What Florida neighborhood was originally developed in the 1920s to rival Coral Gables, and featured canals inspired by Venice, Italy, but was largely abandoned due to the land bust and later absorbed into a larger city, remaining mostly undeveloped until the 1980s?

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Could Florida Eliminate Property Taxes Statewide?

In early 2024, Representative Ryan Chamberlin introduced House Bill 1371 (HB 1371), which proposed a study to assess the impact of eliminating all property taxes in Florida. The bill had directed the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) to conduct this study and report findings by February 1, 2025. However, HB 1371 did not advance beyond the House State Affairs Committee and effectively died in March 2024, and the Report was never done.

So why are we still hearing about this?

Governor Ron DeSantis has expressed support for eliminating property taxes and has suggested placing a constitutional amendment on the 2026 ballot to achieve this goal. With continued ongoing discussions on this issue, it seems like this would be the timeline if this ever were to become a reality: New York Post+1

📅 Earliest Proposed Timeline

• A Constitutional Amendment could appear on the November 2026 ballot, requiring at least 60% voter approval to pass.

This would result in a huge loss of revenue for the State of Florida and their Towns & Cities, who rely on this income.  Of course, an alternative stream to an equal amoung of income will need to be determined, and although the elimination of property tax could help keep Floridians on fixed incomes in their home, it might also hurt their day-to-day spending.

The Wall Street Journal recently cited a study by the Florida Policy Institute that estimated the state’s sales tax would need to be doubled to 12% in order to replace property tax revenues.

Such a "Tax Swap" would seem to simply shift the taxpayer base from Homeowners, to the much wider entire Florida population.  However, taking into consideration Florida's robust tourism industry, which welcomed a record 143 million visitors in 2024, approximately 16.1% of the state's total sales tax revenue was generated by tourists, guests and visitors. 

In light of these numbers, any proposed shift from property taxes to an increased sales tax would not only broaden the tax base to include renters and tourists, but also tie a larger portion of state revenue to the ebbs and flows of tourism. While this could ease the burden on homeowners, it raises important questions about long-term stability and who ultimately carries the financial load in Florida’s evolving fiscal landscape.

Venetian Isles (St. Petersburg)

Venetian Isles was a grand vision of a Mediterranean-style waterfront community, launched during Florida's 1920s land boom. Like many ambitious projects of the time, it collapsed with the bust. Today, it’s a desirable waterfront neighborhood, but few remember or are aware of the original dream behind its design.