Attorney General James Uthmeier is putting the Roman Catholic Church on notice – if they take taxpayer funded vouchers for their schools, they should accept vaccine exemptions for students, too.

In a letter sent Friday to the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, Uthmeier, citing the Catholic Catechism, Pope Leo and scripture, argued Catholic doctrine does not allow its schools to reject vaccine exemptions for religious reasons.

“I therefore urge Catholic schools to comply with Florida law and grant religious exemptions to school vaccine policies. Failure to comply could jeopardize eligibility for state educational scholarship programs,” Uthmeier wrote in a letter addressed to FCCB executive director Michael Sheedy.

The letter comes 10 days before most school districts in the state open their doors for the 2026-2027 school year.

Many Catholic schools in Florida accept students who pay tuition with help from the state’s private school vouchers. Currently, more than 500,000 students across the state participate in the program. As of March 2026, about a quarter of the state’s education budget goes to voucher programs, up from 12 percent in 2021.

In response to Uthmeier’s letter, the conference issued a statement saying they are reviewing the letter and will respond to the attorney general.

“Be assured, Florida’s Catholic schools are operating in accord with the law and Church teaching,” wrote Michele Taylor, a spokesperson for the conference.

In his letter, Uthmeier did not single out one of the state’s seven dioceses, but did refer to the immunization policies of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee.

Uthmeier and several of Florida’s top Republican leaders and their staff are Catholics, including Gov. Ron DeSantis and incoming Education Commissioner Henry Mack.

DeSantis has pushed to repeal all vaccine mandates and expand the state’s vaccine exemption requirements. All legislative attempts have failed, including a bill earlier this year which would have created a new “conscience” category for parents to opt out of immunizations for their children and require health care workers to provide alternative vaccine schedules.

The conference has lobbied against these bills, urging lawmakers to keep vaccine requirements.

Citing church-affiliated statements, Uthmeier’s letter argues vaccines aren’t a “moral obligation,” and should not be compelled if they are derived from fetal tissue.

The Catholic Church is strongly against abortion, but its stance on vaccines derived from fetal tissue is more nuanced. The Vatican has said it is “morally acceptable” to use cell lines from aborted fetuses if there are no other alternatives available.

Under Florida law, the following vaccines are required for K-12 schools: Polio, measles (rubeola), rubella, pertussis (whooping cough), mumps, diphtheria and tetanus.

The rubella vaccine, a part of the MMR vaccine, was created using the cell lines of an aborted fetus but is permissible because there are no other alternatives to prevent the contagious and deadly disease.

In his letter, Uthmeier quotes a statement from the Vatican on the morality of using COVID-19 vaccines, which states “practical reason makes evident that vaccination is not, as a rule, a moral obligation and that, therefore, it must be voluntary.”

Friday, July 31, 2026

Weather: Today, a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm with a high near 93. Tonight, showers and thunderstorms likely before 11pm with a low around 74. Saturday, showers and thunderstorms likely, high near 86. Saturday night, Showers and thunderstorms, low around 73. NWS

US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +1.7%, Dow +1.2%, Nasdaq +2.8%) (More).

Local Sports: On July 23rd, Chiles Alum Tyler Correa posted that he has officially committed to continue his college baseball career at Florida State University. Details.

Local & State News

Voter Info City Commission Seat 5: Incumbent City Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox is seeking a third term representing Tallahassee City Commission Seat 5 after first winning election in 2018. Her challengers include Tiffany Hill and Dot Inman-Johnson. Details.

Former House Speaker Paul Renner is attempting to climb up the polls and drag down U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds in the Republican gubernatorial primary, but he’s also trained his sights at Dr. Anthony Fauci. Details

The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday estimated 5,806 initial Florida unemployment claims were filed last week, down from a revised count of 6,281 the week ending July 18 and 7,334 the week ending July 11. Details

National News

US economy slowed to 1.5% growth in Q2, while US Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index—key inflation metric monitored by the Fed—fell to 3.7% year over year in June, down from 4.1% in May (More).

Authorities investigate whether Iran was responsible for cyberattacks on more than 30 water plants in Minnesota this week (More).

Chipola

As an infielder for the Indians, Correa quickly established himself as one of Chipola’s most productive offensive players during his freshman season. Appearing in 53 games, he batted .372 with 68 hits, 50 runs scored, 51 RBIs, eight doubles, four triples, and five home runs. Correa also displayed excellent plate discipline, drawing 33 walks while striking out just 17 times, helping him post a .473 on-base percentage and a .541 slugging percentage.

