Stet News💰 Customers at Palm Beach County stores will see a half-percent lower sales tax as of New Year’s Day. The county sales tax rate dropped to 6.5% from 7% with the conclusion of a 10-year, voter-approved sales tax hike to pay for construction projects for the county, its cities and the school district. (The Palm Beach Post $$$)
At least 20,000 immigrants, including those with clean records, have been caught in Florida’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants. The true number is probably far higher. (Miami Herald $$$)🛤️ Fences, train horns, foolproof crossings: Ways to make the Brightline route safer. (The Miami Herald/WLRN)
✂️ An assessment of how property tax reform in Tallahassee could change local governments. (The Coastal Star)
🍬 Wrigley chewing gum heir William Wrigley Jr. sold his Lost Tree Village home for $97 million to a company led by Ronald Clarke, the billionaire CEO and chairman of Atlanta-based payment company Corpay. (South Florida Business Journal $$$)
🦉 Florida Atlantic President Adam Hasner is putting a greater focus on the university’s 5,000-member Lifelong Learning Institute. (The Coastal Star)
📢 The Palm Beach Post is part of a new statewide news team created by its corporate owner, USA Today Co., formerly Gannett. “We are investing in specialized beats to build a newsroom that reflects Florida’s identity with new teams focusing on the state’s spectacular but fragile environment; the rising cost of insuring your home, going to the doctor and buying groceries; and how policies coming out of Tallahassee stand to impact you and your families,” wrote Wendy Fullerton Powell, vice president and editor of the USA Today Network – Florida Region, in an announcement Monday. (Yahoo.com)
Kristin Garrison, a member of the North Palm Beach Village Council since March 2024 and formerly a top planner for the county and the school district, died at age 64 on Dec. 31, the village announced. She had resigned from her seat a week earlier. (The Palm Beach Post $$$)
📺 Town and Country magazine weighs in on “Members Only,” the Netflix take on Palm Beach. (Town and Country
🤖 Commentary: People in Palm Beach County won a temporary victory with the delay of a zoning vote on a proposed 1.8 million-square-foot AI data storage center at 20-Mile Bend, but the AI issue is popping up around the state. (Florida Phoenix)
🎙️ “Top of Mind Florida,” the podcast by Michael Williams and Brian Crowley, focuses on what could drive this year’s Florida governor’s race, including property tax battles, the AI threat to white-collar jobs and President Trump’s endorsement. (Listen now; watch now.)
