Settlement Reached in Education Law Fight

Settlement Reached in Education Law Fight

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 […]

Senators Back ‘Surgical’ Teen Work Changes

Senators Back ‘Surgical’ Teen Work Changes

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 […]

Lawmakers Seek Disney District Redo

Lawmakers Seek Disney District Redo

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 […]

Lawmakers Look to Curb Student Absenteeism

Lawmakers Look to Curb Student Absenteeism

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 […]

Abortion Measure Nears Requirement

Abortion Measure Nears Requirement

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 […]

Florida Jobless Rate at 2.9 Percent

Florida Jobless Rate at 2.9 Percent

By Jim Turner, Tom Urban The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — While still near historically low levels, Florida’s unemployment rate inched up to 2.9 percent in November. The November rate was an increase from 2.8 percent in October and represented 324,000 people out of work from a labor force of 11.19 million, according to […]

Court Says ‘Marsy’s Law’ Doesn’t Shield Names

Court Says ‘Marsy’s Law’ Doesn’t Shield Names

By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A 2018 constitutional amendment designed to bolster victims’ rights “does not explicitly” shield the identities of police officers — or any other people — from disclosure, the Florida Supreme Court ruled in a major decision on Thursday. The unanimous opinion, authored by Justice John Couriel, […]

Grand Jury Calls for Immigration Moves

Grand Jury Calls for Immigration Moves

By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A statewide grand jury has issued a 146-page report that calls for taking a series of steps to try to curb illegal immigration, saying “it will be up to Florida and other states to help themselves, at least in the short term,” as problems go […]

Perez Poised to Become Next Speaker

Perez Poised to Become Next Speaker

By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Tallahassee TALLAHASSEE — The son of Cuban immigrants, state Rep. Daniel Perez, R-Miami, was formally selected Monday to become the next speaker of the Florida House as he offered a message of limited — and more effective — government. “Members, we are in danger of becoming a conveyor […]

1 2 3 43