By Ana Ceballos, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — More than a week after Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran ordered schools to reopen in August, members of the State Board of Education on Wednesday said his order has sparked confusion, fear and angst. Corcoran deflected blame to the media and said his order was designed […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday released its last regular batch of opinions before taking an annual summer break. Justices, who will resume regular opinion releases on Aug. 27, left pending several high-profile cases. Here are five issues to watch in the coming months: — […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — In a highly unusual move, the Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered a second round of arguments in a battle about whether the state has properly carried out a 2016 constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana. Justices heard arguments in May in a lawsuit […]
By Ana Ceballos, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran on Monday ordered public schools to reopen in August and offer “the full panoply of services” to students and families. As COVID-19 outbreaks spike in Florida, Corcoran’s mandate said that extending school closures can impede students’ educational success and prevent parents […]
By Ana Ceballos, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — More than a month after Gov. Ron DeSantis began restarting Florida’s economy, his administration has not issued guidance for how state agencies should reopen offices to workers and the public. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many state workers have been working from home and have […]
By Ana Ceballos, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis and state education officials on Thursday released a plan to reopen public schools at full capacity in August, saying that vulnerable kids and Floridians need the return to in-person instruction. “While there may be challenges regionally, Florida’s workforce and students with the […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Tallahassee TALLAHASSEE — Opening the door for hundreds of thousands of convicted felons to be added to Florida’s voting rolls, a federal judge on Sunday struck down major parts of a state law requiring felons to pay court-ordered “legal financial obligations” to be eligible to vote. U.S. District […]
By Ana Ceballos, The News Service of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday said he is lifting coronavirus-related restrictions on youth activities, including summer camps and athletic events, because he trusts parents and local governments will make the right decisions for kids. “We trust parents to use common sense. We trust our local officials. We […]
By Ana Ceballos, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Vacation rentals in seven Panhandle counties Tuesday were allowed to reopen with some restrictions, after weeks of being shut down as part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ response to the coronavirus pandemic. Halsey Beshears, secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, approved plans […]
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration said Tuesday evening that a Department of Health employee who helped create Florida’s COVID-19 information “dashboard” was fired for insubordination, disputing allegations that she was terminated for refusing to manipulate data. “Rebekah Jones exhibited a repeated course of insubordination during her time with the department, including her unilateral decisions to modify […]