Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed measures that will prevent investigations of local law-enforcement officers by civilian review boards and prohibit “harassment” of first responders who are on duty. DeSantis said the review board measure (HB 601) will put the “kibosh” on certain communities that have stacked boards with activists. “They’re not free to use law […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Supreme Court on Monday rejected decades of legal precedents and upheld a law that will lead to preventing abortions after six weeks of pregnancy — but also cleared the way for voters to decide in November whether they want to enshrine abortion rights […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District have reached a legal settlement that includes nullifying controversial development agreements that the entertainment giant entered with the former Reedy Creek Improvement District. The settlement was announced Wednesday and approved by the Central […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — With the state preparing for a legal challenge from the tech industry, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a high-profile bill aimed at keeping children off social-media platforms. “You better believe, I am going to fight like hell to uphold this in court,” Attorney General […]
High-profile bills aimed at keeping children off social media and loosening decades-old work restrictions for 16- and 17-year-old youths were among 15 bills that the Legislature formally sent Thursday to Gov. Ron DeSantis. The social-media bill (HB 3) was a priority of House Speaker Paul Renner, a Palm Coast Republican who contends online platforms harm […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Tallahassee TALLAHASSEE — The state and attorneys for students, parents and teachers have settled a battle about a 2022 Florida law that restricts instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation in schools. The settlement, which comes after months of talks, seeks to draw a distinction between preventing “classroom […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — With the full House ready to take up a bill that would loosen work restrictions for 16- and 17-year-old youths, the Senate began moving forward Tuesday with a proposal that would not be as far-reaching. The Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee approved a proposal (SB […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Orange County lawmakers Friday backed a longshot proposal that could essentially return to the Walt Disney Co. control of a special taxing district that was revamped after Gov. Ron DeSantis got into a feud with the entertainment giant. In a voice vote, members of the […]
By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida lawmakers during the upcoming legislative session could look to address the problem of chronic absenteeism among public-school students. Data collected by the Florida Department of Education showed that 20.9 percent of students in public schools, including students in adult education courses, missed 21 or […]
By The News Service of Florida Supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at ensuring abortion rights in Florida continue to get closer to meeting a signature requirement to reach the 2024 ballot. The Florida Division of Elections website Friday showed 833,743 valid petition signatures for the proposal, up from 753,306 a week earlier and […]