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 […]
By The News Service of Florida After leaving office this month, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is joining the Ballard Partners lobbying firm. Bondi, who was term-limited after eight years as attorney general, will lead a national regulatory-compliance practice aimed at Fortune 500 companies, a release from Ballard Partners said. Bondi was long rumored […]
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — After spearheading efforts to pass a 2016 constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana, Orlando attorney John Morgan said Tuesday he is moving ahead with a ballot drive aimed at gradually raising Florida’s minimum wage to $15 an hour. Morgan said a group he leads […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — In the final step in reshaping the Florida Supreme Court, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday named Carlos Muniz, general counsel at the U.S. Department of Education, as his third selection to the state’s highest court. The appointment of Muniz, 49, who served as chief of […]
By Lloyd Dunkelberger, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Saying the county conducted its last election like the “Keystone Cops,” Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday suspended Palm Beach County Elections Supervisor Susan Bucher. In his executive order, DeSantis cited a litany of problems with Bucher’s office, such as failing to complete a machine recount […]
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday rescinded 46 of the last-minute appointments former Gov. Rick Scott, now a member of the U.S. Senate, made in his final days in office. The selections to various boards yanked by DeSantis Friday required Senate confirmation. Among the names pulled […]
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Saying they failed to heed the will of voters, Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered Florida lawmakers Thursday to eliminate a ban on smokable medical marijuana and, if they don’t comply, threatened to drop the state’s appeal of a court ruling that found the prohibition ran afoul […]