May 19, 2024
News Service of Florida
Florida jobless claims below 16,000 last week
Marking a pandemic low, the U.S. Department of Labor estimated 15,903 first-time unemployment claims were filed last week in Florida.
The estimate for the week that ended Feb. 27 was...
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Published on 3/4/2021
‘Our tourism is still handicapped,' Gov. Ron DeSantis believes feds should let cruising resume
Gov. Ron DeSantis believes Florida’s economic recovery from COVID-19 could be better if the federal government would let cruise ship passengers decide if they want to take their chances on...
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Published on 3/4/2021
Florida might limit local government control over new home designs
With the sponsor saying the proposal would help hold down housing costs, a House panel Wednesday approved a bill that would reduce the authority of local governments to place design...
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Published on 3/4/2021
DeSantis order allows vaccines for ‘vulnerable' Floridians
After focusing almost exclusively since December on vaccinating seniors, Gov. Ron DeSantis has cleared the way for more people under age 65 to receive shots if they are “extremely vulnerable”...
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Published on 3/1/2021
Floridians could get tax break to elevate homes under new proposals
Floridians would be asked to approve a tax break for people who elevate their homes to avoid the threat of flooding, while up to $100 million a year would be...
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Published on 2/28/2021
Florida continues trend of weekly jobless claims at lowest point since start of pandemic
Continuing a trend, Florida last week posted its lowest total of first-time unemployment claims since the coronavirus pandemic exploded nearly a year ago.
An estimated 16,100 new unemployment applications were...
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Published on 2/25/2021
Florida expands vaccinations to teachers, cops
Marking a significant change in Florida’s vaccination strategy, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday said teachers and law enforcement officers ages 50 and older will have access to COVID-19 vaccine doses...
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Published on 2/23/2021
Ten big issues to watch during the 2021 session
The 2021 legislative session will start March 2, with Gov. Ron DeSantis giving the annual State of the State address.
Lawmakers will take up a wide range of issues during...
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Published on 2/23/2021
Florida House moves forward on health care liability protections for COVID
In a bipartisan vote, a House panel on Wednesday agreed to move forward with a bill that would make it harder to sue nursing homes, hospitals and physicians because of...
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Published on 2/22/2021
U.S. Supreme Court hearing Florida-Georgia water war case
Florida contends that Georgia's water use has caused damage to the Apalachicola River and Apalachicola Bay's signature oyster industry.
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Published on 2/22/2021
Florida lawmakers consider healthcare cuts as hospitals battle pandemic
The havoc of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has strained health-care providers across the state, might not be enough to spare hospitals and nursing homes from Medicaid spending cuts in the...
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Published on 2/19/2021
Internet sales tax collection bill clears Senate tax committee
An effort to require out-of-state online retailers to collect sales taxes on purchases made by Floridians advanced Thursday in the Senate as economists project the move could bring in more...
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Published on 2/18/2021
Gov. DeSantis pushes for job growth funding
As state lawmakers face a revenue shortfall amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration says a request for $50 million for business incentives wouldn’t have that large of an...
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Published on 2/17/2021
Florida lawmakers warn schools they could lose millions if students don't show up
House Republican leaders in the upcoming budget will seek to base public school funding on “actual enrollment,” after the state made a change this year that helped bolster districts financially...
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Published on 2/17/2021
After smooth election, Florida Senate considers changing vote by mail laws
After Florida has received widespread praise for its handling of the 2020 election, Republicans and Democrats clashed Tuesday as a Senate committee approved a bill that would require voters to...
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Published on 2/17/2021
Business liability bill heads to Florida House floor
A high-profile bill that would provide COVID-19 liability protections to businesses moved through its final House committee Tuesday in a 14-7 vote, after heated partisan debate and procedural maneuvering.
Before...
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Published on 2/17/2021
Fight over vacation rentals in Florida revs up again
A years-long effort to block local governments from regulating vacation rentals is on the move again, as House and Senate leaders revive a proposal to prevent cities and counties from...
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Published on 2/14/2021
Pandemic delays Florida redistricting, census data
Blaming coronavirus-related delays, the U.S. Census Bureau announced Friday that data Florida lawmakers will use to redraw legislative and congressional boundaries won’t be delivered until September.
The bureau had planned...
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Published on 2/14/2021
Florida orange production gets slight bump
Florida orange production got a slight bounce Tuesday, with the February forecast up 3.7 percent from a January projection, according to a report issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture....
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Published on 2/11/2021
Florida lawmakers again consider statewide rules for Airbnb, other vacation rentals
A years-long effort to block local governments from regulating vacation rentals is on the move again, as House and Senate leaders revive a proposal to prevent cities and counties from...
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Published on 2/11/2021
Jobless claims plummet as travel concerns remain
Florida has posted its lowest weekly total of first-time unemployment claims since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, despite mounting issues confronting the travel industry.
The U.S. Department of Labor...
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Published on 2/11/2021
Controversial union dues bill backed in Florida Senate
With unions and business groups squaring off, a Senate committee Wednesday backed a controversial proposal about the process for deducting union dues from the paychecks of public employees.
The Senate...
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Published on 2/10/2021
Rebekah Jones, ex-Florida COVID-19 analyst, drops lawsuit against FDLE agents over raid
Former Florida Department of Health data analyst Rebekah Jones is dropping a civil lawsuit alleging that state law-enforcement agents violated her rights when they searched her home and hauled away...
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Published on 2/9/2021
Union dues bill on Florida Senate fast track
A controversial proposal that would add requirements related to deducting union dues from public-employee paychecks could be on the fast track in the Florida Senate.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is...
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Published on 2/9/2021
Visit Florida plans 2022 in-person trade show
While online this year, Visit Florida intends to hold its next global trade showcase in-person in early 2022.
With Florida’s hospitality and leisure industries facing a slow recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, the state’s...
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Published on 2/8/2021
