Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who recently pushed for a major overhaul of property taxes paid to cities and counties, will soon decide whether to increase the amount of money local governments and the state must pay out in negligence lawsuits.

The Legislature sent HB 145 to DeSantis June 15. The governor has until June 30 to sign it, veto it, or allow the bill to become law without his signature.

HB 145 was one of the most hotly contested pieces of legislation during the 2026 regular session, attracting hundreds of lobbyist registrations.

And at least two organizations have sent correspondence to the governor  requesting that he veto the bill. Fourteen superintendents signed on to an April 2 veto letter from the Florida Panhandle Area Education Consortium requesting DeSantis to veto the legislation due to the “significant fiscal impact” it would have on the school districts if it were to become law.

“PAEC’s member districts operate within constrained local tax bases and narrow budget margins, leaving them with limited ability to absorb sudden financial liabilities. While we recognize the importance of ensuring fairness in the claims process, the increases to sovereign immunity caps contained in this legislation would create serious financial exposure for districts that are least equipped to manage it. For many small rural districts, the proposed caps in this legislation would have immediate and substantial consequences,” reads the letter written and signed by PAEC Executive Director John Selover.

DeSantis has not spoken about the bill publicly and his office didn’t immediately respond to request for comment.

HB 145 was supported by the Florida Justice Association, a group that represents trial attorneys. DeSantis has a history of vetoing legislation that has been supported by the trial bar group, including a 2025 bill that would have repealed a 35-year-old law that prevents some families from suing for the wrongful death of loved ones due to medical malpractice.

And in 2021 DeSantis vetoed FJA-supported legislation that would have repealed Florida’s no-fault automobile insurance system a and return to a fault-based system.

The king cannot commit a legal wrong

Sovereign immunity stems from the Latin phrase “rex non potest peccare,” which translates to “the king cannot commit a legal wrong.” It refers to the state’s authority to exempt itself from civil lawsuits, although the state does allow negligence claims against itself and its subdivisions — agencies, cities, counties, and public hospitals — within limits.

Injured parties can sue for damages and collect within the liability thresholds established by law, but if they win awards in excess of the limits they must go to the Legislature in the form of what’s called a claims bill to collect the overage. These in the past have involved harm from traffic accidents caused by government workers, medical malpractice at public hospitals, or wrongful convictions that have resulted in prison sentences.

The caps have been set at $200,000 per individual and $300,000 per incident since 2010, when the Legislature last agreed to address the issue.

HB 145 ups the caps from $200,000 per individual to $350,000 and from $300,000 per incident to $500,000.

An early iteration of the bill also would have changed the claims bill process, including amending the law to permit government entities to settle a claim or judgment in excess of the caps without requiring legislative approval. Moreover the initial bill also would have not allowed insurance policies to condition the payment of benefits on the enactment of a claims bill. Those provisions were removed before final passage.

Though not as much of an increase in the caps as she initially sought, House bill sponsor Rep. Fiona McFarland said she was happy the legislation passed during the 2026 session.

“Passing something is still significant right? We’re raising it [the sovereign immunity caps] from $200,000 to $350,000. That’s like a 75% increase. That’s still meaningful, right? If you are looking at medical bills or loss of wages or, or you know, all of the things that happened to these victims, an extra $150,000 sure goes a long way while you’re waiting for your claims bill to be passed,” the Sarasota Republican told the Phoenix shortly after the final House vote. “And I would rather do that now than … kick the proverbial can for another session and hope that we could maybe get half a million more.”

A lot of lobbying

Records show HB 145 drew 242 lobbyist registrations.

The FJA, meanwhile, reiterated its support for the bill in a prepared statement to the Phoenix Tuesday night.

“While HB 145 doesn’t address much needed reforms to the claims bill process, it is a small step toward addressing the lack of accountability that allows government entities to avoid fully compensating Floridians who have been injured by government negligence,” the FJA statement said.

Another association that opposed the bill was the Florida Hospital Association, which, according to an FHA spokesperson, also sent a letter to the governor June 9 requesting  that HB 145 be vetoed.

