By The News Service of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday called the Republican-controlled House’s decisions to override a series of budget vetoes “misplaced priorities.” In a video posted online, DeSantis said the overrides Wednesday would undo “millions of dollars in cost savings that I instituted back in June of 2024, when I signed the […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — House Speaker Daniel Perez said Wednesday he wants to lower the state’s sales-tax rate, trimming revenue by almost $5 billion a year. Perez, R-Miami, told House members he has directed Ways & Means Chairman Wyman Duggan, R-Jacksonville, to produce a bill next week that would […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — The Florida House and Senate on Tuesday continued moving forward with a proposal that would provide an exemption to the state’s voter-approved minimum wage for certain workers in on-the-job training. The Republican-controlled House Careers & Workforce Subcommittee voted 12-4 along party lines to support a […]
TALLAHASSEE — In a case stemming from a fiery, fatal crash after an 18-year-old motorist drove 116 mph, a federal appeals court Friday sided with Tesla, Inc. in a dispute about the design of the car’s battery system. A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district-court decision in the […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging a 2024 Florida law aimed at restricting children’s access to major social-media sites, ruling that industry groups did not show they had legal standing to fight the measure. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker, in a ruling […]
By Dara Kam & Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Department of Management Services Secretary Pedro Allende got a grilling this week as a House budget panel digs into his agency’s employment of out-of-state workers, spending on travel and other hot-button issues. Allende’s appearance before the House State Administration Budget Subcommittee followed […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — With state universities and colleges continuing to see turnover of presidents, a House panel Wednesday unanimously approved a bill that would repeal a law shielding information about presidential candidates from public disclosure. The bill (HB 1321), unanimously approved by the House Education Administration Subcommittee, also […]
The Republican-controlled Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee on Tuesday approved a measure that targets diversity, equity, and inclusion, or “DEI,” efforts at medical schools and in state-agency contracts. The bill (SB 1710), filed by Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-Indian Rocks Beach, would prohibit money going to DEI offices or officers and would require “specific science […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s unemployment rate had a slight uptick to 3.5 percent in January, while Gov. Ron DeSantis touted growth in the labor force. The state Department of Commerce on Monday released a report that said the January rate was up from 3.4 percent in December. It […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — More than two years after the Legislature clamped down on lawsuits against property insurance companies, a House panel Thursday reopened a major debate about attorney fees when homeowners and insurers battle over claims. The House Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee voted 16-1 to approve a […]