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Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Central Florida property values continue to skyrocket
Property values across Central Florida are soaring this year, fueled by billions of dollars of new construction, according to the region's property appraisers. The booming values will help boost tax rolls as local governments begin preparing budgets for the next fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1. And it may add fuel to a GOP-boosted argument that Florida homeowners are paying too much property tax. 'Interest rates are relatively high, and we've certainly seen a slow down in residential sales,' said David Johnson, Seminole County's property appraiser. 'But what we have not seen is a decline in the values, or what people are selling their houses for.' At this time every year, property appraisers are required to provide local governments, school districts and other taxing authorities with their 'Best Estimates of Taxable Values' reports. The reports released last week show that every local government in the region is seeing jumps in taxable values this year, with several cities looking at double digit increases. In Orange County, Windermere leads the list with taxable values rising to just over $1.2 billion in total. That's up slightly more than 19% compared to last year. Helping to fuel that rise, Windermere voters last February agreed in a special election to annex the gated Chaine du Lac community that abuts the town's western side, adding hundreds of new properties. Windermere's increase was followed by Apopka — the county's second-largest city — which is estimated to see a nearly 14% jump from last year to nearly $8.2 billion worth of total taxable value in 2025. In Seminole, Sanford is forecast to have nearly $6.7 billion in taxable property values this year, a 10.85% jump from 2024. Sanford — the second largest city in Central Florida's three-county region behind Orlando — is the only Seminole government to have a double-digit percentage increase. A large part of that surge in Sanford is the result of recent construction of homes and apartments within the city, Johnson said. 'They've built thousands of single-family homes by Celery Avenue [near the Orlando Sanford International Airport],' he said. In Osceola County, St. Cloud is forecast to see taxable values rise to nearly $6 billion in 2025, a whopping nearly 15% increase from 2024, according to that county's Property Appraiser's Office. 'There's a lot of new construction,' Osceola's Property Appraiser Katrina Scarborough said regarding St. Cloud. 'And we're one of the fastest growing counties in the country.' Kissimmee's taxable values are expected to rise to $6.9 billion in 2025, a 10.5% increase from last year. Lake's smallest cities saw the largest increases in the county, in large part because of an explosion of new home construction. Montverde led the list with a 24.6% jump from 2024 to a total estimated taxable value of nearly $212 million. That was closely followed by Mascotte, which is forecast to have a 21.8% increase from last year to nearly $602 million. Several straight years of rising taxable values across the region have pumped billions more dollars into the coffers of local governments. For example, Orange County's budget has grown by $1.7 billion in the last five years. That's spurred Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republicans to recently push for either cutting or completely eliminating property taxes. DeSantis claims that Florida counties and cities are taking advantage of that largesse in tax revenues by expanding, while struggling property owners pay for it. He is advocating a $1000 property tax rebate to every Florida homeowner this December, followed by structural changes to the tax later. But the state House and Senate, at loggerheads over the budget they need to pass by June 30, have yet to take up any property tax changes this year. The taxable value of a property is the amount used by local governments to calculate and set property tax rates. Market value, on the other hand, is the price a property would likely sell for in the current real estate market. Market value is influenced by the condition of the property, its location and surroundings. Florida law caps the taxable value of a homeowner's primary residence, limiting the rise in taxes. In Orange County, the estimated total market value for 2025 is $345.8 billion, an increase of 4.6% from 2024. In Seminole, the 2025 market value is just over $87 billion, which is a nearly 4.2% increase from 2024. In Osceola, the market value is nearly $70 billion, a surge of nearly 4.3% from 2024, while in Lake, the market value is $68.4 billion, a 6.3% jump from last year. According to the Orlando Regional Realtor Association, there were more than 12,000 homes on the market across Central Florida in May. It takes on average about 76 days for a home to sit on the market before it is purchased. As of Thursday, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was about 6.87%, and 5.95% for a 15-year fixed rate, according to
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Central Florida property values continue to skyrocket