In a statement to the Florida Phoenix, FHA President and CEO Mary C. Mayhew said the existing framework is sufficient and “supports accountability without adding unnecessary stress and risk to an already strained system.”

“Florida’s current sovereign immunity framework already reflects a careful balance that supports accountability without adding unnecessary stress and risk to an already strained system,” Mayhew said in the statement. “Public hospitals play a vital role in Florida’s health care system … Every additional dollar diverted to litigation exposure, insurance premiums, settlements or claims administration is a dollar unavailable for patient care, workforce investment, access expansion, and community health priorities.”

The push for the veto comes after the PAEC and the FHA, and nine other organizations sent a letter to legislative leadership during the waning days of the 2026 session imploring them to kill HB 145.

The letter was sent by 11 organizations that collectively identified themselves as the “Sovereign Immunity Coalition.”

“While we recognize the importance of ensuring fairness in claims made against state and local governments, proposed increases and other changes to sovereign immunity caps raise significant fiscal and policy concerns that could negatively affect public services, and the taxpayers that pay for those services,” reads the letter.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a series of law enforcement-related measures Tuesday, with many of them designed to increase penalties for criminals and give police and prosecutors more options to pursue them.

The bills range from making it easier for police to identify an individual as a gang member to requiring criminals deemed “career offenders” have the designation on their driver’s license.

DeSantis also used the bill signing event at the Winter Haven Police Department to warn of a state crackdown on “teen takeover” events where large groups of young people swarm public areas.

“We do not recognize any teen takeover. If you try that, you are doing that at your peril,” DeSantis said. “And if the local officials are not holding you accountable, I’ll put somebody in there who will hold you accountable.”

Last week, Attorney General James Uthmeier announced a statewide initiative under the Office of Statewide Prosecution focused on “teen takeover” events.

“If you organize these destructive takeovers, we will find you, we will dismantle your network, and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,” Uthmeier said in a release.

None of the bills signed Tuesday involved teen takeover events. But they do address a variety of law enforcement requests.

“I love a redemption arc. I love rehabilitation. But when you have some of these people that are career criminals, they are going to re-offend. And so you have to keep them off the street and make them serve their entire sentence,” DeSantis said prior to signing the bills on Tuesday. 

One of the bills signed Tuesday is an increase in registration requirements for individuals designated as a habitual violent felony offender, a violent career criminal, or a three-time violent felony offender (SB 1332).

Among the changes intended to make “career offender” registration similar to the sexual offender registry, those repeat offenders must annually provide the local sheriff with their address, phone number, employment, vehicles, professional licenses and immigration status. They must also report changes of address, phone numbers and employment within 48 hours.

The law, effective Oct. 1, also requires a career offender to obtain the marking of “775.261,” on their driver license or identification card. The numbers refer to the section of state statutes defining “career offenders.”

Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass said the mark will help law enforcement officers.

“The career offender is not little Johnny going to steal a candy bar at the food store,” Glass said. “The career offender is the one who’s been deemed by the court that continuously keeps coming through here, and these are your violent ones.”

Another measure (HB 429) signed by DeSantis eases the criteria to determine if a person is a criminal gang member.

The bill allows someone’s spouse to identify them as a gang member, accepting online admissions of gang membership, and reducing the number of times a person must be seen in the company of gang members from four to two.

DeSantis also signed a bill (SB 156) requiring someone convicted of manslaughter against an active duty law enforcement officer to serve life in prison.

The bill is named after Daytona Beach Police Officer Jason Raynor who was shot and later died while questioning a suspect in 2021. Jurors found Othal Wallace, who resisted being detained, guilty of manslaughter, which carried a 30-year sentence.

A measure (SB 432) making it a first-degree felony to manufacture, sell or deliver xylazine outside its allowed use as animal drug products for veterinary purposes was also among the bills signed by DeSantis.

The bill also makes it a third-degree felony to sell or possess nitrous oxide, except for its approved uses at grocery stores and supermarkets.

Under another bill (SB 436) signed by DeSantis, someone with a prior conviction for “resisting an officer with violence” can see a first-degree misdemeanor battery charge upgraded to a third-degree felony.

