TALLAHASSEE — Midway through the 2023 legislative session, Republican lawmakers Tuesday began advancing Gov. Ron DeSantis's sweeping elections package that would impose further restrictions on voter registration groups, create a new crime for harassing elections workers and relax campaign-finance reporting rules. The Republican-controlled Senate Ethics and Elections Committee signed off on the measure (SPB 7050) […]
TALLAHASSEE — A key Senate committee Wednesday supported eliminating a requirement for unanimous jury recommendations before death penalty sentences can be imposed, but it backed giving judges discretion in making the ultimate decisions. The Senate Rules Committee voted 15-4 to approve a bill (SB 450) that would allow death sentences to be imposed based on […]
TALLAHASSEE --- Local governments would be blocked from removing historic monuments from public locations and could face lawsuits, under a controversial proposal that started to advance Wednesday in the Florida Senate. In a 5-3 party line vote, the Republican-controlled Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee approved a bill (SB 1096) designed to stem efforts that have […]
TALLAHASSEE --- Arguing that the case is “moot” because of a bill passed during a special legislative session, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed after the state flew about 50 migrants from Texas to Massachusetts in September. Attorneys for DeSantis and the Florida Department of Transportation filed a […]
TALLAHASSEE --- Florida lawmakers will start a special legislative session Monday that is expected to lead to state control over the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which Gov. Ron DeSantis targeted last year after the Walt Disney Co. criticized a controversial education law. House and Senate leaders Friday announced plans for the special session, which also […]
A Florida statewide grand jury is urging lawmakers to curb the releases of undocumented immigrants from county jails. A presentment released Friday alleged that a law has been “intentionally and flagrantly abused,” resulting in the release of inmates who had been held in county jails under detainers issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “The […]
TALLAHASSEE — Leading chants of “Black history is American history,” prominent civil-rights attorney Ben Crump on Wednesday threatened to sue Gov. Ron DeSantis over the state’s rejection of an African American studies course. “The question really is this, brothers and sisters. Are we going to let Gov. DeSantis, or anybody, exterminate Black history from the […]
Two Republican lawmakers filed proposals this week that would allow physicians to use telehealth to recertify medical-marijuana patients. Sen. Jason Brodeur, R-Sanford, and Rep. Spencer Roach, R-North Fort Myers, filed the proposals (SB 344 and HB 387) for consideration during the legislative session that will start March 7. Patients are required to receive in-person physical […]
TALLAHASSEE --- Florida’s unemployment rate dipped to 2.5 percent in December as businesses continue to struggle to fill positions. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity released a report Friday that showed the December rate down from 2.6 percent in November and from 3.5 percent in December 2021. About 271,000 Floridians qualified as unemployed last month […]
Penalties for drivers who refuse to take breath-alcohol tests would be increased under a bill filed Thursday by a House Republican. People who refuse to take the tests currently can have their driver’s licenses suspended for a year. They can face 18-month suspensions if they have previously had their licenses suspended or have been fined […]
Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson on Tuesday announced a proposal that takes aim at credit-card companies separately categorizing sales at gun shops. During an appearance at Lawmen’s & Shooters’ Supply in Titusville, Simpson said the proposal is intended to prohibit financial institutions from collecting and monitoring information on Floridians’ firearm and ammunition purchases. “Credit card companies […]
The U.S. Supreme Court is slated Jan. 6 to discuss whether to take up a high-profile case about a 2021 Florida law that placed restrictions on major social-media companies such as Facebook and Twitter. A court docket said justices are expected to consider the case during a behind-the-scenes conference. The Supreme Court receives thousands of […]
TALLAHASSEE --- Citing a potential infringement of free-speech rights and other constitutional liberties, dozens of people gathered to challenge a rule proposed by Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration that would restrict the way protests can be conducted in Florida’s Capitol Complex. The state Department of Management Service's proposal, in part, seeks to prohibit actions or displays […]
In one of a series of similar cases, a Broward County abortion clinic is fighting a $56,000 state fine stemming from allegations that it did not properly comply with a law requiring 24-hour waiting periods before abortions can be performed. East Cypress Women’s Center, Inc. is challenging the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration at […]
TALLAHASSEE — Badly outnumbered Democrats in the Florida Senate put a focus Monday on gun-related issues as Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book was formally designated to continue heading the caucus going into the 2023 legislative session. Book became leader in 2021 after Senate Democrats cast a vote of no confidence on then-Minority Leader Gary Farmer, […]
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and other plaintiffs will appeal the dismissal of a lawsuit challenging federal prohibitions on medical-marijuana patients buying and possessing guns, according to a court notice filed Wednesday. Fried filed the lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice this year. Plaintiffs include medical-marijuana patients and a gun owner, who allege that […]
Floridians are still responding to the damages caused by Hurricane Ian. The Florida state government has proved successful in a speedy recovery, and now massive gains are being seen in the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Medical examiners had confirmed 122 deaths from Hurricane Ian as of Friday, up from 114 a week earlier, according […]
Without about 1.94 million ballots cast in the Nov. 8 election, registered Democrats and Democrats were almost evenly divided as of Thursday morning. Registered Democrats had cast 786,425 ballots by mail or at early voting sites, while Republicans had cast 784,653, according to data posted on the state Division of Elections website. Democrats held an […]