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Monkeypox outbreak expanding in U.S., including in FL, and across the globe
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 21 cases of the rare monkeypox disease have now been confirmed in 11 states, including Florida. The other states are: California, New York, Utah, Colorado, Massachusetts, Georgia, Illinois, Washington state, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Both California and New York have four cases confirmed; Florida has three. […]
DeSantis signs 2022-23 state budget, slicing $3 billion in vetoes, while dissing President Biden
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the 2022-23 state budget of $109.9 billion on Thursday, slashing $3.1 billion in line-item vetoes from the original document approved by the Legislature in the spring. The governor acknowledged some “pork” in the hefty budget, often labeled pork barrel projects, turkeys, or local budget items that bring home the bacon for […]
Names from A to Z: 2022 Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1
The 2022 Atlantic hurricane begins June 1 and extends to Nov. 30, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicting up to 21 named storms. The NOAA describes the storms as an “above-normal season.” NOAA references a “climate change connection” related to hurricane seasons. It says, in part: “NOAA tracks how changes in our atmosphere, […]
Hundreds to thousands of demonstrators protest against abortion bans Saturday, including Floridians
With a potential U.S. Supreme Court ruling looming on the fate of the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion case, hundreds of demonstrators in Florida’s capital chanted, sang, held signs and marched around the state Capitol complex area on Saturday, including at the Florida Supreme Court building. It was not an isolated protest. Demonstrations were scheduled […]
A day to celebrate? Confederate Memorial Day is still on the books in FL
In the 2022 legislative session, Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book filed legislation to get rid of the Confederate-related legal holidays of Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis, as well as the Confederate Memorial Day in Florida on April 26, among other changes. But the legislation went nowhere. And as of Tuesday, April 26, 2022, the […]
DeSantis signs ‘Intellectual Freedom,’ Stop WOKE law; critics say it’s racist and unconstitutional
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 7 into law on Friday, an “Intellectual Freedom” measure also referred to as the “Stop WOKE” act. Among critics, it caused immediate condemnation across Florida and states elsewhere. “We believe in education, not indoctrination,” said DeSantis, who was surrounded by schoolchildren at a public charter school in South Florida. Students, […]
Sen. Manny Diaz, Jr. is the top contender for the FL Education Commissioner job. Is that good or not?
Republican State Sen. Manny Diaz, Jr. of Miami-Dade is the top contender for the next Education Commissioner in Florida, a job overseeing 2.9-million students in 67 school districts and requiring enough savvy to navigate the policy and politics of the state’s public school system. The Department of Education also oversees the Florida College System, a […]
DeSantis: Appealing court decision on mask mandates for travelers is ‘totally outrageous’
A day after the Biden administration said it would fight a court decision to keep masks on travelers in airplanes, trains and other public transit, Gov. Ron DeSantis lashed out Thursday on what’s going on in Washington, D.C. “There should be no mandates. Period. none,” said DeSantis, who was at a press conference Thursday in […]
FL Sen. Bobby Powell’s soliloquy: ‘I wake up every day knowing that I’m going to have to fight’
During this week’s special legislative session on congressional redistricting and other bills, State Sen. Bobby Powell’s poignant remarks in the Florida Senate on Wednesday showed the trajectory of his feelings as a Black man and a Black lawmaker. Powell, a Democrat, represents parts of Palm Beach County. He’s been in leadership roles, including Democratic Leader […]
Some lawmakers are sitting out in FL’s special legislative session
State Sen. Annette Taddeo of Miami-Dade said Tuesday that she’ll be boycotting the special session that launches this afternoon Tuesday in the House and Senate. “It’s a decision I do not take lightly,” Taddeo said in a letter Tuesday to Senate President Wilton Simpson. A Democrat, Taddeo also is a 2022 gubernatorial candidate in the […]
Just a handful of GOP lawmakers said yes to property insurance session; DeSantis in support
A Florida Department of State poll — to see if enough lawmakers would go along with a special session on the state’s property insurance crisis — failed Monday afternoon, state records show. But Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday had already announced that he’d call legislators back to the capital in May to confront the […]
Key lawmakers push to convene for another special session, this time over property insurance woes
With about a week to go before the Florida Legislature launches a special session on a new congressional districts map, key lawmakers are pushing hard to convene for another session: property insurance woes. On Monday, Senate Democratic leader Lauren Book wrote a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis, saying that: “Florida is nearing a tipping point, […]