 If voters approve the property tax cut on the November ballot, cities, counties and special taxing districts will lose nearly $5 billion the first year, and nearly $12 billion in the fifth year, according to projections developed by state economists Friday.

Homestead owners will be the initial beneficiaries of the amendment, but non-homestead owners, including businesses and those who own vacation homes and condos, will reap rewards as well in future years.

Under the estimates approved by the Legislative Office of Economic and Demographic Research, local governments will see a $5 billion hit in the 2027-2028 fiscal year, followed by a nearly $8.8 billion cut the next year.

In the third and fourth years after the approval of the amendment, local governments will get a $9.7 billion cut and $10.75 billion hit, respectively.

The amendment needs 60 percent support from voters to pass. Lawmakers took the measure drafted by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office and changed it to exempt school taxes from the hike in the homestead exemption, which rises from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027, then $250,000 in 2028.

Another piece of the proposal lowers the cap on annual assessment increases on non-homestead properties. The current cap is 10 percent and the amendment would lower it to 5 percent.

Also, to benefit from the jump in the homestead exemption, a person must be a resident of Florida as of Dec. 31, 2026. If someone moves to the Sunshine State after that date and buys a homestead, they’ll have to wait five years to get the higher exemption.

DeSantis has been the driving force for property tax cuts, stressing the need for relief for homeowners amid rising costs and surging home valuations that have sent tax bills soaring in the last six years.

“The proposal will increase constitutional protection against taxes for homestead properties and will be the biggest property tax cut in Florida history,” DeSantis posted on X earlier this month. “Floridians looking for help with affordability will have a great opportunity to vote for it.”

Local government officials, though, have warned the drastic cuts will impair their ability to provide basic services.

Lawmakers tried to address that concern by requiring property taxes to only be spent on “core services” such as public safety, education and environmental and infrastructure projects. But that provision doesn’t address the main worry of city and county officials – that there will be much less money to pay for those services.

Small, rural counties and towns with a large percentage of homestead properties in their tax base are especially concerned what the measure could do to their bottom line.

A lawsuit has been filed by an activist group and two former local elected officials against the state over the ballot measure, alleging it is misleading.

But even if the courts rule against the state, that wouldn’t automatically remove the measure from the ballot. Under state law, Attorney General James Uthmeier would be required to amend the ballot summary if it is found to be defective.

Gas prices fell for a third straight week in Florida and the trend should continue as the U.S. announced a framework on Sunday for an agreement expected to end its war with Iran and reopen the flow of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.

The auto club AAA put the average gallon of gas in Florida at $3.81 on Monday, ranging from a low of $3.48 in Escambia County at the western end of the Panhandle to $4.17 in Monroe County, which includes the Florida Keys.

The average, down 3 cents over the past week, has fallen 71 cents since May 20, when market optimism grew upon the latest round of ceasefire talks.

Still, Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, cautioned it may take a few days to “see if the agreement sticks, and if traffic begins moving in the Strait.”

“Beyond that, the national average could fall below $3.75/gal by July 4, under a optimistic timeline, but hurricane season could be a major wildcard for the rest of summer-tight global inventories mean it will take months or beyond to fully restore global oil inventories,” De Haan posted on X.

The U.S. has sought to counter pump prices by drawing down reserves to the lowest levels since the early 1980s.

The national average stood at $4.07 a gallon on Monday, according to AAA. The average is down 9 cents over the week and 49 cents since May 20.

The state average was $2.90 a gallon on February 28, with the national average at $2.98, when the U.S. and Israel began military operations against Iran.

Born on November 25, 1941, Ralph grew up in Palmetto, Florida, a community he would proudly represent throughout much of his life. He developed his lifelong sweet tooth while working his first job at The Dairy Bar, his family’s diner and ice cream shop. Throughout his childhood and into high school, Ralph played baseball as a left-handed pitcher, with a self-described unhittable screwball. He attended The Citadel Military College and earned degrees from the University of Florida and Cumberland School of Law. He was a diehard Gator fan, never missing the opportunity to watch every Gator game, regardless of the sport. Ralph then created a career that blended law and politics, putting his charisma and formidable advocacy to good use as a prosecutor, judge, member of the Florida House of Representatives, and ultimately Speaker of the Florida House from 1980 to 1982.

