighted, and it needs to be spoken about. And, you know, Mr. Garza’s going to say, well, there were other considerations. There really wasn’t. He missed his deadline. He dropped the ball and now there’s a dead man on the other side.”
“My question to Travis County is how many more of those stories do we need to hear before we say enough is enough and it’s time for change?”
Garza has pointed to the coronavirus pandemic in response to criticism about the current backlog of cases his office faces and a recent KXAN report casting doubt on the conviction rate numbers his office has put out. Sylestine says part of the problem is that Garza “ran off so many experienced prosecutors” leading to a “dearth of experience” in his office.
“Now what we see is a backlog of over 7000 cases that are now piled upon those same prosecutors who are tasked with keeping track of those deadlines and making sure that they are keeping in line with the criminal procedures that are in place,” Sylestine explained.
AUSTIN POLICE PAST AND PRESENT SOUND ALARM ON RIPPLE EFFECTS OF DEFUNDING POLICE: ‘IT’S CRUSHING MORALE’
Austin, Texas (Reuters/Brian Snyder)
“That is all feeding on itself and it creates dangerous situations. But on top of that, within those 7000 cases are other victims of crime being ignored in the meantime. So there’s been no addressing of that backlog and he’s had three years to do it. I know there was a pandemic, but he’s had three years to get it done and it’s not getting better. It’s getting worse. So I don’t know how much more time he deserves and I’m calling him to the carpet on that one right now.”
A major issue in Austin that has garnered national headlines is the cratered morale within the Austin Police Department after it was defunded by the city council in 2020 and the tense relationship between Garza’s office and police stemming from Garza’s campaign promise to prosecute police officers and the multitude of indictments he has carried out since his election.
Sylestine told Fox News Digital he is “proud” of his relationship with APD and that the relationship between the DA’s office and the police “needs some drastic remeasurement and recalibration.”
“I grew up as a prosecutor and as a young lawyer in the system, so a lot of the officers and detectives that were making up my cases when I was a younger lawyer are now in commanding positions,” Sylestine said.
‘STUNNED’ MOTHER OF DEPUTY KILLED BY MOTORIST BLASTS SOROS DA FOR NOT PURSUING CHARGES: ‘UNCONSCIONABLE’
Demonstrators face members of the Austin Police Department as they gather in downtown Austin, Texas on June 4, 2020, to protest the death of George Floyd. (AP)
“So in terms of the relationship that I have, those men and women of the force, they know my brand and they know that I’m not an APD or law enforcement apologist either. If there’s something that’s been done wrong, they know that Jeremy Sylestine will hold them accountable. But they also know that it takes good communication and trust to make those relationships work and right now, that’s fractured, and it doesn’t have to be.”
Sylestine continued, “Mr. Garza came in and had a political bullseye painted right on the chart on the backs of APD officers. They advertised for prosecutors who wanted to come in specifically to do that and if we did that with any other group, there would be an uproar over what sort of fixed mindset we were having, coming into our cases.”
Sylestine will face off with Garza in the Democratic Primary in Austin on March 5.
When asked by Fox News Digital what his pitch to undecided voters is, Sylestine said the district attorney’s office is in need of a “total shift at the top.”
SOROS-BACKED DA GIVES TEXAS MAN 10 DAYS IN JAIL FOR DUI CRASH THAT KILLED PASSENGER
George Soros, billionaire and founder of Soros Fund Management LLC, speaks during an event on day two of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. The annual Davos gathering of political leaders, top executives and celebrities runs from May 22 to 26. (Jason Alden/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“There is a level of ineptitude and bad policy that, when combined, are creating a really dangerous situation here in Travis County,” Sylestine said. “The DA’s office and Jose Garza in particular are going to say that Austin is one of the safest cities in America but that’s not what people are feeling. That’s certainly not what the numbers are showing. So I think that we can point to very specific cases where the DA’s office has simply not done its job.”
Sylestine said that residents “feel ignored and displaced by all of the actions of the DA’s office.”
“I’m telling people that it doesn’t have to be that way,” Sylestine said. “You can have a qualified candidate who knows Travis County, who knows Travis County juries, and still can get the job done while maintaining the progressive traditions of the office and I’m not afraid of that.”
