By Liv Caputo, Florida Phoenix A bill forcing all Florida employers to use a federal verification tool to determine whether new hires are legally in the country passed its first hurdle Wednesday. HB 197, sponsored by Seminole Republican Rep. Berny Jacques, expands a 2023 law championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to require all employers — […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A divided federal appeals court Tuesday rejected a request to block key parts of a 2023 Florida law that restricts people from China from purchasing property in the state. A panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, said plaintiffs […]
Average gasoline prices remained below $3 a gallon in Florida during the past week, as the national average ticked down. Florida motorists Monday paid an average of $2.96 a gallon for regular unleaded gas, up a nickel from a week earlier, according to the AAA auto club. “Gas price cycling continues at Florida gas pumps, […]
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings has opened a campaign account to run for governor in 2026, according to the state Division of Elections website. Demings is the second prominent Democrat to file paperwork for the race, joining former Congressman David Jolly. The account, opened Friday, allows Demings to raise money for the campaign. Demings is […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Accusing state elections officials of “ignoring the indisputable facts and their clear legal obligation,” backers of a proposed constitutional amendment seeking to allow recreational use of marijuana are asking the Florida Supreme Court to force Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration to move forward with a ballot-approval […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida Disputing allegations that they violated First Amendment rights, Florida wildlife officials Thursday argued that a federal judge should reject a request to reinstate a biologist who was fired because of a social-media post after the murder of conservative leader Charlie Kirk. Attorneys for Florida Fish and Wildlife […]
By Liv Caputo, Florida Phoenix Gov. Ron DeSantis doesn’t think Florida Democrats should tell him about their fears of low-income Floridians losing access to food benefits. Instead, DeSantis wants them to write their concerns to Chuck Schumer, the U.S. Senate Democratic Leader from New York. “Did those Democrats write a letter to Chuck Schumer asking […]
By Liv Caputo, Florida Phoenix Larry Keefe, the first executive director of Florida’s new State Board of Immigration Enforcement, exited his post Tuesday in what the governor’s office says was a planned move. A former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida, Keefe’s position will be taken over effective immediately by Anthony Coker, an […]
By Liv Caputo, Florida Phoenix All three members of the Florida Cabinet are questioning the legality of the state voucher system that has steered taxpayer-funded scholarships to private Islamic schools that they contend undermine “Western” values. Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, all Republicans and allies of […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Siding with a 19-year-old man who was spotted with a gun in his waistband, a Broward County circuit judge Friday ruled that a state law barring people under age 21 from carrying concealed weapons violates Second Amendment rights. Judge Frank Ledee issued a nine-page ruling […]