Florida Lawmakers

Gigapower – the joint venture between AT&T and BlackRock – has announced that it is expanding its “state-of-the-art” fiber network to Okaloosa County, Crestview, and Fort Walton Beach, Florida. AT&T announced a similar expansion in August of 2022 as it moved into Mesa, Arizona. The company’s venture with BlackRock, the infrastructure giant that ushers in […]

TALLAHASSEE, FL—Governor Ron DeSantis signed a Republican-led, watered-down bill loosening child labor laws on Friday afternoon, leading to questions of why the Legislature's conservative supermajority would be willing to remove the bill's teeth. "If you look at what was originally filed, and then compare it to what eventually passed, I think that's a really interesting story […]

TALLAHASSEE, FL—Governor Ron DeSantis has awarded $9.5 million toward restoring the struggling third largest barrier reef system in the world—Florida's own coral reefs. Through Florida's Coral Reef Restoration and Recovery Initiative, DeSantis has granted $9.5 million to safeguard Florida's Coral Reef, which is the third-largest barrier reef system behind Australia's Great Barrier Reef and the […]

TALLAHASSEE, FL—An education priority of Senate President Kathleen Passidomo has gone mostly unnoticed in the state's budget, providing funding to afterschool programs allowing children to earn money for learned skills, and then donate the money to a charity of their choice. "It's special for the Senate President," Katie Betta, Passidomo's Communications Director, told The Floridian. "It's […]

During the last House session for the month, House Republicans overwhelmingly voted in favor of repealing a portion of the Clean Air Act, creating the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The final vote was 209 in favor of passing the repeal, with 204 opposed, making it a narrow victory for Republicans as the bill passed along […]

TALLAHASSEE, FL—The Sunshine State announced an economic milestone Friday morning, highlighting that Florida's unemployment rate has been lower than the national rate for 40 consecutive months, though staffing shortages still remain. “Florida continues to outperform the nation,” Governor Ron DeSantis said.“We have proven that bold, conservative leadership across the board produces booming economic results—more jobs, […]

TALLAHASSEE, FL—Chairwoman of the Democratic Party Nikki Fried torched Governor Ron DeSantis' praise of Florida's low unemployment rate, urging the Governor to not "take credit" for the achievement and to refocus on lowering inflation-spiked costs. "Instead of trying to take credit for our country’s low unemployment, the Governor should focus on finding long-term solutions to […]

TALLAHASSEE, FL—Friday morning Governor Ron DeSantis nominated his long-time aide and Budget Director to become the next Executive Director of the State Board of Administration, which oversees Florida's struggling pension plans. Chris Spencer, the Director of Policy and Budget for the Governor, will go before the State Board of Administration's (SBA) trustees—Attorney General Ashley Moody, […]

Representative Vern Buchanan (R-FL) – the Chairman of the Health Subcommittee – led a letter with 19 other congressmen to address the cyberattack against Change Healthcare. Attacks such as these can be incredibly serious as researchers at the University of Minnesota revealed that there’s a nearly 21 percent increase in mortality for patients in a ransomware-attacked hospital. […]

Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL) blamed Republicans for “ripping into your wallets” as they allegedly do not support standards for energy-efficient appliances, standards that she supports. During a committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Rep. Castor argued that energy-efficient appliances have been “widely popular.” Once again, the @HouseGOP is ripping into your wallets. My neighbors want lower […]

TALLAHASSEE, FL—The Florida Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Seminole Gaming Compact Thursday morning, allowing the Seminole Tribe to continue online sports betting. “This is a major victory for the people of the State of Florida, who can count on billions of dollars over the coming years to fund important state needs,” Seminole Tribe […]

TALLAHASSEE, FL—Governor Ron DeSantis has just received the controversial bill banning some minors on social media platforms, indicating its signage into law may be imminent. After DeSantis vetoed a previous form of the bill that called for a blanket ban on kids under 16 using social media platforms—regardless of parental wishes—the Legislature quickly drafted new language […]

BONITA SPRINGS, FL—Thursday afternoon Governor Ron DeSantis signed a series of healthcare-oriented bills as part of Florida's "Live Healthy" package, designed to broaden healthcare access and increase Florida's dwindling medical workforce. Live Healthy, an initiative comprised of two Republican-led bills, was spearheaded by Senate President Kathleen Passidomo through and out of the Legislature. "We are […]

SANFORD, FL—A Florida-chartered plane holding 14 U.S. citizens is set to return tonight from the collapsing and gang-ridden Haiti, Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters Wednesday afternoon. "A plane carrying passengers has left Haitian airspace and is on the way here to Sanford Airport. This will be the first of probably many flights to bring [back] […]

MIAMI BEACH, FL—After Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters he didn't anticipate campaigning for former President Donald Trump leading up to the 2024 election, the Trump team has fired back, swiping at the Governor's failed presidential bid. "Ron really shouldn't flatter himself by assuming we'd want him on the campaign trail," Trump's campaign spokesman, Steven […]

TALLAHASSEE, FL—The Florida Attorney General announced criminal charges would be filed against the leader of an organized theft ring for stealing almost half a million dollars in heavy equipment from Home Depot. Jereome Downing's scheme resulted in more than $460,000 in losses to Home Depot, and additional thousands of dollars in losses to civilians purchasing […]

Florida Democratic Party (FDP) Chair Nikki Fried held a press conference following yesterday’s election results throughout the state of Florida. Fried reported that it was a big win for Democrats in the Sunshine State and a bad night for former President Donald Trump (R) and Republicans alike. “So, what we saw last night: Donald Trump […]

MIAMI BEACH, FL—At a Wednesday morning press conference, Florida Governor DeSantis responded to Republicans overtaking local elections, telling reporters Democrats nixed their Primary because they feared Biden would be embarrassed. On Tuesday, Republicans went to the polls to vote in the Presidential Primary, despite Donald Trump already having won the party's nomination. Democrats, however, opted […]