Property values across Central Florida are soaring this year, fueled by billions of dollars of new construction, according to the region's property appraisers. The booming values will help boost tax rolls as local governments begin preparing budgets for the next fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1. And it may add fuel to a GOP-boosted argument that Florida homeowners are paying too much property tax. 'Interest rates are relatively high, and we've certainly seen a slow down in residential sales,' said David Johnson, Seminole County's property appraiser. 'But what we have not seen is a decline in the values, or what people are selling their houses for.' At this time every year, property appraisers are required to provide local governments, school districts and other taxing authorities with their 'Best Estimates of Taxable Values' reports. The reports released last week show that every local government in the region is seeing jumps in taxable values this year, with several cities looking at double digit increases. In Orange County, Windermere leads the list with taxable values rising to just over $1.2 billion in total. That's up slightly more than 19% compared to last year. Helping to fuel that rise, Windermere voters last February agreed in a special election to annex the gated Chaine du Lac community that abuts the town's western side, adding hundreds of new properties. Windermere's increase was followed by Apopka — the county's second-largest city — which is estimated to see a nearly 14% jump from last year to nearly $8.2 billion worth of total taxable value in 2025. In Seminole, Sanford is forecast to have nearly $6.7 billion in taxable property values this year, a 10.85% jump from 2024. Sanford — the second largest city in Central Florida's three-county region behind Orlando — is the only Seminole government to have a double-digit percentage increase. A large part of that surge in Sanford is the result of recent construction of homes and apartments within the city, Johnson said. 'They've built thousands of single-family homes by Celery Avenue [near the Orlando Sanford International Airport],' he said. In Osceola County, St. Cloud is forecast to see taxable values rise to nearly $6 billion in 2025, a whopping nearly 15% increase from 2024, according to that county's Property Appraiser's Office. 'There's a lot of new construction,' Osceola's Property Appraiser Katrina Scarborough said regarding St. Cloud. 'And we're one of the fastest growing counties in the country.' Kissimmee's taxable values are expected to rise to $6.9 billion in 2025, a 10.5% increase from last year. Lake's smallest cities saw the largest increases in the county, in large part because of an explosion of new home construction. Montverde led the list with a 24.6% jump from 2024 to a total estimated taxable value of nearly $212 million. That was closely followed by Mascotte, which is forecast to have a 21.8% increase from last year to nearly $602 million. Several straight years of rising taxable values across the region have pumped billions more dollars into the coffers of local governments. For example, Orange County's budget has grown by $1.7 billion in the last five years. That's spurred Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republicans to recently push for either cutting or completely eliminating property taxes. DeSantis claims that Florida counties and cities are taking advantage of that largesse in tax revenues by expanding, while struggling property owners pay for it. He is advocating a $1000 property tax rebate to every Florida homeowner this December, followed by structural changes to the tax later. But the state House and Senate, at loggerheads over the budget they need to pass by June 30, have yet to take up any property tax changes this year. The taxable value of a property is the amount used by local governments to calculate and set property tax rates. Market value, on the other hand, is the price a property would likely sell for in the current real estate market. Market value is influenced by the condition of the property, its location and surroundings. Florida law caps the taxable value of a homeowner's primary residence, limiting the rise in taxes. In Orange County, the estimated total market value for 2025 is $345.8 billion, an increase of 4.6% from 2024. In Seminole, the 2025 market value is just over $87 billion, which is a nearly 4.2% increase from 2024. In Osceola, the market value is nearly $70 billion, a surge of nearly 4.3% from 2024, while in Lake, the market value is $68.4 billion, a 6.3% jump from last year. According to the Orlando Regional Realtor Association, there were more than 12,000 homes on the market across Central Florida in May. It takes on average about 76 days for a home to sit on the market before it is purchased. As of Thursday, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was about 6.87%, and 5.95% for a 15-year fixed rate, according to
New York Times
08-05-2025
- Health
- New York Times
Chet Lemon, 1984 World Series champion with Tigers, dies at 70