After leaving public office, he built a distinguished legal career, becoming a trusted and influential lobbyist and counselor to clients, colleagues, and friends. He was a mentor to many, starting countless conversations with “dude, here’s the problem,” before proceeding to offer advice that was as good as gold.

Those who knew him best understood that professional accolades never fully captured the man.

Ralph lived his many lives to the fullest. He was an avid fisherman, often taking friends and family on his prized Hatteras, “Frayed Knot,” for fishing trips in the Gulf, the Florida Keys, and the Bahamas. He spent many days riding his motorcycle across the country and beyond with his friends and his wife, Michelle. He took several dedicated motorcycle excursions, including trips to South Dakota, California, Canada, and more. He was proud to have ridden the legendary Tail of the Dragon, a world-famous motorcycle run with over 300 curves along the Tennessee-North Carolina state line.

Ralph’s life story included more than its fair share of excitement and plot twists. Over the years, he survived a plane crash, a black widow spider bite, a near-death case of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and the sinking of a boat 12 miles offshore. Ralph’s friends and family often joked that fate kept trying to schedule a meeting with Ralph, and Ralph kept rescheduling.

Above all, Ralph was devoted to his family. He shared a loving partnership with Michelle, his wife of 30 years, and was the proud father of their daughter, Elizabeth (“EJ”), whom he touted as his favorite daughter. He delighted in hosting dinners for family and friends to show off his grilling prowess, and to captivate the room with his stories – especially when he happened to be the hero of them.

He leaves behind a legacy not only of great accomplishment but of personal generosity, steadfast friendship, and deep love for his friends and family. Those who knew Ralph will remember his sharp mind, strong convictions, and remarkable resilience. It is fitting that a man who survived so much ultimately leaves behind something even more enduring than his accomplishments: the example of a life fully lived.

Ralph was preceded by his parents, Ralph Haben, Sr., and Jonnie Claire Haben. He is survived by his wife, Michelle Haben; his daughter, Elizabeth Watford (Sam); and his granddaughter, Sophie Watford.

He will be deeply missed, lovingly remembered, and frequently quoted.

The family asks that friends honor Ralph’s memory by telling a good story – preferably one that improves slightly with each retelling, a tradition Ralph himself greatly appreciated.

A Celebration of Life will be held to honor his legacy. Date, time, and location will be announced soon.

Trulieve Cannabis Co., Florida’s largest marijuana provider and one of the biggest in the nation, has been approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

Voting shares are expected to begin trading on the NYSE floor under the ticker symbol TRLV on Wednesday morning.

When that happens, it will have become the first U.S. cannabis company to list on the NYSE.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche reclassified medical marijuana to Schedule III in April, opening a pathway for Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration for state licensed medical marijuana companies. The classification means a drug has some medical use and a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.

“As the first U.S. cannabis company to list on a major U.S. exchange, we are excited for the opportunity to expand our shareholder base, increase liquidity, and raise awareness for the benefits of medical marijuana,” Kim Rivers, Trulieve founder and CEO, said in a press release. “Uplisting to the NYSE is a major advancement for Trulieve and the industry.”

Trulieve provided the financial muscle in 2024 to fund Smart & Safe Florida, the advocacy group that worked to place recreational cannabis on the ballot. The measure received nearly 56% support, short of the 60% required for passage.

The company came back last year to fund a similar effort to get the issue on the ballot this November, but the Florida Supreme Court ended that push in March when it declined to rehear Smart & Safe’s lawsuit against Secretary of State Cord Byrd. That lawsuit challenged a directive by Byrd to invalidate more than 70,000 petition signatures collected by the campaign.

Trulieve has been listed on the Canadian Stock Exchange since 2018, but will no longer do so following the close of the market on Tuesday.

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds’ campaign raised $14 million in the last two months, easily outpacing his Republican and Democratic rivals in the race to replace term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Between his campaign account and political committee, Donalds has $65.8 million cash on hand as of June 1, according to campaign finance reports tracking fundraising from April 1 to May 31.

