By Ana Ceballos, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis, state lawmakers and university officials on Monday bragged about Florida State University and the University of Florida moving up in the rankings of an annual report that grades the country’s top public colleges and universities. The news of the universities’ improved status […]
By The News Service of Florida Senate Republicans and Democrats filed separate legislation Wednesday to condemn white nationalism and white supremacy after high-profile incidents such as a mass shooting at a Walmart store in Texas. The proposed resolutions are filed for consideration during the 2020 legislative session, which will start in January. While the resolutions […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — An amendment to the Florida Constitution restoring voting rights to felons who have completed their sentences does not require payment of “legal financial obligations,” as ordered in a state law passed this spring, plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit challenging the law argue in a new […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — When it comes to peddling influence, Brian Ballard has all the bases covered. He’s parlayed his reputation as one of the Florida Capitol’s most powerful lobbyists into a similar niche in Washington, D.C., where his clients range from the American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance to Major […]
By Ana Ceballos, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Department of Education on Wednesday asked a Tallahassee judge to toss a lawsuit that seeks to have the state pay money to teachers that school districts deducted from bonuses. The lawsuit, filed last month, accused state officials of improperly instructing school districts to […]
The News Service of Florida Florida students in grades K-12 would be taught about child-trafficking prevention, under a rule proposed by state education officials. The intent of the rule is to have “every school in Florida be a ‘child trafficking free zone,’ ” according to the proposed regulation published by the Florida Department of Education […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — In a final pitch to a Senate special master, former Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel’s lawyer is insisting that the suspended law enforcement officer wasn’t to blame for two deadly mass shootings that led to his ouster by Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year. The […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida House Democrats say they’ve rounded up more than enough support to require votes from both Republican-dominated chambers of the Legislature to determine if there is any appetite for a special session dealing with gun violence. But such an effort may be futile, as Republican […]
By Christine Sexton, The News Service of Florida DOH Deputy Secretary for Operations Michele Tallent is on administrative leave. She’s the subject of an internal investigation, state officials confirmed to The News Service of Florida Thursday night. Tallent has filled a variety of roles at the department, including helping to hold down the fort in […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida Bolstered by U.S. and Canadian tourists, Florida’s visitor count continued at a record pace through the second quarter of 2019, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office said Thursday. But Visit Florida, the state’s tourism-marketing agency, now faces a test. The estimated 68.9 million travelers to Florida during the first […]