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 […]
By The News Service of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday announced that all Floridians ages 40 and older will be able to receive COVID-19 vaccinations starting Monday and that all adults will be eligible on April 5. The announcement came after eligibility expanded to people ages 50 and older this week. “We have made […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida Republican lawmakers are pushing ahead with sweeping election changes largely focused on making it more difficult for people to vote by mail, an effort mirrored in GOP-led state houses throughout the country. In a party-line vote Monday, the House Public Integrity & Elections Committee […]
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried – a former cannabis lobbyist whose fiancee created a cannabis company with Fried’s father – recently tweeted that “Legalizing cannabis solves lots of problems and creates none.” Fried’s comments come despite several reports that show increases in hospitalizations and suicides due to the legalization of marijuana. Also, in 2019 a […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — The Miami-Dade County state attorney has charged former Florida Sen. Frank Artiles with election fraud for allegedly propping up a sham candidate in a razor-thin Senate contest in which an incumbent Democrat was ousted by a Republican challenger in November. Artiles is accused of using […]
By The News Service of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that Florida will start offering COVID-19 vaccines to all people age 50 and older starting Monday. This week, Florida lowered the age threshold from 65 to 60, but the governor said softening demand convinced him the state could go to 50. “The demand has […]
Relying on federal coronavirus relief funds for schools, Gov. Ron DeSantis is proposing to spend $106 million to bolster civics education, including offering bonuses to teachers who complete training. During a news conference Wednesday in Naples, DeSantis announced what he’s calling the “Civic Literacy Excellence Initiative.” Part of the plan would direct the Florida Department […]