May 4, 2024
News Service of Florida
Property Insurance Changes Going to DeSantis
Supporters said the plan will stabilize the property-insurance market. Critics said it doesn’t do enough to help homeowners.
But with hurricane season starting next week, Florida House members overwhelmingly gave...
Read more »
Published on 5/26/2022
Small Districts Could be Cut Out of Textbook Deals
Some of Florida’s most financially strapped small school districts could have paid thousands of dollars more for textbooks than their larger counterparts, and local officials are asking state leaders to...
Read more »
Published on 5/25/2022
Lawmakers tee up property insurance changes
Florida lawmakers are poised Wednesday to give final approval to a series of changes aimed at shoring up the property-insurance market as homeowners lose coverage and face steep rate increases....
Read more »
Published on 5/25/2022
Busy Hurricane Season Forecast
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters on Tuesday predicted a seventh consecutive above-average Atlantic hurricane season.
With the six-month season starting June 1, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center forecast 14 to...
Read more »
Published on 5/24/2022
Workers' comp insurers challenge dispensing policy
Several workers’ compensation insurance companies are challenging a state policy that they say improperly requires carriers to authorize physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners to dispense medication to injured workers....
Read more »
Published on 5/24/2022
Fast Track Rejected in Redistricting Fight
An appeals court Tuesday rejected a request by voting-rights groups to fast-track a congressional redistricting fight to the Florida Supreme Court.
The decision by the 1st District Court of Appeal...
Read more »
Published on 5/24/2022
Redistricting wrangling goes to Florida Supreme Court
Voting-rights groups went to the state Supreme Court on Monday as they try to keep alive the possibility of blocking a congressional redistricting plan that would make it harder to...
Read more »
Published on 5/24/2022
Hurricane Tax ‘Holiday' Adds Pet Supplies
TALLAHASSEE --- With a sales-tax "holiday" starting this weekend, Floridians can save a few dollars on pet supplies as they stockpile other needs for the upcoming hurricane season.
The state’s...
Read more »
Published on 5/24/2022
Floridians could flock to shelters if hurricanes loom
An increased demand for shelter space is expected if hurricanes threaten Florida’s coastline in the upcoming storm season.
With COVID-19 protocols lifted, and people pinching pennies as inflation has hit...
Read more »
Published on 5/23/2022
DeSantis signs bill on student mental health and approves $100 million for cancer research
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed several bills into law this week, including a measure that will require school districts to inform parents of additional mental-health resources if students are receiving services....
Read more »
Published on 5/23/2022
Florida neurological injury fund fights ruling of appeals court panel
A Florida program that pays for care of children who suffer neurological injuries at birth is asking a full federal appeals court to take up a lawsuit about whether the...
Read more »
Published on 5/23/2022
PSC Hopefuls Can Apply for Seats
With the terms of Commissioner Gary Clark and Commissioner Gabriella Passidomo slated to expire in January, a state panel is accepting applications for two seats on the Florida Public Service...
Read more »
Published on 5/22/2022
Lawmakers Eye Roof Claims, Lawsuits, Reinsurance
Heading into a special session next week to address the state’s troubled property-insurance market, legislative leaders said late Friday they will focus on issues such as roof-damage claims, litigation and...
Read more »
Published on 5/22/2022
Florida Jobless Rate Dips to 3 Percent
Florida’s unemployment rate dropped to 3 percent in April, while Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to warn about high gasoline prices and a potential recession that he blames on federal economic...
Read more »
Published on 5/22/2022
DeSantis giving green light to budget items
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday that he will approve $100 million in the upcoming year’s state budget for cancer research, $37 million more than in the current year.
A day...
Read more »
Published on 5/20/2022
Florida jobless claims averaging below 5,000
Florida is averaging just under 5,000 first-time unemployment claims a week over the past month, which is below the average from the period before the COVID-19 pandemic crashed the economy....
Read more »
Published on 5/19/2022
State takes aim at redistricting ruling
The state asked an appeals court Wednesday to reinstate a stay on a circuit judge’s ruling that blocked a congressional redistricting plan pushed through the Legislature by Gov. Ron DeSantis....
Read more »
Published on 5/18/2022
February trial scheduled in education fight
A federal judge has scheduled a February trial in a legal battle over a new state law that restricts teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida schools.
U.S....
Read more »
Published on 5/18/2022
Property insurers are seeking hefty rate hikes in Florida
Roof-damage claims. Lawsuits. Reinsurance costs.
For tens of thousands of homeowners, those issues could add up to large property-insurance rate increases if state regulators sign off on proposals presented Tuesday....
Read more »
Published on 5/18/2022
FPL Transmission Line Gets Approval
Florida Power & Light got approval Monday from state utility regulators to develop a 79-mile transmission line northwest of Lake Okeechobee.
In a brief meeting, the Public Service Commission approved...
Read more »
Published on 5/16/2022
Ruling eyed in 'big tech' fight
As a battle continues about the constitutionality of a Florida law that seeks to crack down on social-media giants such as Facebook and Twitter, a federal appeals court has allowed...
Read more »
Published on 5/16/2022
Florida sees record tourism in first quarter
Florida attracted a record number of tourists during the first three months of 2022, surpassing totals from similar quarters before the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the hospitality and leisure industry.
Visit...
Read more »
Published on 5/16/2022
Fast track sought in redistricting fight
Pointing to “urgency” as the 2022 elections near, attorneys for voting-rights groups requested Friday that a battle over a new congressional redistricting plan be put on a fast track to...
Read more »
Published on 5/15/2022
Jobless claims low, but gas prices hit high
Florida continues to see unemployment claims roll in at a pre-pandemic pace as new data showed aspects of inflation possibly slowing.
But that trend has not been reflected at gas...
Read more »
Published on 5/13/2022
Florida citrus forecast gets boost in down year
The troubled Florida citrus industry received a little sunshine Thursday, but the amount of fruit produced this growing season remains far below average and expectations.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture...
Read more »
Published on 5/13/2022
Business Beat - Week of May 3rd