Chet Lemon, the center fielder for the 1984 World Series champion Detroit Tigers, died Thursday morning at his home in Apopka, Fla. He was 70. Born in Jackson, Miss., and raised in California, Lemon played parts of 16 seasons in the major leagues. He debuted with the Chicago White Sox in 1975 and remained with the franchise through 1981. He played for the Tigers from 1982 until his retirement after the 1990 season. Advertisement Lemon retired with a .273 career batting average and three All-Star selections. He was regarded as an electric defender in center field and was a key part of the Tigers' 1984 World Series run. 'Chet was the kindest of men and always had that great smile on his face,' former Tigers catcher Lance Parrish said in a statement. 'He was also a fierce competitor on the baseball field and a great teammate. I loved him like a brother.' The Detroit Tigers join all of baseball in mourning the passing of Chet Lemon. While he was a World Series Champion and All-Star on the field, perhaps his biggest impact came off of it. That includes creating the Chet Lemon Foundation and dedicating much of his post-playing… — Detroit Tigers (@tigers) May 8, 2025 After his playing career, Lemon moved to Florida and established the Chet Lemon Baseball School, the Chet Lemon Foundation and also coached at Eustis High School. For the past 30 years, Lemon has battled health issues. He was eventually diagnosed with the rare blood disease polycythemia vera, which causes bone marrow to make too many red blood cells. The extra blood cells thicken and slow blood flow, increasing the risk of blood clots, according to the Mayo Clinic. Lemon suffered at least 13 strokes, leaving him unable to walk or talk in recent years. 'My heart goes out to (Lemon's wife) Gigi and the family,' Hall of Fame shortstop Alan Trammell said. 'Chet was a cherished teammate and friend. I'm so thankful for the time we spent together last summer when the 1984 team had its 40th reunion at Comerica Park. Today is a sad day for us. He will be dearly missed.' Despite his health issues, Lemon attended that reunion last summer, where he received a large ovation from the crowd and a warm embrace from his former teammates. Advertisement 'I always believed my job as a pitcher was made easier when Chet was behind me in center,' former Tigers pitcher Dan Petry said. 'I'll never forget his laughter and infectious smile. His athleticism on the field always stood out, but he was an even better teammate and friend.' (Photo of Chet Lemon (right) shaking hands with Tigers OF Kerry Carpenter (left), who played for Chet Lemon's Juice youth baseball team: Junfu Han / USA Today Network)
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Yahoo
Family pushes for pool safety reform after daughter's drowning death
The Brief The family of 5-year-old Thamar Esperance is calling for stricter pool safety laws after she drowned in an unfenced construction-site pool in Apopka in 2021. They recently settled a $10.5 million lawsuit and are now urging lawmakers to enforce existing codes and pass new protections. Florida leads the nation in child drownings, with heightened risks for children with special needs. APOPKA, Fla. - The family of 5-year-old Thamar Esperance is calling for stricter pool safety laws after she drowned in an unfenced construction-site pool. 'This was an easily preventable accident' What we know In 2021, 5-year-old Thamar Esperance drowned after wandering into an unfenced, water-filled pool under construction near her family's home in Apopka, Florida. Her family later filed a lawsuit against the construction company responsible, citing code violations. The case recently settled for $10.5 million. Now, Thamar's parents are advocating for stricter enforcement of existing pool safety laws and new legislation to protect children — particularly those with special needs — from similar tragedies. What we don't know It remains unclear how widespread the issue of unfenced construction-site pools is in Florida or how often such violations go unpunished. The backstory Thamar was described by her parents as a bright, loving child who had autism and required additional supervision. Her death occurred within seconds, according to family attorney Michael Haggard. The tragedy was deemed preventable, with the family and their legal team arguing the lack of fencing violated local safety codes. Though the family reached a financial settlement, they have since shifted their focus to public advocacy, turning their loss into a push for policy change. Big picture view Florida leads the nation in child drowning deaths, an issue exacerbated by the state's large number of residential pools and ongoing construction in suburban neighborhoods. Safety laws requiring protective barriers around pools already exist, but enforcement is often inconsistent. Advocates argue the risk is even greater for children with special needs, who may be more likely to wander or misinterpret danger. What they're saying The family remembers Thamar as bright, loving, and full of life. "Thamar was our first and our last baby girl," explained Betchine Amilcar, Thamar's mother. In 2021, they lost her when she wandered away from her home in Apopka and fell into a pool next door that was under construction, filled with water but without a required safety fence. "This is a violation of the law and local codes," said family attorney Michael Haggard. On Wednesday, the family stood outside the department of health to push for change. Amilcar said, "We stand here today for her & make sure no family goes through this again." Attorneys say the risk is even higher for children with special needs and warn that without action, more families could face the same devastating loss. "This was an easily preventable accident. It should've never happened," Haggard said. "This was a matter of seconds when this occurred." As the family grieves, they are channeling pain into purpose, hoping their daughter's legacy saves others. "We have piece knowing other companies will learn what happened and all pools are covered by fence," Amilcar added. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: The Source This story was written based on information shared by the family of 5-year-old Thamar Esperance and their attorney, Michael Haggard.
