By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Tallahassee TALLAHASSEE — As she runs for governor in 2022, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried will have to fend off allegations that she violated state law by not properly disclosing financial information. The state Commission on Ethics on Wednesday issued an order finding “probable cause” that Fried did […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A divided federal appeals court Sunday rejected Florida’s request to at least temporarily block a Biden administration rule that would require health-care workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. A panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, turned down a […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gambling on sports is off the table in Florida, at least for now, after the Seminole Tribe suspended its online sports-betting operations Saturday morning. The tribe stopped accepting wagers on its Hard Rock SportsBook mobile app after an appeals court on Friday refused to put […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis quickly signed four bills into law Thursday from a special legislative session aimed primarily at preventing workers from being required to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Focusing on vaccination mandates pursued by the White House, DeSantis touted the “strongest piece of legislation that’s […]
By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of FloridaTALLAHASSEE — Reversing a decision that riled faculty members and put school administrators under scrutiny, University of Florida President Kent Fuchs on Friday cleared the way for three professors to serve as expert witnesses in a high-profile legal challenge to a controversial state elections law. Political science professors […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday directed lawmakers to return to Tallahassee on Nov. 15 for a special session to push back against White House attempts to require workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The mid-November session, which will overlap with a week of previously scheduled […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — State Sen. Annette Taddeo jumped into the Democratic primary race for governor on Monday, saying she is the candidate who can excite voters in her party’s bid to oust Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis next year. Taddeo’s entrance into the contest sets up a crowded and […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A Leon County circuit judge has refused to block a state law that bans so-called “vaccine passports,” rejecting arguments by a Sarasota business that the law violates First Amendment rights. The ruling by Circuit Judge Layne Smith was a victory for Gov. Ron DeSantis, who […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A federal judge on Friday allowed a series of challenges to a new state elections law to move forward, setting the stage for a showdown over Republican legislators’ efforts to make it more difficult for Floridians to vote by mail and for organizations to conduct […]
Former Florida Democratic Congresswoman Gwen Graham was confirmed Wednesday by the U.S. Senate as assistant secretary for legislation and congressional affairs 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. […]