The News Service of Florida The state’s concealed-weapons licensing program would be moved to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, under a measure proposed Thursday by Sen. Lauren Book, D-Plantation. The proposal came as National Rifle Association lobbyist Marion Hammer is urging that the Republican-dominated Legislature move the program from the Department of Agriculture and […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — More than 18 months after legislators passed a controversial education law pushed by then-House Speaker Richard Corcoran, attorneys for the state and 11 county school boards are continuing to battle in court about whether the measure violates the Florida Constitution. Attorneys for the state this […]
Buoyed by tourists from other parts of the United States, Florida drew an estimated 30.7 million visitors during the third quarter of 2018, according to numbers released Monday by the tourism-marketing agency Visit Florida and Gov. Rick Scott’s office. That was a 10.1 percent increase over the same period in 2017 and kept Florida on […]
By Christine Sexton, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Have no doubt: new House Speaker Jose Oliva wants to expand access to health care by expanding the scope of practice for Florida nurses. He also wants less government regulation in Florida’s health-care delivery system and more free-market principles. Oliva, though, denies that reconfiguring the […]
TALLAHASSEE — Sen. Bill Galvano became president of the Florida Senate on Tuesday, promising to leave a contentious election behind and to promote a more civil discussion of issues facing the nation’s third-largest state. Galvano, a 52-year-old Republican lawyer from Bradenton, told the 40-member Senate there is little he can do “to stem the tide […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — After months of mudslinging, weeks of court wrangling and days of ballot counting that again landed Florida in an unwelcome national spotlight, a state panel matter-of-factly finalized the 2018 election results in a five-minute meeting Tuesday. The certification came on time, but problems with other […]
By Lloyd Dunkelberger, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — With a victory margin of a little more than a tenth of a percentage point out of 8.2 million votes cast, Gov. Rick Scott has won election to the U.S. Senate, ending the four-decade political career of Bill Nelson. In the final vote tallies sent […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — With seven election-related lawsuits pending, a federal judge clashed Wednesday with lawyers for state officials, national Republicans and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson’s campaign in a case about whether voters whose ballot signatures don’t match those on file should be able to “cure” the ballots. “I’m […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott intends to recuse himself from a state panel that is scheduled next week to certify the results of Florida’s 2018 elections, the governor’s lawyer told a federal judge Wednesday. Scott’s decision to step aside from the Elections Canvassing Commission came as he […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — In an unusual move, Attorney General Pam Bondi on Sunday publicly criticized Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Rick Swearingen for not pursuing an investigation into alleged irregularities in the handling of election ballots in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Bondi’s office released a two-page […]