New York Times
09-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
State of Florida recruiting: Reviewing the hits, misses and hidden gems from the 2015 cycle
Lamar Jackson is arguably the best football player to come out of the state of Florida. He was definitely underrated, a former three-star recruit from Boynton Beach High School who was ranked No. 398 overall and No. 58 in the state in the 2015 recruiting cycle. Jackson went on to win the Heisman Trophy at Louisville and two NFL MVP awards with the Baltimore Ravens. Advertisement The 2015 recruiting class in the Sunshine State was one of the most decorated in recent memory, featuring nine five-star recruits and eight others who ranked in the top 100 nationally. So, how did the class — other than Jackson — turn out? Not great, to be honest. We'll dive into the hidden gems later but will start by taking a look at the top 10 players in the state according to the 247Sports Composite. Spoiler alert: Only four of the nine five-star recruits became NFL Draft picks. 1. Martez Ivey, OT, Apopka → Florida The 6-foot-6, 335-pound offensive tackle and No. 2 national prospect was named the U.S. Army Player of the Year after leading Apopka to its second state championship in three years. Ivey, though, never developed into a superstar despite starting 44 games with the Florida Gators and earning second-team All-SEC honors in 2017 and 2018. He went undrafted and ended up in the Canadian Football League. He's played in 33 games over the last two seasons with the Edmonton Elks. 2. Byron Cowart, edge, Seffner Armwood → Auburn → Maryland ESPN and Rivals ranked Cowart the No. 1 player in the class. He appeared in 26 games in three seasons at Auburn without making a start or recording a sack. Cowart transferred to Maryland for the 2018 season and started 12 games, producing 37 tackles, including five TFLs. He was selected by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2019 draft. He started 14 games in 2020 for New England and has since played for the Colts, Chiefs, Texans, Dolphins and Bears. He signed a one-year, $1.3 million deal with the Jets in the offseason. 3. Derwin James, S, Haines City → Florida State James, ranked No. 5 nationally, earned first-team All-America honors in 2017 and spent only three seasons in Tallahassee before making the jump to the NFL, where he was drafted 17th overall in 2018 by the Chargers. He has made two All-Pro teams and four Pro Bowl squads, including last season when he had 93 tackles, 10 for loss and 5.5 sacks. James has two years left on a four-year, $76 million deal. Advertisement 4. CeCe Jefferson, edge, Baker County → Florida Tabbed the seventh-best recruit in the 2015 cycle, Jefferson was productive at Florida but never quite lived up to the hype, producing 124 tackles, 34.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks in his four seasons with the Gators. Jefferson went undrafted in 2019 and signed with the Tampa Vipers of the XFL in 2020. He hasn't played since. 5. Kevin Toliver II, CB, Jacksonville Trinity → LSU The No. 9-ranked recruit in the class started eight games as a freshman in Baton Rouge but never really took the next step. He started 18 games total in three seasons at LSU and then skipped his senior season to enter the draft. Toliver went undrafted, played two years with the Bears (two career starts) and then appeared in two games in 2020 with the Broncos before becoming a practice squad player with the Ravens and Colts. He ended up in the XFL with the Houston Roughnecks and San Antonio Brahmas. He's been out of football for 14 months. 6. Calvin Ridley, WR, Coconut Creek Monarch → Alabama The South Florida native lived up to the five-star hype in Tuscaloosa, earning Freshman All-America honors, making three All-SEC teams, winning two national championships and catching 224 passes for 2,781 yards and 19 touchdowns in 44 games. He was the 26th pick in the 2018 draft by the Falcons and has 388 career catches for 5,375 yards and 40 touchdowns in 66 NFL starts. He signed a four-year, $92 million deal with the Titans in March 2024. 7. Tarvarus McFadden, CB, Plantation American Heritage → Florida State The five-star from South Florida became a full-time starter as a sophomore in Tallahassee and earned first-team All-America honors when he led FSU with eight interceptions in 2016. He started all 13 games in 2017 and earned second-team All-ACC honors before entering the draft with a year of eligibility remaining. After running a 4.67 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, McFadden went undrafted. He bounced around practice squads with the 49ers, Colts and Lions for two years before he caught on in the Canadian Football League in 2022 and has been a starter on two Grey Cup championship teams with the Toronto Argonauts. 