Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan presented her $2.03 billion budget Monday, choosing not to presage the fiscal impacts of a proposed property tax cut, which goes before voters in November. Deegan’s 1.1% ($22.6 million) increase over last year’s budget is modest by most measures, but diametrically opposed to the austerity budget that the Jacksonville City Council leadership has said it wants in anticipation of potentially massive ad valorem revenue reductions starting in the 2027/28 fiscal year. We break down the messaging and the meat of the budget proposal, as well as the kind of reception it can expect from lawmakers as it moves into August and September committee and public hearings.

Guest: Chris Hand, local government expert, attorney and co-author with the late Sen. Bob Graham of America, the Owner's Manual

Congressional candidate Mark Kaye

Former WAPE Big Ape morning show host-turned-conservative podcaster Mark Kaye is challenging incumbent congressman John Rutherford. We ask the first-time candidate why he’s targeting the four-term incumbent lawmaker, what he’s learned about politics in his almost 20 years in media, and why he thinks he’s equipped to take on D.C. politics. We also ask him about courting controversy for retweeting a photo of President Trump surrounded by AI-generated Black supporters and what leadership style he plans to bring to the Jacksonville-to-St. Augustine 5th Congressional District.

Guest: Mark Kaye, candidate for Florida's 5th Congressional District and host of Mark Kaye Saves the Republic