Independent evaluation of public money, before the vote
We read the agreements, budgets and statutes behind a public decision and tell you what they commit the public to, with every figure linked to its source. For county commissions, agencies, reporters and civic groups across Northwest Florida, from Escambia to Wakulla.
What we evaluate
Six kinds of work, each with a published example
Pre-vote screens
A short evaluation of a proposal while it can still change: whether it can repay what it borrows, what it returns in tax, and who carries the flood risk.
One award, worked throughBallot and legislation analysis
What a measure or new law changes, read from its enrolled text, with the state's own estimate of the cost to each county.
Amendment 3 in plain wordsGrant and incentive accountability
Each award read against its signed terms: the jobs, wages and deadlines promised, and what comes back if they are missed.
All 87 Triumph awardsCounty fiscal briefs
One printable page per county: how much revenue comes from outside, what it owes, and what this year's decisions change.
The eight county briefsBudget and tax-rate reviews
The 10% budget exercise required from 2027 and this year's tax rates against the rolled-back ceiling, county by county.
The 10% exerciseFlood and health risk screening
Who lives where the flood risk falls, from FEMA claims, the National Risk Index and CDC health estimates, tract by tract.
Who carries the flood
Recent work
From the record this autumn
- $11.8Ba year: the state's estimate of what Amendment 3 was estimated to cost cities, counties and special districts once fully in placeAmendment 3, county by county →
- 6 of 8counties set this year’s tax rate above the rolled-back rate, the ceiling a new 2026 law sets for a simple-majority voteEvery county’s rate against the ceiling →
- $804.0Min oil-spill awards from Triumph Gulf Coast, all 87 read against their signed termsThe award database →
How we work
Three rules, on every page
From the primary record
Statutes, signed agreements, audits, roll calls and tax forms. A press report is used only when nothing better exists, and is labelled.
Every figure sourced
Each number links to the document it came from. When one changes, the corrections log says what it was and why.
No side taken
We report what the record shows, including what cuts against any position, and leave the decision to the people who must make it.
Have a decision coming up?
Tell us what is on the agenda. We will say what the record can answer, and how quickly.