Abraham López

I first encountered speech and debate through the American Legion Boys State program in high school. It opened my eyes to our constitutional system, the power of civil discourse, and the responsibility of citizenship. I often reflect on how different my journey might have been had my urban school offered a speech and debate program earlier in my life. That’s why this matters. I was moved to tears because I believe in our students. I was moved to tears because I believe in my @FloridaDebate team and our ability to reach the unreached. I was moved to tears because I believe in this bill with every fiber of my being. I will never forget today. Thank you, Chairman State Representative @TeamAlexRizo and Representative @erikaboothFL, for your leadership and for helping us plant this bill in the House. With continued support, it will bloom. 🌱

That’s game. The comeback Kings. Congrats New York! 🎉🏀

The greatest comeback in NBA Finals History 🤯🔥🔥🔥

These refs are wild 😳

Plenty of people are naming the problem. I’d rather name the fix 👨🏻‍🔧 Property taxes are the talk of Florida right now, and for good reason. But the conversation is almost all complaint and very little solution. So let me offer some. First, the problem in plain numbers. Since 2019, right here in my own backyard: 📈 Seminole County property taxes: +77% ($174M → $308M) 📈 City of Oviedo: ~+71% ($16M → $27M) 👥 Population: up just 4–5% Our tax bill grew 17x faster than the population 😳 “But inflation!” Inflation from 2019–2025 ran 23–25%. Revenue grew 77%. Strip out every inflation dollar and you’re still left with 50+ points of real growth. Inflation didn’t cause this. Governance did. And what governance broke, governance can fix. 🔧 This November, Floridians vote on the “Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes” amendment (CS/HJR 1F). It’s not law yet, it goes straight to voters and needs 60% to pass. Thank you to @GovRonDeSantis and the Florida Legislature for leading this effort and putting it in the people’s hands. But first, credit where it’s due: insurance is finally stabilizing. After the 2022–23 reforms, litigation dropped, new carriers entered Florida, and rate hikes cooled from ~20% to nearly flat. Still high, but trending right. Which means the real pressure now is how government spends. If voters cut property taxes, here’s how we make it work, without gutting services 🤩: 1.Zero-based budgeting. The state already does it (§216.0166). Every dollar justified, every year. No automatic baseline. Cities and counties should too. 2.Desk audits. Before backfilling every position, match staffing to actual workload. It’s how you right-size fairly, not by guesswork. 3.Honor today’s employees, reform tomorrow’s. We keep every promise to current workers, 100%. But pension already eats ~20¢ of every salary dollar. For future hires, the old structure isn’t sustainable. 4.Hold boards to the “rolled-back” rate. When home values rise, keeping the same millage quietly collects more, that’s a tax hike by another name. Florida law already publishes the rolled-back rate. Make them publicly justify every dollar above it. 5.Real transparency on interfund transfers. In Oviedo’s FY24, transfers were 31% of total sources, then a fraction the next year. Residents deserve to know what moved, from where, and why. 6.Stop the waste that compounds. Drive vehicles longer than 2–3 years. Rein in overtime (nearly $1M in Oviedo’s police & fire budget alone). Stop deferring maintenance, delay doesn’t save money, it multiplies the bill. 7.Make growth pay for growth. When impact fees don’t cover the true cost of new development, the gap lands on existing homeowners through their tax bills. Growth should benefit the residents already here, not quietly raise their taxes. Set impact fees that reflect what growth actually costs. Cutting taxes always shifts the burden somewhere, sales tax, fees, or service levels. Anyone who says it’s free isn’t being straight. But disciplined budgeting means we can ease the load on families without sacrificing what makes this community work. Families can’t run deficits. Nonprofits justify every dollar. It’s time our local governments did too. 👇 Sources: Seminole County Property Appraiser (DR-403); City of Oviedo FY26 budget; U.S. Census; FL Office of Insurance Regulation.

The Knicks may very well win every game in the finals. The atmosphere at Madison Square Garden will be electric, and that home-court energy could prove too much for the Spurs to overcome.

Dear @WhiteHouse, my name is Rodney Smith Jr., founder of Raising Men & Women Lawn Care Service in Huntsville, Alabama. Through our 50 Yard Challenge, over 6,000 kids across the country have signed up to mow free lawns for the elderly, disabled, veterans, active-duty military, first responders, and single parents. With America celebrating its 250th birthday this year and me also being born on July 4th, I wanted to humbly ask if a few kids from our program and myself could travel to Washington, D.C. to help mow the White House lawn for this historic celebration. More than anything, I want these kids to see how a simple act of service something as ordinary as mowing a lawn for someone in need can lead to extraordinary places. What better lesson in community service than showing them that helping others can take them all the way to our nation’s capital? I’d also love to bring my American flag-themed mower in hopes that the President might sign it, so I can later auction it off and donate 100% of the proceeds to a nonprofit supporting veterans. It would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to highlight the importance of service, patriotism, and the impact young people can have when they choose to make a difference. 🇺🇸

77%. That’s how much Seminole County’s property tax revenue grew in just six years. In Oviedo, it was 71%. Our population grew about 4 to 5%. Let that sink in. Government collected far more from us, to serve nearly the same number of people. Every family in Florida knows what you do when costs rise faster than income: you tighten up and do more with less. Every nonprofit knows it too. It’s just how the real world works. That’s why the property tax debate @GovRonDeSantis has started is one worth having. Agree or disagree on the solution, but don’t dodge the question underneath it: why is the cost of government outrunning the people it serves by more than ten to one? Families do more with less every day. Our government can too. (Sources: Seminole County Property Appraiser; U.S. Census Bureau.)

101-year-old World War II veteran Don Graves — the last surviving flamethrower operator from his battalion, which fought on Iwo Jima — sings “God Bless America” at the National Memorial Day Parade.

This Memorial Day, the Florida Debate Initiative remembers the men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. Their sacrifice protects the very freedoms we exercise every day, the freedom to speak, to question, to advocate, and to be heard.

“Do all the good you can, to all the people you can, in all the ways you can, as long as you can — and leave the consequences to God. Duty is ours; results are God’s” -John Quincy Adams

🚨WOW!!! Tim Sparks has confirmed he purchased 80 PIZZA HUTS and brought back EVERYTHING that made them iconic! Pac-Man is back. Salad bar is back. Red cups are back. Booths for families. "I want to rebuild places for families to connect and put their phones down..."

Michael loves speech and debate because it boosts his confidence. Find your confidence today by getting involved in speech and debate at your school! Learn more at civicsanddebate.com.

Membership applications for the 2026-2027 will open soon! To maintain your active status as an FCDI team, you must reapply each year. Learn more at civicsanddebate.com!

The son of Cuban refugees who fled communism, proving to the world that the American Dream is alive and well. Great work, Secretary Rubio.

Romans 8:28 — “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” No matter how chaotic the headlines feel, God is still sovereign and still weaving every thread toward good for those who trust Him. We trust Him!

It’s @FLCollegeSystem Month! Florida’s Great 28 institutions serve as the primary access point to postsecondary education by providing high‑quality, affordable education that equips students with meaningful credentials and the skills needed for long-term success.

Tribalism is making Americans stupid. We’re trying to unstupify the rising generation.

"In light of this evening's events, I ask that all Americans recommit with their hearts in resolving our differences peacefully." - President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