Judge Blocks Parts of Elections Law

Judge Blocks Parts of Elections Law

By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Saying the case “arises from Florida’s latest assault on the right to vote,” a federal judge Monday blocked parts of a new elections law challenged by voter-registration groups. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker, in a 58-page decision, issued a preliminary injunction against parts of […]

Book Deal Boosts DeSantis Net Worth

Book Deal Boosts DeSantis Net Worth

A $1.25 million book deal helped drive up Gov. Ron DeSantis’ net worth in 2022, according to an annual financial-disclosure report posted Friday on the Florida Commission on Ethics website. DeSantis listed a net worth of $1,174,331 as of Dec. 31, up from $318,986 a year earlier. DeSantis, who is running for president, listed $1.25 […]

Feds Target Chinese Land Ownership Law

Feds Target Chinese Land Ownership Law

By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — The U.S. Department of Justice is urging a federal judge to block a new Florida law that restricts people from China and six other countries from owning property in the state. Justice Department attorneys Tuesday filed a 22-page “statement of interest” supporting a lawsuit and […]

From Vouchers to Guns, New Laws Take Effect

From Vouchers to Guns, New Laws Take Effect

By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — More school vouchers. Expanded restrictions on teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity. Limits on using TikTok. Carrying guns without concealed-weapons licenses. A larger Florida State Guard. More than 200 laws passed during the 2023 legislative session, including a record $116.5 billion budget, will take […]

Sides Battle Over Speech Rights, Academic Freedom

Sides Battle Over Speech Rights, Academic Freedom

By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — University professors and students are urging a federal appeals court to uphold a decision blocking a 2022 Florida law that would restrict the way race-related concepts can be taught in classrooms — a law that Gov. Ron DeSantis dubbed the “Stop WOKE Act.” Attorneys for […]

DeSantis Axes $510 Million from Record State Budget

DeSantis Axes $510 Million from Record State Budget

By Jim Turner and Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis trimmed $510.9 million from a record-high state spending plan signed Thursday, with nearly one-fifth of the cuts coming from a single program designed to keep swaths of rural property from commercial and residential development. While DeSantis didn’t give any […]

State Gets Win in Immigration Fight

State Gets Win in Immigration Fight

By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A federal appeals court Monday sided with Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and kept in place rulings that blocked Biden administration immigration policies. A panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a request by the Biden administration for a stay of two […]

Judge Backs Trans Children in Treatment Battle

Judge Backs Trans Children in Treatment Battle

By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A federal judge on Tuesday blocked Florida’s ban on the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy to treat three children diagnosed with gender dysphoria, calling the prohibition “an exercise in politics, not good medicine.” U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle’s ruling will affect a group […]

California Officials Probe Migrant Flights

California Officials Probe Migrant Flights

By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — California officials are continuing to hold Florida responsible for flights Friday and Monday that brought South American migrants from El Paso, Texas, to Sacramento. The June flights come months after Gov. Ron DeSantis — who recently announced his bid for president — took credit for […]

DeSantis Signs Enterprise Florida Elimination

DeSantis Signs Enterprise Florida Elimination

By The News Service of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a bill that will eliminate Enterprise Florida, the state’s business-recruitment agency, and announced that J. Alex Kelly will serve as the new commerce secretary. The bill (HB 5), a priority of House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, will shift contracts and more than […]

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