Property Tax Fight: A proposed Florida ballot amendment would raise the homestead exemption from $50,000 to $250,000, but local officials warn it could slash municipal budgets that rely heavily on single-family property taxes. Local Business & Jobs: Cheney Brothers opened its first South Carolina food distribution facility in Florence, a move expected to employ 600+ and boost vendors and small businesses. Small Business Funding: SubBase, a Florida-based construction materials procurement platform, closed a $7M Series A to help contractors replace scattered emails and spreadsheets with one system. Nonprofit Real Estate Deal: A Lakeland church sold for $1.485M and will be leased to Hope House Florida to expand services for teen mothers. Hurricane Readiness Tech: NOAA’s Florida-based Hurricane Hunters tested drones and data quality in rain to improve storm-season forecasting. Local Elections: Alachua County’s ballot is set for Aug. 18 primary races, including a District 2 Commission seat with multiple qualified Democrats and a small-business owner in the mix. Legal Risk for Consumers: New York’s auto insurance reforms are expected to raise litigation costs and make some legitimate injury claims harder to pursue. Construction & Data Centers: Duos Technologies completed a $55M registered direct offering to expand its edge data center business in Jacksonville.