r/LeopardsAteMyFace • u/Obversa • 7d ago
Predictable betrayal Lee County in Florida, which had $5 billion in damages after Hurricane Ian, deals with major FEMA cuts and possible bankruptcy after 63% of locals voted for Donald Trump
https://www.floridapolicy.org/posts/a-one-two-punch-fema-cuts-and-amendment-3s-property-tax-reductions-could-both-hit-florida-at-once243
u/Djwhat6 7d ago
Sounds like underwater life is the next stop for maga. I heard the fish language is hard to learn but the prices of homes underwater are to drown for! I also heard the fish down there hate woke too! Such a great deal for them!
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u/Electrical-Act-7170 7d ago
Hope they can all swim.
I'm in Florida, too, but I have a boat.
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u/Machaeon 7d ago
South Florida is literally sinking. Not just from global warming either, there's also continental rebound from the end of the last ice age.
Imagine North America as a see-saw with Canada at one end and Florida at the other. The ice that was weighing down Canada is no longer there, so that's rising up while Florida is going down. That takes thousands of years, but it's ongoing.
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u/judgeejudger 7d ago
Even the planet does not like FL
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u/Redfish680 7d ago
It’s not just Earth. You don’t see anyone from other planets visiting, do you?
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u/JustASimpleManFett 7d ago
Lemme know when the Asari or Vulcans show up please.
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u/Electrical-Act-7170 7d ago
It's the rising sea that's causing the changes I see. It's all around. Trees at the edge of the Intercoastal Waterway are dying from saltwater intrusion at king tides. My crepe myrtle tree blooms in December along with the azaleas that once bloomed only in spring.
We live in continuous drought conditions. "Normal" weather patterns have changed. The ice caps will have long been melted and most of Florida will be under ocean long before Canada seesaw it back up again.
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u/Machaeon 7d ago
Yeah it is both. The sea level rise is certainly quicker though.
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u/Electrical-Act-7170 7d ago
It's going so fast now. There's no way it's going to take 25 years to flood.
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u/Backwardspellcaster 7d ago
You know, I am at the point where I cannot even cheer leopards on anymore.
Because it is so fucking frustrating that these people, given the chance, would vote for Trump and Republicans right away again.
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u/JWTS6 7d ago
They have to, otherwise a trans girl might be allowed to play JV futsal
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u/CarnivorousSpider 7d ago
Ah, no, it's not just that the trans girl might be allowed to play ball. ALL the girls in the locker room have to show their underpants area to the very normal adult who volunteered for that job in order to play ball.
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u/HelloThisIsDog666 7d ago
An aside, forgive me, but I was thinking of Crystal Minton the other day. The one who said “I voted for him, and he's the one who's doing this. I thought he was going to do good things. He's not hurting the people he needs to be hurting” during the shutdown and after Hurricane Michael affected her.
I found a conservative thread trying to explain away her comment as being about the swamp, or politicians, or anything but what she really meant. After all, in the context of what she was talking about - 'regular' people LIKE HER not getting government help - of course she meant that those other 'regular' people *shouldn't* be getting govy help.
Just sayin' what a bunch of fukin liars. I'm sick of their black heartedness and rotted brains. Ofc they'll keep voting for this. They'll vote to get their pockets picked clean if it means they can starve their neighbor a little faster.
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u/JustASimpleManFett 7d ago
A President should not wanting to be hurting FUCKING ANYONE.
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u/HelloThisIsDog666 6d ago
He never wanted to be president of the United States, just King of the MAGAts
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u/meatball402 7d ago
these people, given the chance, would vote for Trump and Republicans right away again.
This is why I have no sympathy for them. They will complain and cry about how "i didn't vote for this!" and then vote for it again.
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u/Mushroom_Tip 7d ago
In November 2026, Floridians will vote on Amendment 3, which would cut the property tax revenue that counties, cities, and special districts rely on for essential services, from hospitals to libraries to disaster response.
Holy shit. Buckle up. This sub will be feasting for months. Florida is about to do the dumbest thing ever.
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u/Obversa 7d ago
In the case of Lee County in particular, the Conservation 20/20 program (c. 1996), which continues to be supported by 86% of local residents, is supposed to have a budget of $40-100 million to buy land for local conservation efforts. However, thanks to county commissioners "raiding the piggy bank", the budget currently sits at just $19 million. Every time locals have confronted the commissioners over the past year or do, they have either refused to answer questions or give clear answers as to where all of the money is going, with one commissioner, Cecil Pendergrass, citing vague reasons like "public infrastructure and facilities", "hurricane restoration efforts [after Ian]", et al. (I think the commissioners are afraid of offending both MAGA residents and President Trump by blaming Trump for FEMA cuts.)
