State & Local
Along with up-to-date political coverage, The Floridian takes the opportunity to post about issues, legislation, and lawmakers in local municipalities and at the state level
TALLAHASSEE, FL—A bill banning local governments from providing community IDs to illegal immigrants passed its final committee stop Wednesday afternoon, though not before facing claims of "inhumanity". SB 1174 builds on a sweeping immigration package passed last session. One of the provisions prevented local governments from providing money to nonprofits so they could create community […]
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson (R-FL) provided his thoughts concerning kratom, the herbal substance growing in popularity around the country. The substance is used over the counter to combat withdrawal symptoms. The drug is said to produce “opioid and stimulant-like effects” according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, however. It is more often […]
Americans are gearing up for a presidential election rematch between President Joe Biden (D) and former President Donald Trump (R). President Biden's corner is getting ready to run what may be the most expensive campaign ever. The President is currently in California right now, where he is campaigning to raise money. The DNC publicly stated […]
With her stint as the leader of the upper chamber in Florida’s state government dwindling in the sunset, State Senate President Kathleen Passidomo’s (R-FL) legacy affordable housing legislation could be in danger. SB 102 – the “Live Local Act” – Introduced by State Senator Alexis Calatayud (R-FL), allegedly has a glaring loophole that counties and […]
Florida lawmakers are celebrating the passage of a bipartisan resolution condemning Hamas’ use of sexual violence in its war against Israel. Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Lois Frankel (D-FL) introduced the resolution condemning Hamas' horrific practices last January. Since then, the resolution gained 200 total co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle. “The U.S. Congress […]
A resolution seeking to amend the US Constitution to grant the President line item veto power when approving bills is progressing through the Florida legislature. The resolution was recently introduced and approved by the Florida Senate’s Fiscal Policy committee. ‘Line-item’ veto power refers to an executive’s ability to approve or reject certain portions of a […]
Representative Brian Mast (R-FL) sent out a press release on Friday demanding answers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) after it announced it will begin discharges to the St. Lucie Estuary. The USACE Jacksonville District announced Friday that it would discharge 1,800 cubic feet per second from Lake Okeechobee to the St. Lucie […]
It's all About Immigration. Still. In the wake of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' impeachment by the U.S. House of Representatives, Florida hit hard on the topic of immigration this week, taking steps to demand action at the border. The sixth week of the nine-week Legislative session is over, and lawmakers are scrambling to pass […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—Abortion rights advocates are up in arms over new bill language establishing an "unborn child" as a person at conception. If passed, this language could negatively impact Democrats' efforts to get abortion on the ballot in November. Republican Sen. Erin Grall, who sponsored Florida's six-week abortion ban last session, amended SB 476 this week […]
The Republican Party of Florida. (RPOF) is getting revved up for primary season and is now distributing sample ballots for Republican voters to fill out, with hot-button issues up for debate. In a press release, the Florida GOP stated, "Now is the time to show support for your top contender by completing the RNC’s Presidential […]
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it had successfully seized a Venezuelan Boeing 747 originally owned by Iran and subsequently sold to the former. The plane was sold by Mahan Air, an Iranian airline with links to Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), to Transporte Aéreocargo del Sur, S.A. (EMTRASUR), a Venezuelan cargo airline. According to […]
In an effort to boost more law and order in the state, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis came out supporting legislation to “protect Floridians from retail theft and porch pirates.” The proposed legislation would crack down on porch privacy, a type of theft where an individual will take packages left outside doors by couriers, often valuable […]
The US Senate has unanimously agreed to pass Senator Rick Scott’s (R-FL) resolution honoring the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018. The resolution comes on the eve of the shooting and honors “the memories of the victims of the senseless attack.” Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) cosponsored the resolution. The […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—A new bill seeks to provide resources and housing for pregnant homeless women in Florida. Through a new grant program within the Department of Children and Families, the measure hopes to temper the state's homeless crisis. SB 1442's grant program would provide housing and resources to homeless pregnant women for up to eight months. […]
A $95 billion foreign aid package containing aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan surmounted a key procedural vote on Superbowl Sunday. The spending bill had been procedurally frozen by a cohort of conservatives, but eventually passed by a vote count of 67-27. Last week, a border security deal failed to pass the Senate as conservatives […]
The state of Florida has often claimed political and legislative victories over other major states such as New York and California. However, Floridians are becoming increasingly concerned about affordable housing throughout the state. In a recent public opinion poll by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy between December 16 through December 20 of last year on Florida's […]
The 2024 Legislative Session is now almost halfway completed, closing out the fifth week of the 9-week period. Tempers are wearing thin as we draw closer to the end, with a Republican expressing his "disgust" over Democrats storming out of a bill hearing. Other controversial issues this week included abortion rights, "identity politics" in the […]
Over the past several years, Democrats have watched the state of Florida slip away from a competitive swing state, to a blood-red conservative state. Now, Democrats are changing up their political strategy by banking on Taylor Swift to help them perform well in Florida the next election cycle. The pop singer has made a resurgence […]
