News
Numerous government officials are to blame in the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS
A new 157-page draft report on the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School reveals the myriad failures on the part of school officials, law enforcement officers and mental health providers on the day that shooter Nikolas Cruz shot and killed 17 students and staff members. The February 14 shooting at the Broward County high […]
Where’s the housing help for Hurricane Michael victims? Rubio demands answers
Two months have passed since Hurricane Michael slammed into Florida’s Panhandle – the fourth-strongest storm ever to hit the U.S. With victims struggling in places battered by winds that reached 155 miles per hour, like Panama City, Mexico Beach and tiny rural communities, Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio sent a message of exasperation to […]
Staff at Florida emergency detention center not screened for abuse
Workers at a emergency detention center for migrant teens in Florida did not undergo background screenings for child abuse and neglect, the Associated Press recently reported. A state law that bans outside employers from reviewing information in Florida’s child welfare system allows for staff at to go unscreened at Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children. […]
Uproar over FL Education Commissioner: Critics push for a national search and a candidate with an education background
Governor-elect Ron DeSantis’s controversial pick for Florida Education Commissioner has sparked angry tweets, petitions and protests as critics call for a national search and a candidate with a background in education. When the State Board of Education meets Monday to consider who should be appointed as Commissioner of Education, protesters may be there. “Based on […]
Key lawmakers now saying they may need to interpret what voters meant in approving Amendment 4 to restore felon voting rights
UPDATE: Governor-elect Ron DeSantis tells the Palm Beach Post that he wants the Legislature to draft a law to “implement” Amendment 4 to restore felon voting rights. DeSantis opposed the amendment. In the weeks since more than 64 percent of Floridians approved Constitutional Amendment 4 to automatically restore voting rights to more than 1.4 million […]
After another bumpy Florida election, there’s talk in Tallahassee of how to fix voting problems
With the backdrop of Florida election recounts – and the accompanying negative national media glare – Democrats in the Florida House of Representatives Wednesday turned their attention to electoral reform. Democrats floated a variety of proposals during a workshop on Wednesday in the Capitol. Orange County Rep. Geraldine Thompson presented specific ideas to the House […]
Thousands ask Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis to address climate change
Hoping to get Florida’s new governor to pay attention to one of the state’s largest environmental problems, officials with several statewide organizations delivered a letter signed by 3,400 Floridians to Ron DeSantis Tuesday urging him to address climate change. “After eight years of total inaction with the governor’s office, Ron DeSantis now has a unique […]
Will Florida try again for state tax incentives to attract the film industry?
Eight years ago, Florida kicked off a program to try to attract the film industry – and the jobs and publicity that come with it – to the Sunshine State. But the state program had problems, and by 2016 it had fizzled. Pinellas County-based actor Ricky Wayne says he’s constantly working these days, but rarely […]
House lawmakers get an eye-opener: Nearly half of FL schools are average to struggling
In a meeting room in the Capitol, a big screen on the wall revealed some data that surprised newly-elected state representative Ardian Zika. The Republican House member representing part of Pasco County looked at the numbers and saw that 43 percent of public schools in Florida got C, D or F grades in 2018 under […]
Groups sue to stop Trump administration’s oil exploration blasts off Atlantic coast
A coalition of environmental groups on Tuesday sued the federal government to stop seismic air gun blasting off the Atlantic coast – a precursor to offshore oil drilling that scientists say harms marine creatures, including the extremely rare right whales which give birth off Florida’s coast. “The Trump administration is letting the oil industry launch […]
Lawmaker aims to shake up how Florida judges are vetted and appointed
Florida Democrats can’t stop newly-elected governor Ron DeSantis from appointing three conservative justices to the Florida Supreme Court next month, but they’d like to revamp the selection process in the future. South Florida Democratic state senator Perry Thurston unveiled a legislative proposal on Tuesday to take away some of the governor’s power to choose members […]
ICYMI: Audit reveals more mistaken concealed weapons permits issued than previously reported
Florida Auditor General Sherrill Norman released a report last week showing that the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services revoked 310 concealed weapons permits granted in error between February 2016 and March 2017. That’s more than the 291 revocations the department announced earlier this year when the issue first arose during outgoing Ag Commissioner Adam Putnam’s […]