By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida legislators and local education officials are trying to pinpoint what happened to nearly 90,000 “missing” public school students, as public school enrollment estimates have dropped amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A mid-school-year estimate by state economists projects that 87,811 fewer students have enrolled in public […]
By Jim Saunders, Tom Urban The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Sen. Ray Rodrigues says the bill is about making sure workers have the final say about money they have earned. Critics say it is about “union busting.” But a Senate committee Wednesday approved a bill that could lead to a battle during the […]
By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A controversial Senate proposal that would require Florida state colleges and universities to survey students about “intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity” on campus cleared its first hurdle Tuesday. What isn’t clear is what would be done with the survey data if the bill ultimately passes. […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A proposal that could pump more than $600 million a year in tax dollars into coronavirus-damaged state and local coffers got off to a quick start Monday in the Florida Senate. But backers of the proposal (SB 50), which drew unanimous support from the Senate […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — U.S. Space Command headquarters going to Alabama is the latest evidence of Florida’s self-inflicted wounds from cutting back on business incentives, members of the Florida Economic Development Council argued Thursday. The council maintains that Florida put itself at a competitive disadvantage in attracting high-skilled and […]
By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Republican legislative leaders are lauding a sweeping school-choice measure filed Thursday, while Senate Democrats have vowed to “fight like hell” against the proposal. The legislation, filed by Republican Sen. Manny Diaz of Hialeah, would expand eligibility for school-voucher programs, consolidate existing school-choice programs and allow […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Citing health issues, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Halsey Beshears said he will step down from his post this month. Beshears, a former state representative from North Florida who was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in December 2018, said in a letter […]
By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Federal prosecutors are accusing a Tallahassee man of plotting to “violently confront protesters” at the Florida Capitol on Sunday, as law-enforcement agencies brace for demonstrations in advance of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida Lawrence Keefe on […]
According to a Florida Department of Health Report, 384,223 people have received the COVID-19 vaccine. This includes 14,601 people who have received the second dose of the vaccine. Listed below is the daily distribution of the vaccine since December 24th. The numbers for Leon County show that 6,850 people have received the vaccine and 12 […]
The News Service of Florida Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried recently called on Gov. Ron DeSantis to mobilize the National Guard to help distribute COVID-19 vaccines. In a letter to DeSantis, Fried said distribution has been characterized in media reports as “very chaotic” and that there is a lack of “clear direction” for health-care professionals […]