John Tarbutton

Local governments took $32 billion in property taxes in 2019. Today, they are taking $60 billion. Meanwhile, at the state level, Florida has reduced spending four years in a row — even though we’ve had both inflation and population growth. Exempting homesteads can be done. And it it will help millions of Floridians.

JUST IN: Governor DeSantis leads the charge to eliminate property taxes in Florida under a new plan aimed at giving homeowners relief. "This is really a historic opportunity to have more money in people's pockets and to actually have their home be their private property that the government just can't use as a piggy bank." | @SundayFutures

Local governments in Florida feasted on close to double the property taxes collected from $32 billion (2019) to $60 billion. That’s an insane amount of money based on unrealized estimated earnings (property valuation), not actual. So, once and for all, it’s due time to adjust according to the circumstances, time to stop spending like a drunken sailor. Of course, most politicians hate to see money get taken away from their hands / control / pet projects, but it’s well damn time for it.

I've been in Florida for 5 1/2 years and if there is one thing I've learned it's that if the Miami Herald and Sun Sentinel are against something you favor, you're on the right side of history. When they come out attacking it, you know it's over the target.

Calculator allows you to determine property tax savings. saveourhomesfl.com

Florida has launched a property tax savings calculator! See how much you would save under the Governor’s proposal here: SaveOurHomesFL.com

Florida @GovRonDeSantis on his property tax proposal: "I hear politicians blab about affordability and never offer any solutions for it ... this is how you do it."

I didn't cover Claude Opus 4.8 on my pod because I don't think it's MEANINGFULLY better than GPT 5.5 as of May 29th. We're entering the era where model releases start to feel like iPhone releases. Remember when every new iPhone was a genuine leap? Now it's a slightly better camera and you can't really tell the difference. That's where models are heading. 4.6 to 4.7 to 4.8. Each one is a little different. Nobody can agree if it's better or worse. The benchmarks say one thing, the vibes say another. The thing that actually matters right now is what's happening around the models. Claude Code shipped dynamic workflows this same week and that genuinely changes what one person can build. Codex shipped a desktop app with an in app browser that combines coding and knowledge work in one surface. Those are the releases that move the needle for people. The model underneath is becoming interchangeable. I think we're maybe 6 months from nobody caring which model they're using the way nobody cares which engine is in their Uber. You just want to get where you're going. When something genuinely changes the game for builders, I'll cover it on @startupideaspod. Opus 4.8 wasn't that. Dynamic workflows was. I'd rather save you the hour.

Miami Dade County municipalities (34 cities and villages plus unincorporated Dade Co.) are sitting on mounds of cash given the run-up in real estate property values over the past 5 years. Also, as stated above, the increase in the homestead exemption only applies to the first $250k in assessed property value helping the bottom 60% of homeowners remove this liability completely. If the politicians really want to help low and middle income homeowners, this is the perfect solution; why are they fighting so hard against it? Stop hoarding the people's money and return some of it back to them.

Let’s fix the phrasing here: it wouldn't "cost" counties $6.4 billion; it would save everyday Florida homeowners $6.4 billion. The Florida Association of Counties is acting like this money belongs to them first. Local governments nearly doubled their revenue from $32 billion to $60 billion in just seven years. Forcing them to cut out the administrative bloat and leave billions in the pockets of residents is exactly why this reform is necessary.

@cornbreadcowboi @LBknowsBall Tell em @cornbreadcowboi

I know I talk a lot of bullshit but last night I had a dream Beamer and the boys were 8-2 runnin out the tunnel to take on the dawgs in Willy B!!

Local governments took in $32 billion in revenue from property taxes in 2019. Today, that number is $60 billion. Were services “collapsed” in 2019 when it was $32 billion? OK, account for population growth and inflation in the ensuing years. Still doesn’t get you anywhere near $60 billion. There is no “collapse” in public services by phasing in an elimination of homestead property taxes, especially when starting the exemption at $250,000.

The Florida budget for next fiscal year (after line-item vetoes) will spend less than in the current fiscal year. The budget for the current fiscal year spends less than the budget from the previous year, and that previous year’s budget spends less than the year before. Four straight years of spending reductions!

@GovRonDeSantis Well done @GovRonDeSantis

Today in Tampa, I outlined the Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes plan that will eliminate taxes on homesteads.  Property tax revenue collected by local governments has nearly doubled in the past seven years (from $32 billion to $60 billion) and is expected to reach an astounding $83 billion by 2032. Florida homeowners need relief. Now is the time to stand up for taxpayers, enact a historic reform, and save the home of every Floridian.

The best prospects for many 20-somethings are in fast-growing cities such as Birmingham, Ala., Tampa, Fla., and Raleigh, N.C., a new analysis shows. on.wsj.com/4w3z7i1

If you read this and don’t understand why it’s happening it’s an opportunity to reset your understanding of how the real world works. The real world will need a ton of help actually getting agents going in the enterprise. Companies have legacy tech stacks they need to modernize, data in tons of fragmented tools, knowledge that isn’t captured or digitized, and change management needed to actually utilize agents effectively. And they have to do all this while still running their business day-to-day, unlike startups. This is why there is so much opportunity for companies (software or services) to actually deploy agents in specific domains and workflows. This remains a big opportunity for both existing services providers but also tons of new startups as well. Every new technology wave produces a new era of consulting firms that can deliver on that technology. It’s also why the FDE model is going to be alive and well for a long time because companies will want to have their vendor actually help drive the change management and implementation for their new workflows. The people aren’t going away. Far from it.

SEC Legend. Heisman Winner. National Champion. One of the best to EVER do it. Happy birthday, Steve Spurrier!

Good morning from Sunday at the Masters. #themasters

Artemis II has reached its maximum distance from Earth. On the far side of the Moon, 252,756 miles away, Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy have now traveled farther from Earth than any humans in history and now begin their journey home. Before they left, they said they hoped this mission would be forgotten, but it will be remembered as the moment people started to believe that America can once again do the near-impossible and change the world. Congratulations to this incredible crew and the entire NASA team, our international and commercial partners, but this mission isn’t over until they’re under safe parachutes, splashing down into the Pacific.