Author
FL is suing the feds over shuttered cruise industry amid continued COVID crisis
The state of Florida filed a lawsuit Thursday against the federal government over the shuttered cruise industry, which has been closed for months during the COVID-19 pandemic and is on the “brink of financial ruin,” according to court records. The lawsuit comes at a time when the pandemic is continuing, COVID variants are spreading and […]
Lawmakers approve surveys to measure “intellectual freedom” on campuses. But what does that entail?
Responding to concern that college campuses are suppressing intellectual freedom and conservative voices, the Florida Legislature has passed legislation requiring public colleges and universities to be surveyed to ensure that campuses are promoting “viewpoint diversity.” The Florida Senate passed the measure by a 23 to 15 vote Wednesday. The House had done so earlier, allowing […]
Would getting rid of FL school board member salaries be sexist, targeting female elected officials?
In Orange County Public Schools, the eight-member school board is all female. Likewise, the nine-member school board in Broward County has all women. And in Miami-Dade schools, the school board has nine members. Eight are women. One is a man. Those samples, gleaned from school district websites, illustrate the gender makeup of Florida school boards. […]
ACLU of Florida: House legislation on transgender athletes is ‘unconstitutional’
As a part of a nationwide effort to legislate the lives of transgender people, the Florida House continued its push Tuesday to bar transgender athletes from participating in the sports that align with their gender. The House Education & Employment Committee passed HB 1475, another step toward limiting the choices for transgender athletes. The American […]
“Gail’s Law” hopes to create a statewide database to track DNA evidence in sexual assault cases
Gail’s Law, a measure that would provide the status of “rape kits” for evidence to survivors of sexual assaults and rape, is on its way to the House floor in the Florida Legislature. The legislation would require the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to create a statewide database to track the processing status and location […]
More than 90,000 COVID cases related to K-12 schools since Sept; some teens now eligible for vaccine
With the 2020-21 school year starting to wind down, Florida Department of Health data show more than 90,000 COVID cases related to K-12 schools since September. But starting Monday, teens as young as 16 will be able to get the COVID vaccines, which can help diminish the number of COVID cases in classrooms. Overall, there […]
Despite Transgender Day of Visibility, FL senators push bill to block some trans athletes from women’s sports
Across the globe, March 31st is recognized as Transgender Day of Visibility, a day to highlight the successes and struggles that transgender people experience day-to-day. But that didn’t stop the Florida Senate committee on Health Policy from voting Wednesday to push forward a bill to block some transgender athletes from women’s sports. Critics see this […]
FL allows teens as young as 16 to get COVID vaccine; What does that mean for medical autonomy of a minor?
COVID vaccine eligibility opens up for residents as young as 16 starting Monday in Florida, raising myriad questions about how the process will work for young people and how much autonomy minors will have over their bodies in a medical situation. The teenage bracket for vaccine eligibility surprised the media and Floridians as a well, […]
DeSantis wanted $550 million for teacher starting pay; FL House, Senate went with $500 million
Working off the momentum of last year’s push to improve starting teacher pay in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year recommended $550 million to increase minimum salaries for teachers in 2021-22, up from last year’s $500 million. But both House and Senate lawmakers working on the 2021-22 state budget have proposed $500 million for […]
FL House votes to allow guns in churches near schools
The right of church-goers to carry concealed weapons in church collided Friday with Florida’s law declaring schools to be gun-free zones. In the wake of mass shootings this month in Atlanta and in Boulder, Colo., gun violence and gun rights fueled debate Friday in the Florida House of Representatives, which adopted legislation allowing churchgoers to […]
Young Floridians will soon have access to COVID vaccines come April, but will they get the shot?
Alex Morrison, 26, lives in Pensacola at the far end of the Florida Panhandle. He’s one of millions of young Floridians who have been waiting for the state to allow young adults to get in line for a COVID-19 vaccine. And Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis made it happen, allowing age 18 and older residents to […]
Florida is starting to understand where tens of thousands of ‘missing’ kids have gone
A huge drop in enrollment this academic year had school districts and lawmakers concerned about tens of thousands “missing” kids and where they all went during the COVID pandemic. But the puzzle pieces are coming together, as lawmakers work on Florida’s state budget this session. During a Senate appropriations subcommittee on education Wednesday, Sen. Doug […]