By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended all local-government coronavirus emergency orders on Monday as he signed a bill that makes permanent his ban on COVID-19 vaccine “passports” and limits the authority of cities and counties in future health-care crises. “My message is that the vaccines protect you. […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — The 2021 legislative session ended Friday with a traditional hanky-dropping ceremony in the fourth-floor rotunda of the Florida Capitol. Lawmakers took up a wide range of issues during the 60-day session, along with passing a budget for the fiscal year that will start July 1. […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Joseph Hatchett, whose groundbreaking career included becoming the first Black justice on the Florida Supreme Court, died Friday at age 88, the Supreme Court announced Saturday. Hatchett was appointed to the Supreme Court by Gov. Reubin Askew in 1975 and served until 1979, when President […]
The Leon County School Board voted Tuesday night voted to approve a settlement with the Leon County Teachers Association (LCTA) related to student-teacher contact time during the COVID pandemic. The settlement awarded all instructional staff 12 days/90 hours of compensatory time. On November 3, 2020 a grievance was filed with the Labor and Employee Relations Office […]
By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A late-session push by the Florida House to require new training standards for police officers is ready to go to the Senate floor this week after unanimously passing the House. The proposal (HB 7051), in part, would place restrictions on when police officers can use […]
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said county government is putting together a plan to relax its mask mandate by as early as June. Orange County is home to Orlando. “We are working with the department of health on a plan to phase reducing requirements of wearing facial coverings and social distancing,” Demings said. “We are […]
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried recently appeared on Facing South Florida, with Jim DeFede and responded to questions related to medical marijuana, Governor DeSantis and her political future. Provided below is a summary of the interview. Jim Defede: You ran on legalizing medicinal marijuana and you want to move toward legalizing recreational marijuana, are there […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at allowing people to use recreational marijuana, saying it would be misleading to voters. Backers of the proposed amendment sought to put it on the 2022 ballot and had submitted hundreds of thousands […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis late Monday signed into law a plan to require out-of-state online retailers to collect sales taxes on purchases made by Floridians, with the estimated $1 billion a year in revenue going to curb a pair of taxes on Florida businesses. While the […]
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 […]