By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Let’s be blunt. Less than two weeks into his first legislative session as Florida’s chief executive, Gov. Ron DeSantis is taking a well-deserved victory lap after strong-arming lawmakers into hoisting the white flag on pot. The Republican governor gave the Legislature an ultimatum shortly after […]
By The News Service of Florida A Republican lawmaker’s effort to deport more undocumented immigrants detained by Florida law-enforcement agencies is quickly moving through the Senate. The Senate Infrastructure and Security Committee on a party-line vote Tuesday approved the bill (SB 168) without being able to finish hearing testimony from members of the public, who […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Northwest Florida lawmakers Thursday promoted a $315 million proposal that would make loans available to local governments still reeling from Hurricane Michael and would set up a task force to determine additional state assistance for the storm-battered region. The wide-ranging Senate bill (SB 1610) comes […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida While focusing heavily on now-familiar priorities such as the environment and education, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday used his first State of the State address to emphasize a need to take “bold” action. In a 34-minute speech to lawmakers gathered in a joint session in the flower-filled […]
A political committee backing a proposed constitutional amendment that would increase the minimum wage in Florida is moving toward meeting an initial threshold for getting the measure on the 2020 ballot. The committee Florida For A Fair Wage, which is led by prominent Orlando attorney John Morgan, had submitted 55,284 valid petition signatures to the […]
By Ana Ceballos, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Bar on Wednesday opened an investigation into U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, who sent a tweet accusing Michael Cohen of infidelity as President Donald Trump’s former attorney prepared to testify before Congress. Gaetz, a Northwest Florida Republican who is an outspoken ally of Trump, […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Florida lawmakers will gather March 5 in the House chamber to hear Gov. Ron DeSantis give his first State of the State address, the traditional start of the 60-day legislative session. Led by Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, and House Speaker Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, […]
Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced last week that 12 previously deported aliens have been indicted separately by a federal grand jury for illegal reentry into the United States. U.S. Attorney Keefe said: “Enforcing immigration laws is a priority of the Department of Justice, along with protecting all members […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — With the U.S. Supreme Court moving quickly to hear the case, a legal battle about a proposed citizenship question on the 2020 U.S. census could have political ramifications for Florida. The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to take up the U.S. Department of Commerce’s appeal […]
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 […]