The News Service of Florida As Florida continues trying to claw itself out of financial problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, November general-revenue collections exceeded expectations and slightly topped collections in pre-pandemic November 2019, according to a report released Wednesday. Net general revenue last month totaled $2.698 billion, up 2.1 percent from $2.642.2 billion in […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Cities, counties and groups from Florida and other parts of the country are trying to help sway a federal appeals court to reconsider a potentially far-reaching decision that blocked bans on the controversial practice known as “conversion therapy.” The local governments and groups have filed […]
By Jim Saunders, Dara Kam The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A fired Florida Department of Health data analyst who contends Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has manipulated COVID-19 statistics filed a lawsuit Sunday alleging state law-enforcement agents violated her rights when they searched her home and hauled away computer equipment. Attorneys for Rebekah Jones, […]
Florida lawmakers will consider legislation to protect state universities and research institutions from interference by China, state House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, said Tuesday. In a tweet, Sprowls said the legislation will come as part of efforts by the House Select Committee on the Integrity of Research Institutions, which was set up by former […]
At a news conference today, U.S. Attorney Lawrence Keefe announced the indictment of Estero, Fla. teachers Jeremy and Kathleen Jasper for an alleged teacher certification test cheating scheme. The indictment comes after a two-year investigation. See press release here. The indictment alleges that the Jaspers repeatedly took the Florida Teacher Certification Exams (FTCE) and the […]
U.S. Attorney Lawrence Keefe is slated to announce an indictment of “statewide significance” tomorrow at a virtual press conference. According to a news release, “U.S. Attorney Keefe will be joined by representatives from the law enforcement agencies who conducted the investigation leading to this indictment.” Keefe is the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of […]
By The News Service of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday tapped Corey Simon to lead Volunteer Florida. Simon will succeed a former teammate from Florida State University’s 1999 national championship football team as CEO of the agency, which currently oversees more than $43 million in federal and state funding to support efforts to expand […]
By Christine Sexton, The News Service of Florida State police agents on Monday raided the home of a former Florida Department of Health employee who helped build the state’s first COVID-19 dashboard. Rebekah Jones was fired earlier this year after complaining that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration was manipulating COVID-19 data to make the virus appear […]
The Florida Supreme Court on Monday refused to take up an appeal by the city of Ocala in a class-action lawsuit about whether a fire-service fee is an unconstitutional tax. The court, as is common, did not explain its reasons for declining to hear the case. Attorneys for the city went to the Supreme Court […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Tallahassee TALLAHASSEE — State regulators Tuesday approved a Florida Power & Light pilot program aimed at adding electric-vehicle charging stations, while also signing off on an FPL plan that will offer help with electric bills to some small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The approval by the Florida […]