By The News Service of Florida The Florida House on Thursday passed a bill that would require all private employers to use the federal E-Verify system to check the immigration status of new workers. The bill (HB 197), sponsored by Rep. Berny Jacques, R-Seminole, and Rep. Kiyan Michael, R-Jacksonville, would expand a current law that […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday used his final State of the State address to tout accomplishments over the past seven years but offered few details about priorities for the 2026 legislative session. DeSantis said he took office in 2019 with a “bold agenda” and that the state […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida Republican legislative leaders opened the 2026 legislative session Tuesday citing a need to make life more affordable for Floridians. But they offered few clues about what will pass in the coming weeks and downplayed divisions between the House and Senate that emerged during the 2025 session. In […]
By Liv Caputo, Florida Phoenix Florida businesses that purposely ignore whether employees are legally in the United States could face hefty fines or even criminal charges if they hire more than 50 undocumented immigrants, according to a sweeping new immigration package. Filed Wednesday by Republican Sen. Jonathan Martin, the 34-page bill would presume certain non-citizens […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida Florida’s unemployment rate jumped to 4.2 percent in November, the highest rate for the state in more than four years. While still considered just above “full employment” by state economists, the November rate was up from 3.5 percent a year earlier and represented 466,000 people qualified as […]
By Liv Caputo, Florida Phoenix Undocumented immigrants in Florida won’t be able to attend public universities if a sweeping new education bill passes the state Legislature. The 32-page SB 1052, filed Monday by Vero Beach Republican Sen. Erin Grall, instructs public colleges and universities to exclusively admit students who are “citizen[s] of the United States” […]
By Jim Saunders, News Service of Florida Florida lawmakers next week will start the 2026 legislative session. With hundreds of bills filed for consideration during the session, here are 10 issues to watch: — ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Gov. Ron DeSantis has made a priority of creating what he has dubbed an “Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights.” […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida Former longtime Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence President and CEO Tiffany Carr on Monday pleaded no contest to two felony charges stemming from allegations that she bilked the state out of money earmarked for domestic violence shelters. Carr, 57, appeared on Zoom from a hospital bed to […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida A Leon County circuit judge has rejected a lawsuit filed by five Democratic lawmakers who sought access to the immigrant-detention center dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” saying laws about access to state prisons and local jails do not apply to the Everglades facility. Judge Jonathan Sjostrom on Friday sided […]
Backed by a three-year $1.55 million federal grant, the University of West Florida Board of Trustees approved the creation of an academy focused on “civic republicanism.” In a press release Friday, the university described the newly created Academy of American Civic Republicanism as “an independent academic center dedicated to exploring civic republicanism — a tradition […]