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Florida flags at half-staff today
U.S. and state flags outside the Florida Capitol and the Miami-Dade County courthouse flew at half-staff Wednesday in memory of former U.S. Sen. Richard Stone, who died Sunday at 90. Stone “passed away peacefully in his sleep,” according to an obituary in the Tallahassee Democrat. Stone served as Florida’s first elected Jewish U.S. senator since […]
Trump, DeSantis, talking about importing Canadian prescription drugs, but feasibility unclear
The Trump administration wants to “lay the foundation” to begin importing some pharmaceutical drugs from Canada, part of a new law pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and approved by the Florida Legislature earlier this year. It’s not clear, however, how the proposal would clear the considerable hurdles in its path, including opposition by the pharmaceutical […]
Governor’s travels: Ron DeSantis on the move
Maybe the Florida Department of Law Enforcement should hurry and buy that executive jet for Gov. Ron DeSantis. He’s been flogging the heck out of the old twin turboprop model he inherited from the FDLE since he took office Jan. 9. A Florida Phoenix review of state records shows that DeSantis left the state capital […]
FL population will add enough people to fill a new City of Orlando every year, state says
Florida’s highways, schools, beaches, water resources, sewer systems, social services, housing stock, and more will need to absorb more than 300,000 new residents during each of the next five years. That’s 906 new people every day, on average. “These increases,” economists in the Florida Office of Economic & Demographic Research and other state agencies said, […]
Florida officials send a $2,700 bill for public records about their May trip to Israel
The state wants the Florida Phoenix to pay more than $2,700 before it will turn over public records relating to a trip that Gov. Ron DeSantis and nearly 100 people – including the state’s elected Cabinet – took May 25-31 to Israel. An Enterprise Florida spokeswoman says that’s the cost in staff time spent processing […]
FL financial regulator fired over allegations of sexual harassment
Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet voted Thursday to fire Ronald Rubin, the state’s main financial regulator, after an inspector general’s report concluded he violated rules against sexual harassment and other state workplace standards. DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody, and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis – all Republicans – approved Rubin’s dismissal as commissioner […]
Trump administration food stamp cuts will hurt Florida’s neediest
Nikki Fried, the only Democrat on Florida’s elected Cabinet, is denouncing the U.S. Agriculture Department’s attempt to cut off food stamp eligibility for more than 3 million Americans. Fried, who leads the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, has been traveling the state to call attention to hunger and food insecurity. “While 2.8 million […]
Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez is at the Pentagon today
Due to an editor’s error, we incorrectly reported that Gov. Ron DeSantis is visiting the Pentagon today. It’s actually Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez who is visiting the Pentagon today, and the editor mixed up the official schedules, which are released in a single document. The Phoenix regrets the error. Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez, angling for […]
Beyond “Florida man:” Top state officials focus on helping those with mental health problems
A rural sheriff once told Republican Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody that people in his community were begging for admission to his jail. “He had people coming to him and asking him to lock them up and help them get better mentally and physically. They were at their wits’ end,” Moody said. “He didn’t know […]
Florida will lower its flags to honor the late Justice John Paul Stevens
Flags outside state buildings across Florida will be lowered on Tuesday in memory of the late U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice John Paul Stevens. Gov. Ron DeSantis, in ordering the move, cited President Trump’s order on Wednesday lowering U.S. flags to half-staff on all federal government property and installations throughout the world on the same […]
Your government vs. internet hackers
As state officials make routine preparations to protect against cyberattacks on Florida’s elections infrastructure, the National Governors Association has recommended a framework for how states can plan for attacks like Colorado’s “ransomware” attack last year. Then-Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper made the first state “cyber emergency” declaration last year after hackers mounted a ransomware attack against […]
Lobbyists and corporations funneled more than $311,000 for Gov. Ron DeSantis and Cabinet’s Israel trip
Corporate sponsors – including the Florida Realtors, the Gray Robinson law firm, and the Development Corp. for Israel – contributed more than $311,000 to pay for the recent trip by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Cabinet to Israel. The money helped cover travel for staff of Enterprise Florida – the state business development arm that […]