Correa’s consistency carried over into conference play, where he hit .325 with 25 hits, 20 runs, and 20 RBIs in 21 games. He added three doubles, two triples, and a home run while maintaining a .443 on-base percentage. Along with his production at the plate, Correa contributed on the bases with seven stolen bases and showcased the all-around skill set that made him one of Chipola’s top performers and ultimately earned him an opportunity to continue his career at Florida State.

Chiles

During his time at Chiles, Correa established himself as one of the program’s top offensive contributors, finishing his varsity career with a .390 batting average across 110 games. Over four seasons, he recorded 135 hits, 115 runs scored, 58 RBIs, 30 doubles, one triple, and four home runs. Correa also showed consistent production throughout his career, posting a batting average above .340 in each of his four varsity seasons.

His strongest season came during his senior year in 2024-2025, when Correa hit .485 with 47 hits, 29 runs scored, 19 RBIs, and nine doubles in 31 games. The performance capped a highly productive high school career and helped solidify his reputation as one of the area’s premier infielders before continuing his baseball career at Chipola College.

Defensively, Correa provided versatility and reliability in the infield throughout his four seasons at Chiles. In 110 varsity games, he recorded 124 putouts and 179 assists while finishing with a .944 fielding percentage. Correa’s strongest defensive season came as a junior in 2023-2024, when he posted a .977 fielding percentage with 56 assists and just two errors across 88 total chances. His ability to contribute on both sides of the ball made him a valuable piece of the Timberwolves’ lineup and helped prepare him for the next level of collegiate baseball.

First-time jobless claims in Florida dropped for a second consecutive week.

The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday estimated 5,806 initial unemployment claims were filed last week, down from a revised count of 6,281 the week ending July 18 and 7,334 the week ending July 11.

The numbers remain close to the state’s weekly average since the start of the year. Including this past week, the average is 6,000 new claims per week.

The weekly estimate comes as the state Department of Commerce in the latter half of July received a series of layoff notifications that will affect more than 1,000 workers over the next several months.

Parallel Florida, LLC has already started to lay off 211 workers after closing cannabis facilities in Wimauma and Lakeland.

In September, Freight Handlers LLC, known as FHI, will eliminate 168 jobs as it stops providing third-party unloading services to some Publix distribution locations in Lakeland and Sarasota.

In October, Magic Leap, a tech company involved with AR glasses, intends to lay off nearly 200 engineering and product development workers in Plantation.

Also, Amazon is temporarily closing a distribution facility in Port St. Lucie on Sept. 17, which will affect nearly 500 employees. The company notes in its Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice to the state that some employees will be offered “internal transfer opportunities.”

Former House Speaker Paul Renner is attempting to climb up the polls and drag down U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds in the Republican gubernatorial primary, but he’s also trained his sights at Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Fauci, who was a top medical advisor to President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden during the COVID-19 pandemic, garnered headlines this week for invoking his Fifth Amendment right not to testify before a Congressional hearing.

“Was he involved in helping a foreign adversary to produce a deadly weapon basically that was unleashed on the rest of us?” Renner asked in an interview with the News Service of Florida.

Renner was referring to the allegation the National Institute of Health helped fund gain of function research, which tests how altered viruses act in the real world, at a lab in Wuhan, the Chinese city that saw the first outbreak of COVID-19. Fauci was a leader at NIH for decades and has previously denied the agency funded such research.

“If he did something that would be an act of treason, fundamentally, because tens of millions of people died from COVID – so he killed a lot more than serial killers and we know what we do to serial killers in Florida,” Renner said. “He needs to be held accountable.”

Other Republican gubernatorial hopefuls have slammed Fauci in a similar way.

Lt. Gov. Jay Collins called Fauci “one of the greatest mass murderers in American history.” Donalds has criticized Fauci as well, but noted former U.S. Rep. David Jolly, the frontrunner for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, has praised his efforts during the pandemic.

“In David Jolly’s Florida, frauds like Anthony Fauci are put in charge. Not in my Florida,” Donalds posted on X on Thursday.

The Aug. 18 primary is less than three weeks away. 

Renner said Donalds is ignoring base Republican voters in his campaign, especially by refusing to debate him, Collins and conservative activist and investor James Fishback.

But he also acknowledged Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is term-limited, hasn’t helped consolidate a coalition to defeat Donalds, who is the GOP frontrunner who has been endorsed by Trump. DeSantis, while being critical of Donalds, hasn’t endorsed anyone else in the race.

“Well, the governor obviously could help in consolidating,” Renner said. “Nonetheless, we see momentum and that people want the adult in the room.”

