By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Nine candidates vying to become president of Florida State University, including a mix of academic leaders and politically connected players, are set to be interviewed as the school seeks a replacement for retiring President John Thrasher. The university’s Presidential Search Advisory Committee whittled a list […]
By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Saying that he and allies have “embraced the science” of vaccine effectiveness, Gov. Ron DeSantis this week issued directives canceling local coronavirus emergency orders. “That is an anti-science posture, to say that we need all these restrictions, even with mass vaccination,” DeSantis said during a […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Joseph Hatchett, whose groundbreaking career included becoming the first Black justice on the Florida Supreme Court, died Friday at age 88, the Supreme Court announced Saturday. Hatchett was appointed to the Supreme Court by Gov. Reubin Askew in 1975 and served until 1979, when President […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at allowing people to use recreational marijuana, saying it would be misleading to voters. Backers of the proposed amendment sought to put it on the 2022 ballot and had submitted hundreds of thousands […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis late Monday signed into law a plan to require out-of-state online retailers to collect sales taxes on purchases made by Floridians, with the estimated $1 billion a year in revenue going to curb a pair of taxes on Florida businesses. While the […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — With two weeks left in the legislative session, the Florida House and Senate began formal negotiations Friday night on what could be a record $100 billion state budget for the fiscal year that will start July 1. Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, and House […]
President Joe Biden announced Friday that he plans to nominate former Florida Congresswoman Gwen Graham to serve as an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Education. Graham, an attorney, represented the Tallahassee area and other parts of North Florida in the U.S. House from 2015 to 2017 and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018. […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A bipartisan proposal to add hiring standards and bolster use-of-force training for police and correctional officers began moving forward Thursday in the House. With the measure deemed a starting point for further talks, the Judiciary Committee unanimously supported the proposal (PCB JDC 21-01) by Rep. […]
By Christine Sexton, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday railed against YouTube and Google for removing a video of a COVID-19 discussion he had with scientists who oppose government lockdowns, school closures and mask wearing, calling it “censorship.” The ramped-up criticism by the Republican governor came as lawmakers try […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — California surpassed Florida in a new estimate of orange production, the latest sign of continuing struggles in Florida’s citrus industry. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in a monthly update released Friday, said Florida is forecast to produce enough oranges to fill 51.7 million 90-pound boxes […]