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 […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Despite the leisure and hospitality industry still struggling during the coronavirus pandemic, Florida’s unemployment rate continues to improve as vaccinations increase and people return to the workforce. The state Department of Economic Opportunity reported Monday that Florida’s unemployment rate decreased to 4.8 percent in January, […]
By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — After debating whether county school board members should be paid, and if ending salaries would threaten diversity on the boards, a House panel took a first step Friday toward letting voters decide the issue in 2022. The Republican-controlled House Secondary Education & Career Development Subcommittee, […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — With backing from Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Florida Senate committee on Wednesday approved a wide-ranging proposal to revamp vote-by-mail laws, including banning the use of drop boxes and taking aim at a practice known as “ballot harvesting.” The bill (SB 90) comes amid efforts in […]
One day after Tallahassee Reports published an investigative report on Nikki Fried’s connections to a cannabis related businesses created by her fiancé, Jake Bergmann, Bergmann filed paperwork to remove a principal of Iconoclast, Inc. that Fried appointed to a medical marijuana advisory board she created. According to state records, Jake Bergmann removed Zachary Kobrin as […]
Last week, University of South Florida epidemiology professor Jason Salemi published a Twitter thread responding to several questions about COVID-19 data in Florida. Salemi, who has a Ph.D. in epidemiology, developed his own COVID tracking dashboard. The Florida Department of Health’s COVID dashboard has been under scrutiny throughout the pandemic due to concerns that Florida’s […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s online unemployment system was never tested to meet the demands encountered during the coronavirus pandemic, and more than a dozen issues remained outstanding years after the system went live, according to a report released Thursday by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office. The 95-page draft report […]
While Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried was taking steps to influence Florida cannabis policy and implement rules that regulate the cultivation of hemp, her fiancee’, Jake Bergmann, created a web of companies with people and organizations that have a professional interest in the cannabis and the hemp industry. Several of the people involved with the businesses […]
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis gave his State of the State address Tuesday to formally start the 2021 legislative session. Here are his remarks, as prepared for delivery: Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, members of the House and Senate and fellow citizens: I see, in many parts of our country, a sad state of affairs: schools […]