By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida lawmakers will gather March 5 in the House chamber to hear Gov. Ron DeSantis give his first State of the State address, the traditional start of the 60-day legislative session. Led by Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, and House Speaker Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, […]
By Ana Ceballos, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday he wants to create a new “equal opportunity” voucher program to eliminate a waiting list of about 14,000 low-income students seeking to use state-backed scholarships to attend private schools. The governor is asking lawmakers to create a “supplement” to the […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s orange crop forecast has held steady since the end of 2018, while projections for other types of citrus have been reduced. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, releasing January and February forecasts on Friday, reported Florida remains on pace to grow enough oranges to fill […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Four years after lawmakers started a controversial teacher-bonus program, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday he wants to scrap the “Best and Brightest” program and plow nearly $423 million into a new effort to reward teachers and principals. The Best and Brightest program has faced opposition, […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — In the first major demonstration of an ideological shift on the revamped Florida Supreme Court, justices Tuesday refused to consider an appeal in a Miami Beach minimum-wage lawsuit that a former liberal-leaning majority of the court had scheduled to hear next month. The move by […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Commission on Ethics released documents Wednesday supporting the panel’s unanimous finding of probable cause that Andrew Gillum, last year’s Democratic nominee for governor and a former Tallahassee mayor, violated ethics laws with trips to Costa Rica and New York and tickets to the […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Laurel M. Lee was named Monday by Gov. Ron DeSantis as Florida secretary of state, replacing Mike Ertel, who abruptly resigned last week after the release of photos showing him wearing blackface more than a decade ago. Lee, whose duties will […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — State ethics officials have found probable cause that former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who narrowly lost the governor’s race last year and continues to draw national political attention, violated Florida ethics laws by accepting gifts from lobbyists. The Florida Commission on Ethics isn’t expected to […]
By The News Service of Florida After leaving office this month, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is joining the Ballard Partners lobbying firm. Bondi, who was term-limited after eight years as attorney general, will lead a national regulatory-compliance practice aimed at Fortune 500 companies, a release from Ballard Partners said. Bondi was long rumored […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — After spearheading efforts to pass a 2016 constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana, Orlando attorney John Morgan said Tuesday he is moving ahead with a ballot drive aimed at gradually raising Florida’s minimum wage to $15 an hour. Morgan said a group he leads […]