By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — With two weeks left in the legislative session, the Florida House and Senate began formal negotiations Friday night on what could be a record $100 billion state budget for the fiscal year that will start July 1. Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, and House […]
President Joe Biden announced Friday that he plans to nominate former Florida Congresswoman Gwen Graham to serve as an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Education. Graham, an attorney, represented the Tallahassee area and other parts of North Florida in the U.S. House from 2015 to 2017 and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018. […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A bipartisan proposal to add hiring standards and bolster use-of-force training for police and correctional officers began moving forward Thursday in the House. With the measure deemed a starting point for further talks, the Judiciary Committee unanimously supported the proposal (PCB JDC 21-01) by Rep. […]
By Christine Sexton, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday railed against YouTube and Google for removing a video of a COVID-19 discussion he had with scientists who oppose government lockdowns, school closures and mask wearing, calling it “censorship.” The ramped-up criticism by the Republican governor came as lawmakers try […]
Documents filed in 2020 shows that Nikki Fried had a financial interest in a marijuana company doing business in Florida in 2019, the same year she created the Cannabis Office and the Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee in the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs. Also, documents filed with the Florida Commission on Ethics indicate […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — California surpassed Florida in a new estimate of orange production, the latest sign of continuing struggles in Florida’s citrus industry. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in a monthly update released Friday, said Florida is forecast to produce enough oranges to fill 51.7 million 90-pound boxes […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A controversial elections bill focused largely on the state’s vote-by-mail process underwent an overhaul Thursday in the Florida House, but critics say it still poses unnecessary barriers to voters. The revamped proposal, which addresses issues such as the use of mail-in ballot drop boxes and […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Siding with a union that represents law-enforcement officers, a state appeals court on Tuesday unanimously decided that a constitutional amendment expanding victims’ rights can shield the identities of police officers who were threatened in use-of-force incidents. The decision by a three-judge panel of the 1st […]
On March 15th, 2021, registration for Summer and Fall sessions at Florida State University started, and a class that was originally available during class Session C, has been removed from the course catalog and will no longer be offered by the university. The recently removed class was offered by FSU’s Program in Women’s Studies and […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A Florida Senate panel Wednesday signed off on a proposal aimed at keeping most transgender females from participating in high-school and college sports, but the measure stops short of an all-out ban being considered by the House. The measures have become one of the 2021 […]