May 4, 2024
News Service of Florida
DeSantis signs law requiring Florida school lessons on victims of communism
Calling it a “blockbuster day for freedom,” Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill that will require public-school students to observe “Victims of Communism Day” on Nov. 7 each...
Read more »
Published on 5/11/2022
Initiative Supporters Say Signature Law Unconstitutional
Groups seeking to place proposed constitutional amendments on the 2024 ballot are urging a federal judge to reject the state's arguments defending a law that prevents paying petition gatherers based...
Read more »
Published on 5/11/2022
Long legal fight lies ahead over the Florida law dubbed ‘don't say gay'
A legal battle over a new state law that restricts teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida classrooms could continue well into the upcoming school year.
The law,...
Read more »
Published on 5/11/2022
Florida fires back in redistricting lawsuit
Attorneys for Secretary of State Laurel Lee fired back Monday at an attempt to block a new congressional redistricting plan, saying plaintiffs in a lawsuit want to “revert to some...
Read more »
Published on 5/9/2022
A dozen companies and individuals apply for black farmer medical marijuana license
A dozen companies and individuals have applied for a potentially lucrative medical-marijuana license that state lawmakers targeted to Black farmers.
After voters approved a 2016 constitutional amendment that broadly legalized...
Read more »
Published on 5/9/2022
Space launches soar in Florida
Space Coast residents had a chance to wake up Thursday to the 18th orbital launch of the year from Cape Canaveral, as a SpaceX Falcon 9 topped with 53 Starlink...
Read more »
Published on 5/6/2022
Jobless claims remain low amid DeSantis warnings
Unemployment claims in Florida continue to roll in at a pre-pandemic pace and tax collections are up, but Gov. Ron DeSantis is maintaining a drumbeat that federal economic policies might...
Read more »
Published on 5/5/2022
Florida prepares to resume manatee rescue efforts this winter
After providing more than 200,000 pounds of lettuce to starving manatees because of depleted seagrass beds in state waters, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Executive Director Eric Sutton said...
Read more »
Published on 5/4/2022
Sen. Manny Diaz appointed as Florida education commissioner
Following through on a recommendation from Gov. Ron DeSantis, the State Board of Education on Friday appointed Sen. Manny Diaz Jr. as Florida’s next education commissioner.
Diaz, a Hialeah Republican,...
Read more »
Published on 5/4/2022
State expands alligator hunting hours
Alligators in Florida will be targeted around-the-clock when the next hunting season begins in August.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved a final rule change Tuesday that will...
Read more »
Published on 5/4/2022
Abortion draft ruling ratchets up Florida debate
A leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion decision ignited a sense of urgency Tuesday among Florida Democrats while drawing praise from...
Read more »
Published on 5/3/2022
Northeast Florida to Get Additional Area Code
State regulators Tuesday approved creation of an additional area code in Northeast Florida, as cell phones and other devices continue to gobble up existing numbers.
The Florida Public Service Commission...
Read more »
Published on 5/3/2022
Ratings agency says insurance action 'essential' to stabilize market in Florida
The financial-rating agency AM Best said Monday that further “action is essential” to stabilize Florida’s property-insurance market, as lawmakers prepare to grapple with the issue during a special legislative session...
Read more »
Published on 5/3/2022
State signs off on disputed FPL permit
The state Department of Environmental Protection has renewed a permit for a canal system at a Florida Power & Light plant in Miami-Dade County, after a long-running legal battle about...
Read more »
Published on 5/3/2022
Florida TaxWatch's budget ‘turkey' list totals $281 million
Florida TaxWatch on Thursday released a list of 166 “turkeys” in a newly passed state budget but suggested that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office should give extra scrutiny to all 1,221...
Read more »
Published on 4/29/2022
Feds ponder endangered species protection for Florida gopher tortoises
Federal wildlife officials will decide in the coming months whether increased protections are needed for gopher tortoises, as Florida looks for ways to move the animals out of the path...
Read more »
Published on 4/29/2022
State Takes ‘Fragile' Kids Case to U.S. Supreme Court
Florida is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a long-running legal battle that stemmed from concerns about “medically fragile” children being placed in nursing homes.
Attorney General Ashley...
Read more »
Published on 4/28/2022
Inflation helps pad Florida's sales tax coffers
Inflation continues to help boost state tax collections, but economists warn that will change as higher prices affect consumers’ shopping habits.
General-revenue tax collections in March topped projections by 21.5...
Read more »
Published on 4/28/2022
Justices urged to overturn Duke costs decision
The state Office of Public Counsel is urging the Florida Supreme Court to overturn a decision by regulators that called for Duke Energy Florida customers to pay $7.2 million related...
Read more »
Published on 4/28/2022
Opponents ask court to block new Florida congressional districts
Focusing on a North Florida district that has become a legal and political battleground, voting-rights groups and other plaintiffs are asking a judge to block a congressional redistricting plan pushed...
Read more »
Published on 4/27/2022
DeSantis Sets May Session on Property Insurance
Florida lawmakers will return to the Capitol the week of May 23 to address problems in the property-insurance system that have led to homeowners losing coverage and facing soaring premiums....
Read more »
Published on 4/27/2022
State, groups battle over elections ruling
After a federal judge blocked parts of a 2021 elections law that he said discriminated against Black voters, the state and opponents of the law are battling about whether the...
Read more »
Published on 4/26/2022
State Seeks to End Lawsuit After Redistricting Plan Passes
As a new round of legal battling begins about congressional redistricting, the state is asking a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit that has urged judges to draw new district...
Read more »
Published on 4/25/2022
Opponents launch legal fight against redistricting plan
After Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed into law new congressional district lines that he pushed lawmakers to pass, the controversial plan immediately drew a legal challenge.
Voting-rights groups such...
Read more »
Published on 4/24/2022
State extends red snapper season
Florida anglers this year will have extra days to fish for Gulf red snapper under an expanded season.
The red snapper recreational season is slated to last 57 days, two...
Read more »
Published on 4/22/2022
Business Beat - Week of May 3rd
