Writer

Todd Ruffner-Schoenfeld

Editor in chief. A knack for the fine print, and likes it.

Todd Ruffner-Schoenfeld has spent his working life being handed things he did not yet understand. He started at the bottom, a developer in a bullpen, and worked his way up to running IT. The places were a strange assortment: consulting firms, accounting firms, a biotech startup, a tech startup in Silicon Valley and, of all places, Chiquita. Four small businesses of his own along the way. The work never really changed. Get into something unfamiliar, find out what is actually going on, and help someone make a hard decision with it. HeadLines Decoded is that job, pointed at the news.

Selected work

The Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee, its tall central tower flanked by the domed historic capitol building, under a clear blue sky.

Series Parts The Governor Who Dreamed Up Amendment 3 Won’t Campaign for It The governor who dreamed it up won't campaign for it. The sheriffs and firefighters are waving both arms. Here's the… 30 Aug 2026

Aerial view of rows of single-family homes with tile roofs and pools in a Florida residential neighborhood

Politics The Whole Story on Florida Amendment 3, From the Ballot Fight to Your Bill Florida's Amendment 3 rewrites your property tax bill, and the mailer leaves out most of the machinery. We took it… 29 Aug 2026

The weathered hands of an older person holding a warm Florida coffee mug while seated on the porch of a modest home.

Series Parts Amendment 3 Is Sold to Seniors Florida Already Protects Twice The face on the mailer is a retiree, and for the cash-poor senior the case is real. But the break… 29 Aug 2026

Black-and-white studio portrait of a young Dolly Parton, smiling.

Culture A Hero of Mine Died on Tuesday Dolly Parton was 80, and I have been sitting with it, because she was my hero and a hero to… 28 Aug 2026

A property tax notice, a calculator, reading glasses, a pen, and a cup of coffee on a wooden kitchen table in warm morning light.

Series Parts I Ran Amendment 3 Through My Own House and the Cut Shrank The billions are abstract. One house isn't. Here's the gross cut, the net cut, and the part of my bill… 28 Aug 2026

A Florida county government administration building with the United States and Florida flags flying out front on a clear day.

Series Parts Amendment 3 Cuts Your Bill and Hands Your County the Tab The tax cut is real, and the hole it leaves widens every year on its own. Here's who ends up… 27 Aug 2026

A modest single-story Central Florida home at golden hour with palm trees, a tidy lawn, and a small American flag by the front door.

Series Parts A Judge Threw Out Florida’s Ballot Name for Amendment 3 A judge threw out the first version of what you'll be voting on. Here's the real machinery underneath the slogan,… 26 Aug 2026

A homeowner sits at a kitchen table reviewing a printed home-improvement contract and quote with a pen, calculator and reading glasses, checking the line items before signing

Lifestyle The Hard Sell on Whole-House Generators: What Gets Left Out of the First Quote Hurricane season brings urgency, and some sales pitches bring more. Electrical, gas, and HOA requirements can turn a quoted price… 24 Aug 2026

A Florida home with rooftop solar panels and a wall-mounted home battery unit in the open garage

Series Parts How to Decide What You Actually Need: Sizing, Hybrids With Solar and Batteries, and a Practical Framework for Florida Homes The right answer depends on your critical loads, how long you can tolerate an outage, whether someone can manage a… 23 Aug 2026

A person wears translucent brown smart glasses with a small camera lens set into the frame near the hinge.

Tech Samsung’s AI Glasses Take Aim at Meta. What They Deliver, and What Samsung Isn’t Saying Yet. Samsung and Google previewed camera-and-Gemini glasses built to challenge Meta. The specs are strong and the frames look the part,… 23 Aug 2026