By Liv Caputo, Florida Phoenix Undocumented immigrants in Florida won’t be able to attend public universities if a sweeping new education bill passes the state Legislature. The 32-page SB 1052, filed Monday by Vero Beach Republican Sen. Erin Grall, instructs public colleges and universities to exclusively admit students who are “citizen[s] of the United States” […]
By Jim Saunders, News Service of Florida Florida lawmakers next week will start the 2026 legislative session. With hundreds of bills filed for consideration during the session, here are 10 issues to watch: — ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Gov. Ron DeSantis has made a priority of creating what he has dubbed an “Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights.” […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida Former longtime Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence President and CEO Tiffany Carr on Monday pleaded no contest to two felony charges stemming from allegations that she bilked the state out of money earmarked for domestic violence shelters. Carr, 57, appeared on Zoom from a hospital bed to […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida A Leon County circuit judge has rejected a lawsuit filed by five Democratic lawmakers who sought access to the immigrant-detention center dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” saying laws about access to state prisons and local jails do not apply to the Everglades facility. Judge Jonathan Sjostrom on Friday sided […]
Dr. Neal Dunn, the U.S. representative for Florida’s 2nd congressional district, released a statement supporting the recent action by the Trump administration in Venezuela. “This week, the United States military successfully captured Nicolás Maduro, the illegitimate dictator of Venezuela. For years, the Maduro regime has enabled drug trafficking operations that poisoned American communities and turned […]
By Shauneen Miranda, Florida Phoenix WASHINGTON — States must now provide “justification” that federal childcare funds they receive are spent on “legitimate” providers in order to get those dollars, President Donald Trump’s administration announced. The Tuesday shift in policy came following allegations of fraud in Minnesota’s child care programs, which prompted the U.S. Department of Health and […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis will choose from among six finalists — including five current or former appellate judges — to replace longtime Justice Charles Canady on the Florida Supreme Court. Canady, a conservative mainstay on the court since 2008, announced last month that he was stepping […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Alligator Alcatraz. Guns. Social media. Legal battles about those and myriad other Florida issues remain unresolved heading into 2026. Here are 10 big legal issues to watch in the coming year: — ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ: The immigrant-detention center in the Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” has spawned […]
By Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix Choosing the top political stories in an “off year” when no statewide elections took place is challenging — although jockeying for the 2026 elections is well under way. Property taxes and gun rights, meanwhile, have emerged as issues likely to dominate the 2026 legislative session, which kicks off in a […]
Backed by a three-year $1.55 million federal grant, the University of West Florida Board of Trustees approved the creation of an academy focused on “civic republicanism.” In a press release Friday, the university described the newly created Academy of American Civic Republicanism as “an independent academic center dedicated to exploring civic republicanism — a tradition […]