Top of Mind Florida

Joe Abruzzo: Florida Property Tax Cut Could Be 'Catastrophic'

Palm Beach County Administrator Joe Abruzzo joins Michael Williams and Brian Crowley to explain why November's property tax vote could mean a quarter-billion-dollar hit to county services. They cover what's actually exempt (and what isn't), the risk to small cities like Belle Glade, and Abruzzo's ongoing dispute with the state CFO over "wasteful spending" claims. And every one of Florida's 67 counties could be looking at harsh new realities. It is up to Florida voters to decide.

AI and You: A Computer Guru Says Pay Attention | Alan Crowetz

Cybersecurity expert Alan Crowetz joins hosts and veteran journalists Michael Williams and Brian Crowley to make sense of an AI landscape moving, in his words, exponentially rather than linearly. The episode opens with a sobering case study — a Florida political news site with convincing bylines and bios that turned out to be entirely AI-generated and stealing copy from real outlets — before turning to deepfake political ads, AI-drafted court filings, and Pope Leo XIV's recent encyclical comparing AI to the Tower of Babel. Crowetz, who first spoke with Williams on this topic four years ago, weighs the case for AI optimism against real risks: job displacement, a cognitive offloading study showing AI reliance may dull critical thinking, and the widening generational gap between regulators and the technology they're meant to govern. He closes with a forecast for where AI takes us in five to eight years and practical advice for parents and students navigating it now. Top of Mind Florida--Produced by Ko-Mar 🎙️ New episodes every Tuesday at 5 AM on all major audio podcast platforms. 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/top-of-mind-florida/id1818339119 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/top-of-mind-florida/id1818339119] 📡 RSS Feed: https://rss.com/podcasts/top-of-mind-florida/ [https://rss.com/podcasts/top-of-mind-florida/]

Palm Beach County | Sun, Surf and Secrets with Amy Woods

Palm Beach County | Sun, Surf and Secrets — Michael Williams and Brian Crowley step away from politics this week to talk sun, surf, and secrets with Amy Woods, author of "Secret Palm Beach: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure." From the real origin of the Lily Pulitzer print to a Cold War-era bunker buried on Peanut Island, Woods digs up the Palm Beach County stories nobody knows — including the Al Capone hideout that became part of Burt Reynolds' ranch, JFK's secret milkshake runs, and the Salvador Dali portrait that's now on exhibit at the Dali Museum. 🎙️ New episodes every Tuesday at 5 AM on all major audio podcast platforms. 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/top-of-mind-florida/id1818339119 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/top-of-mind-florida/id1818339119] 📡 RSS Feed: https://rss.com/podcasts/top-of-mind-florida/ [https://rss.com/podcasts/top-of-mind-florida/]

DeSantis, Donalds and Democrats | Florida's Road to November

EDITOR'S NOTE: Since this episode was recorded, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings has suspended his campaign for governor following a prostate cancer diagnosis. DeSantis, Donalds and Democrats | Florida's Road to November — Florida's 2026 political season is wide open, and veteran broadcast journalist Michael Williams and Florida political analyst Brian Crowley break down everything moving right now. Debbie Wasserman Schultz draws fire for running in a majority-Black district reshaped by DeSantis redistricting. Byron Donalds leads the governor's race with $80 million and Trump's endorsement while David Jolly searches for a foothold with no-party voters. Paul Renner attacks Donalds and may be damaging himself more than his target. Jay Collins can't get his own governor to endorse him. And outgoing House Speaker Danny Perez earns rare praise for standing up to Ron DeSantis. August 18 primary. July 1 budget deadline. The road to November starts now. 🎙️ New episodes every Tuesday at 5 AM on all major audio podcast platforms.🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/top-of-mind-florida/id1818339119📡 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/top-of-mind-florida/id1818339119📡] RSS Feed: https://rss.com/podcasts/top-of-mind-florida/ [https://rss.com/podcasts/top-of-mind-florida/]

Victoria Doyle on Challenging Lois Frankel, Universal Health Care, Israel Policy, Citizens United

Democratic challenger Victoria Doyle joins veteran journalists Michael Williams and Brian Crowley to make her case for unseating incumbent Congresswoman Lois Frankel in Palm Beach County. Doyle, a retired federal intellectual property attorney living in Lake Worth Beach, argues Frankel has been largely passive and ineffective — passing just five laws in nearly 14 years in office. Doyle outlines her platform: universal health care through single-payer reform, suspending foreign aid to Israel under the Leahy Law, scrapping the Social Security payroll tax cap, a $25 minimum wage, and a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. Williams and Crowley push back hard on funding mechanisms, bipartisan math, and the real obstacles facing a progressive challenger in a redrawn district that could shift from CD-22 to CD-23 under Florida's new redistricting map.