By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a bill aimed at dissolving a special taxing district that has granted Walt Disney World unique self-governing powers for more than five decades, even as a leading bond-rating agency cautioned investors about the proposed changes. The bill (SB 4-C) […]
By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — As state leaders take on what they are calling a “fatherhood crisis” in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill that will provide about $70 million to bolster programs aimed at equipping dads with parenting resources and helping foster youth. The measure (HB […]
By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A fiercely debated bill that would bar instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity for young public-school students is headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis, despite Democrats’ warnings Tuesday that the measure’s approval sends “a message of hate” to Floridians. Senators voted 22-17 to pass the […]
Broward County Commissioner Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat who served two years as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ emergency management director, announced Friday he will run for a congressional seat that will be open this year because U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch is not seeking re-election. Moskowitz served as mayor of Parkland before he was elected to the state […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — With a week to go in the 2022 legislative session, Florida lawmakers are considering a series of measures to propel Republican leaders’ years-long battle to make it harder for groups to change the state Constitution. Floridians have relied on the ballot-initiative process in recent years […]
By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida doctors could soon be prohibited from performing abortions past 15 weeks of pregnancy, after the Republican-controlled Senate approved a bill Thursday night that is headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk. Senators approved the measure (HB 5) in a 23-15 party-line vote that was the […]
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Senate is poised to consider a controversial measure that would prohibit school instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grade levels, as one Republican called on lawmakers to “soften” the bill when it is heard on the Senate floor. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the bill (HB 1557) in […]
By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — As the House speaker decries a “fatherhood crisis” in the state, the House on Wednesday passed a wide-ranging measure that seeks to bolster fathers’ parenting skills. The House unanimously passed the measure (HB 7065), which deals largely with the Department of Children and Families and […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — With lawmakers preparing to craft a new state budget, economists estimated Friday that Florida will collect nearly $4 billion more in general-revenue taxes than had been expected over two years. The increased estimates come after federal stimulus money has helped fuel consumer spending and as […]
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. […]