By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the highly contagious omicron variant, Florida’s surgeon general on Monday indicated the state Department of Health would issue guidance that would “unwind the testing psychology” of the federal government. Comments by Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo and Gov. […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — First-time unemployment claims in Florida rolled in last month at a pace similar to the period before the coronavirus pandemic pounded the economy. The U.S. Department of Labor estimated 3,982 unemployment claims were filed in Florida during the holiday-shortened week that ended Dec. 25. If […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — From elections to vaccines, state and federal courts are weighing major Florida lawsuits. Here are 10 big legal issues to watch in 2022: — ELECTIONS: With high-profile elections looming in November, Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker is slated to start a trial Jan. 31 […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed for an audit Monday that could result in Florida’s pension system divesting holdings in Chinese companies, calling economic efforts to include China’s government on the world stage a “big failure.” DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, […]
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 […]