On the campaign trail, Renner touts his record as House Speaker from 2022-2024, when he helped shepherd much of DeSantis’ agenda into law. He listed off several major bills – legalizing the permitless carry of firearms; banning diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives; banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy; universal vouchers – passed under his watch.

And Renner noted Donalds, a former state House member who won a U.S. House seat in 2020, was in Congress during that time.

“Byron Donalds was up getting on cable news networks, self-promoting to become governor, and that’s what he’ll do as governor for the next higher office,” Renner said. “We need somebody who’s actually going to be here to govern.”

Thursday, July 30, 2026

Weather: Today, showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 5pm with a high near 94. Tonight, showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 2am with a low around 75.
Friday, a chance of showers, then showers and thunderstorms likely after 11am with a high near 92. Friday night, showers and thunderstorms likely before 2am with a low around 74. NWS

US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -1.5%, Dow -2.2%, Nasdaq -1.7%) (More).

Local & State News

Matlow held a press conference that was marked by a striking contrast between his plea for political civility and a series of pointed personal attacks against his opponent. Details.

Tallahassee City Commission Seat 5 candidates gathered Tuesday for a forum hosted by the Network of Entrepreneurs and Business Advocates (NEBA). Details.

Sales have been brisk for state lottery games after a brief period where inflation apparently caused consumers to dial back purchases of scratch-off tickets. Details

National News

Dr. Anthony Fauci declined to answer over 100 questions during a Senate committee hearing yesterday on COVID-19’s origins, citing concerns that Republicans could use his testimony against him. 

Saudi Arabia confirmed yesterday it publicly joined the US’ military campaign against Iran. The kingdom participated in a joint strike on Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, reportedly killing at least 20 combatants.

Current City Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cxx won the straw poll of NEBA members with 87% of the vote. Inman-Johnson received 12% and Hill garnered 1%.

A central theme was the role of the Tallahassee International Airport in economic development. Inman-Johnson labeled the airport the “biggest obstacle” to business recruitment, arguing that “simply changing the name from regional to international did not make it an international airport”. Williams-Cox defended the city’s progress, highlighting the development of an international processing center to facilitate global shipping. Hill emphasized a “people-inclusive” approach, suggesting the city must sit down with small businesses to identify specific permitting and incentive needs.

The candidates also sparred over the FSU/TMH academic health center. Williams-Cox championed the partnership as a way to leverage technology and improve rural healthcare. However, Hill raised concerns regarding transparency, noting that “17 documents” were reportedly incomplete when the decision to transfer assets was made. Inman-Johnson stressed that the center is years from reality and must prioritize maintaining indigent healthcare for those without insurance.

Addressing the perceived “3-2 split” on the current commission, Williams-Cox dismissed the narrative as “clickbait,” stating that the commission votes together 93% of the time. Hill countered that the perception exists because residents feel decisions often favor “big business”. Inman-Johnson pointed to broader dysfunction, citing the fire services fee dispute between the city and Leon County as a failure of intergovernmental cooperation.

In their closing statements regarding their first 100 days in office, Hill pledged to “build trust” through community workshops. Inman-Johnson vowed to “mend and heal divisions” between the city and county. Williams-Cox promised to “continue to follow our strategic plan,” maintaining public safety and housing as her top priorities.

The press conference was marked by a striking contrast between his plea for political civility and a series of pointed personal attacks against his opponent.

Matlow began his remarks by decrying the “negative mail, negative TV ads,” and “negative text” currently flooding the race, calling them “tactics that scare good people away”. He issued an explicit “call for calm,” urging all sides to “stop the smears, stop the lies… and stick to the issues”.

However, the majority of Matlow’s subsequent comments focused on the character and professional conduct of his opponent, Daryl Parks. Despite his plea to end “smears,” Matlow accused Parks of “grandstanding,” “villainizing” him, and acting as part of an “old guard” that rules with an “iron fist”.

Parks responded to Matlow’s press conference attack stating, “Jeremy Matlow’s desperate, mid-press-conference attack reveals exactly what he is: a divider, a bully, and a practitioner of the worst kind of deceptive politics.”

While Matlow insisted that candidates should “stick to the issues,” a significant portion of his address was dedicated to a controversial video related Talethia Edwards, a candidate for city commission seat 3. Matlow detailed allegations involving the Orlando Police Department, including claims of an “illegally” towed car, a “planted bomb,” and a candidate who “failed to appear again and again” in court.

Edwards responded to Matlow’s desire to move forward by stating, “I think that first starts with a formal apology from his campaign, as well as my opponent, P.J. Perez, who they employed this campaign manager on both campaigns, not just one, and a formal apology to the citizens of Tallahassee and the conservative residents in our community that was also misrepresented.”

