By The News Service of Florida A day before the 2020 legislative session starts, a Senate panel will consider legislation aimed at increasing teacher pay, a top priority for Gov. Ron DeSantis. The bill (SB 1088), sponsored by Senate Education Chairman Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah, is meant to be a vehicle for the governor’s pitch […]
By Jim Saunders, Christine Sexton, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — The 2020 legislative session will start Jan. 14 as House and Senate members gather to hear Gov. Ron DeSantis’ State of the State address. Lawmakers will take up a wide range of issues during the 60-day session, along with negotiating a budget for […]
By Ana Ceballos, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — As a new year begins, and as we bid a final farewell to the past decade, Floridians should look out for a number of events in the next 12 months. For starters, two massive events are coming to the Sunshine State: the 2020 Super Bowl […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — It wasn’t the most important issue or event of 2019. But a little more than a week after Gov. Ron DeSantis took office, he held a news conference in Central Florida that removed any doubt the Rick Scott era was over. Flanked by Congressman Matt […]
By The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — The U.S. Census Bureau on Monday released 2019 population estimates that showed Florida continues to be one of the fastest-growing states in the country. Here are some key comparisons: 10 STATES WITH THE LARGEST POPULATIONS: — California: 39,512,223— Texas: 28,995,881— Florida: 21,477,737— New York: 19,453,561— Pennsylvania: 12,801,989— […]
By The News Service of Florida Florida had another 49 reported cases of hepatitis A last week, bringing the total this year to 3,327 as of Saturday, according to new figures from the state Department of Health. With the end of the year nearing, the number of hepatitis A cases in 2019 has dwarfed the […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Voters will decide in November whether to gradually raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, after the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously approved a ballot proposal. The proposed constitutional amendment, spearheaded by Orlando attorney John Morgan, had received enough petition signatures to […]
By Keith Miles, FAMU Forward On Thursday, November 21, the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) notified Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University’s (FAMU) College of Education it now ranks number one across the state for elementary education programs in the Elementary/English as a Second Language (ESOL) endorsement and the reading endorsement among its peer groups. FAMU’s […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — As a three-year legal battle continues over the issue, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran wants the Florida High School Athletic Association to reconsider policies that prevented Christian schools from offering a prayer over the stadium loudspeaker before a 2015 state championship football game. Corcoran sent a […]
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 […]