By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis lifted state COVID-19 business restrictions Friday, including limits on the numbers of people who can dine in restaurants, while also prohibiting local governments from closing restaurants and collecting fines from people who don’t wear face masks in public. DeSantis said the move […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to prohibit local governments from being able to close restaurants and bars, as some locals did to slow the spread of COVID-19 earlier this year. DeSantis, appearing ready to ease state restrictions that place a 50 percent indoor occupancy limit on […]
By The News Service of Florida Potentially millions of ballots could hit the mail starting Thursday for the Nov. 3 general election in Florida. County supervisors of elections are required to send out their first big batches of vote-by-mail ballots between Thursday and Oct. 1. Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer said in a […]
By The New Service of Florida Billionaire Michael Bloomberg, a former New York mayor and onetime Democratic presidential candidate, is the latest celebrity to join in the effort to help Florida felons pay outstanding legal financial obligations so they can register to vote in November. The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition has collected more than $20 […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Brandishing a law-and-order approach to civil unrest, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida’s incoming Republican House and Senate leaders rolled out a legislative package Monday aimed at cracking down on protesters by creating a host of new crimes, as the GOP tries to keep the battleground […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Averting a possible constitutional showdown, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday appointed Jamie Grosshans, a judge on the 5th District Court of Appeal, to serve on the Florida Supreme Court. DeSantis’ appointment, announced at a 5 p.m. news conference, came hours after he defied a noon […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum said in a television interview aired Monday that he is bisexual, as he continues to re-enter the public spotlight after a March incident in which he was found intoxicated in a Miami Beach hotel room. Gillum said on the […]
Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Delivering a victory to Gov. Ron DeSantis, a divided federal appeals court on Friday upheld the constitutionality of a Florida law requiring felons to complete all financial terms of their sentences — including paying fines, fees, costs and restitution — to be eligible to vote. The […]
The News Service of Florida Florida State University is launching a national search to replace President John Thrasher, who advised the school’s Board of Trustees on Friday “the time is right to begin planning for FSU’s future.” In a message also posted on the university’s website, Thrasher, 76, didn’t use the word retirement as he […]
By Jim Turner, Dara Kam The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida bars can open the taps again Monday. Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Halsey Beshears announced Thursday he was rescinding an emergency order that prevented onsite consumption of alcohol at bars amid the coronavirus pandemic. “Beginning Monday, these vendors may operate […]