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Florida Democrats seek guardrails on immigration enforcement

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Florida Democrats seek guardrails on immigration enforcement


TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — As cities across the country see growing protests over immigration enforcement, Florida Democrats are pushing bills they say would protect residents and undocumented migrants — and counter Republican proposals to expand enforcement across the state.

“We stand at a crossroads where we need to decide what world we live in,” said Rep. Dotie Joseph, D-North Miami.

One measure, Senate Bill 316, known as the Visible Act, would ban the public use of masks, require police officers to identify themselves and create safe zones around schools and houses of worship.

“We are not a dictatorship,” said Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville. “Secret police belong in the history books, not Florida streets.”

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Democrats are also spearheading efforts to grant in-state college tuition to recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, often called DREAMers. Florida lawmakers ended that benefit in 2025.

“I dream and I dream big.I will always work as hard as I have to make my dreams come true,” said Alexander Vallejos, a DACA recipient and student at the University of Central Florida. “I love my beautiful Sunshine State of Florida, and I’m a Florida kid through and through.”

Republicans argued in-state tuition diverted state funds from legal residents during the 2025 debate.

“I don’t think it’s fair to ask hardworking Floridians who are struggling to make ends meet to spend $45 million subsidizing the education of people who shouldn’t even be here,” said U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, a former state legislator.

Gov. Ron DeSantis defended Florida’s continued cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, calling it “positive cooperation” that “has certainly made a difference here in Florida.”

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Tensions over enforcement have deepened nationally after ICE agents in Minneapolis fatally shot two U.S. citizens, drawing condemnation from lawmakers and activists.

“They feel they can do anything they want — even including executing a United States citizen in broad daylight,” said Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando.

The Visible Act must pass three committees before it can reach the full Senate floor for a vote.



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‘She was smashed’: Florida woman accused of driving onto golf course while intoxicated

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‘She was smashed’: Florida woman accused of driving onto golf course while intoxicated


A Florida woman was arrested after she drove onto a golf course while intoxicated, crashed her car, and found with dozens of miniature bottles of Fireball whiskey, according to authorities.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office identified her as 34-year-old Erika Mayer, of Palmetto.

“She was smashed,” Sheriff Grady Judd said in a video shared on X earlier this week. “She was drunk — capital DRUNK. Wrecked her car. She said, ‘But I haven’t been drinking.’

The sheriff’s office said deputies responded to a single-car crash near Streamsong Golf Resort on May 14 shortly before 7 p.m. When deputies arrived, they found a red 2018 Hyundai resting on a sidewalk and a woman sitting beside the car.

Investigators said Mayer appeared impaired, displayed slurred speech, poor balance, and incoherent behavior. Deputies also detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage on her breath, the sheriff’s office said.

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A witness told deputies they saw Mayer driving across one of the golf courses in the area before the crash.

Judd said deputies searched Mayer’s car, where they found 21 open mini bottles of Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey, two empty 50 milliliter bottles of 99 Brand liqueurs, and an unopened 10-pack of Fireball.

“And she had empty Fireball bottles in her pants,” Judd said, adding that she was “drunker than Cooter Brown” and “had no idea where she was.”

Deputies said they asked Mayer to perform field sobriety exercises and provide breath samples, but she refused both requests.

According to Judd, Mayer told deputies she declined the tests because she heard it was a bad idea to participate in field sobriety exercises.

Mayer was arrested and charged with DUI, DUI with property damage, and refusing to submit to a DUI test. She was also cited for failure to drive within a single lane and possessing an open container of alcohol in a vehicle.

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No one was hurt in connection with the crash, authorities said.



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Florida cities rank among best and worst places to raise a family

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Florida cities rank among best and worst places to raise a family



Port St. Lucie ranked No. 147 among 182 cities in the United States for places to raise a family in 2026, according to a WalletHub study.

Port St. Lucie ranked among the best places in the United States to raise a family in 2026, according to a WalletHub study.

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The free personal finance website compared 182 cities in the United States to find the best and worst places to raise a family in 2026.

The website scored cities based on these criteria:

  • Family fun
  • Health and safety
  • Education and child care
  • Affordability
  • Socio-economics

Port St. Lucie ranks for best places to raise a family

The rankings range from 1 to 182, with 1 being the best.

  • Family fun rank: 179
  • Health and safety rank: 40
  • Education and child care rank: 160
  • Affordability rank: 135
  • Socioeconomics rank: 70
  • Playgrounds per capita: 101
  • Violent-crime per capita: 4
  • Overall rank: 147

Top-ranked Florida cities to raise a family

  • 49. Orlando
  • 59. Tampa
  • 60. Pembroke Pines
  • 63. St. Petersburg
  • 117. Jacksonville
  • 123. Tallahassee
  • 133. Cape Coral
  • 147. Port St. Lucie
  • 163. Miami
  • 166. Fort Lauderdale
  • 173. Hialeah

Best places to raise a family in 2026

  • 1. Fremont, California
  • 2. Overland Park, Kansas
  • 3. Irvine, California
  • 4. Plano, Texas
  • 5. Columbia, Maryland
  • 6. Bismarck, North Dakota
  • 7. South Burlington, Vermont
  • 8. Charleston, South Carolina
  • 9. Seattle, Washington
  • 10. Boise, Idaho

Olivia Franklin is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com, 317-627-8048 or follow her on X @Livvvvv_5.



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As Florida debates property tax relief, a local official analyzed the potential impact on South Florida

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As Florida debates property tax relief, a local official analyzed the potential impact on South Florida


Florida homeowners who have been lobbying for property tax relief may be closer to receiving it with a newly filed bill in Tallahassee.

Joseph Zamb, who works in real estate, said the ultimate goal should be to eliminate property taxes entirely for homesteaded properties. He believes this step would benefit both investors and homeowners.

“I think that the next step for South Florida, all of Florida, is to completely eliminate property taxes,” Zamb said. “You need to get the American dream back, buy a house, and not have to constantly be paying, paying, paying”.

The official bill calls for a $150,000 homestead exemption in 2027, followed by a $250,000 exemption in 2028. The legislature would then be tasked with creating a long-term plan for the following years.

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Broward Property Appraiser Marty Kiar analyzed the potential impact based on 2025 property values. Kiar found that with the $150,000 exemption, the 425,000 homesteaded property owners in Broward would save about $2,100. However, this exemption would mean the county loses $195 million, and schools are down by $294 million. Kiar noted that the current version of the bill does not include a carve-out for schools.

“Whatever city you live in will depend on the loss of revenue to your city, based on how many homesteaded properties there are, how many commercial properties there are,” Kiar said.

The legislature is scheduled to hash out the details next week during a special session. If the bill passes, it would be presented to voters as a constitutional amendment for approval or rejection.

“At the end of the day, it’s going to be the most consequential vote that anybody is going to make if anything’s on the ballot in November, because it could potentially change the way things are done,” Kiar said.

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