May 1, 2024
News Service of Florida
Florida sues over new Biden rule expanding background checks for gunshow, online sales
TALLAHASSEE — Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody on Wednesday filed a federal lawsuit challenging a new Biden administration rule that will require more gun sellers to be licensed and run...
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Published on 5/1/2024
DeSantis sticks fork in lab-grown meat
TALLAHASSEE --- Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a controversial measure that will bar selling or manufacturing lab-grown meat in Florida and prevent local regulation of electric-vehicle charging stations.
DeSantis...
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Published on 5/1/2024
Campus Tensions Increase Amid Protests
TALLAHASSEE — Arrests of protesters on Florida university campuses increased this week, after tensions ratcheted up at the University of Florida and the University of South Florida during demonstrations about...
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Published on 5/1/2024
Florida defends its Congressional map
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration late Monday urged the state Supreme Court to uphold the constitutionality of a congressional redistricting plan that DeSantis pushed through the Legislature in 2022,...
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Published on 4/30/2024
Duke Energy and TECO customers should see reductions in their bills soon
Customers of Duke Energy Florida and Tampa Electric Co. should see monthly bills trimmed in June because of lower-than-expected natural gas costs, state Public Service Commission staff members have recommended....
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Published on 4/30/2024
State Tax Collections Top Estimates
State general-revenue tax collections were nearly 5 percent higher than anticipated in March, according to a report released Monday by the Legislature’s Office of Economic & Demographic Research.
The report...
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Published on 4/30/2024
State Eyes Increased Calls on Wildlife
TALLAHASSEE --- Bears and coyotes and raccoons, oh my!
As Florida’s population expands, state wildlife officials have seen a more than 33 percent increase in calls for assistance related to...
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Published on 4/29/2024
Judges urged to reconsider Florida federal redistricting case
TALLAHASSEE — Voting-rights groups want a federal court to reconsider a ruling that upheld the constitutionality of a Florida congressional redistricting plan, pointing to the “outsized” role that Gov. Ron...
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Published on 4/25/2024
Moody Jumps into FSU-ACC Dispute
TALLAHASSEE — Attorney General Ashley Moody signaled her support for Florida State University’s appeal of a North Carolina judge’s decision to allow a lawsuit filed against the school by the...
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Published on 4/24/2024
FHSAA Mulls Esports
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida High School Athletic Association could potentially sanction competitive video gaming, or esports, as an official sport, amid growing interest from member schools.
The FHSAA Board of...
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Published on 4/24/2024
BP Money Aims to Bolster Workforce Training
TALLAHASSEE — Triumph Gulf Coast earlier this month surpassed the milestone of distributing more than $550 million in grant awards stemming from the BP oil spill settlement, with much of...
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Published on 4/24/2024
Florida's jobless rate ticks up
TALLAHASSEE — Matching its highest level in two years, Florida’s unemployment rate has ticked up to 3.2 percent after holding steady for three consecutive months at 3.1 percent.
The Florida...
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Published on 4/21/2024
Florida's agriculture commissioner restricts cattle imports due to the spread of avian flu
Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson issued an emergency rule Friday that prevents importing some cattle because of the evolving spread of a type of avian influenza in dairy herds outside of...
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Published on 4/16/2024
Pandemic Put Hurt on Sports Programs
TALLAHASSEE --- Fewer fans during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a drop in economic returns on state programs that provide sports-related grants and incentives, according to a newly released state...
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Published on 4/15/2024
State eyes increasing number of private schools eligible for LINE nursing funds
The state Department of Education will develop a rule to carry out part of a legislative package known as “Live Healthy” that includes trying to expand the health care workforce....
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Published on 4/15/2024
FSU and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare sign agreement on new facilities
Florida State University and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare have signed an agreement that is part of developing an academic health center in Tallahassee and a medical campus in Panama City Beach....
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Published on 4/15/2024
Judge finalizes decision about projects that affect Florida wetlands
TALLAHASSEE — In a case closely watched by business and environmental groups, a U.S. district judge Friday finalized his rejection of a 2020 move by the federal government to shift...
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Published on 4/14/2024
Florida's citrus industry slated for another rough year
TALLAHASSEE --- Florida’s citrus industry got some bitter news Thursday as it enters the final months of the 2023-2024 growing season.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a report that...
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Published on 4/12/2024
Citizens Insurance's ‘depopulation' push reduced policy count by more than 275,000 last year
TALLAHASSEE — Private insurers pulled more than 275,000 policies last year from the state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and have taken nearly 115,000 this year, with Citizens President and CEO...
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Published on 4/11/2024
Florida jobless claim numbers up
The number of first-time unemployment claims increased last week in Florida, with an estimated 6,250 filed, according to a report released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor.
The estimate...
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Published on 4/11/2024
Questions Raised in Florida Immigration Fight
TALLAHASSEE — A federal appeals court is looking at whether Florida could legally challenge Biden administration immigration policies, after a district judge sided with the state in a fight spearheaded...
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Published on 4/10/2024
Florida, Other States Challenge Debt Breaks
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and Republican attorneys general from four other states filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday seeking to block a Biden administration program that would provide breaks on...
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Published on 4/10/2024
Florida pronoun law violates teacher's First Amendment rights, judge says
TALLAHASSEE — A federal judge on Tuesday blocked Florida education officials from enforcing a law requiring a transgender teacher to use pronouns that align with her sex assigned at birth,...
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Published on 4/10/2024
DeSantis OKs Tougher Theft Laws
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed a bill that seeks to prevent “smash and grab” thefts and “porch piracy.”
The legislation (HB 549) will, in part, make it a third-degree...
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Published on 4/10/2024
In wake of Baltimore bridge collapse, Florida ports council head talks about safety
TALLAHASSEE --- Two weeks after a container ship collided with a bridge and shut down the Port of Baltimore, effects continue to ripple through the maritime industry.
Meanwhile, cargo and...
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Published on 4/9/2024
