Florida families are expected to save about $100 million between July 25 to Aug. 7, according to research group Florida TaxWatch.

On this edition of “This Week in Jacksonville,” Edward Waters College is now officially Edward Waters University. President Zachary Faison joins us on the show to talk about what the historic change means for students, staff and the community. Also, Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic Calabro discusses the nonpartisan group’s view of the state budget that just went into effect this week. And the coordinated effort to protect American heroes from the horrors of war on this Independence Day: Elizabeth Sherr, the clinic director at the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Centerstone, joins us.

The implementation of Florida’s record-setting state budget began this week.

State Sen. Jeff Brandes, of St. Petersburg, is leading the charge to protect businesses from lawsuits related to COVID-19. The report released Monday by Florida TaxWatch shows Florida is third nationally in COVID-19 lawsuits, with 490 filed. TaxWatch estimates that as many as a quarter of all small businesses wouldn’t survive without protections. TaxWatch estimates 356,000 fewer jobs and a $28 billion reduction in economic activity without protections. The legislation is expected to pass in the first or second week of the legislative session, which begins March 2.

A new report from Florida TaxWatch says the pandemic-hampered college football season paints a bleak picture for the economy. College football games generate billions for local economies and over $141 million in state and local tax revenue each year in Florida. Baltuch expects anywhere from 10 to 25 fewer college football games to be played in Florida this year due to a shortened season and possible COVID cancellations. Even a 1% drop in leisure and hospitality spending could put more than 5,000 Florida jobs at risk. You look at Florida State boosters.

In 1992, voters approved Save Our Homes, which caps tax increases at 3 percent on homesteads and saves homeowners about $5 billion a year. Voters have also approved approved citizen initiatives that include term limits, stopping workplace smoking, limiting class sizes, drawing legislative districts fairly, conserving water and land, medical marijuana and giving nonviolent felons the right to vote again. But any future amendments could be be stifled by Amendment Four on November’s ballot. The amendment would require voters to approve amendments twice, two years apart, before they become law. “So having it go before the voters twice is saying, are your sure?

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. A government watchdog is crying foul over the states decision to award an estimated $135 million contract to Deloitte, the same firm that built Floridas flawed unemployment system. In its report, Florida TaxWatch called the contract award hard to believe. The Agency for Health Care Administration did not consider how poorly the unemployment portal built by Deloitte worked before awarding the consulting firm a new nine-figure contract. Bob Nave, vice president of research at Florida TaxWatch, a nonprofit government watchdog group, believes the state agency should have taken that information into account. Jonathan Gandal, a managing director for Deloitte, offered this statement on the contract award: Deloitte received the highest score in an open and competitive procurement after an independent committee evaluated all the proposals and determined that we offered the best value to Florida taxpayers from both a technical and financial perspective.

Theres going to be a lot more vetoes, therell be a lot of red, DeSantis told reporters during a late afternoon news conference. But the proposed budget has not been formally delivered to DeSantis, who has line-item veto power. I have no worry about us getting to the elections (after the cuts and other adjustments), DeSantis said. I said Im going to veto some things in my budget, Im not going to veto everything in my budget. I dont think the Legislature should have foreseen, because I think was a very abrupt thing that happened, DeSantis said.

Ron DeSantis believes Florida is better positioned for a recession than it was a decade ago. Having an unemployment rate just a hair over 3 percent is a great problem to have, DeSantis said. We dont want anything bad to happen, but the reality is what it is, DeSantis said. In December 2009, there were an estimated 1.087 million jobless Floridians from a labor force of 9.2 million. Fridays Florida jobless report was released two days after government economists projected the state will take in about $867 million less in revenue over the next two years than anticipated.