Jonathan Martin

TALLAHASSEE—The Florida Legislature sent Gov. Ron DeSantis a severe new bill on Wednesday allowing Florida prosecutors to sentence human traffickers to death if they've exploited a young child or someone with mental disabilities. DeSantis already pledged at a press conference last week to sign the bill, SB 1804, into law. The measure, which takes effect […]

Gov. Ron DeSantis has just six days left to sign a controversial new bill allowing Florida to use more—or create new—execution methods for the state's worst offenders. If he doesn't, the bill will die on May 26, exactly one week after the legislature sent him HB 903. Sponsored by Republicans Rep. Berny Jacques and Sen. […]

TALLAHASSEE—Serial killer Glen Rogers, set to die next week, is claiming that Florida can't execute him using the state's default method, lethal injection, because his rare blood disorder would cause "needless pain and suffering." But that's not the state's only option. The Florida Legislature passed a sweeping bill last week allowing death row inmates to […]

House Greenlights E-Verify Expansion Despite Senate Silence Despite silence from the Florida Senate, the state House approved a bill on Wednesday requiring all private businesses to check their employees' immigration status using a federal database...READ MORE   FL Rep. Lindsay Cross: "Yesterday, I stood with FSU students as they shared their harrowing experience during the mass […]

A Senate bill that would allow workers to be paid less than the minimum wage appears to have stalled in its latest committee hearing. Sen. Jonathan Martin (R-Fort Myers) temporarily postponed the bill (SB 676) in the Senate Rules Committee on Monday. Martin said he was doing so to keep the bill "alive." SB 676 […]

Congressman Byron Donalds has already collected a significant number of state endorsements in his bid to become the 47th governor of Florida next November. The backing could be a sign that the Florida GOP is coalescing behind Congressman Donalds as the gubernatorial pick. He was also endorsed by President Donald Trump before he made his […]

The Florida House unanimously passed a bill 112-0 on Wednesday that would increase boating safety in the state in honor of 17-year-old Lucy Fernandez, who tragically died after a 2022 boat crash during Labor Day Weekend on Biscayne Bay "Lucy's Law" was filed by Reps. Vicki Lopez (R-Miami) and Vanessa Oliver (R-Punta Gorda). "House Bill 289 […]

TALLAHASSEE—Sponsors of a bipartisan bill requiring warning labels on Florida food and beverages containing synthetic dyes defended their measure on Thursday against critics claiming it would create a "nanny state" harmful to small businesses. While the bill, which boasts 10 co-sponsors in the state House, aligns with new Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. […]

The Senate Committee on Criminal Justice unanimously favored a bill 9-0 on Tuesday that would repeal a Florida Statute on the restriction of firearm or ammunition purchases during a declared state of emergency. Sen. Blaise Ingoglia (R-Spring Hill) detailed his bill (SB 952) to the committee, which would repeal Statute 870.044. Reps. Monique Miller (R-Palm […]

During a press conference at the State Capitol in Tallahassee, State Representative Ryan Chamberlin (R-FL) announced what he believes to be the beginning of the end of property taxes in Florida. In 2024, State Rep. Chamberlin sought to find out the necessary steps needed to replace property by filing a bill funding a study on […]

Supreme Court Rejects Trump's Request to Freeze $2 Billion USAID Payments The US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) recently ruled against President Donald Trump’s request to freeze $2 billion of USAID payments. President Trump had asked SCOTUS to reaffirm the US’s freezing...READ MORE   FL Sen. Jay Trumbull: "Let me be clear: I support law enforcement and their mission to keep our waters safe. But Floridians should not […]

Sen. Jonathan Martin (R-Fort Myers) recently filed a bill to tackle human sex trafficking in the state by imposing stricter penalties, particularly against those involving children and those with mental deficiencies. Under Jonathan Martin's bill, SB 1804, an individual who knowingly engages in human trafficking by use of physical force on a child less than […]

Nearly two decades before becoming President Donald Trump's Secretary of State, then-Speaker of the Florida House Marco Rubio laid the groundwork for Gov. Ron DeSantis' newest goal—eliminating property taxes—in 2007. Though Rubio, a rising star in Florida politics, failed to get his plan across the finish line, he helped pave the way for a 2008 […]

A Florida lawmaker filed legislation that would order a study on eliminating property taxes in the state. Sen. Jonathan Martin (R-Fort Myers) championed SB 852 on Tuesday. Under SB 852, the Office of Economic and Demographic Research “shall conduct a study to establish a framework to eliminate property taxes." The bill further calls to “replace […]

A recently filed Florida bill would seek to reform Florida's minimum wage system, which includes ways for alternative means of compensation. The bill was originally filed by Ryan Chamberlain (R-Ocala) in the House. An identical bill was filed the next day by Sen. Jonathan Martin (R-Fort Myers) in the Senate. “The minimum wage in Florida […]

Florida Republican Files Bill Criminalizing AI Gun-Detection Software in Public Spaces Florida Senator Blaise Ingoglia, a top ally to the governor, filed a new bill Monday criminally punishing Floridians who use artificial intelligence systems to detect firearms in most public areas...READ MORE   FL Rep. Joel Rudman: "Want to end Hamas? Take out the Mullahs in […]

Following in California's anti-chemical footsteps, a new Florida bill filed Monday would ban restaurants from selling food containing certain dyes or harmful substances. All nine additives Republican Sen. Jonathan Martin listed as forbidden in his new bill, SB 560, are banned in some or all of the European Union. The only two fully outlawed by […]

TALLAHASSEE—Florida Republican lawmakers revolted against Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday, adjourning his special session just 15 minutes after it began and, in a stunning move, starting their own surprise session. The unusual GOP mutiny is the first of its kind under DeSantis, once heralded by some as the next potential U.S. President. The governor had […]