Qualifying for the governor’s race is set to end at noon Friday, and Donalds’ opponents are lagging him in fundraising. But GOP rival Lt. Gov. Jay Collins pulled in a $5 million contribution to give his campaign a boost.

Propel Florida LLC, a group formed to combat Big Tech firms, made the $5 million donation. In all, Collins has nearly $6 million in his campaign account and political committee combined as of June 1.

Former House Speaker Paul Renner, a Palm Coast Republican, raised $105,000 in the last two months in his campaign and political committee, and has nearly $3.2 million cash on hand.

Conservative activist James Fishback raised about $450,000 in the reporting period but has spent most of it, and has $112,000 cash on hand as of June 1. His campaign finance report shows nearly $1,600 in expenses May 27-29 at the Dolphin Resort in Lake Buena Vista. Social media posts show he spent his honeymoon at nearby Disney World at that time after getting married.

For Democratic field, it was largely cleared when Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings announced earlier this month he’s dropping his gubernatorial campaign after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.

That leaves former U.S. Rep. David Jolly as the only major Democratic candidate.

Jolly raised $1.2 million in April and May but has spent much of the $6 million he’s raised in the campaign so far, leaving him with $2 million cash on hand entering June.

When Demings made his announcement stepping out of the race, Jolly and Donalds each expressed well wishes to him and his family, then pivoted to the general election.

“With the announcement of Jerry Demings dropping out of the Democrat primary for Governor, the general election starts today,” Donalds posted on X.

Jolly on Wednesday named former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham as his running mate, an announcement typically reserved for after the primary.

Donalds leads in most reputable polls but could need to spend some of his war chest to contend with his GOP primary opponents.

The primary election is Aug. 18, and the general election is Nov. 3.

Two former local elected officials and a nonprofit group filed suit Thursday in Leon County Circuit Court against the property tax cut amendment placed on the November ballot by lawmakers, alleging it is misleading.

The group is called Save Our Voters From Misleading Ballot Language and the two officials are Thomas Campenni, former Mayor of Stuart, and Michael Davey, former Mayor of Key Biscayne.

They claim the ballot measure (HJR 1F), which seeks to increase the existing $50,000 tax exemption for homestead properties to $150,000 in 2027 and to $250,000 in 2028, would deceive voters.

“The ballot summary does not merely describe the Proposed Constitutional Amendment – it endorses it,” the lawsuit states. “The ballot summary … sets forth three political taglines – ‘ensuring funding for core services,’ ‘protecting small businesses,’ and ‘ensuring fairness for Florida residents’ – giving reasons why voters should vote for the proposal.   But the purpose of a ballot summary is to explain what an amendment does, not to advocate for its adoption.”

But even if the court finds the ballot summary is misleading, that wouldn’t erase the measure from the ballot.

Under state law, Attorney General James Uthmeier would be required to amend the ballot summary if it is found to be defective.

Lawmakers passed the measure after it was drafted by DeSantis’ office. GOP leaders amended it to exempt taxes levied to fund schools, but city and county officials across the state have warned if voters approve it their budgets – and the services they provide to residents – will suffer.

DeSantis and supporters of the measure, though, have largely waved those critiques away, claiming local governments have overtaxed homeowners as property values have risen in recent years and now they need to rein in spending.

According to a House staff analysis the measure could cost local governments $8.4 billion per year, if it gets the necessary 60 percent support from voters to pass into law.

A spokeswoman for DeSantis didn’t immediately respond to an email Thursday.

The lawsuit claims several pieces of the ballot summary are misleading.

The phrase “ensuring funding for core services” is a misnomer, the lawsuit claims, because it drastically cuts property tax revenues. The proposed amendment would require cities and counties to spend property tax revenues on a list of “core services,” including public safety, but it also lowers the amount of money available for those services.

The lawsuit also takes issue with the phrase “protecting small businesses,” as there’s no provision that marks such business out for special treatment. There is a provision lowering the current 10 percent cap on annual assessment increases for non-homestead properties to 5 percent, but that applies to more than just small businesses.

