By Ana Ceballos, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday he wants to create a new “equal opportunity” voucher program to eliminate a waiting list of about 14,000 low-income students seeking to use state-backed scholarships to attend private schools. The governor is asking lawmakers to create a “supplement” to the […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s orange crop forecast has held steady since the end of 2018, while projections for other types of citrus have been reduced. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, releasing January and February forecasts on Friday, reported Florida remains on pace to grow enough oranges to fill […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Four years after lawmakers started a controversial teacher-bonus program, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday he wants to scrap the “Best and Brightest” program and plow nearly $423 million into a new effort to reward teachers and principals. The Best and Brightest program has faced opposition, […]
While supporters of a Jefferson County Commission approved bike trail along a Duke Power easement have focused on the benefits of the trail, there has been little discussion about the potential costs associated with the project. Jefferson County Commission officials and supporters of the project cite costs of $40,000 over two years, but do not […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — In the first major demonstration of an ideological shift on the revamped Florida Supreme Court, justices Tuesday refused to consider an appeal in a Miami Beach minimum-wage lawsuit that a former liberal-leaning majority of the court had scheduled to hear next month. The move by […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday touted a proposal to spend an additional $18.8 million next year on a program that provides voucher-like scholarships to students with disabilities, saying he trusts “parents to make the best decision” for the education of their children. DeSantis appeared at […]
Joe Gruters, a Sarasota Republican in the Florida state Senate, has filed a bill to outlaw abortions after 20 weeks into a pregnancy. Gruters introduced the “Florida Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act” for the upcoming legislative session in response to a controversial vote in New York state which expanded abortion rights. Currently, Florida state law […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Property owners would be the big winners in a tax-relief package released Friday by Gov. Ron DeSantis as he proposed a record $91.3 billion budget for next fiscal year. Unlike the broad, business-friendly tax packages that have rolled out of the Legislature the past few […]
Citizens impacted by a bicycle trail project on a Duke power easement supported by the Jefferson County Commission are raising questions and concerns about being left out of the approval process. Impacted landowners are also concerned about possible safety issues with the project that were not addressed. The eleven mile biking and hiking trail is […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Laurel M. Lee was named Monday by Gov. Ron DeSantis as Florida secretary of state, replacing Mike Ertel, who abruptly resigned last week after the release of photos showing him wearing blackface more than a decade ago. Lee, whose duties will […]