By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Senate’s top Democrat struggled Wednesday to quell a bipartisan firestorm over her opposition to a measure designed to snuff out anti-Semitism at schools and colleges. Speaking to reporters, Senate Minority Leader Audrey Gibson stopped short of apologizing but insisted that she is not […]
By The News Service of Florida State regulators Tuesday approved a plan by Duke Energy Florida to recoup money from customers for two solar power plants in Columbia and Hamilton counties. Duke sought approval from the state Public Service Commission to collect about $29.2 million a year for the 74.9-megawatt facilities in the North Florida […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — After hurricanes during the past three years knocked out electricity for millions of Floridians, lawmakers are moving forward with regulatory changes that could lead to more underground power lines. But it would come at a cost. A House panel this week approved a bill (HB […]
A wide-ranging higher education package, which includes a controversial mandate for an annual “intellectual freedom” survey on state university campuses, was backed unanimously by a Senate panel on Tuesday. The bill (SB 1296), sponsored by Senate Education Chairman Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah, is similar to legislation (HB 839) approved by a House panel last week. […]
TALLAHASSEE — The tourism industry pushed Wednesday to keep the doors open at the state’s tourism-marketing agency as House and Senate budget committees advanced competing spending plans for next year. The House wants to fund Visit Florida only through Oct. 1, when the agency will be eliminated unless it is reauthorized by the Legislature. That […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Karen Leicht spent nearly three years in federal prison and three months on probation after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit insurance fraud in 2010. According to a judge and a former probation officer, Leicht’s sentence is over. But the Miami paralegal may never be […]
TALLAHASSEE — Florida House and Senate leaders will go into budget negotiations hundreds of millions of dollars apart on spending for the state’s public schools. House Republicans on Wednesday released an initial proposal that calls for a $579.3 million increase next year in the key part of the budget for public schools, a 2.75 percent […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida While focusing heavily on now-familiar priorities such as the environment and education, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday used his first State of the State address to emphasize a need to take “bold” action. In a 34-minute speech to lawmakers gathered in a joint session in the flower-filled […]
A political committee backing a proposed constitutional amendment that would increase the minimum wage in Florida is moving toward meeting an initial threshold for getting the measure on the 2020 ballot. The committee Florida For A Fair Wage, which is led by prominent Orlando attorney John Morgan, had submitted 55,284 valid petition signatures to the […]
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, […]