Documents filed in 2020 shows that Nikki Fried had a financial interest in a marijuana company doing business in Florida in 2019, the same year she created the Cannabis Office and the Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee in the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs. Also, documents filed with the Florida Commission on Ethics indicate […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — California surpassed Florida in a new estimate of orange production, the latest sign of continuing struggles in Florida’s citrus industry. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in a monthly update released Friday, said Florida is forecast to produce enough oranges to fill 51.7 million 90-pound boxes […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A controversial elections bill focused largely on the state’s vote-by-mail process underwent an overhaul Thursday in the Florida House, but critics say it still poses unnecessary barriers to voters. The revamped proposal, which addresses issues such as the use of mail-in ballot drop boxes and […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Siding with a union that represents law-enforcement officers, a state appeals court on Tuesday unanimously decided that a constitutional amendment expanding victims’ rights can shield the identities of police officers who were threatened in use-of-force incidents. The decision by a three-judge panel of the 1st […]
On March 15th, 2021, registration for Summer and Fall sessions at Florida State University started, and a class that was originally available during class Session C, has been removed from the course catalog and will no longer be offered by the university. The recently removed class was offered by FSU’s Program in Women’s Studies and […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A Florida Senate panel Wednesday signed off on a proposal aimed at keeping most transgender females from participating in high-school and college sports, but the measure stops short of an all-out ban being considered by the House. The measures have become one of the 2021 […]
By The News Service of Florida As state lawmakers await updated projections that will help build next year’s state budget, they received a little more good news Tuesday, as monthly revenue collections continue to outpace expectations. The Legislature’s Office of Economic & Demographic Research reported February general-revenue collections came in $298.5 million above a forecast […]
On March 20th, 2021, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried received a summons detailing a complaint against her fiancee, Robert Bergmann, related to Iconoclast Ventures LLC, a cannabis company founded by Bergmann and Fried’s father, Ronald Fried. The complaint was filed in the Second Judicial Circuit Court in Leon County and the allegations include breach of […]
TALLAHASSEE — With Black lawmakers condemning the proposal as a return to the Jim Crow era, the Republican-controlled Florida House on Friday approved a measure aimed at cracking down on violent protests by creating a host of new crimes, enhancing riot-related penalties and creating roadblocks for local governments to trim police spending. The House’s party-line […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida The Florida Senate on Thursday approved a proposal that would require out-of-state online retailers to collect sales taxes, with the money slated to be used to help Florida business owners avoid increases in unemployment taxes. In a 30-10 vote, the Senate backed the proposal (SB 50), which […]