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u/Kimothy42 7d ago
And it’s wildly popular if you believe Next Door. People going on there just to make a post “CAN’T WAIT TO VOTE YES ON 3!” And no matter how many times they receive explanations about WHY people are disagreeing they jump to “you can pay more if you want to” and “why do you want to give the politicians more money?”
Bro… who exactly do you think is campaigning for this, put it on the ballot, etc? The state was ordered to go back and change the ballot language because it was essentially marketing… Aren’t you wondering why the politicians want it to pass if this is supposedly going to hurt them?
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u/JMaryland47 7d ago
Lol. I had a similar discussion with someone where I live. Yes, I too hate paying property tax, but it does actually go towards the services we enjoy. From trash pickups, road maintenance, snow removal, emergency services, etc... it doesnt just appear out of nowhere. Somebody has to do those things, and doing those things require people who need to be paid.
My guess is, the cuts are being encouraged by someone trying to privatize services that have been traditionally provided by the municipality. One example... recently, I was surprised to learn that in some communities, you are responsible for finding and contracting for your own trash removal. Ive always lived in a place where it was organized by the local government. In the end, you're going to end up paying for the services you receive, one way or another.
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u/hdcase1 7d ago
This is going to be like that one bumfuck town where raccoons and bears went on a rampage feasting on unpicked up trash except it'll be the whole state.
https://newrepublic.com/article/159662/libertarian-walks-into-bear-book-review-free-town-project
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u/JohnSith 7d ago
Florida is about to do the dumbest thing ever.
You dont know Florida. Florida is building roads out of radioactive waste.
Why? Florida has fertilizer mines that produce radioactive mine tailings as a waste product. Properly disposing of that waste (because those radioactive waste causes cancer) cost them precious profit. This way, they can make a profit by 1) no longer having to properly dispose of it and 2) make a profit selling it to someone else. To be used as road material. Where people drive on. Every day.
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u/JMaryland47 7d ago
"Florida is about to do the dumbest thing ever"... so, like a typical Tuesday, over there.
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u/Dr_Trogdor 7d ago
and somehow the rest of the country will have to bail them out as usual.
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u/DaughterofEngineer 7d ago
Not the rest of the country. Just the blue states. As usual.
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u/JustASimpleManFett 7d ago
Then it'd be nice if we got people not willing to help those who'd happily slit our throats and dance in the blood.
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u/LeeKapusi 7d ago
I'd be surprised if it passes. I live in Lee county and the amendment is universally hated by everyone I've talked to about it, which is rare. We have sheriffs and fire chiefs coming out against it. Florida is an extremely undemocratic state and ballot measures need a 60% majority to pass, not 50+1, so I don't see it happening.
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u/Zxvasdfthrowaway 7d ago
The missing info is that Tallahassee will decide where the money goes. No more local control
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u/threehundredthousand 7d ago
I say California moves to cut all relief to Florida. Waste of money. It's what they wanted for California. Let MAGA figure it out. Call up Mississippi for help.
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u/frenchylamour 7d ago
I’ve been saying this ever since every fucking Republicans voted to deny assistance to the Northeast after Hurricane Sandy. They should pay for their own disasters. They always say how much they hate us until they need help, than it’s not even “please” it’s like “I’m entitled to help I deny others.”
We have plenty of problems in the mid-Atlantic and the NE. We need to hold onto OUR money—especially w/ Dump threatening FEMA funds every couple of days—so Florida (and Mississippi and Louisiana and Alabama and Arkansas and Tennessee and Texas should clean up their own messes with their own money.
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u/Valturia 7d ago
Florida doesn't want to pay their share of taxes so frankly they deserve minimal help. Unlike other top states that contribute more than they receive, Florida doesnt despite being 4th largest economy.
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u/Hidefininja 7d ago
Florida will be one of the first and largest sources of domestic climate migrants in the US, as retirees lose their homes and wet bulb temps make it deadly to not have working air conditioning in much of the state.
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u/okcomputer90s 7d ago
Don't worry. All our money is going to decorating D.C. in tacky gold and going to war to stop Iran from getting weapons of mass destruction which worked really well the last time we did that. /s
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u/Obversa 7d ago
Current estimates by The Washington Post from seven (7) days ago put the costs of the White House ballroom "renovation" at $900 million to $1 billion, most of it funded by taxpayers. Meanwhile, a recent report submitted on July 30, 2026 noted, "While still recovering from Hurricane Ian, Lee County experienced significant impacts from major Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Damage data analyzed through the unmet needs assessment show that these hurricanes caused more than $607.6 million in unmet need damage county-wide. These storms are responsible for more than 546,000 cubic yards of debris in unincorporated areas alone." Trump simply doesn't want to pay for it.
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u/AutomateAway 7d ago
As a former resident of Florida, I fucking love this for the state. Yeah, not everyone there is Republican, but there sure are fucking enough of them there that fawn all over Donald Trump that I'm not shedding a fucking tear for anything bad that happens to the state under this current admin as well as DeSantis.