“We always have to keep an open mind about what the system is capable of and what harms need to be repaired, what wrongs need to be righted, but at the same time, we don’t have to sacrifice public and community safety for that,” Sylestine said. “People should feel safe when they go downtown. People should feel free to be out in the world without worrying about whether they’re going to get shot on Sixth Street and that’s just not the case right now.”
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“When my friends, when my family come to visit and they say they might be going downtown, that’s not a place that I recommend they go and there’s a very specific reason for that. This all feeds on itself. When we are suffering as a community, when families suffer, when businesses suffer, it all draws in to a larger problem and I think that is part of the DA’s mission is to make sure that we are addressing that community need and that we don’t ignore the issue of community safety.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Garza’s office for comment but did not receive a response.
Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady contributed to this report
“We’re thrilled to expand our relationship with the team at NRP and our focus on the Affordable Housing market in
The transaction represents Safehold’s second transaction with NRP in
Safehold established a dedicated Affordable Housing team in 2025 and has continued to expand its investment into the sector. Additional information is available at www.safeholdaffordablehousing.com.
About Safehold:
Safehold Inc. (NYSE: SAFE) is revolutionizing real estate ownership by providing a new and better way for owners to unlock the value of the land beneath their buildings. Having created the modern ground lease industry in 2017, Safehold continues to help owners of high quality multifamily, affordable housing, office, industrial, hospitality, student housing, life science and mixed-use properties generate higher returns with less risk. The Company, which is taxed as a real estate investment trust (REIT), seeks to deliver safe, growing income and long-term capital appreciation to its shareholders. Additional information on Safehold is available on its website at www.safeholdinc.com.
About The NRP Group:
The NRP Group is a vertically integrated developer, owner, builder, and manager of best-in-class multifamily housing with a mission to create exceptional rental housing communities for individuals and families, regardless of income. Since its founding in 1994, NRP has developed more than 62,000 apartment homes and currently manages over 30,000 residential units. Through its disciplined approach to vetting opportunities, NRP has established a track record of delivering impressive returns for investors. The company’s formidable size and depth of talent provide the experience and infrastructure necessary to execute developments of varying degrees of complexity and scope in both urban-infill and suburban locations, including market-rate, affordable, mixed-income, and senior housing. The NRP Group has been consistently named a largest developer and builder in the U.S. on the NMHC “Top 50” lists, the Top 5 on the Multi-Housing News’ “Top Multifamily Developers” list, named a Top Affordable Housing Developer by Affordable Housing Finance, and has won three NAHB Pillar awards since 2020 for Development, Construction and Ones to Watch. The NRP Group has become the top multifamily developer in the U.S. that creates both affordable and market-rate housing at a national scale. Based on over 30 years of experience and expertise, NRP provides construction and property management services to outside owners and developers. For additional information, visit www.nrpgroup.com.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/safehold-closes-second-affordable-housing-ground-lease-in-texas-302809796.html
SOURCE Safehold
AUSTIN (Nexstar) – During a Texas Senate Business and Commerce hearing Wednesday, lawmakers heard invited testimony examining soaring property and casualty insurance costs. Testimony focused on the need for more affordable options and the need to address the role of AI.
Increased costs
Amanda Crawford, the Commissioner of Insurance at the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI), acknowledged the reality of rising insurance costs for everyday Texans.
“The past few years have been very, very difficult. The average annual homeowner premium in Texas has increased from under $2,000 in 2020 to over $3,500 today. It’s a 79% increase in six years. That is a tremendous burden for Texans, especially for a necessary product like home insurance,” Crawford told lawmakers Wednesday.
Crawford went on to clarify that this increase can be attributed to increases in home values and claim costs related to severe weather.
“Annual homeowners’ losses averaged 5.5 billion from 2015 to 2020, rising to 9.1 billion from 2021 to 2025.” Crawford went on to say that “Last year alone, the National Weather Service recorded 902 hailstorms in Texas. The next closest state, Kansas, had 375.”
Holding insurance companies accountable
Crawford clarified that the TDI requires insurance companies to elaborate on their filings to ensure that Texans are not subject to unfair practices and prices.
“My expectations are that every rate filing submitted to TDI gets a careful review. We examine every statutory filing for statutory compliance. We verify the math, we scrutinize assumptions, we make them show their work”
According to the Texas Insurance Code, the rate review process conducted by the TDI does not explicitly focus on affordability.
