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A freshman Black Republican joins FL’s Legislative Black Caucus; members unsure about his priorities
Over the years, Black lawmakers in the Florida Legislature have tended toward the Democratic Party rather than the Republicans, but a small group of Black conservatives have served under the GOP banner. The most recent is state Rep. Webster Barnaby, a freshman lawmaker, born in Birmingham, England, who was elected last year. He is a […]
New COVID strains sweeping the nation; FL has nearly 700 variant cases, more than any other state
New more, contagious COVID-19 variants are spreading throughout the country, with nearly all states detecting the variant first identified in the United Kingdom. Florida has the largest number of the U.K. variant cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday evening reported 3,701 cases of the U.K. strain in 50 jurisdictions. Known as […]
Ag Commissioner Nikki Fried blasts GOP lawmaker for probe into teleworking at state agencies
Following a top state lawmaker’s memo inquiring about teleworking arrangements at state agencies, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried defended her agency’s decision to allow more state employees to work from home during the pandemic. State Rep. Jay Trumbull, a Republican representing part of Bay County in the Panhandle and the Appropriations chairman in the Florida House, […]
Which state employees in FL can work at home instead of at the office? GOP lawmakers want to find out
COVID-19 upended many workplaces across the United States last year, including government offices that allowed state employees to work remotely during the pandemic. Now, an influential lawmaker in Florida is raising questions about which state agencies are still allowing employees to do work at home while others are returning to the office. State Rep. Jay […]
State lawmakers spar over placing limits on the potency of medical marijuana
Advocates for medical marijuana argued Tuesday against a controversial bill in the Florida House that would limit the potency of THC in smokable marijuana, saying medical professionals should determine whether a patient needs high THC levels for treatment. But the legislation filed by state Rep. Spencer Roach moved through a committee on health, with many […]
FL’s minimum wage boost faces a struggle; advocates warn of low-paid workers getting ripped off
Florida workers are set to get a boost in the minimum wage in September to $10 per hour — part of the constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2020 that increases the state’s minimum wage incrementally until it reaches $15 per hour in 2026. But the Florida Legislature is already looking to tinker with the […]
New more infectious COVID-19 strain now detected in almost every state in the nation; FL has the most cases
About two months ago, federal officials warned of a new, more transmissible COVID-19 variant potentially becoming the dominant source of infection in the nation by March. Now that it’s March, the COVID-19 variant that was first identified in the United Kingdom is sweeping the nation, with the U.K variant in 46 states, plus Washington, D.C. […]
GOP Senate chairman of health policy committee warns of socialized medicine but Dems disagree
A push for a Constitutional amendment to protect Florida residents’ private health insurance is gaining traction in the Legislature, though Democrats are opposed. State Sen. Manny Diaz, Jr., a Republican representing part of Miami-Dade County and chairman of the Senate’s Health Policy Committee, warns of socialized medicine and a single-payer health care system triggering losses […]
Ag Commissioner Nikki Fried calls on FL to expand vaccines for ‘essential employees,’ such as farmworkers
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried on Wednesday urged Gov. Ron DeSantis to allow COVID-19 vaccines for all teachers, school staff, childcare workers and farmworkers, to safely keep schools open and help protect industry workers against the disease. In a letter to governor, Fried wrote: “It is imperative that Florida move now to open COVID-19 vaccinations to […]
In the battle against COVID variants, FL has become a troubling anomaly
Last year, not many people knew much about the coronavirus, let alone that it would mutate. But by now, variants of the virus causing COVID-19 are sweeping across the nation, with Florida in the worst spot of all. All three variants — Brazil, South Africa and United Kingdom strains — are circulating in communities across […]
Voters who approved boosting the minimum wage likely won’t support FL Senate President’s comments
A ballot initiative to raise the state’s minimum wage incrementally until it reaches $15 per hour in 2026 received some pushback Tuesday from a top state lawmaker during the opening of the 2021 legislative session. In his opening day speech, Senate President Wilton Simpson touched on Amendment 2, which was narrowly approved by voters on […]
The South African COVID-19 variant has arrived in Florida, CDC reports
Another new, more contagious COVID-19 variant — one first identified in South Africa — is now in Florida, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Sunday, the agency reported one Florida case of the South Africa variant, which is more easily spread and could lead to more hospitalizations and potentially […]