During the press conference, Matlow argued that it was Parks who was failing to mention issues important to the public, yet Matlow himself spent considerable time discussing these third-party legal matters before pivoting to his own policy platform late in the conference.

Matlow framed the election as a choice between “the chaos of the last eight years” and a move toward a “more transparent and open government”. Paradoxically, he used the platform to criticize Parks for holding a press conference—the first of his campaign—labeling the move as “grandstanding” and a “personal attack” rather than an exercise in the transparency Matlow claims to champion.

In another rhetorical shift, Matlow characterized the current City Hall leadership as a “tiny faction of power players” and a “stubborn 3-2 majority” that “frustrate[s] the will of the voters”. Yet, when discussing regional issues like AI data centers, he noted that the combined city and county perspective often results in a “9 to 3 vote,” placing himself and Commissioner Porter in the minority against a broad consensus he otherwise dismissed as a “tiny faction”.

As the race enters its final stretch, Matlow continues to position himself as the only candidate with “real policy proposals,” even as his own rhetoric fluctuates between a demand for a higher road and the very “negative” tactics he publicly condemns.

Sales have been brisk for state lottery games after a brief period where inflation apparently caused consumers to dial back purchases of scratch-off tickets.

The Florida Lottery reported $9.7 billion in sales for all games in the fiscal year that ended June 30, a 6.35 percent increase from the prior year.

“Scratch-Off games continued to be a strong contributor to the Lottery’s success, generating $7.14 billion in sales, an increase of more than $308 million compared to Fiscal Year 2025,” Lottery Director of Communications & Strategic Partnerships Alecia Collins wrote in an email. “Draw game sales also experienced significant growth, reaching $2.56 billion, an increase of more than $271 million.”

The draw game sales figure doesn’t include state revenue from the recent rollover jackpots in the multi-state games of Powerball and Mega Millions, where the winning ticket on Tuesday was sold at a Wawa in Bradenton.

But the overall total indicates a potential reversal of an expected two-year slowdown in play, with sales down to around $9.1 billion in fiscal year 2024-2025 and $9.4 billion in fiscal year 2023-2024 after reaching $9.8 billion in fiscal year 2022-2023.  

In September 2024, state economists attributed the drop in play to a decline in scratch-off sales as consumers faced inflationary pressures coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic period, which saw a spike in Lottery purchases.

At the time, the economic forecast for the games projected Lottery sales to decline to $8.8 billion in the 2024-2025 fiscal year and slowly return to the $9 billion mark by the 2027-2028 fiscal year.

By January of this year, however, the Revenue Estimating Conference noted the increase in people playing scratch-off games as it revised its economic outlook for the state.

“The gain to the (Lottery) forecast in the current year was largely attributable to higher-than-expected Scratch-Off sales,” the conference wrote on Jan. 15. “The new sales data suggests that there will be stronger year-over-year growth than originally anticipated.”

“In its new forecast, the Conference projects 5.2 percent growth in the current year, before a return in the outer years to growth rates that mirror population growth as expected in August 2025,” the conference report continued.

State economists will again look at the Lottery numbers on Aug. 7, ahead of an overall update of the state’s general revenue on Aug. 14.

Collins noted that sales in the past fiscal year, along with earnings on investments and unclaimed prizes, generated about $2.36 billion from the Lottery to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund.

Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Weather: Today, showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 5pm with a high near 98. Tonight, showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 11pm with a low around 78. Thursday, showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly between 2pm and 3pm with a high near 94. Thursday night, showers and thunderstorms likely before 11pm, then a chance of showers between 11pm and 2am with a low around 75. NWS

US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.2%, Dow +1.0%, Nasdaq -0.2%) (More).

Local & State News

The Leon County School Board approved a $615 million operating budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year Tuesday, adopting a spending plan that reflects declining enrollment, shrinking reserves and difficult cost-cutting decisions. Details.

City Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox won the NEBA straw poll held for Seat 5 with 87% of the vote. Details.

Florida’s newest guidelines warn against prescribing psychotropic medications for children, echoing the Make America Healthy Again movement’s push to impose changes on childhood health care. Details

National News

President Donald Trump eulogizes the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) at memorial service in Washington, DC (More, w/photos).

Teen receives life sentence without parole for fatally shooting four people in 2024 at Georgia’s Apalachee High School (More).

The budget passed on a 4-1 vote, with District 1 board member Alva Smith casting the lone dissenting vote. The approved budget is approximately $32 million smaller than last year’s.

Superintendent Rocky Hanna said district leaders continue to face many of the same financial pressures that shaped last year’s budget.

