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.
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.
