By The News Service of Florida The Legislature on Friday formally sent bills to Gov. Ron DeSantis that would prevent elementary and middle school students from using cell phones during the entire school day and create a new third-degree felony offense of animal cruelty for people who restrain dogs outside during natural disasters. The cell-phone […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — “Fear and uncertainty” about a new law targeting the state’s ballot-initiative process has led to a significant drop in people working to collect signatures for 2026 ballot measures, groups challenging the law told a federal judge on Thursday. One of the most-controversial parts of the […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Records related to a state House probe of a nonprofit linked to First Lady Casey DeSantis’ signature Hope Florida assistance program are part of an “open” investigation, Leon County State Attorney Jack Campbell’s office said Tuesday. House Health Care Budget Chairman Alex Andrade, R-Pensacola, submitted […]
TALLAHASSEE — A new state law targeting undocumented immigrants who enter Florida should remain blocked as a legal battle plays out, attorneys challenging the law argued in a filing Friday at a federal appeals court. The attorneys, representing the Florida Immigrant Coalition, the Farmworker Association of Florida and two individual plaintiffs, pushed back against a […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s unemployment rate increased to 3.7 percent in April, the third time it has ticked up this year. The Florida Department of Commerce on Friday released a report showing an estimated 410,000 people were out of work in April from a labor force of 11.203 […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida A&M University’s bitterly divided Board of Trustees on Friday selected Marva Johnson, an attorney and corporate executive, as the school’s next president, despite an outcry from alumni and students who questioned her qualifications and ties to Gov. Ron DeSantis. Johnson, a Charter Communications executive […]
By The News Service of Florida The Legislature on Friday formally sent about 60 bills to Gov. Ron DeSantis, including a measure that would back away from a requirement about starting high-school classes later in the morning. The measure (SB 296) would largely undo a 2023 law that said high schools could not start earlier […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — After a mass shooting last month at Florida State University that killed two people, officials will look at building security on campuses across the state and hold a “safety summit” in October, university system Chancellor Ray Rodrigues said Thursday. Rodrigues told the system’s Board of […]
The News Service of Florida Florida had a reported 13,951 abortions this year as of May 5, down nearly 38 percent from a similar period in 2024, according to new data posted online by the state Agency for Health Care Administration. The state had a reported 22,409 abortions during the first four months last year, […]
The News Service of Florida The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas in Florida has dropped below $3, at least in part because of fears about the effects of a trade war. The AAA auto club said Florida motorists paid an average of $2.92 a gallon on Monday, down 16 cents from […]