By Christine Sexton, The News Service of Florida State police agents on Monday raided the home of a former Florida Department of Health employee who helped build the state’s first COVID-19 dashboard. Rebekah Jones was fired earlier this year after complaining that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration was manipulating COVID-19 data to make the virus appear […]
The Florida Supreme Court on Monday refused to take up an appeal by the city of Ocala in a class-action lawsuit about whether a fire-service fee is an unconstitutional tax. The court, as is common, did not explain its reasons for declining to hear the case. Attorneys for the city went to the Supreme Court […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Tallahassee TALLAHASSEE — State regulators Tuesday approved a Florida Power & Light pilot program aimed at adding electric-vehicle charging stations, while also signing off on an FPL plan that will offer help with electric bills to some small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The approval by the Florida […]
By Christine Sexton, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A coalition of business interests Monday released a far-ranging wish list for Gov. Ron DeSantis and state legislators to consider in 2021, including revamping alcohol laws, changing tax policy and providing broad immunity from lawsuits stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. “The future of Florida is […]
The News Service of Florida After hitting record lows the previous year, a report released Wednesday by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the numbers and rates of abortions increased in 2018. For the year, 619,591 abortions were reported to the CDC from 49 areas across the nation. But the CDC analysis […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday named John Davis, the executive vice president of the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce, to fill the long-vacant position of secretary of the Florida Lottery. Davis, a standout safety in the early 1990s when the Florida State Seminoles were annually […]
Appearing at a Jacksonville charter school, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran on Tuesday touted their efforts to reopen classrooms this fall amid the COVID-19 pandemic. DeSantis said the “physical, mental and social well-being of our kids required us to provide them with the option of in-person learning.” A July reopening order issued […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida elections officials last week released voter-registration numbers for the Nov. 3 general election. Here are seven takeaways as Florida is again a key state in the battle for the White House: — THE BIG PICTURE: Democrats have traditionally led in voter registration in Florida, […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A North Florida Senate district controlled by Democrats for decades is in the crosshairs of incoming Senate President Wilton Simpson, a Republican who is pouring money into a contest that has surprisingly become one of the most contentious legislative races in the November elections. Rep. […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Saying that “nothing in the emergency order requires any teacher or any student to return to the classroom,” a state appeals court Friday overturned a ruling that said Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran violated the Florida Constitution when he issued a July order aimed at reopening […]