By Liv Caputo, Florida Phoenix Undocumented immigrants in Florida won’t be able to attend public universities if a sweeping new education bill passes the state Legislature. The 32-page SB 1052, filed Monday by Vero Beach Republican Sen. Erin Grall, instructs public colleges and universities to exclusively admit students who are “citizen[s] of the United States” […]
By Jim Saunders, News Service of Florida Florida lawmakers next week will start the 2026 legislative session. With hundreds of bills filed for consideration during the session, here are 10 issues to watch: — ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Gov. Ron DeSantis has made a priority of creating what he has dubbed an “Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights.” […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida Former longtime Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence President and CEO Tiffany Carr on Monday pleaded no contest to two felony charges stemming from allegations that she bilked the state out of money earmarked for domestic violence shelters. Carr, 57, appeared on Zoom from a hospital bed to […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida A Leon County circuit judge has rejected a lawsuit filed by five Democratic lawmakers who sought access to the immigrant-detention center dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” saying laws about access to state prisons and local jails do not apply to the Everglades facility. Judge Jonathan Sjostrom on Friday sided […]
Backed by a three-year $1.55 million federal grant, the University of West Florida Board of Trustees approved the creation of an academy focused on “civic republicanism.” In a press release Friday, the university described the newly created Academy of American Civic Republicanism as “an independent academic center dedicated to exploring civic republicanism — a tradition […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A Leon County circuit judge on Friday refused to block a new law that stops cities and counties from approving “more restrictive or burdensome” changes to growth plans but allowed a legal challenge to the wide-ranging measure to proceed. The prohibition on growth-plan changes was […]
By Mitch Perry, Florida Pheonix Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Blaise Ingoglia previewed legislation Wednesday meant to increase spending accountability and transparency for local government officials, with penalties for noncompliance including fines and removal from office. Ingoglia has been crisscrossing the state for months with his FAFO (Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight) team, auditing spending […]
By: Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida A federal judge Tuesday refused to dismiss most of a First Amendment lawsuit filed by a former Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologist who was fired because of a social-media post after the murder of conservative leader Charlie Kirk. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker dismissed part […]
By: The News Service of Florida Without an appraised value presented, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state Cabinet on Wednesday delegated the purchase of a nearly 11,000-acre conservation easement in Southwest Florida to the state Department of Environmental Protection. Department Secretary Alexis Lambert said the agency will not be allowed to pay above the appraised […]
By The News Service of Florida A proposal that would require all Florida private employers to use the federal E-Verify system to check the immigration status of new workers is ready to go to the full House after the 2026 legislative session starts. The Republican-controlled House Commerce Committee on Thursday voted 16-5 along party lines […]