8. Deon Cain, WR, Tampa Bay Tech → Clemson Cain played quarterback in high school but was recruited as a receiver by Dabo Swinney. The five-star recruit helped lead Clemson to the 2017 national championship as a junior before he skipped his senior season and was selected by the Colts in the sixth round of the 2018 draft. Cain appeared in 14 NFL games with the Colts and Steelers over the next three years. He has since enjoyed success in the United Football League with the Birmingham Stallions. He caught three touchdown passes in the 2023 championship game to earn MVP honors. He re-signed with the Stallions in February after spending the 2024 season on the Buffalo Bills practice squad. Advertisement 9. George Campbell, WR, East Lake → Florida State → West Virginia The five-star target spent four seasons in Tallahassee but barely made an impact, catching 13 passes for 206 yards and no touchdowns in 19 games. He transferred to West Virginia in 2019 and caught 19 passes for 469 yards and seven touchdowns before going undrafted and being signed by the New York Jets in 2020. He's bounced around the CFL and UFL since but has not been on a pro roster since January 2024. 10. Jacques Patrick, RB, Timber Creek → Florida State The talented four-star back and top-40 recruit had the misfortune of sharing the backfield in Tallahassee with Dalvin Cook and Cam Akers. In four seasons with the Seminoles, he totaled 1,790 yards and 17 touchdowns before going undrafted in 2019. Patrick has since bounced around with the Bengals, 49ers, Panthers, Ravens, Broncos, Titans and Jets but hasn't made it off the practice squad. He was waived by the Jets in May 2024 and hasn't been on a roster since. Jackson, James and Ridley aren't the only NFL success stories from the state of Florida's 2015 recruiting cycle. Ray-Ray McCloud, a top-100 recruit from Tampa, was a standout at Clemson and a sixth-round pick by the Bills in the 2018 draft. He made 13 starts for the Atlanta Falcons in 2024 and had 62 catches for 686 yards and one touchdown. Safety Ronnie Harrison, a four-star recruit from Tallahassee who starred at Alabama, was drafted in the third round in 2018 by the Jaguars and has started 48 games with the Browns and Colts in his seven-year career. Cornerbacks Carlton Davis (Miami Norland to Auburn) and Jamel Dean (Cocoa High to Ohio State) won Super Bowl LV as teammates with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and have been starters throughout most of their respective careers. McCloud, Harrison, Davis and Dean were among 51 blue-chip recruits in the state in the 2015 cycle. Advertisement Here's a short list of non-blue chippers who made it to the NFL: Geron Christian, OL, Ocala Trinity Catholic → Louisville The 6-5, 302-pound interior offensive lineman is an NFL free agent at the moment, but he was a third-round pick of Washington in 2018 after starting for three seasons in the ACC. He's won a Super Bowl and started 25 games in the NFL for the Commanders, Texans, Chiefs, Dolphins, Browns and Rams. Not bad for the No. 903 overall player in the cycle. Sam Franklin, OLB, Citrus → Temple Franklin, the No. 1,013 recruit in the class, spent four years at Temple after a year of prep school to improve his grades. He was signed by Carolina as an undrafted free agent in 2020. He's spent the last five seasons with the Panthers, appearing in 74 games, starting nine and producing 84 tackles. He's a free agent. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, WR, Lake Mary → Indiana The talented receiver spent five years in Bloomington and produced 144 catches for 2,226 yards and 16 touchdowns before entering the NFL in 2020 as an undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans. He started 39 games in his five-year career in Nashville, totaling 126 catches for 1,773 yards and 19 TDs. He signed a two-year, $3.2 million contract with the Dolphins in March. Fred Johnson, OT, Royal Palm Beach → Florida The former three-star recruit started 32 games for the Gators before going undrafted in 2019. He's played for the Steelers, Bengals, Buccaneers and Eagles (winning a Super Bowl in February). He signed a one-year, $1.33 million deal with the Jaguars in March. Justin Strnad, OLB, East Lake → Wake Forest Strnad, ranked No. 1,548 in the cycle, spent five years at Wake Forest and was a fifth-round pick of the Broncos in the 2020 draft. He started eight games last season and signed a one-year extension for $2.7 million in March. Tommy Townsend, P, Boone → Tennessee → Florida A two-time semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award at Florida, Townsend won two Super Bowls in Kansas City as an undrafted free agent. He signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the Texans in 2024. Advertisement Azeez Al-Shaair, OLB, Hillsborough → FAU Al-Shaair, ranked No. 2,021 in the cycle, was an instant hit in Boca Raton, earning Freshman All-American honors and leading Conference USA in tackles as a junior in 2017. He went undrafted in 2019 but has been a full-time starter for the last four seasons, including last season with the Texans. He's gained a reputation for being a big hitter, most notably for a crushing blow to Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence last December that led to a three-game suspension. (Top photo of Lamar Jackson: Michael Hickey / Getty Images)
