Backgrounders
How government actually works — the documents, the processes, and the mechanisms that advocates and activists need to understand. A reference library for anyone who wants to read the record.
What Is a Local Funding Initiative Request — and Why You Should Know
The form that moves money in Tallahassee. What it is, why it matters, and how to find every one ever filed.
What Is Voice Stress Analysis?
The tool law enforcement uses to listen to your voice. What it measures, why sheriffs use it, what its critics say, and what we found when we ran it ourselves.
What Is a PEP Tank — and Why Is It Your Problem?
Half of Palm Coast runs its sewage through a buried tank in the yard. What the system is, where it came from, what happens when the power goes out, and why replacing it is showing up on your utility bill.
The Legislation That Locked the Door
Florida did not abolish home rule in 2025 and 2026. It left the name in place and removed the contents. Two laws, eleven months apart, took the decisions that govern Palm Coast's growth two hundred and fifty miles north.