By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A federal appeals court has put on hold a battle about a 2022 Florida law that restricts instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation in schools, after attorneys said they were in settlement talks. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week issued a […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Seeking a final ruling before the legislative session starts in January, both sides in a battle over a congressional redistricting plan asked an appeals court Friday to fast-track the case to the Florida Supreme Court. The joint request by attorneys for the state and voting-rights […]
One week after the passing of legendary musician Jimmy Buffet, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has ordered flags be flown at half-staff to “commemorate his life and legacy.” In a Thursday press release, DeSantis stated, “To commemorate his life and legacy, I hereby direct the flags of the United States and the State of Florida to […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A Leon County circuit judge Saturday ruled that a congressional redistricting plan pushed through the Legislature by Gov. Ron DeSantis violated the Florida Constitution and needs to be redrawn. Circuit Judge J. Lee Marsh sided with voting-rights groups in a lawsuit focused on a North […]
By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida PERRY — Several hours after Hurricane Idalia hit, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday went to rural Taylor County, where debris, downed trees and some power lines littered the roads. The Category 3 storm made landfall in Taylor County’s Keaton Beach area, and county Sheriff Wayne Padgett said […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Rapidly growing in strength, a potentially devastating hurricane remains on a path to hit Florida’s Gulf Coast. At tropical-storm strength Monday morning with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph, Idalia was forecast to make landfall as a Category 3 hurricane in the northeast gulf’s Big […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, an immigrant born in Ecuador who served one term in Congress, entered the race Tuesday to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott in 2024. The announcement made Mucarsel-Powell the top name in a Democratic field that includes former U.S. Rep. […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Tallahassee TALLAHASSEE — A federal appeals court this week will hear arguments in a fight about a 2022 Florida law that placed restrictions on how race-related issues can be addressed in workplace training — part of what Gov. Ron DeSantis dubbed the “Stop WOKE Act.” Attorneys for the […]
By The News Service of Florida Glen Gilzean, administrator of a special district that includes Walt Disney World properties, shouldn’t continue to serve as a member of the Florida Commission on Ethics while holding a public job, the ethics panel’s general counsel concluded Thursday. Commission lawyer Steve Zuilkowski wrote it would be “inconsistent” with state […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A federal judge Thursday refused to block a new Florida law that restricts people from China from owning property in the state, saying plaintiffs are unlikely to be able to show the measure was motivated by discrimination or lacks a “rational basis.” U.S. District Judge […]