“The Proposed Constitutional Amendment broadly limits future assessment increases on all categories of non-homesteaded property, and provides no protection to small businesses, or other non-homesteaded property, from the expected higher taxes resulting from increases in millages rates necessary to offset (at least partially) the loss of tax base caused by the amendment,” the lawsuit states.

Another misleading piece, according to the lawsuit, is it’s expressed intent to eventually eliminate all non-school homestead property taxes, something DeSantis has said is his goal. But although the measure directs the Legislature to set up a structure to allow local governments to phase out homestead property taxes, that’s short of a mandatory full elimination.

“The actual proposed constitutional language does not require the ‘full elimination,’” the lawsuit states. “Rather, it requires the Legislature to establish procedures through which local governments may choose to grant additional exemptions in the future ‘up to’ the full assessed valuation.”

Florida saw a jump in first-time jobless claims last week, ending a three-week slide.

The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday estimated 7,447 initial unemployment applications were filed in Florida last week, up from 5,363 the Memorial Day shortened week ending May 30.

The state had seen its weekly numbers slide since 8,164 applications came the week after Dania Beach-based Spirit Airlines shutdown operations on May 2.

The latest weekly estimate did little to change the pace of claims since the start of the year, which now averages 5,955 a week. However, Florida’s overall unemployment rate has steadily grown for eight consecutive months.

The state jobless rate stood at 4.8 percent in April, with 532,000 unemployed Floridians from a labor force of 11.15 million. Those numbers are to be updated on June 19.

Nationwide, 229,000 claims were filed last week.

Former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, who fell 3.1 percentage points short of being the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in 2018, could be on the ballot again this year, but in a supporting role.

David Jolly, another former U.S. House member, announced Graham, the daughter of former Gov. Bob Graham, as his running mate, putting a northern Democrat on the ticket days after his anticipated biggest primary challenger, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, dropped out of the race.

Jolly, 53, noted he has been friends with Gwen Graham, 63, for more than a decade. They served together on opposite sides of the aisle in Congress, working on issues from gun reform after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando in 2016 to education and the environment. He said he wanted a running mate with the skills to oversee the state.

“We are at a crossroads, and there is an opportunity to do something very differently. This is a moment where we need new leadership in the state of Florida,” Jolly said during an event outside the Old Capitol. “We need capable, responsible leaders willing to put the people of Florida first.” 

Graham said the November election will be a choice between candidates “who will listen to the voices of all Floridians, or do you want a governor who just plays to the political extremes?”

“The connection David and I have built is on the simple belief that public service and public servants should focus and deliver on improving people’s lives,” Graham said.

The selection wasn’t a surprise. The two had appeared together at several events in the past year and on Monday the USA Today Network reported Rev. R.B. Holmes Jr., pastor of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Tallahassee, revealed Graham as Jolly’s running mate in his Sunday sermon.

Jolly said he isn’t waiting to set up his team.

On Tuesday, he named lobbyist Sean Pittman as his transition chairman.

Jolly and Graham served in Congress together from 2015 to 2017. Jolly at the time was a Republican representing Florida’s 13th congressional district, which covered part of the Tampa area.

Largely in reaction to the rise of Donald Trump and the GOP’s embrace of him as president, Jolly left the Republican Party and later became a Democrat.

The Republican Party of Florida quickly responded to the report by characterizing Jolly a “political chameleon” and Graham a “liberal (nepotism) baby.”

“Together, Jolly and Graham represent everything Florida voters have spent the last decade rejecting: career politicians, Washington insiders, and a far-left agenda that is out of step with the values of Florida families,” the party said in a statement on Monday.

Gates McGavick, the campaign communications director for U.S. Rep. Bryon Donalds the GOP frontrunner to replace the term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis, issued a statement that “this might have been an interesting ticket 10 years ago.”

Jolly on Wednesday said he wasn’t convinced Donalds will become the Republican party nominee.

Besides Donalds, the Republican primary includes former House Speaker Paul Renner and conservative activist James Fishback, who have already qualified. Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, who has announced his bid for the office, has until noon on Friday to qualify.

