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. […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Trulieve, the state’s largest medical marijuana operator, is now the nation’s biggest cannabis retailer, after closing on a $2.1 billion deal to acquire former competitor Harvest Health & Recreation Inc. The transaction marks a major development in Florida, where Harvest held one of 22 licenses […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — With Gov. Ron DeSantis describing her as a “true fighter,” Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis has been diagnosed with breast cancer. The governor issued a statement Monday about the diagnosis, though the statement did not provide details about issues such as the type of breast […]
By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Tallahassee TALLAHASSEE — While Florida looks to round the corner on administering 100,000 monoclonal antibody treatments to people with COVID-19, Gov. Ron DeSantis pledged Thursday to “fight like hell” to continue receiving the treatments as the federal government this week took control over distribution of the drugs. The […]
By Jim Saunders and Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A federal judge Wednesday rejected a request by parents of disabled children to block Gov. Ron DeSantis’ efforts to prevent school districts from requiring students to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Judge K. Michael Moore issued a 34-page ruling that denied […]
By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Saying the state’s system of standardized testing in public schools is “quite frankly, outdated,” Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday announced that lawmakers will consider a proposal during the 2022 legislative session to end the Florida Standards Assessments. The statewide exams in English-language arts and math, […]
The News Service of Florida President Joe Biden expressed disappointment Friday in Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republican governors who have criticized a White House directive to require COVID-19 vaccinations and tests for large numbers of public and private workers. Appearing at a Washington, D.C. middle school to urge parents to get children vaccinated if […]