Here's a local and state news update from Florida Today and WFIT. I'm Evan Niemczyk
With so many data center projects popping up across Florida – how do residents keep up with it? For a 21-year-old West Palm Beach resident, the answer was obvious. WLRN’S Danny Rivero has more.
"James Boger’s ears first perked up when he heard chatter of a massive proposed data center in Palm Beach that could span up to 200 acres.
He didn’t like that proposal, and he was also skeptical of other proposed data centers around the state.
By day – Boger builds websites for local businesses..
BOGER: So I decided to take my skills and build a website based around this rising issue so everybody could use it
Boger built a statewide tracking tool called Florida Data Centers - that shows current and proposed projects across the state. It tells residents when local government meetings are being held, how to send feedback to elected officials, and more.
He built it all using publicly available information..
BOGER: Like – county commission websites. I went on [Florida Power & Light] and some of the water district websites to find out all of the grids and stuff like that, and how everything's being planned and proposed so far
The Florida Data Centers tracker has only been online about a month. Boger says – it’s already gotten over a million visits.
I’m Danny Rivero in Miami"
20 years ago, Republicans passed the 60% threshold for ballot initiatives, which could doom the property tax reform measure. WFIT’s Terri Wright explains.
"Republican leaders are now working to place a proposed increase in Florida's homestead exemption from $50,000 to $250,000 on the ballot in November. Cities and counties oppose the plan, warning it could reduce funding for essential services. Because constitutional amendments require 60% voter approval, supporters face a high hurdle. In past elections, that same threshold blocked measures to legalize personal marijuana use and limit government interference with abortion, even though nearly 56% and more than 57% of voters supported them, respectively."
The proposal is being challenged in court, arguing the ballot language is biased and misleading.
The latest scores for the Florida Statewide Assessment have been released and with it comes a new announcement from the governor.
Last Friday, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that more than 60% of Florida students either met or exceeded their grade-level benchmarks. He suggested that the significant gain in English language arts and mathematics scores are due to a state-wide progressive monitoring system put in place five years ago.
In 2021, DeSantis abolished the old state assessment called the "FSA" for a new testing system taken throughout the year as opposed to only one larger test at the end. This new system is referred to as the "FAST" test. It is taken at the start, middle, and end of each school year to track progress throughout. And with 60% of the students meeting or exceeding their grade-level benchmarks, it would be hard to argue that the system isn't working as intended.
For these stories and more, visit FloridaToday.com and WFIT.org. I'm Evan Niemczyk