By Jim Saunders, Dara Kam The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A fired Florida Department of Health data analyst who contends Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has manipulated COVID-19 statistics filed a lawsuit Sunday alleging state law-enforcement agents violated her rights when they searched her home and hauled away computer equipment. Attorneys for Rebekah Jones, […]
Florida lawmakers will consider legislation to protect state universities and research institutions from interference by China, state House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, said Tuesday. In a tweet, Sprowls said the legislation will come as part of efforts by the House Select Committee on the Integrity of Research Institutions, which was set up by former […]
By The News Service of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday tapped Corey Simon to lead Volunteer Florida. Simon will succeed a former teammate from Florida State University’s 1999 national championship football team as CEO of the agency, which currently oversees more than $43 million in federal and state funding to support efforts to expand […]
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 […]