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From property tax cuts to hurricane season prep: Your Coral Springs midweek recap

By Edited by Mike Garbett and produced with AI assistance
Catch up on some of the biggest headlines in Coral Springs through the first part of the week.
Catch up on some of the biggest headlines in Coral Springs through the first part of the week. Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com

Property tax cuts, a state Senate race shake-up and a break in a decades-old cold case are among the top stories making news in Coral Springs this week.

Missed the headlines? Here’s a roundup of the top stories from the first part of the week in your city:

  • Property taxes: Florida lawmakers began a special three-day session Monday and approved a proposal to slash property taxes by raising the homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. Coral Springs could lose roughly $27 million in annual revenue if voters approve the constitutional amendment in November.
  • State Senate race: Coral Springs Rep. Dan Daley has decided not to run for state Senate and will instead seek another term in the Florida House. Daley said the path forward for a community-driven campaign had narrowed due to decisions made outside the district, while former Sen. Lauren Book is now running for the seat with multiple local endorsements.
  • Keys theft case: A Coral Springs man is accused of stealing more than $50,000 from a Cudjoe Key couple, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said. The 33-year-old was arrested on charges of fraud, larceny, illegal use of credit cards and illegal use of another’s identification.
  • Hurricane prep: Even though Coral Springs sits outside Broward County’s designated hurricane evacuation zones, emergency officials warn residents still face heavy rainstorms, severe flooding, destructive winds and extended power outages. NOAA forecasts eight to 14 named storms this season, including three to six hurricanes.
  • Medical office arrest: A medical assistant at a Coral Springs doctor’s office is accused of stealing a patient’s credit card and using it to make a $103.40 purchase at Publix. The 51-year-old faces charges of credit card theft, fraudulent use of an ID of a victim 60 or older, and violating probation from a similar 2018 incident.
  • Murder conviction: A Coral Springs man was found guilty of second-degree murder for stabbing a 51-year-old woman and dumping her body in a Delray Beach canal in 2023. Christopher Soto, 25, was convicted May 21 after blood evidence from his car and home matched the victim; sentencing is scheduled for June 18.
  • Cold case ID: A body discovered by ATV riders in a Broward County field in 1975 has been identified through fingerprints as Robert Russell Freese, an 18-year-old from Long Island, New York. The Broward Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone who knew Freese or his family to come forward as detectives work to find his killer.

This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists.