Author
Black lawmakers push scholarships for descendants of 1920 Ocoee riot victims, but will there be funds?
A hundred years ago, dozens of Blacks in Central Florida were killed in a deadly riot for exercising their right to vote — a shameful episode of Florida’s history. A century later, Orlando State Sen. Randolph Bracy is pushing hard to bring awareness of the horrific events that occurred in the small Black community, through […]
Gov. DeSantis pushes against CDC’s cruise ship restrictions, but some cruises already planned for summer
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday denounced a federal ban on cruise ship operations from Florida ports amid the COVID-19 pandemic, although some cruise lines are already accepting summer reservations for departures from the state. During a round-table discussion at Port Canaveral, DeSantis called on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to lift the […]
Gov. DeSantis is saying no to Medicaid expansion, even though the massive relief package would help out
Tucked into the Biden administration’s massive federal relief package is a major provision to expand benefits for low-income people in Florida and other states that haven’t adopted Medicaid expansion, according to an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The $1.9 trillion stimulus plan signed earlier this March provides financial incentives in the millions to expand […]
FL Democrats put pressure on Gov. DeSantis, Senate to support Medicaid expansion for pregnant women
Two Democratic leaders in the Florida Senate called on Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Senate President Wilton Simpson to support a proposal by the Biden administration for states to expand Medicaid coverage for pregnant women and their newborns. Wednesday, state Sens. Gary Farmer and Lauren Book praised efforts by House Speaker Chris Sprowls for his […]
‘Being civically engaged was a pathway to enacting change’: State Sen. Bracy may run for FL governor
A Black man born in Philadelphia from “the son of a preaching father and an activist mother,” who played basketball on scholarship in college and became a lawmaker in both the state House and Senate, appears to be considering a run for governor of Florida. State Sen. Randolph Bracy, a Democrat representing part of Orange […]
Following Biden initiative, FL House Speaker pushes Medicaid expansion for low-income women with new babies
Chris Sprowls, the top GOP lawmaker in the Florida House, is following an initiative from the Democratic Biden administration to extend Medicaid coverage for a full year to low-income women after they deliver their babies. Tuesday, Sprowls didn’t mention President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package signed earlier this March that included a change to […]
FL has more than 1,000 cases of the more contagious COVID-19 variants; more threatening variants emerging
Florida now has more than 1,000 cases of COVID-19 variants – the most in the nation – with all three strains considered more contagious, potentially overwhelming health care systems across the nation. Health officials are not only tracking the Brazil, South Africa and United Kingdom strains but have also identified newly detected variants of concern […]
‘I want to be protected’: Nurses still worried about dangerous work conditions, COVID mutations
COVID-19 devastated the nation last year and put a strain on health care systems across the country, particularly at hospitals where doctors and nurses worked around the clock to treat patients with a highly contagious virus. Marissa Lee, a registered nurse in Florida, recalls that time during the pandemic, when she and other colleagues faced […]
Gov. DeSantis may open the door for a vaccine in April for ‘everyone who wants it’
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday that COVID-19 vaccines could soon become available to all adults in Florida some time in April – a move similar to President Joe Biden’s directive urging all state officials to expand vaccine eligibility to anyone aged 18 and up by May 1. DeSantis has been focused on prioritizing vaccines for […]
Gov. DeSantis on vaccine passports for Floridians: ‘I think it is a very bad idea’
With ideas emerging about a requirement for Americans to show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday quickly declared his opposition to so-called “vaccine passports.” “I don’t know for sure what that will mean,” DeSantis said at a roundtable discussion on public health in Tallahassee. But, “I think it is a very bad […]
Gov. DeSantis targets federal COVID relief money to undo some of the pandemic’s economic wreckage
Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to spend $4.1 billion of the cash the state expects under President Joe Biden’s $9.1 trillion COVID rescue plan on an array of infrastructure, health care, tourist-marketing, jobs, and transportation projects, he announced Tuesday. The governor also proposed one-time bonuses of $1,000 to the first responders working on the front line […]
As students throng FL beaches during Spring Break, a national nurses’ union warns of the danger
With new, more infectious COVID-19 variants continuing to spread across Florida and the nation, health care workers are warning of a surge in cases if people don’t adhere to safety protocols during Spring Break. Large crowds at beaches, bars, and restaurants could trigger a spike in cases in the state if people grow lax about […]