By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Saying “it makes no sense,” President Joe Biden on Thursday pardoned thousands of people convicted of marijuana possession under federal law and instructed his administration to consider whether cannabis should get a new drug classification. The president’s announcement — four weeks ahead of the mid-term […]
State general revenue came in $20.4 million higher than anticipated in August. A report posted Friday by the Florida Legislature’s Office of Economic & Demographic Research said the state collected nearly $3.44 billion in net general revenue during the month. The amount topped a projection that was made Aug. 16 by the state’s Revenue Estimating […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — State regulators Friday asked a judge to place a property-insurance company in receivership, making it the sixth Florida property insurer declared insolvent this year amid widespread financial problems in the industry. The Florida Department of Financial Services sought to be appointed receiver for FedNat Insurance […]
By The News Service of Florida Since 2019, when Florida lawmakers created a voucher program called the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program, the “flow of public funds to private education” has dramatically increased, according to a new report by the nonprofit Florida Policy Institute and the Education Law Center. The report details an increase in money […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A federal judge on Monday refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed by suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren but also rejected the Democrat’s request for a preliminary injunction to block the suspension by Gov. Ron DeSantis, saying the public wouldn’t be served by “yo-yoing” […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — With the general election two months off, post-primary polls indicate Florida’s gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races are close as battles loom for remaining “persuadable voters.” A poll commissioned by the senior-advocacy group AARP said Gov. Ron DeSantis leads Democratic challenger Charlie Crist by a margin […]
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection said this week that $68 million will be divided among 13 counties moving from diesel to electric buses. The money, coming from Florida’s share of a 2016 settlement between Volkswagen and the U.S. Department of Justice over emissions violations, is expected to cover the costs of 227 electric buses […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Continuing to target what he calls “woke” corporations, Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to prohibit state investments that use “environmental, social and governance” ratings, which can include taking into account impacts of climate change. DeSantis plans to have the State Board of Administration, which oversees investments, […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — With both claiming to be Florida Democrats’ best bet to defeat Gov. Ron DeSantis in November, U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried traded barbs Thursday in their only debate before next month’s primary election. The verbal sparring came amid an increasingly acrimonious […]
By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida QUINCY — State and local authorities are working “feverishly” to fight the distribution of fentanyl in Florida after a string of overdose deaths over the weekend rocked the rural community of Gadsden County. Nine deaths in the county are suspected to have been caused by fentanyl, likely […]