Impact of Eliminating Property Taxes
Some Florida lawmakers are floating the idea of eliminating property taxes. Property taxes help pay for critical local services from police and fire departments to road repairs and parks to sanitation services and schools. These taxes people pay for owning property are not collected by the state. They are levied by local governments, and the rates that homeowners pay vary by city or county.
Governor Ron DeSantis posted on social media that he supports eliminating property taxes, a move that would require a constitutional amendment approved by 60% of Florida voters. Then on Tuesday, Republican State Senator Jonathan Martin filed a bill ordering a study to analyze the impact of getting rid of the revenue on public services, including education, infrastructure, and emergency services, and long-term economic growth. Sean Snaith, Director of UCF’s Institute for Economic Forecasting, joins Engage to discuss what could happen if property taxes were eliminated.
The Real Meaning of “Self-Deportation
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced an ad campaign warning immigrants in the country illegally to leave on their own or be deported and never allowed to return to the United States. DHS says those ads will run on radio, broadcast, and digital nationally and internationally. We reached out to Nayef Mubarak, immigration and personal injury attorney with Mubarak Law in Orlando, to discuss self-deportation as an option and strategy of combatting illegal immigration. He joins Engage to discuss the implications of the ad campaign and what it really means to self-deport. Engage also talks with immigration attorney Gail Seeram about why she is advising her clients to NOT self-deport.
On the Ice with the Orlando Curling Club
U.S. Olympic trials for curling are this week on the road to the 2026 winter games. Engage Producer Richard Copeland visits the Ice Factory in Kissimmee where the Orlando Curling Club meets weekly. Bill Morrison, Director of the Orlando Curling Club, the club's Vice-President Travis Haugh, and President Jim Windsor discuss the cooperation and strategy involved in the team sport.
