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Florida on the road to allowing sick people to smoke legal weed – finally
Legislative leaders say they intend to meet the March 15 deadline that Gov. Ron DeSantis set for allowing sick people to smoke medical marijuana. But it’s not clear whether that resolution will be acceptable to DeSantis or to advocates for smokable marijuana. “I believe we will get something to the governor by March 15 and […]
Should Florida level the playing field for university performance funding?
Florida has handed out nearly $1 billion in special “performance funding” to its public universities since the fall of 2014. But Florida A&M University, one of the largest and oldest historically black universities in the country, has received less than two percent of that funding – just $17 million. Compare that to the University of […]
Florida Republican Party chief files new abortion-restriction legislation
Another extreme anti-abortion bill has been filed for the 2019 Florida legislative session, this one by the head of the state Republican Party. Sarasota Republican State Sen. Joe Gruters filed legislation that would make it a crime for a woman to get an abortion at 20 weeks of pregnancy. Current Florida law allows a woman […]
Good news for families: More money for Bright Futures scholarships to pay for college
State lawmakers have bumped state funding for the merit-based Bright Futures scholarships to $545 million this academic year, up from $520 million approved last spring. The funding comes from proceeds from the Florida Lottery. The $25 million in extra funds will cover the nearly 6 percent unexpected increase in students qualifying for the scholarships. The […]
Florida’s new Secretary of State abruptly resigns after racially offensive photos surface
Florida Secretary of State Michael Ertel abruptly resigned Thursday after a newspaper published pictures of him in blackface and dressed for Halloween as a Hurricane Katrina victim shortly after the disastrous 2005 storm hit New Orleans, killing more than 1,800 people. Ertel, who was named secretary of state by Gov. Ron DeSantis Dec. 28, appeared […]
Unmasking Florida’s fake reproductive health clinics
A new video by the group Progress Florida is highlighting the growing phenomenon of “fake” reproductive health-care clinics – in hopes of making women more aware. “Numbering nearly 200 in Florida, fake clinics use phony ads to trick pregnant women into making an appointment, promising ‘free ultrasounds’ or ‘pregnancy support’,” said Amy Weintraub, reproductive rights program […]
DeSantis tilts FL Supreme Court to the right with new justice picks
Solidifying a conservative majority, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday made his third appointment to the Florida Supreme Court, selecting a former top legal aide to Gov. Jeb Bush and Attorney General Pam Bondi. DeSantis tapped Carlos Genaro Muñiz, 49, as the third justice he has appointed since he took office earlier this month. DeSantis got […]