Hope Florida Foundation OK’s Changes Amid Scrutiny

Hope Florida Foundation OK’s Changes Amid Scrutiny

By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Seeking to “restore confidence” in its mission, directors of an embattled foundation affiliated with First Lady Casey DeSantis’ signature Hope Florida welfare-assistance program on Thursday agreed to strengthen the nonprofit’s structure amid widening scrutiny by the Florida House. The Hope Florida Foundation Inc. directors finalized […]

State Pushes Back in Immigration Law Fight

State Pushes Back in Immigration Law Fight

By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida argued this week it should be able to move forward with a new law aimed at cracking down on undocumented immigrants who come to the state, after a federal judge temporarily halted the measure. Attorney General James Uthmeier’s office, in a 22-page court document […]

Two Killed in ‘Terrible Tragedy’ at FSU

Two Killed in ‘Terrible Tragedy’ at FSU

By Jim Turner and Mike Exline, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Two people were killed and six others were injured Thursday after a shooter, the son of a Leon County sheriff’s deputy, opened fire around lunchtime at Florida State University. The shooter, 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, also was shot after confronting police officers, authorities […]

Lawmakers Target Student Cell Phone Use

Lawmakers Target Student Cell Phone Use

By Jim Turner & Tom Urban, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — An effort to keep students off cell phones throughout the school day passed the Florida House on Wednesday, though differences remain with a Senate proposal. The House unanimously approved a bill (HB 949) that would expand a law that prohibits the use […]

Hope Florida Chief Leaving Job

Hope Florida Chief Leaving Job

By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Amid ongoing scrutiny of First Lady Casey DeSantis’ signature welfare-assistance program and an affiliated foundation, the executive director of the Hope Florida program is poised to step down from the job. Erik Dellenback, who also serves as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “liaison for faith and community,” […]

Foundation Head Says ‘Mistakes’ Made

Foundation Head Says ‘Mistakes’ Made

By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — The chairman of a foundation tied to Hope Florida — First Lady Casey DeSantis’ signature welfare-assistance program — said under oath Tuesday that “mistakes were made” with the foundation’s record-keeping, as a skirmish over the group’s finances continued to escalate. Joshua Hay, chairman of the […]

Traditional School Enrollment to Decrease

Traditional School Enrollment to Decrease

By The News Service of Florida Enrollment in Florida’s traditional public schools is expected to decrease in the coming years while voucher programs expand, according to a new report from state economists. The report, compiled by the state Education Estimating Conference, said enrollment in traditional public schools is projected to go from 2,805,298 in the […]

House Seeks Records on Agency Spending

House Seeks Records on Agency Spending

By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Amid an escalating feud between Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled House, the chamber’s budget chairman on Friday sent letters to six state agencies seeking a broad array of documents as part of a probe into government spending. The inquiry into DeSantis-administration spending, ordered by […]

State Jobless Claims Tick Up

State Jobless Claims Tick Up

By The News Service of Florida Florida last week had its largest number of first-time unemployment claims in two months. The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday estimated 6,510 initial claims were filed in Florida during the week that ended April 5, up from a revised count of 5,587 during the week that ended March […]

House, Senate Pass Budget Plans

House, Senate Pass Budget Plans

By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — The House and Senate on Wednesday passed proposed budgets that are billions of dollars apart, giving them a little more than three weeks to mesh their spending goals and reach an agreement on tax cuts. While the House has proposed cutting the state’s overall sales-tax […]

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