Education · Broward County
School districts in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties are urging voters to approve a one-mill property tax renewal on the Nov. 3 ballot, warning that rejection would eliminate hundreds of millions in funding for teacher pay, school safety personnel, and mental health services. District leaders fear voter confusion with Amendment 3, a separate measure that would reduce property taxes used for public services. Miami-Dade officials estimate a $500 million loss could drop teacher salaries from $73,030 to $57,814; Broward faces a roughly $358 million annual shortfall affecting about 13,400 teachers receiving supplements; Palm Beach warns approximately 900 choice-program teachers would lose jobs and pay would fall $8,000 annually. The one-mill levy costs homeowners about $418 per year in Broward County. State law requires these referendums every four years, with the current authorization running through mid-2031.
Community News · Broward County
Florida leads the nation in Medicare Advantage plan discontinuations for 2027, with about 81,000 enrollees across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties affected by plans ending or merging. In Broward County, available plans drop from 119 to 106, while Palm Beach County falls from 121 to 111; Aetna PPO plans are being terminated in Palm Beach County, and HealthSpring is exiting all three South Florida counties entirely. Enrollees whose plans end must select a replacement by Dec. 31 or automatically fall into Original Medicare without prescription drug coverage or a Medigap supplement. Insurers including Humana and UnitedHealthcare are shifting from PPOs to HMOs, trimming supplemental benefits like dental, vision and gym memberships, while Special Needs Plans grow to about two-thirds of Florida offerings.
Housing & Development · Boca Raton, FL
At a town hall Oct. 14 at the Spanish River Library, Boca Raton Mayor Andy Thomson told residents that a citywide ban on new residential construction would likely be illegal and could expose the city to takings claims worth hundreds of millions of dollars, citing vested development rights under Ordinance 4035. Thomson said the city's main growth tools—the downtown plan's 8 million square feet, the Planned Mobility Development district, and the CIMD program—are near their caps with no current discussion of raising them. He warned that Amendment 3 on the Nov. 3 statewide ballot, which would raise the homestead exemption to $250,000, could force Boca Raton to reduce services or introduce new fees such as an annual library charge or higher water/sewer rates. Thomson also outlined a three-part homelessness plan involving additional police officers, a community resource coordinator, and a working group with service providers.
Transportation · Fort Lauderdale, FL
JetBlue Airways announced it will launch its first-class "BlueFirst" service on Dec. 8 with a Boston-to-Fort Lauderdale flight, expanding within days to select Fort Lauderdale–New York LaGuardia routes. BlueFirst features 2-by-2 reclining seats, enhanced legroom, premium food and beverages, and priority airport benefits, offered on aircraft without JetBlue's Mint business-class product. Promotional one-way fares start at $249. Separately, Avelo Airlines will begin nonstop service between West Palm Beach's President Donald J. Trump International Airport and North Dallas/McKinney National Airport on Dec. 17, its third destination from that airport. JetBlue now holds a 39.3% market share at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International following Spirit Airlines' demise in May and projects 150 daily flights by 2027.
