WEEKLY DEBRIEF: Concealed carry ban overturned; property tax proposal may be unconstitutional
Your curated summary of the top news from the previous week, plus a look ahead to coming events. And more.
That Was The Week That Was
Florida appeals court shoots down concealed carry age restrictions
A Florida appeals court panel has ruled the state’s ban on 18- to 20-year-olds carrying concealed firearms violates the Second Amendment.
In the 18-page decision on a law that Florida’s attorney general vowed not to defend, the appellate court found restricting the right to self-defense by age violates “the plain text of the Constitution.”
“Restricting 18- to 20-year-olds — members of the same ‘political community’ as other law-abiding adults — from rights to self-defense would make the Second Amendment a ‘second-class’ right,” Judge Spencer D. Levine of the Fourth District Court of Appeals wrote.
A key provision of Florida’s proposed property tax break may be unconstitutional
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ property tax proposal has a provision meant to entice Floridians at the ballot box in November: New residents will have to wait five years to benefit from it.
It’s not a new idea, the Miami Herald reports. But it could be an unconstitutional one.
More than 40 years ago, the Florida Supreme Court struck down a nearly identical five-year waiting period for new residents to benefit from a property tax break. It cited U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have consistently ruled that states can’t discriminate against their residents by limiting which ones can receive state benefits.
The provision is the latest question about DeSantis’ property tax plan, which would gradually raise the state’s homestead exemption from $50,000 to $250,000 in 2028. The amendment needs 60% of voters to approve it in November. Two former elected officials sued the state last week, contending the ballot summary was misleading. Even the two GOP lawmakers who sponsored the amendment can’t agree on what it does.
Trump’s Cage match was a desperate effort to win back young men
Masculinity is a key pillar of Trump’s brand, says pollster Mark Schulman. But what does a sleepy octogenarian do when he wakes up to find that two key pillars of his 2024 “manosphere” base are slipping — that is, men in general, but particularly young men, who have all but deserted him? Trump’s answer: crank up his 2024 “manosphere” strategy, particularly the cage fight spectacles from 2024 – this time on the White House lawn.
A favor for a billionaire car dealer and Republican megadonor, tucked inside a transportation law
In late April and with little fanfare, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a seemingly mundane piece of transportation legislation that never attracted much public attention beyond a few changes clearing up the law around license plate frames.
But tucked inside that transportation package is a favor for a billionaire car dealer and Republican megadonor, according to investigative reporter Jason Garcia.
Higher rents may be in store because of proposed property tax cuts
Florida policy experts are sounding the alarm on the potential knock-on effects of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ plan to slash homestead property taxes and limit how municipal governments can pay for everyday services.
One of the unintended consequences of the tax cut could mean higher rent for already rent-burdened people, according to a policy and advocacy group working on behalf of municipal governments in Florida.
That’s because local government may seek to close a shortfall in revenues by increasing taxes on non-homestead property — which includes rental units.
Meme of the Week
Quote of the Week
“Reagan is rolling over in his grave. Iran’s nuclear ambitions were not curbed, and they have learned that threatening the Strait of Hormuz works and will undoubtedly leverage it in the future. Now, Iran gets to build brand-new infrastructure under this deal…Before the war, the strait was open, Iran was being crushed by sanctions, and 13 service members were still alive. Now, 13 Americans are dead, families have paid billions at the pump, sanctions will be lifted, and the bombing has stopped. This is the worst foreign policy blunder in decades.”
— Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
Letter of the Week
I wonder if Trump will demand that all hurricanes be named after himself. Hurricane Trump 1, Hurricane Trump 2, etc. After all, he is nothing more than an out of control, big blowhard. The corrupt Florida Supreme Court is giving the corrupt Trump-loving Roberts Court a run for its money. So as long as someone is Republican, they can lie to the court? What’s next? Maybe giving Epstein a posthumous pardon…”
— MPT
Looking Ahead
When I’m not writing this newsletter, I also scribble a current events column for Florida Weekly. You should check it out. Here are some snippets, from there and elsewhere, to help guide your week ahead.
June 21. It’s the longest Father’s Day of the year. What does that mean? Well, every five or six years, Father’s Day and the first day of summer, the summer solstice, arrive on the same day. It’s a weird quirk of the calendar. I have more on that in this edition of Florida Weekly:
June 22. The U.S. Department of Justice was founded on this day in 1870. It was intended to be the law firm for the United States of America, independent of any president’s personal whims.
June 23 is National Columnists Day. And how can you celebrate? By subscribing, of course.
June 24. Flying Saucer Day. In 1947, on this date, a pilot flying at 9,000 feet near Mount Rainier, Washington, said he saw nine unidentified objects that were pie-plate shaped flying at incredible speeds, which is how the term “flying saucer” came into being. For the record, not a single space alien interviewed at Area 51 called their spaceships by that name.
June 25. One of the dumbest military misadventures in American history took place near the Little Bighorn River in Montana on this date in 1876, when Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer led his 200 men against 2,000 members of the Lakota tribes led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. Custer and his troops lasted about two hours before they were wiped out.
June 26. Speaking of epic battles, it was on this day in 1997 that J.K. Rowling published her account of how an orphaned wizard discovered his powers at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and defeated Lord Voldemort’s plan to achieve immortality. The account was titled Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Only 500 books were originally printed. But the stories seem to have caught on since then.
Last Week’s Tropic Press headlines
In case you missed it, here are some of the stories that headlined Tropic Press this past week. Click on the headlines to read the stories.
Such an artful deal. Now every country will want the Iran package--minus the bombs
Geographically challenged Trump says we can ‘boom, boom’ walk from Qatar to Iran
Now we all can own a piece of Trump’s ballroom or bomb shelter or whatever it is this week
Mark Schulman: Rescue Mission to Reel Back “Bros”
Ladies and gentlemen, straight from the White House, our latest freak show
More than politics are stormy: We could have our first actual tropical event this week
Thanks for your support
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed if you are a rational person living in the Free State of Florida, but there are plenty of smart, reasonable people just like you here. The purpose of this newsletter and the Tropic Press website is to provide a source of news and commentary that shines a light through this irrational fog.
Thank you for your support as a subscriber. It is invaluable. This is especially so for those of you who have chosen to upgrade to paid subscriptions. Your contributions are making this possible.
J.C. Bruce
Share Tropic Press!
As this newsletter was written, Tropic Press was reaching more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere. But there are literally millions of Florida Democrats and independents we are not reaching yet.
That’s a problem you can help solve.
With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn our state and this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort by sharing this newsletter with friends.
If you are reading this as an email, simply forward it. Or you can use the link below. Thanks.
The Strange Files
Today’s edition of this newsletter is brought to you by Tropic Press Books, publisher of The Strange Files Series. Strange Fact: The first sentence of Florida Man, the second book in the series, sets the tone for how weird Alexander Strange’s adventure in the Gunshine State will be:
“I wanted to get to Florida in the worst way, so I arrived in a coffin.”
Check out the award-winning series here:
Gunshine and FloriDUH—what a combo. The Florida Supreme Court is bought and sold just like the US Supreme Court. These justices are all cut from the same cloth. I hope that businesses, colleges, universities, and anyone else, except Publix, who doesn't want guns are still able to enforce their own bans.
Iran, insider trading, the reflecting pool, pay to play, Ukraine, NATO, Outlandish corruption, THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES, WE CANNOT BEAR ANOTHER TWO AND A HALF YEARS OF THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR COUNTRY.
George Terranova md