Report: Second Quarter Florida GDP Up 3.3%, Personal Income Up 6.7%

Report: Second Quarter Florida GDP Up 3.3%, Personal Income Up 6.7%

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis recently released new quarterly statistics on gross domestic product and personal income for all 50 states and the District of Columbia for the second quarter of 2025 (April, May, and June). The Florida GDP was up 3.3%, ranking 30th while the Florida personal income was up 6.7%, ranking 11th. […]

Boyd Backed to Become Senate President

Boyd Backed to Become Senate President

By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Jim Boyd, a veteran lawmaker who heads an insurance and investment firm in Bradenton, was formally selected Tuesday by Senate Republicans to become the next Senate president. Boyd, who is the Senate majority leader, will succeed President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, after the November 2026 elections. […]

Citizens Policy Count Virtually Unchanged

Citizens Policy Count Virtually Unchanged

By The News Service of Florida With Citizens Property Insurance Corp. leaders expecting tens of thousands of policies to move to the private market later this year, the state insurer’s policy count remained almost unchanged last week. Citizens had 769,059 policies as of Friday, compared to 769,017 policies a week earlier and 769,294 policies two […]

Proposed Bill Would Require Constitutional Oath for Teachers

Proposed Bill Would Require Constitutional Oath for Teachers

A bill filed Monday by state Rep. Tom Fabricio would require teachers to take an oath to the Constitution and nonpartisanship. Fabricio, R-Miami Lakes, is an attorney and has been in office since 2020. The bill, HB 147, would require teachers to, “before entering upon the duties of a classroom teacher,” take the oath. The language […]

Study Reveals Lack of Confidence in Florida Schools

Study Reveals Lack of Confidence in Florida Schools

The Institute for Governance and Civics (IGC) at Florida State University recently published their findings after surveying 1,234 Florida voters before the 2024 general election about trust in public schools. They found that an “alarming” number of Floridians do not trust K-12 schools, and that their distrust primarily comes from the concerns that schools have […]

Survey Says Florida Dems and NPA Voters Support Open Primary Elections

Survey Says Florida Dems and NPA Voters Support Open Primary Elections

By Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix As the Florida Democratic Party continues to consider opening its primary elections to independent voters, a survey backed by proponents finds strong support for the idea. Florida Open Primaries, an advocacy group working to open Florida’s closed primary voting system, along with the group Open Primaries and its Let Us Vote campaign, […]

GOP Nears 1.4M Voter Edge

GOP Nears 1.4M Voter Edge

By The News Service of Florida The Republican Party of Florida in September added to its voter-registration edge over the Florida Democratic Party and moved closer to a margin of 1.4 million voters. The GOP had 5,505,326 “active” registered voters as of Sept. 30, while the Democratic Party had 4,117,871, according to newly posted data […]

House Speaker Designate Sam Garrison Talks Medicaid Expansion, Looming Cuts

House Speaker Designate Sam Garrison Talks Medicaid Expansion, Looming Cuts

By Christine Sexton, Florida Phoenix Rep. Sam Garrison, selected Thursday to become the next speaker of the Florida House, is playing down estimates that the state could lose billions of dollars over the next few years for Medicaid. Instead, Garrison touted Florida’s decision to not expand Medicaid access to low-income adults as a wise choice […]

Growth Law Draws Another Challenge

Growth Law Draws Another Challenge

By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — The growth-management group 1000 Friends of Florida and an Orange County resident Tuesday filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a new state law that blocks cities and counties from approving “more restrictive or burdensome” changes to growth plans. The lawsuit, filed in Leon County […]

Former Democrat Files Bill Banning Shari’a Law in Florida Government

Former Democrat Files Bill Banning Shari’a Law in Florida Government

By Livia Caputo, Florida Phoenix A Florida lawmaker who suddenly switched parties last year filed a state version of a federal bill Wednesday that would ban courts and agencies from using Shari’a Law. Rep. Hillary Cassel, a Broward Republican who served in the state House as a Democrat for two years, issued HB 119 banning Florida courts, panels, […]