By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis took the unusual step this year of campaigning for county school-board candidates and saw most of them win Tuesday night, as the governor and local Republicans seek to elect conservative members to the boards and, at least in some cases, create conservative […]
By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. on Wednesday gave his staff the go-ahead to “pull” LGBTQ support documents at all school districts, after a State Board of Education member asserted that some could violate a controversial new law. Board member Ryan Petty said he has […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson has started the process that could lead to senators considering the fate of suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren. Simpson, R-Trilby, sent a memo to senators Thursday after Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a controversial executive order suspending Warren. DeSantis […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Two years after justices thwarted his first attempt to place Renatha Francis on the Florida Supreme Court, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday tapped the Palm Beach County circuit judge to serve on a high court dominated by conservative jurists. With four of the seven-member court’s […]
By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Saying that a twice-elected Hillsborough County prosecutor has put himself “above the law,” Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday suspended State Attorney Andrew Warren for pledging to not enforce Florida’s 15-week restriction on abortion. DeSantis appointed Hillsborough County judge Susan Lopez to take Warren’s place during […]
After losing court battles over the constitutionality of local ordinances that ban conversion therapy, a gay-rights group – the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council – is asking Palm Beach County and Boca Raton to repeal their bans on the practice. The group is not seeking the repeal because they changed their view on “conversion […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — In a legal battle rooted in the discovery of a 13-year-old human trafficking victim working as a dancer, a federal appeals court Monday largely upheld restrictions that Miami Beach placed on nude strip clubs. A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals […]
During a campaign interview with hip-hop legend Luther Luke Campbell and others, Florida gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried said she would support reparations legislation like the bill recently adopted in California if she is elected governor. Stephen Johnson, 100 Black Men of South Florida Past Chair and member of the Miami-Dade Black Affairs Advisory Board, told […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Despite increased concerns about layoffs and a looming recession, Florida’s unemployment rate dipped in June. The state Department of Economic Opportunity on Friday released a report that said the June rate was 2.8 percent, down from a revised 2.9 percent in May. The June number […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Continuing to target what he calls “woke” corporations, Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to prohibit state investments that use “environmental, social and governance” ratings, which can include taking into account impacts of climate change. DeSantis plans to have the State Board of Administration, which oversees investments, […]