By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A special House committee will begin hearings this week to consider possible alternatives for asking Florida voters to cut property taxes. House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, on Tuesday announced the creation of a select committee to look at potential property-tax changes that could go before […]
By The News Service of Florida Senate Appropriations Chairman Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, said Monday he hopes formal budget talks with the House can start later this week, with lawmakers finishing the spending package next week. Under such a scenario, Hooper said, lawmakers would take the weekend off before returning to Tallahassee. The Senate and the […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — State lawmakers often assert that their single required task to complete before the end of the annual 60-day legislative session is to approve a budget for the next fiscal year. But this year’s mission, slated to come to a close next Friday, will go into […]
By Dara Kam and Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — In a stunning move less than a week before the scheduled end of the legislative session, Senate Minority Leader Jason Pizzo announced Thursday that he has left the Democratic Party and registered as a voter with no party affiliation. Pizzo, who was […]
By The News Service of Florida Marva Johnson, a Charter Communications executive and former member of the State Board of Education, is one of four finalists to become president of Florida A&M University, according to an announcement Tuesday. Johnson, who has worked as group vice president for Charter since 2020, served eight years on the […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — In a snub to Gov. Ron DeSantis amid a widening House probe into First Lady Casey DeSantis’ signature welfare-assistance program, the Florida Senate will not take up confirmations of two state agency heads before the end of the legislative session. Senate Ethics and Elections Chairman […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s jobless rate held steady in March. The Florida Department of Commerce on Friday released a report that said the state had a 3.6 percent unemployment rate in March, the same as in February. Florida had an estimated 403,000 people who qualified as out of […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]