Florida News That Impacts You – August 3rd, 2026
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you throughout the Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast.
- Congressman and Republican Gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds has pledged a complete reformation of property taxes next year if elected governor. According to Donalds at a speech on Friday: Whether it passes or whether it doesn’t, next year in the (Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission), we are going to bring proposals for a full and complete reform of property taxes and fees in Florida. We want to make sure that seniors on fixed income are not being taxed out of our state, and we want to make sure that young families, working families have the opportunity to build the Florida dream for themselves here in Florida. And we’re going to start that work next year.
- Florida Attorney General James Uthemeier has issued a letter to the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops warning of potential funding losses if parents and students aren’t able to opt out of traditional school vaccinations for religious reasons as is required under Florida law. In the note. Uthmeier, who is Catholic, stated: As a Catholic, I am confident that the teachings of the Catholic Church do not require Catholic schools to compel students to take vaccines derived from the tissue of aborted children against the sincerely-held religious objections of their parents. Uthmeier suggests in the letter that the Diocese of Pensacola Tallahassee may not be in compliance with state law.
- Paid parking is returning to Singer Island today. The program has been paused since early June following faulty citations issued for those using the paid parking system, and in the case of a city council member – those who didn’t park but drove through the parking area. Officials and One Parking, the operator of the paid parking program, have stated the previous issues have been corrected.
- It'll be partly cloudy and hot with a chance of showers and thunderstorms throughout the day. Today’s high will be in the low 90’s – warmer than usual for this date. Similar though slightly cooler weather is expected throughout the week. The National Hurricane Center’s Tropical Weather Outlook is clear for the next seven days. Persistent Saharan dust from the coast of Africa extends over most of the southern and mid-Atlantic with dust extending over the Caribbean, Cuba, through the Gulf of America. Another plume began to make its way over Florida yesterday.
- The price of gas continued to drop over the weekend and is 14 cents lower than a week ago. The average price for regular unleaded fuel is currently $3.83 per gallon. In Palm Beach County the average price is $4.01 per gallon, in Martin the average is $3.79, it’s $3.83 in St. Lucie, and in Indian River County the average is $3.86 per gallon.