“There is not a purpose in there around affordability. It is about driving market competition. It’s about making sure they’re not excessive, but then they’re also adequate. And it’s about having market forces drive the rates that are filed. So I think that’s an interesting perspective when you look at it, because that really frames the whole rate review process as it has been put into law.”
Insurance company officials say they are also focused on affordable costs.
“Our industry is not just saying, hey, legislators go fix all this. We are working all the time to bring down costs. It’s a good business decision because it helps us be more competitive,” said Scot Kibbe, the Vice President for State Government Relations at the American Property College for Insurance Association.
Concerns of price surveillance
Senator Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, questioned whether insurance companies may be using technological advances, such as AI, to participate in price surveillance, a tactic to maximize profits.
“It sounds like, to some extent, every industry, with the advent of technological advantages we didn’t use to have, is able to create a special price just for you to find out your breaking point,” Johnson said.
David Bolduc with the Office of Public Insurance Counsel noted that there are protections in statute against companies charging different prices for the same coverage. But he added that the practice can be difficult to detect.
“I don’t know that TDI has the ability to monitor that. I mean, we hear about it,” Bolduc said in response to Johnson. “I think, if you could do something in statute that would allow us to report it, or would allow TDI to take action about it, that might be useful in terms of monitoring it,” Bolduc added.
Earlier this month, the TDI released a “use of artificial intelligence” bulletin to set expectations on how “regulated entities will govern the development, acquisition, and the use of AI technologies in their operations.”
Crawford says this bulletin will help address price surveillance concerns by reminding companies of Texas Insurance codes related to unfair discrimination and deceptive practices.
“That’s one of the reasons for putting out the AI bulletin, the expectations and the consumer protection around the use of that data, and what they are using that for,” Crawford said.
Potential solutions
Bolduc called on lawmakers to reexamine AI’s role in the industry. He also asked lawmakers to look into making coverage changes more transparent.
“It might be useful to continue looking for ways to be transparent about coverage changes. Notices of material change don’t seem to be working particularly well in the sense that we get a lot of phone calls from people saying they don’t understand what happened to them,” Bolduc said Wednesday.
Billy Crocker, Senior Vice President of Alliant Insurance Services, says the best way to fix pricing is to drive up competition between insurance companies.
“I think creating a lot of competition is the best way to drive this down, both for personal and business lines,” Crocker told lawmakers. “And then that brings the opportunity for access.”
Austin, TX
Forman Capital Provides $28.2 Million Lot Development Loan for a 253-Acre Mixed-Use Project Near Austin, Texas
Forman Capital, a leading private direct commercial real estate lender, has closed a $28,204,026 lot development loan for The Highlands, a planned 253-acre mixed-use community located along Manzano Mile at FM 1431 in Marble Falls, Texas, located on the edge of the broader Austin MSA. The borrower and developer is Rockspring, a Texas-based real estate firm with more than three decades of experience across the state’s most dynamic growth markets.
The Highlands stretches along Manzano Mile, encompassing single-family homes, rental apartments, and retail commercial uses on undeveloped land. The Forman Capital loan will fund horizontal development in advance of vertical construction, which will be performed by other developers and builders, and is expected to start in the fall.
The Forman Capital team that worked on the transaction includes Scott Mehlman, Ty Regnier, Brett Forman and Ben Jacobson.
“Forman Capital has always been drawn to developers who are doing something meaningful — not just building but genuinely adding real value to a community. The Highlands does exactly that, bringing much-needed housing and amenities to a city that has grown faster than its supply could keep pace with. We are proud to support Rockspring’s vision here,” said Brett Forman, Forman Capital Managing Partner.
“Marble Falls and the 71 Highway corridor are benefiting from the same powerful tailwinds driving growth across Texas, with the added advantage of a quality-of-life profile that is attracting both residents and businesses,” said Scott Mehlman, Forman Capital Partner and Chief Investment Officer. “The Highlands is exceptionally well-positioned to meet that demand, and we look forward to seeing this community take shape.”
About Forman Capital
Delray Beach, Florida-based Forman Capital provides private commercial real estate debt and equity financing for transactions ranging from $10 million to $100 million. The firm focuses on short-term construction financing, mezzanine debt, and preferred equity across various real estate asset classes and geographies. Company principals Brett Forman and Ben Jacobson have closed more than $3 billion in commercial real estate transactions since 2004. For more information, visit www.formancap.com.
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