By Tom Urban, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — After rallying and testimony from numerous activists on both sides of the issue, a Senate panel Monday approved a proposal that would require minors to receive parental consent before having abortions. The Senate Health Policy Committee voted 5-4 to support the bill (SB 1774), sponsored […]
Next week Republican voters will go to the polls to choose between four candidates in the primary special election for Florida House District 7. Voters are tasked with choosing between candidates that are all running as conservatives. The candidates include Mike Watkins, Lynda Bell, Jason Shoaf and Virginia Fuller. The media buzz and campaign donations […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — State lawmakers are ready for the big dance. The Florida House on Thursday overwhelmingly passed an $89.9 billion spending plan, setting the stage for the annual ritual of negotiating a budget with the Senate. Big picture, the House and Senate are about $400 million apart, […]
By John Haughey, Watchdog.org Last wee a Senate committee approved a proposal to restrict local governments’ ability to levy and collect fees from communications providers as part of a proposed cut in the state’s communications sales tax that Florida TaxWatch projects could save consumers $128 million over the next two years. Three House panels green-lighted […]
By The News Service of Florida State regulators Tuesday approved a plan by Duke Energy Florida to recoup money from customers for two solar power plants in Columbia and Hamilton counties. Duke sought approval from the state Public Service Commission to collect about $29.2 million a year for the 74.9-megawatt facilities in the North Florida […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A move to eliminate Florida’s no-fault auto insurance system advanced Monday in the Senate, though a similar House proposal has not been heard as the annual legislative session reaches its halfway point this week. The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee voted 5-3 to approve the […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — After hurricanes during the past three years knocked out electricity for millions of Floridians, lawmakers are moving forward with regulatory changes that could lead to more underground power lines. But it would come at a cost. A House panel this week approved a bill (HB […]
A wide-ranging higher education package, which includes a controversial mandate for an annual “intellectual freedom” survey on state university campuses, was backed unanimously by a Senate panel on Tuesday. The bill (SB 1296), sponsored by Senate Education Chairman Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah, is similar to legislation (HB 839) approved by a House panel last week. […]
TALLAHASSEE — The tourism industry pushed Wednesday to keep the doors open at the state’s tourism-marketing agency as House and Senate budget committees advanced competing spending plans for next year. The House wants to fund Visit Florida only through Oct. 1, when the agency will be eliminated unless it is reauthorized by the Legislature. That […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Karen Leicht spent nearly three years in federal prison and three months on probation after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit insurance fraud in 2010. According to a judge and a former probation officer, Leicht’s sentence is over. But the Miami paralegal may never be […]