By Ana Ceballos, The News Service of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants all Florida businesses to use a system to prevent undocumented immigrants from getting jobs in the state, but a powerful Republican leader is pushing back against the proposal. Senate President Bill Galvano said this week he does not support a measure that would […]
A review of recently filed campaign reports by the Tampa Bay Times (TBT) found that Andrew Gillum’s political committee, Forward Florida, significantly increased spending on lawyers in November. The report states that the “political committee for Andrew Gillum spent $240,000 on lawyers last month, a substantial rise in the organization’s legal expenses that coincides with […]
By Christine Sexton, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — In a contentious meeting where proponents and opponents talked about God, homosexuality and government intrusion, a Florida Senate panel Tuesday approved a bill that would require minors to obtain permission from their parents before having abortions. The 6-3 vote by the Senate Health Policy Committee […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A federal judge on Tuesday excoriated lawyers representing Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration, accusing the state of trying to “run out the clock” to keep felons from voting in next year’s elections. The acrimony between U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle and the state’s attorneys came during […]
By The News Service of Florida Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is backing a measure that would require her agency to retain fingerprints of applicants seeking concealed-weapon licenses. Having a log of the fingerprints would allow her agency’s Concealed Weapon Licensing Program to “immediately access criminal history information on applicants who have committed crimes in […]
Earlier this year, a whistle-blower email pointed out data discrepancies in five articles co-authored by Dr. Eric A. Stewart, a Florida State University criminologist. The email triggered suspicions of data fabrication by Stewart, the only author included on all five papers. FSU began an investigation, but an inquiry committee containing two of Stewart’s past co-authors […]
Speaking to a group of supporters at The Villages, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday once again vowed to require Florida businesses to use a federal system to check the immigration status of new hires. Flanked by Sen. Joe Gruters and Rep. Cord Byrd, two key Republican lawmakers who helped the governor deliver a ban on […]
By The News Service of Florida Florida tourism grew a little more than 1 percent in the third quarter compared to the same period a year ago, with overseas tourist numbers continuing to lag, according to estimates released Wednesday by Visit Florida. The state’s tourism-marketing arm reported 31.6 million people visited the Sunshine State between […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis drew praise as “a true environmental leader” but was also criticized for not putting more money toward the Florida Forever program and failing to adequately prepare the state for climate change as he released a proposed $91.4 billion budget on Monday. DeSantis […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday proposed a $91.4 billion state budget for next year, touting plans to funnel more money to public-school teachers and continue “momentum” on environmental issues. The proposal is an initial step as lawmakers prepare for the January start of the annual legislative […]