By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Seeking to “restore confidence” in its mission, directors of an embattled foundation affiliated with First Lady Casey DeSantis’ signature Hope Florida welfare-assistance program on Thursday agreed to strengthen the nonprofit’s structure amid widening scrutiny by the Florida House. The Hope Florida Foundation Inc. directors finalized […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida argued this week it should be able to move forward with a new law aimed at cracking down on undocumented immigrants who come to the state, after a federal judge temporarily halted the measure. Attorney General James Uthmeier’s office, in a 22-page court document […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Amid ongoing scrutiny of First Lady Casey DeSantis’ signature welfare-assistance program and an affiliated foundation, the executive director of the Hope Florida program is poised to step down from the job. Erik Dellenback, who also serves as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “liaison for faith and community,” […]
By The News Service of Florida Enrollment in Florida’s traditional public schools is expected to decrease in the coming years while voucher programs expand, according to a new report from state economists. The report, compiled by the state Education Estimating Conference, said enrollment in traditional public schools is projected to go from 2,805,298 in the […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Amid an escalating feud between Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled House, the chamber’s budget chairman on Friday sent letters to six state agencies seeking a broad array of documents as part of a probe into government spending. The inquiry into DeSantis-administration spending, ordered by […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — The House and Senate on Wednesday passed proposed budgets that are billions of dollars apart, giving them a little more than three weeks to mesh their spending goals and reach an agreement on tax cuts. While the House has proposed cutting the state’s overall sales-tax […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging a 2024 Florida law aimed at restricting children’s access to major social-media sites, ruling that industry groups did not show they had legal standing to fight the measure. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker, in a ruling […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — More than two years after the Legislature clamped down on lawsuits against property insurance companies, a House panel Thursday reopened a major debate about attorney fees when homeowners and insurers battle over claims. The House Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee voted 16-1 to approve a […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLHASSEE — State higher-education leaders and university trustees have fired back at a lawsuit that alleges a 2023 law targeting diversity, equity and inclusion issues at universities violates the First Amendment. Professors at the University of Florida, Florida State University and Florida International University filed the lawsuit […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A Florida Senate committee Monday backed a proposal that would give employers a way to sidestep the state’s minimum wage if they can classify positions as job training. The Republican-controlled Commerce and Tourism Committee voted 5-3 along party lines to approve the measure (SB 676), […]