News
Republican lawmaker wants to ditch background checks for concealed-gun owners
Lake County Republican state Rep. Anthony Sabatini wants to let Floridians carry concealed guns without undergoing a background check or having any training in handling firearms. This week, Sabatini filed a bill (HB 273) that would let Floridians carry guns without applying for a concealed-weapons permit from the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. […]
First Lady attacks opioid addiction; focuses on babies born with addictions
First Lady Casey DeSantis announced new initiatives Wednesday targeting opioid addiction, including plans to hire a statewide coordinator of services for pregnant women and mothers and their children. Opioid abuse claims 17 lives each day in Florida – more than 6,000 per year, Ms. DeSantis said. Moreover, nationwide the number of children born with drug […]
Fl Democrats, Republicans unite against amendment allowing independents to vote in primary elections
Representatives from both the Florida Republican and Democratic parties filed legal briefs this week with the Florida Supreme Court registering opposition to the proposed “All Voters Vote” constitutional amendment. Florida is a “closed primary” state, meaning only voters registered with the Democratic or Republican parties can vote in party primary elections for the Legislature, governor and […]
These criminal justice reforms are now the law in Florida
Reforms to Florida’s criminal justice system went into effect this week which lawmakers passed during 2019 session of the Florida Legislature. Among the new laws: – The threshold at which theft becomes a felony is now at $750, raised from $300. – Reforms driver license suspensions and revocations.* – Extends the time limits to report […]
Climate Change Could Make Borrowing Costlier for States and Cities
Someday soon, analysts will determine that a city or county, or maybe a school district or utility, is so vulnerable to sea level rise, flooding, drought or wildfire that it is an investment risk. To be sure, no community has yet seen its credit rating downgraded because of climate forecasting. And no one has heard […]
Marco Rubio, Rick Scott call on NEA to explain exhibit featuring Che Guevara
Florida’s two U.S. senators – Marco Rubio and Rick Scott – have written a blistering letter demanding that the chairwoman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) explain its support for an exhibition containing a glowing image of Che Guevara. “Guevara was a sadistic butcher who murdered and tortured innocent people,” Rubio and Scott […]
A new and accomplished reporter comes to the Florida Phoenix
Florida Phoenix welcomes veteran journalist Laura Cassels to our growing news operation. Cassels is a reporter, writer and editor returning to Florida’s Capitol Press Corps in Tallahassee, where she was bureau chief for Florida Freedom Newspapers after serving as city editor at the Panama City News Herald. She later worked in public relations, specializing in […]
Florida lawmakers will renew their debate over reproductive rights in the 2020 session
Updated: Additional abortion bills have been filed in the House. The debate over reproductive rights will be renewed in the 2020 Florida Legislature. Lakeland Republican Sen. Kelli Stargel has filed a bill (SB 404) that would require teenage girls to have parental consent before undergoing an abortion. Stargel filed a similar bill in the 2019 session […]
Hoping to ward off wildfires, Ag Commissioner imposes new restrictions on prescribed burning
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried imposed fresh restrictions Tuesday on prescribed burning and promised to increase penalties for people who violate the rules. Henceforth, forestry officials will consider air quality and wind speed when signing off on controlled burns and will install a computerized dispatch system to improve coordination between emergency responders, Fried said during […]
Seniors advocates poised to call out President Trump during Villages appearance
President Trump is scheduled to visit the Villages on Thursday to sign an executive order ostensibly protecting Medicare, but Democrats and seniors are protesting his “broken promises” regarding the federal government’s health care plan for those 65 and over. Members of the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans, the Sumter Democratic Executive Committee and local seniors […]
The mother of Trayvon Martin draws support from big-name Democrats in Miami-Dade County Commission race
Presidential candidate Cory Booker and Hillary Clinton are endorsing Sybrina Fulton in her race for Miami-Dade County Commissioner in 2020. Fulton is the mom of Trayvon Martin, whose shooting death in Central Florida by a neighborhood watch volunteer in 2012 caused a nationwide firestorm over racial profiling and, in Florida, concerns over the controversial Stand […]
Drivers pay attention: FL’s new texting and driving law has a Part 2
Drivers may not know that Florida’s new law on texting and driving, which launched July 1, has a second part. Beginning Oct. 1, Florida motorists can be pulled over and issued a warning for holding a wireless device in a designated school crossing, school zone or active work zone, according to officials from the Florida […]