By Kelly M. DeCarlucci, REALTOR® · November 2, 2026

Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 3, Floridians head to the polls. Before you go, I'd like to take you back a couple of centuries, because the story of taxes in America is really a story about your vote.

By Kelly M. DeCarlucci, REALTOR® · October 30, 2026

The first question almost every seller asks me is, "What is my house worth?" The honest answer is: it is worth what a ready, willing and able buyer will pay for it this season. My job is to find that number before the market does.

Why the Online Number Is Only a Starting Point

Online estimates use public records and a formula. They do not know you replaced the roof, that your backyard faces the lake, or that the home down the street sold low because it needed everything. In Tampa, where two homes a few blocks apart can be very different, those details matter.

The Five Things That Move Your Number Most

1. Recent sales nearby. Homes like yours that have closed in the last few months are the strongest evidence a buyer's lender and appraiser will use.
2. Your competition today. Active and pending listings show what buyers are choosing between right now.
3. Condition and updates. Roof, air conditioning, windows, kitchen and baths carry real weight with Florida buyers.
4. Location within the neighborhood. Water, view, lot size, traffic and school zone.
5. Monthly cost for the buyer. Property taxes, insurance and HOA or CDD fees all shape what a buyer can afford to pay.

Price It Right From the Start

A home priced right from day one draws the most attention in its first few weeks, when buyers and agents are watching for new listings. A home that starts too high often sits, and then sells for less after price cuts. Pricing well is not about leaving money on the table. It is about creating the strongest position to negotiate from.

Your Home: a place you would be willing to waste your time.

Land of the Free, Because of the Brave

★ ELECTION DAY · TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2026 ★

By Kelly M. DeCarlucci, REALTOR® · October 29, 2026

Let me be very clear right up front: I am not telling you who to vote for. That's your business, and it's sacred. What I am telling you, with my whole heart, is that it matters that you vote.

🇺🇸 Polls close at 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3.

From 1776 to Today: The Price of Our Vote

Think about the summer of 1776, when fifty-six men put their names on a piece of parchment knowing it could cost them everything. They signed it for people they would never meet. They signed it for us:

"…we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."
The Declaration of Independence, 1776

Then came the soldiers who made those words real. The frozen winter at Valley Forge. The War of 1812, when our flag was still there over Fort McHenry. The Civil War. The Spanish-American War. World War I, in the trenches of France. World War II, from the beaches of Normandy to Iwo Jima. Korea. Vietnam. The Gulf War. Afghanistan and Iraq. And the men and women serving right now, today, around the world.

Generation after generation, Americans have stepped forward so the rest of us could live free. Free to speak our minds. Free to worship. Free to buy a home, raise our families and build a life on our own terms. And free to walk into a polling place and have our say.

Some days life here feels ordinary. Traffic on I-4, bills on the counter, the same old routine. Maybe even a little doldrum. But ordinary in America is still better than anywhere else in the world. Because here, you get to have an opinion, and you get a say-so. Voting isn't a chore. It's a privilege, and it was paid for by the people who served.

Part of Something Bigger

I'm a second-generation American on both sides of my family. From the time my family made this country their home, the men in our family answered the call to serve it. They were part of something much bigger than any one family: generations of Americans who stepped forward so the rest of us could live free, vote and have a say.

Veterans Day is November 11th, just eight days after the election. I can't think of a better way to honor our veterans than to use the freedom they protected.

Get Involved. Be Part of the Change.

Voting is the beginning, not the end. The decisions that touch our lives most, like schools, roads, property taxes and insurance, are made closest to home. Learn who represents you, read your sample ballot and show up to a local meeting. When you get involved and understand it, you become part of the change.

I Voted, and I Confirmed It Was Counted

I voted by mail this year, and I didn't just hope for the best. I tracked it, and the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections confirmed: "Your Vote By Mail ballot for the 2026 General Election has been counted." Don't assume. Confirm.

What You Need to Know

Find your elections office

• Hillsborough: VoteHillsborough.gov · 813-744-5900 · Main office: Fred B. Karl County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., 16th Floor, Tampa (plus offices in Tampa, Riverview and Ruskin)
• Pinellas: VotePinellas.gov
• Pasco: PascoVotes.gov
• Anywhere in Florida: Florida Division of Elections

Rules and locations can change, so double-check with your county before you go.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Most Important: Get Out and Vote

• Vote. Early, by mail or on Election Day. No time? Early voting is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., including this weekend.
• Double-check your vote. If you voted by mail, confirm it was received and counted.
• Follow what you know. Do your homework, then trust yourself. Don't be swayed by anybody else's opinion but your own.

"Your vote. Your voice. Your decision."

This post is nonpartisan and is not an endorsement of any candidate, party or ballot measure. Election information verified Oct. 29, 2026 with the Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco Supervisors of Elections and other official sources. Always confirm details with your county Supervisor of Elections. Banner photo: Ray_Shrewsberry via Pixabay.

When people talk about downtown Tampa's growth, the conversation often begins with new buildings. But a neighborhood becomes truly useful through the everyday places between those buildings: the shop you can walk into, the fitness studio down the street, the cafe where you meet a friend.

That is why the latest announcement from Water Street Tampa caught my attention. On October 27, developer Strategic Property Partners announced three planned additions: Sirena City Haus Boutique, Ayu Bottega and a [solidcore] fitness studio.

As a Tampa native, I have watched our downtown become a place where people increasingly want to live, walk, dine and spend time, not simply commute to work. One of the most practical changes under consideration is also one of the simplest to explain: making the Tampa Riverwalk easier to follow without crossing a busy street.

On October 21, Hillsborough County commissioners approved up to $200,000 for preliminary engineering design of a proposed Riverwalk connection beneath the Cass Street Bridge. The City of Tampa has committed another $200,000 toward the effort, according to WUSF.

I am honored to share my Florida Realtors® committee assignments for 2027.

As I continue serving as a Florida Realtors® Director, I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in committees and working groups that address issues affecting Florida property owners, buyers, sellers, real estate professionals and the communities we serve.

Everglades National Park cypress grove. Photo: National Park Service, public domain.

Some songs entertain us. Others tell us where we came from.

On October 27, 2026, Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 26-222 establishing John Anderson's "Seminole Wind" as Florida's Anthem. The order also directs the Florida Department of State to recognize Anderson's contribution to Florida heritage with historic markers in his hometown of Apopka and directs environmental officials to work toward naming the wildlife drive and trail system at Lake Apopka North Shore in his honor.

Florida voters will see three proposed constitutional amendments on the November 3, 2026 ballot, and all three have a connection to property, taxation, or the way Florida manages taxpayer dollars.

As a REALTOR®, a Florida property owner and someone who has spent years involved with our state and local REALTOR® associations, I believe part of my job is education. I don't believe in telling people how to vote. I do believe in understanding what is actually on the ballot before we make that decision.

And these amendments deserve more than a quick glance in the voting booth.

North River Ranch is one of the largest master-planned new-construction communities in Parrish, Florida, and an important part of the growth taking place in ZIP code 34219. Buyers can compare single-family homes, townhomes and villas from multiple builders while also considering neighborhood location, amenities, fees and the long-term development plan.