Vote-By-Mail Change Sparks Debate in Florida Senate

Vote-By-Mail Change Sparks Debate in Florida Senate

By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — After Florida has received widespread praise for its handling of the 2020 election, Republicans and Democrats clashed Tuesday as a Senate committee approved a bill that would require voters to more frequently request vote-by-mail ballots. Senate Ethics and Elections Chairman Dennis Baxley, an Ocala Republican […]

UPDATED: Leon County Commission Receives Waste Pro Update

UPDATED: Leon County Commission Receives Waste Pro Update

The Board of County Commissioners met Tuesday and received a status update regarding curbside trash collection service by Waste Pro. The curbside collection service by Waste Pro is a monthly subscription paid for by residents in Leon County who want residential and commercial solid waste collection. On Feb. 10, 2020, the Board of County Commissioners […]

Business Liability Protections Delayed in Senate

Business Liability Protections Delayed in Senate

By Christine Sexton, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A scheduled committee vote on a high-profile bill that would protect businesses from coronavirus-related lawsuits was delayed Monday after the measure’s primary sponsor, Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, was delayed in another meeting. Senate Commerce and Tourism Chairman Sen. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, told The News […]

Weekly Report Ending Feb. 14th: Leon COVID Cases, Positivity Rate, & Hospitalizations Down

Weekly Report Ending Feb. 14th: Leon COVID Cases, Positivity Rate, & Hospitalizations Down

TR’s weekly report (February 8 – February 14) on Leon County COVID cases, hospitalizations, and testing positivity rates is detailed below. TR’s February 7th weekly report can be reviewed here. The weekly COVID report, ending February 14th, shows decreases in new cases, hospitalizations, and the positivity rate. The Numbers The Leon County 7-day average (yellow-line) of […]

UPDATED: County Commissioners Approve New State Legislative Policies

UPDATED: County Commissioners Approve New State Legislative Policies

At Tuesday’s meeting, the Leon County Board of County Commissioners approved the addition of new policy statements to the official Leon County 2021 State and Federal Legislative Priorities. This comes after the Board proposed a discussion on these policies during their Jan. 26 meeting. The policy statements, which are projected to have no fiscal impact […]

Will the Northeast Park Funding Get Fast-Tracked?

Will the Northeast Park Funding Get Fast-Tracked?

At the the February 18th Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency (IA) meeting, elected officials will consider a staff recommendation to fully fund the Northeast Park through a planned bond issuance of $10 million within the FY 2022 – 2026 Capital Improvement Plan. An additional funding scenario, using only sales tax revenues, is also detailed for IA Board […]

Reefer Madness in Florida

Reefer Madness in Florida

By Christine Sexton, The News Service of Florida Get ready for reefer madness on February 18th. That’s when members of the state’s two physician licensing boards begin working on the practice standards Florida-licensed physicians must follow when ordering smokable medical marijuana for their qualified patients. The Board of Medicine and the Board of Osteopathic Medicine […]

Jobless Claims Plummet as Travel Concerns Remain

Jobless Claims Plummet as Travel Concerns Remain

By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida has posted its lowest weekly total of first-time unemployment claims since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, despite mounting issues confronting the travel industry. The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday estimated 17,621 first-time jobless claims were filed in Florida during the week that […]

City Commission Hears Concerns About Homelessness, City Walk Shelter

City Commission Hears Concerns About Homelessness, City Walk Shelter

At Wednesday’s City Commission meeting, the commissioners discussed Tallahassee’s increasing homelessness problem. The issue has recently been spotlighted by the controversial opening of a temporary shelter on Mahan Drive run by City Walk Urban Mission. Multiple citizens made public comments on the Mahan shelter at the meeting, both supporting and opposing the shelter. Common concerns […]

City Commission Appoints Rashad Mujahid as First Chairperson of Citizens Police Review Board

City Commission Appoints Rashad Mujahid as First Chairperson of Citizens Police Review Board

After nine members were appointed to the City of Tallahassee Citizens Police Review Board (CPRB), the City Commissioners voted to appoint Rashad Mujahid as the CPRB’s first chairperson at their Feb. 10 meeting. Mujahid was Commissioner Curtis Richardson’s CPRB nominee and was appointed to the board on Jan. 27. Mujahid is from Jacksonville, Florida and […]