The FMNN Weekly: Amendment 3, Moody's record, Russia and the St. Pete mayor's race

FMNN Weekly

Oct 18

Every story we published this week, in one place. Information current as of Oct. 18, 2026.

TAMPA BAY — Early voting starts Monday, Oct. 19, in most Tampa Bay counties. The deadline to request a mail ballot is 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Find your county's sites and ballot in our Tampa Bay Voter Guide. Here is what we reported this week.

Florida accountability

Amendment 3: The homestead tax amendment would pull an estimated $11.86 billion a year from local budgets with no replacement plan. In Hillsborough alone it is $366.9 million a year. Read the deep dive.
Ashley Moody's record: Before you pick a senator, a sourced look at what Moody did as attorney general and in Washington, from the 2024 amendment fights to her health care votes. Her office did not answer our questions. Read the report.

Breaking news

Starlink throttled: Ukraine says its military Starlink was cut back overnight, grounding drone missions. Musk says the limits are ultimately the president's call. Full story.
Rep. Ilhan Omar: The Wall Street Journal reports the administration is building a case to strip her citizenship and deport her, over an allegation Biden-era investigators dropped. Full story.
"Kash Patel's FBI": The FBI posted, then deleted, a campaign-style video attacking a Senate candidate during early voting. We checked every claim and the law it ran into. Full story.
Talarico: An Ohio hospital says Texas Senate nominee James Talarico was never treated there, hours after a disputed recording spread online. Full story.

Fact check

A viral post claims Trump's side has "already done" every step needed to overturn the midterms. We checked each one. About half hold up; the most dramatic do not. Read the fact check.

Opinion: Betrayal, The Plan All Along

Our four-part opinion and analysis series traces Donald Trump's 40-year record with Russia, from his first Moscow trip to this month's sanctions waivers, and lays out the case for removal.

Part 1: The Courtship
Part 2: The Payoff
Part 3: Power at Any Cost
Part 4: The Return on Investment

The St. Pete mayor's race

Mayor Ken Welch faces former Gov. Charlie Crist in the citywide runoff. Our straight-news Spotlights: Ken Welch and Charlie Crist. We have added Welch to our endorsements, which are opinion and kept separate from our news reporting.

Updates

Our Spotlight on Sydney Gruters now notes that her campaign did not respond to our request for comment. Catch the day's headlines in Yesterday's Recap.

Coming Monday morning

9:35 a.m.: What's left of the Hope Florida money trail after a court erased the grand jury report.
9:50 a.m.: How Russian oligarch money helped build Curaleaf, now Florida's 77-store marijuana chain.
10:15 a.m.: Opinion: Moody vs. Nixon, side by side.

Disclosure: FMNN has endorsed Angie Nixon, Mark Davis, Ken Welch and Dr. Linsey Grove in opinion pieces. FMNN's founder, Joseph J. Jackson, is friends with Mark Davis, and Davis's campaign has paid Eat This Dessert First, a bakery Jackson owns, to cater events. FMNN sells merchandise referencing Donald Trump. Our reporting follows the record regardless.

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Joseph Jackson