By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — After a special session late last month spiraled into a clash between Republican legislative leaders and Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida lawmakers will meet in another special session this week to pass a package of bills targeting illegal immigration — with DeSantis’ support. Senate President Ben […]
A federal appeals court will not reconsider an opinion last year that sided with the Florida High School Athletic Association in a long-running dispute about a blocking a Tampa Christian school from offering a prayer over a stadium loudspeaker before a high-school football championship game. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week turned […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Special Florida House panels are teed up next week to scrutinize Gov. Ron DeSantis’ line-item budget vetoes, setting up possible overrides amid a dispute between the governor and Republican legislative leaders over immigration-enforcement plans. House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, on Thursday assembled four “combined workgroups” […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — After spending a week castigating a legislative plan addressing illegal immigration, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday adopted a more conciliatory tone as he laid out his proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. DeSantis has been locked in a fierce battle with House Speaker Daniel […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis late Sunday proposed a $115.6 billion budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year that calls for increasing pay for state law-enforcement officers and firefighters, eliminating a commercial-lease tax and holding a new sales-tax “holiday” on guns and ammunition. The proposal is an initial […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Tallahassee TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican legislative leaders clashed throughout the week in a public and bitter tug-of-war over how best to carry out President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, and Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, convened a special legislative […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday pledged to veto an immigration bill passed during a special legislative session Tuesday, triggering a potential showdown with Republican House and Senate leaders in a tug-of-war over efforts to carry out President Donald Trump’s agenda. DeSantis lambasted the measure during […]
TALLAHASSEE — Saying they are trying to help President Donald Trump crack down on illegal immigration, Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature late Tuesday passed a plan that includes boosting criminal penalties for undocumented immigrants, ending in-state tuition rates for undocumented-immigrant students and creating a state “chief immigration officer.” The bill, which passed in a special legislative session, […]
By Jim Saunders, Dara Kam and Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature will revamp immigration laws this week but issued a sharp rebuke Monday to Gov. Ron DeSantis that included overriding a budget veto from last year. The House and Senate started and quickly ended a special legislative session […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — On the eve of a special legislative session called by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Republican lawmakers Sunday filed a flurry of bills to crack down on undocumented immigrants and place additional restrictions on the ballot initiative process. The bills, in part, would end in-state tuition at […]