By Mitch Perry, The Florida Phoenix Two Democratic U.S. Reps. from Central Florida — Maxwell Frost and Darren Soto — have written a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons regarding speculation they will soon open an ICE detention center in Orlando. Their message is […]
The state House continues to move a proposal that creates an exemption for some entry level jobs from the state’s voter-approved minimum wage. The GOP-controlled House Careers & Workforce Subcommittee on Wednesday voted 11-5 along party lines to approve a measure (HB 221) that would allow people to waive their rights to the minimum wage […]
Florida lawmakers moved ahead Thursday with a proposal to get cyclists on e-bikes to slow down around pedestrians and make other safety improvements, although many suggested the effort should cover people using electric scooters as well. The Florida Senate Committee on Fiscal Policy voted 15-0 to advance the proposal, amid concerns that the increasingly popular […]
By The News Service of Florida The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday estimated 5,425 initial unemployment applications were filed last week, down from a revised count of 5,744 for the week ending Jan. 24. It marked the third consecutive week with a decline in Florida’s numbers, after a spike to 7,146 the week ending […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida Legislation seeking to create a regulatory framework that would address key issues such as electricity and water use from massive data centers continues to move in the Florida Senate, while the House has yet to take similar action. The Senate Community Affairs Committee backed a measure Tuesday […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida Senate Appropriations Chairman Sen. Ed Hooper, R-Trinity, said Wednesday his chamber’s planned roll out of the proposed fiscal year 2026-2027 budget has been delayed a week as they await action from the House. “Traditionally, the House and Senate roll their budgets out the same week,” Hooper told […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida An effort to expand the armed “school guardian” program to colleges and universities, following a deadly on-campus shooting near the Capitol last year, took another step forward in the House Tuesday. Calling for select post-secondary employees to be trained and armed, the Education & Employment Committee unanimously […]
By The News Service of Florida State general revenue collections fell just short of expectations in December primarily because of corporate income tax refunds. The Legislature’s Office of Economic & Demographic Research reported last week that Florida collected about $4.393 billion in net general revenue in December, $6.5 million or 0.1 percent under an amount […]
By Mitch Perry, The Florida Phoenix Officials from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Florida came to Tallahassee Monday to speak with lawmakers about pending legislation during the annual “Muslim Day” at the Capitol, but found conditions far different than in the past. That’s because in December, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order designating […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida Florida Decides Healthcare, a political committee sponsoring a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at expanding Medicaid coverage, was quick to turn its eyes to 2028 as the state declared an end to all initiative petition drives for the November ballot. With litigation ongoing, Smart & Safe Florida, seeking […]