“None of us are happy about this budget situation,” Hanna said. “Our staffing plan, we only funded at 98% this year. Our emergency reserves are at the lowest that I’ve seen now in my 11th year as superintendent.”

The district previously announced $7.8 million in budget reductions for the coming school year, citing continued enrollment declines. The cuts affect staffing, administrative operations, arts and athletics programs, and funding for community organizations.

Hanna said district operations have already absorbed significant reductions in an effort to protect classrooms.

“We cut our district cost centers, all district operations, by over 6% this year by consolidating positions and reducing operating expenses,” Hanna said. “We’ll continue to look at ways to cut at the district and not affect the classroom, but at some point, the classroom is going to be affected.”

Smith argued the district has not gone far enough to reduce spending before asking employees to shoulder the burden.

“I’m going to be a no on the budget this year until we find a way to make the deep cuts to support our teachers and support staff,” Smith said.

Board Chair Marcus Nicolas disagreed, saying substantial work has already been done to reduce costs and that school consolidation has been discussed as a possible future option.

The budget also leaves little room for teacher pay increases. Hanna said the district may ultimately seek voter approval of a property tax increase to generate additional local funding for teacher and staff salaries.

The Leon Classroom Teachers Association posted a comment a social media account addressing the teacher pay issue.

The statement said ” We have consistently advocated for consolidating non-school operations before considering the consolidation or closure of schools. At the same time, the District cannot continue to make two conflicting arguments: that declining enrollment requires school consolidation while also claiming that vouchers have had little impact on student enrollment. Both cannot be true to the degree they are being presented…..Our analysis of the District’s financial data from the 2017–18 through the 2024–25 school years shows that instructional spending increased by approximately 9%, while administrative site spending increased by approximately 42%. We have repeatedly asked Leon County Schools to explain the reasons for this disparity, but to date no rationale has been provided. Before discussing the consolidation of schools, this is one area that deserves careful examination as a potential source of savings.”

The board is scheduled to formally adopt the final budget at its Sept. 8 meeting.

Florida’s newest guidelines warn against prescribing psychotropic medications for children, echoing the Make America Healthy Again movement’s push to impose changes on childhood health care.

On Friday the Florida Department of Health issued guidance for psychotropic pharmacotherapy in children 5 to 17, recommending against the use of drugs to treat mental health conditions like depression, anxiety or attention-deficit related disorders in most cases.

Two months prior, at a Make America Healthy Again summit in Washington, D.C., Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said the agency would address the overuse of psychiatric medications among children.

Florida’s guidance follows suit.

“As more families seek support for conditions such as anxiety, depression, and attention-deficit disorders, treatment should be guided by a thorough understanding of each child’s unique circumstances and needs,” State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo said in Orange County on Friday. “Parents deserve access to clear information about the benefits, risks, and available alternatives so they can make informed decisions regarding their children’s health.”

It’s the latest instance of Florida channeling Kennedy’s MAHA agenda.

In the last year, First Lady Casey DeSantis and Ladapo have toured the state promoting the Healthy Florida First initiative, which tests for toxins and heavy metals in food.

A more controversial proposal was Ladapo’s call for the Legislature to repeal all vaccine mandates, and DeSantis’ push for pediatricians to accept all patients regardless of vaccination status. Lawmakers didn’t pass either plan in the legislative session earlier this year.

In the state’s new guidance statement, the DOH “cautions” health care providers in prescribing psychotropic medications for anxiety, depression, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and behavioral disorders.

Instead, the state recommends employing other strategies, including psychotherapy, evidence-based behavior management and deprescribing medications.

“Psychotropic medications can play an important role in treatment when they are clinically appropriate and medically necessary, but they should never be used as a substitute for individual therapy and other psychosocial care options,” said Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Shevaun Harris in a released statement. 

In response to HHS in May, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) said the agency’s statement “broadly and imprecisely challenges established psychiatric diagnoses and evidence?based treatments,” creating risk for children and families.

“AACAP urges policymakers to ensure that decisions affecting access to psychiatric medications and mental health services are grounded in evidence and informed by child and adolescent psychiatrists and other qualified clinicians,” said Dr. John Walkup, AACAP president.

The Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the AACAP could not be reached for comment.

A spokesperson for DOH said the state’s guidelines do not contradict the AACAP’s recommendation and are intended to raise awareness.

“The Department’s guidance emphasizes the importance of comprehensive assessment before psychotropic medications are prescribed, including evaluating underlying risk factors and ensuring appropriate clinical oversight,” said Nathalia Medina, deputy director of communications.