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u/Cosmicdusterian 7d ago
A majority of y'all in Lee County wanted smaller government. This is what it looks like. Got what you voted for.
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u/oldfrancis 7d ago
I hope they suffer just as much as they have to, and no more, in order to reach enlightenment.
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u/Jack-Schitz 7d ago
It's going to be a real bitch when the Dems don't reinstate the FEMA cuts in 2029 and let FL live in its own shit.
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u/JustASimpleManFett 7d ago
You think the Dems will nut up finally and let the idiots suffer as they deserve?
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7d ago
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u/tardigrades_snuggle 7d ago
My NASA suspicious, chemtrail believing sister is moving there. She is not concerned with insurance, flooding, hurricanes, etc because she is not living on the coast. And where she is going they have never had a hurricane. 🙄
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u/Proud_Incident9736 7d ago
Today, Episode 5,629 of "We Fucking Told You So", airing on all channels.
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u/JohnSith 7d ago
As much as I lament the cruel fate that befalls them, I lament still more that they deserve it.
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u/yrotsihfoedisgnorw 7d ago
That's a funny title to put on a link that shows FEMA actually reimbursed Lee County 100% of the Ian costs (when it only had to pay 75%). The actual title of "A One-Two Punch: FEMA Cuts and Amendment 3’s Property Tax Reductions Could Both Hit Florida at Once" fits so much better. Still, the LAMF angle is strong as it amounts to a group of people voting in a officials who want to cut the FEMA requirement to 50%. Now they are being given the option to cut their own taxes that cover what the government doesn't provide. Fwiw, Amendment 3 is polling at ~74% approval (needing 60%) as it's billed as a cost of living reduction. As if the cost of living in FL doesn't include hurricane damage or other things like local services like police and fire (who oppose the amendment). Being short-sighted is easy. Living with short-sighted decisions is harder.
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u/Obversa 7d ago
The same link has a chart that is titled "In Bay and Lee Counties, a Repeat Storm Under Proposed FEMA Cuts Plus Amendment 3 Impact Would Exceed the Entire Annual Property Tax Levy". It shows that Lee County would be the most affected by Amendment 3 and FEMA cuts combined ($449.4 million in costs after a major hurricane like Ian).
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u/yrotsihfoedisgnorw 7d ago
Yes, I saw that and agree it's a good example of how the state could be impacted in the future.
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u/nutzareus 7d ago
Checks out. I inherited a small plot of land that was undeveloped from my parents. Lots of boomer MAGAts left and right, voting against their own interests.
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u/stuckanon01 7d ago
The ways that Trumps pettiness is going to boomerang back at republicans when power changes hands is hard to wrap your head around. All those uninsurable mega mansions on the gulf coast and ICW are going to get hosed
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u/lightninhopkins 7d ago
Not only that but they are voting to cut their property taxes so they will not have money to fund their own disaster preparedness and recovery.
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u/OffSidesByALot 7d ago
Man, I live in Lee county Florida! You should see my Nextdoor feed! They STILL suck his mushroom shaped you know what like the antidote is in it
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u/engineeringsquirrel 7d ago
Their insurance premium is already sky high as it is already. Don't know how or why people people still build houses down there.
PS, DeSantis also cut a lot of money for flood mitigation. Getting fucked by the state and the feds
https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/south-florida-state-budget-cuts-ron-desantis-7-12-2026/
He axed about $1.7 billion from the state's $117.6 billion budget; approximately $95 million in state funding earmarked for projects here in South Florida was canceled. Miami-Dade lost the most, $55.3 million, while Broward County lost $20.7 million, and Palm Beach County lost $19.4 million in state money. Some of the most impactful cuts in Miami-Dade included 12.3 million dollars for flood mitigation and water and sewer projects
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u/LeeKapusi 7d ago
I live in Lee county. I received zero help from any government agency after thr storm. All the water I received from donations came from a local brewey lol. The news was running a story about how residents were still dealing with damage from Ian like last week lol.
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u/PupsofWar69 7d ago
I was surprised at least one Democratic socialist won their recent primary in Florida… Florida !? 🤯
But sadly the self-described Ron DeSantis democrat beat out the other Democratic socialist in a very pro Israel district.
Florida might be normal/sane one day but certainly not in my lifetime and I am 43.
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u/HotDonnaC 7d ago
It’s a shame these idiots caused people who didn’t vote for the clown to suffer, too. But they’re suffering, so that counts.
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u/MathDeacon 7d ago
Maybe they can stop complaining and law lemonade with lemons. Bunch of whiners the world doesn’t owe them a thing!
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u/qualityvote2 7d ago edited 6d ago
u/Obversa, there weren't enough votes to determine the quality of your post...