By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida has posted its lowest weekly total of first-time unemployment claims since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, despite mounting issues confronting the travel industry. The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday estimated 17,621 first-time jobless claims were filed in Florida during the week that […]
By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Tallahassee TALLAHASSEE — Following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in May and the ensuing summer of nationwide protests, the Florida Legislative Black Caucus is pushing a slew of bills for the 2021 legislative session that members say “promote fair and just” police reforms. […]
By The News Service of Florida With members of the Florida Legislative Black Caucus set to debut a slate of proposals to “support fair and just policing,” House Minority Co-leader Evan Jenne told reporters Monday “they are not trying to defund the police.” The Black caucus will hold a news conference Tuesday to roll out […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — An appeals court wants The Florida Bar to consider taking action against a Panhandle attorney who pursued a high-profile case seeking to force Gov. Ron DeSantis to close beaches because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal, in an […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to set penalties and allow the state and members of the public to file lawsuits against five tech giants he says are imposing arbitrary, monopolistic rules mostly focused on the discourse of Republicans. Arguing Facebook, Twitter, Google, Apple and Amazon control […]
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 […]