Stet News⚖️ An appeals court overturned a Sarasota ruling that would have allowed a subject of a closed criminal investigation to hide and destroy police files after an investigation. The ruling by the 2nd District Court of Appeal came in the highly publicized criminal investigation of Christian Ziegler, the former chair of the Republican Party of Florida. The nonprofit Florida Center for Government Accountability and media giants Gannett, McClatchy and Scripps Media pursued the appeal.
- “This ruling reaffirms a principle that has anchored Florida law for more than a century: Records created or received by government in the course of its official business belong to the public,” said Michael Barfield, FLCGA’s executive director. (Florida Trident)
🏡 Passing Amendment 3 is likely to boost home prices 7% to 9% in Florida, says a study by Realtor.com, a National Association of Realtors industry news outlet. That finding could help explain the Florida Association of Realtors’ backing of Amendment 3, which would cut property taxes on primary residences. (Seeking Rents)
- Florida Realtors put $10 million behind the effort to pass Amendment 3. (Seeking Rents)
💳 At Lantana’s Living Library, people with interesting professions or unusual lives volunteer to be “books” visitors can “check out” for 30-minute conversations. (The Coastal Star)
🏥 HCA Palm West Hospital just outside Royal Palm Beach would add 121 beds for a total of 363 under expansion plans submitted to Palm Beach County. The proposal would add two stories to the two-story main hospital building on Southern Boulevard. (South Florida Business Journal $$$)
🕯️ Dale Smith, the longtime chief of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Florida office, died Aug. 27 at age 73. He ran the office based in Palm Beach Gardens from 1993 through the foundation’s bulk land sale in 1999. (The Palm Beach Post)
🚔 Lake Worth Beach commissioners approved a three-year contract with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, starting at $15.8 million, but rejected Commissioner Chris McVoy’s last-minute pitch to curb PBSO collaborations with federal agents. (Lake Worth Beach Independent)
- Lake Worth Beach will interview four finalists for city manager this week: Rob Hillard, former city manager for Charlotte, Mich.; Jonathan Lynn, former city manager for Winder, Ga.; Stan Morris, city manager for Sunny Isles Beach; and Chris Rodriguez, assistant city administrator for Washington, D.C. (Lake Worth Beach Independent)
⚾️ For the Stet planners out there: The 2027 Major League Baseball spring training schedule is out. Opening day for all 30 teams in the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues is Feb. 19. (MLB, Miami Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals, Houston Astros)
🎧 “Top of Mind Florida,” the podcast by Michael Williams and Brian Crowley, talks affordability with freelance filmmaker Dolapo Ajayi and producer Danielle Navish, both raising toddlers and building careers in Florida. (Listen now; watch after 4 pm today.)
