News
DeSantis agrees to make Spanish-language ballots available statewide
Gov. Ron DeSantis is signaling the state’s surrender in a 2018 lawsuit filed by a Puerto Rican voter and several Latino groups to expand voter access to Spanish-language ballots in Florida elections. The DeSantis administration is asking a federal judge to hold the case in abeyance while the state writes new regulations requiring such ballots […]
Florida’s Matt Gaetz files “PENCIL” Act aimed at removing Adam Schiff from House Intelligence Committee
Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, one of President Donald Trump’s top wingmen in Congress, has introduced a resolution that would remove California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. In a shout-out to the president, Gaetz is calling his proposal the “PENCIL ACT,” an acronym that stands for “Preventing Extreme Negligence […]
Short-term vacation rentals are all about property rights. But whose?
Jennifer Riley has lived for the past four years in a residential area a few blocks away from the water in Indian Rocks Beach in Pinellas County. For the first two years she loved living in the community – but no more. She’s been dealing with short-term renters in the neighborhood who play loud music, […]
Florida moves one step closer to arming classroom teachers
Kyle Savage, an elementary school teacher from Brevard County, said he served as a military police officer in the U.S. Army, participating in service missions where he accompanied foreign dignitaries, Congressional delegations and other officials on trips in the Middle East. “I am also the classroom teacher who has no interest in carrying a weapon,” […]
AMVETS call for investigation into an “epidemic” of suicides of veterans in FL and elsewhere
The AMVETS veterans service association called today for an immediate investigation into a suicide epidemic among veterans and service members. The national group cited a spate of suicides occurring at Veterans Affairs medical centers in Florida, Texas and Georgia, and requested inspectors general from various federal agencies to investigate the crisis. “We can no longer […]
FL politicians in Congress: Drilling would imperil Trump’s chances in 2020
WASHINGTON — When President Donald Trump and his nominee to lead the Interior Department visited Lake Okeechobee last month, Florida Rep. Francis Rooney took the opportunity to deliver a message about offshore drilling. He warned David Bernhardt — who’s expected to be confirmed this week as Interior Secretary — that pursuing drilling off Florida’s coast […]
What is the Legislature doing about the dangers of lead in schools? Not much
Five years ago, the lead-contaminated water crisis in Flint, Michigan launched a wake-up call for communities around the country, particularly at schools where children are susceptible to lead poisoning. The public health crisis up north did not go unnoticed in Florida — some school districts have tested for lead and installed filters in drinking fountains […]
Senate Democratic leader: “It was never my intent to insult in any way the Jewish community”
After becoming the only lawmaker to vote against a bill targeting anti-Semitism, state Sen. Audrey Gibson held a press conference on Wednesday to clarify her position. “First and foremost, I am not anti-Semitic. Period. And I rebuke anti-Semitism and all religious discrimination. Period,” said Gibson, a Jacksonville Democrat who is the leader of the Senate’s […]
U.S. House votes to “Save the Internet Act” with GOP FL Rep. Posey joining with Dems
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House voted Wednesday to approve legislation to reinstate what’s called “net neutrality rules” that prevent internet service providers from meddling with web traffic. The legislation, dubbed the “Save the Internet Act” from Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) passed the House 232-190, largely along party lines. One Republican, Bill Posey of Florida, broke […]
Free breakfast before taking the ACT college entrance exam
With thousands of students preparing to take the ACT college entrance exam in a few days, the ACT company is offering free breakfast to kids in certain Florida and Texas schools. It’s part of a pilot project that launched last fall and is now expanding, with more than 1,000 students in Florida taking part in […]
Advocates and Dems mourn “the death of democracy” as GOP moves to block Constitutional Amendments
A group of Democratic lawmakers and liberal advocates held a press conference in the Capitol on Tuesday, speaking before a mock tombstone denoting the end of democracy in Florida. What’s going on? Two bills moving swiftly through the Florida Legislature would make it prohibitively more difficult to pass citizen-based Constitutional Amendments. “Issues like raising the […]
“An addiction to opiates can and will kill. An addiction to medical cannabis will not.”
Florida has an opioid crisis. In 2017, the state had 6,178 opioid-related deaths. That represents 17 Floridians dying every day. And it was an 8 percent increase over the prior year, according to the annual report from the Florida Medical Examiners Commission. State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith had an idea about helping those Floridians struggling […]