Democrats Evelyn Castillo-Bach of Pembroke Pines and Thomas Eloy Fernandez of Homestead have already qualified for the primary, paying the $8,480 filing fee. Still, the Democratic field cleared a little on Friday when Demings suspended his campaign after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Florida also hasn’t elected a Democrat as governor since Lawton Chiles was reelected in 1994. The last Democrat to win a statewide contest was Nikki Fried as agriculture commissioner in 2018. Fried is now the Florida Democratic Party chairwoman.

Jolly said he considered five or six “strong” candidates to be his running mate.

Graham served in President Joe Biden’s administration as an assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Education for legislation and congressional affairs.

Her father, Bob Graham, who died in 2024, served as Florida’s governor from 1979 to 1987 before moving to the U.S. Senate, where he served until 2005.

An attorney, Gwen Graham worked on her father’s 2004 presidential campaign and later the campaigns of Howard Dean and John Kerry.

She defeated Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland in 2014, only to leave Congress to pursue the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2018. She finished second in a seven-person primary with 31.3 percent of the vote, 47,289 votes behind former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum.

Gillum lost the general election to DeSantis, in his first run for governor, by 32,463 votes out of more than 8 million cast.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed 17 bills into law, and formally received 20 more pieces of legislation.

The bills he signed are known as local bills, dealing with a piece of law affecting only specific city or county jurisdictions.

For instance, one bill (HB 4029) puts a referendum on the November ballot for Hillsborough County voters, giving them the option to increase their county commission from seven members to nine members, with further expansion to 11 members if their population hits 2.5 million. As of the 2020 census, Hillsborough County had 1.58 million people.

Another bill (HB 4027) asks Hillsborough voters if they want to move from an appointed school district superintendent to an elected one.

Among the bills DeSantis received Tuesday are measures to increase the penalty for the manslaughter death of a law enforcement officer to life without parole (SB 156) and adding the existence of an illegal gambling house to the places that qualify as a public nuisance (SB 168).

DeSantis has until June 30 to act on the bills he received.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Cabinet on Tuesday approved $90 million in grants for local law enforcement agencies for items related to enforcement of illegal immigration.

The $90 million is for new and amended grants to 56 county and city police departments for radios, body cameras, riot gear, ballistic helmets, X-ray machines, inmate restraint chairs and other items.

DeSantis, Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, who comprise the State Board of Immigration Enforcement, unanimously approved the funding.

Out of the $90 million in grants, $30.3 million is for new awards and $57 million are additional funds for law enforcement agencies that had already asked for assistance.

In the latest batch of requests, Orange County and Polk County sheriff offices asked for the most money. The bulk of Orange County’s $10 million proposal is for equipment, with $9 million of those funds going to 910 portable radios.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office asked for $10 million, with $8.7 million being spent on encrypted radio device systems and servers. The current radios the sheriff’s office uses cannot communicate with ICE agents because they lack encryption capabilities, the request says.

“With the proposed upgrades, communication with ICE will be enabled, ultimately reducing the risk of our officers and ICE agents, and strengthening the overall security of our sensitive communications,” the request states.

The Walton County Sheriff’s Office south about $9 million, which includes more than $2.5 million for a rapid DNA testing system and 2,000 DNA processing swabs.

“With DNA results available quickly, we can reduce detention and processing times, resolve immigration status faster, and reallocate resources to more critical enforcement and investigative tasks,” Walton County’s request says.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office requested more than $8 million, with about $5 million to be used for communication equipment, including radios. Notably, the county is asking for $600,000 for two Skywatch mobile towers to “enhance situation awareness and support immigration enforcement operations.”

The state has approved $147 million in immigration enforcement grants and disbursed almost $5 million to 25 local law enforcement agencies, according to Transparency Florida, a state website that tracks government spending.

Lawmakers in 2025 set aside $250 million to reimburse local law enforcement for purchases related to illegal immigration enforcement, including overtime for officers who participate in operations with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The board also extended an emergency rule allowing funds to reimburse agencies with an agreement with ICE for vehicle purchases.

Local law enforcement agencies are allowed to buy one multi-passenger van to transport immigrants between county, state and federal detention facilities.