BROWARD OR LAUDERDALE COUNTY?
Discussions are ongoing about whether Broward County should change its name to Lauderdale County. Supported by Florida Republican Representative Chip LaMarca (R), the measure has for now been set aside, pending a thorough study by the county commission, and for now is not submitted to the citizens’ vote in the upcoming November 2026 elections.
According to a recent South Florida Sun Sentinel poll of 1,373 county voters, only 7% of respondents would be in favor of the name change.
According to LaMarca, the name change would allow Broward County to gain recognition and strengthen its international appeal compared to Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. He estimates that the measure would cost 10 million dollars over seven years and generate 200 millions in annual revenue.
These figures are questioned by Republican Representative Hillary Cassel, who assesses the cost of the name change as much higher, with uncertain benefits. However, the county’s tourism department was already renamed Visit Lauderdale in 2021, and the Chamber of Commerce has been called The Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance since 2010.
BRIGHTLINE PILES UP TROUBLES
The Brightline transportation system is already nicknamed the “killer train” because of the large number of accidents, making it the deadliest passenger train in the United States. Its financial difficulties are also well known, and despite promises of a train entirely financed by private funds, Brightline has been supported by nearly 500 million dollars in public funds, according to a study by the Miami Herald and WLRN—partly to improve safety, and also to add additional stations requested by communities such as Aventura and Boca Raton. A federal grant of 33 million dollars also allowed the company to extend the number of cars, increasing them from five to seven.
Another piece of bad news awaits Brightline: a lawsuit against Florida East Coast Railway (FECR), the company that owns the tracks on which Brightline trains run, has just been suspended by a judge in order to favor arbitration negotiations. The conflict arises because FECR feels excluded from advanced discussions between Brightline and local county government authorities. According to FECR, the promised transport service is a chimerical dream, since a significant increase in the number of trains between Miami-Dade and West Palm Beach would require major infrastructure investments, such as new tracks and enhanced safety measures.
Nevertheless, Ms. Levine Cava, the mayor of Miami-Dade County, and other officials remain confident that arbitration will bear fruit, and that the continued development of Brightline can proceed as planned, in the interest of the population.
REPERCUSSIONS AT FAU FOLLOWING THE ASSASSINATION OF CHARLIE KIRK
Three professors were dismissed by Florida Atlantic University (FAU) for comments published on their social networks. Two of them, Karen Leader, professor of art history, and Kate Polak, professor of English, attacked the personality of the victim. Since their dismissal, they have not taken legal action against the university administration.
The case of Dr. Rebel Cole, a finance professor, is different, as he was dismissed for threatening those who rejoiced at the death of the political leader, declaring that he would “hunt them down” and do everything to make them “unemployed and unemployable.” Since then, he has sued FAU, arguing that the university violated his First Amendment right to freedom of speech, and that the situation caused him emotional distress, leading to death threats against him, while he and his wife were ostracized by their church in Delray Beach. It remains to be seen whether the courts will agree with him, which could open the door to other lawsuits in favor of freedom of expression, whether for dissenting remarks or outraged reactions.
WHAT FUTURE FOR THE UNPOPULAR PROPERTY TAXES?
Governor Ron DeSantis is fighting for the repeal, or at least the reduction, of property taxes for residents, but many voices are rising in districts and counties, worried about the financing of their operations. Many budget items—including schools, libraries, sidewalks, and municipal drainage systems—are partly financed by loans guaranteed on stable revenues from property taxes.
According to a survey by the Palm Beach Post of 3,000 readers, an overwhelming majority of respondents (73.5%) expressed support for the elimination of property taxes, considered unfair and contrary to the American Dream of the retiree who works to pay for his home and wishes to live there without worrying about the heavy payment of property taxes. But the gap left by a potential cancellation of nearly 60 billion in tax revenues will have to be filled somehow by other taxes.
Beyond outright repeal, many options are under study in preparation for the next Florida legislative session, which will begin on January 13, 2026, in Tallahassee: exemption from property taxes for seniors aged 65 and over; 25% exemption on homestead properties; gradual repeal over a 10-year period; repeal for all primary residences if they do not finance schools; exemptions linked to insurance contracts… The bill that will be defined could be submitted to voters in November 2026.
THE BISCAYNE NATURE CENTER IN THE EYE OF THE STORM
Miami-Dade County wants to take back the Biscayne Nature Center in Crandon Park, managed by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Foundation for 30 years. Thus, it has been asked to vacate the premises. The reason: the expiration of a license. The center, a symbol of local environmental education, offers summer camps and guided nature walks, and contests this decision, arguing that the building belongs to the school district and that a prior agreement remains valid. Old legal documents could play a key role in its defense. For its part, the county denies having requested an eviction; it emphasizes that it wishes to develop the center’s activities in order to generate up to one million dollars in revenue per year.
GASOLINE: PRICES ON A YO-YO
After a drop at the beginning of November, the price of regular gas rose sharply at the end of the month: on Monday, November 24, the gallon averaged $3.09, an increase of +18 cents in one week!
But experts believe it should decrease somewhat in the following weeks. According to Patrick De Haan, analyst at GasBuddy, the drop in the price of a barrel of oil, now below $60, could favor a decrease in prices in several states as the holiday season approaches.
Among the most expensive on November 24, 2025: West Palm Beach–Boca Raton $3.24/gallon (+17 cents); Naples $3.19/gallon; Fort Lauderdale $3.10/gallon (+16 cents); Miami-Dade $3.06/gallon (+13 cents).
Among the cheapest: Pensacola ($2.71/gallon); Panama City $2.74/gallon.
