Gov. Ron DeSantis’ net worth dropped nearly 9 percent in 2018 as he left Congress and made a successful run for governor.

DeSantis reported a net worth of $283,605 as of Dec. 31, down from $310,971 at the end of 2017, according to a new financial disclosure posted Monday on the Florida Commission on Ethics website. 

State officials faced a Monday deadline to file updated disclosures, which typically detail their finances as of the end of 2018.

Experts looking into toxic algae outbreaks that have exploded in state waterways want to know if anyone has a proven, innovative cleanup strategy that can be used.

Lawmakers seeking to slap gambling-addiction warnings on state lottery tickets and advertising once again failed to scratch out a winner.

On Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis, noting potential impacts to money for education, vetoed a controversial bill (HB 629) that sought to require the following warnings to be prominently displayed on the front of all lottery tickets: “Warning: Lottery games may be addictive,” or “Play responsibly.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis is looking beyond military benefits as he continues to pitch Florida to house the command headquarters of President Donald Trump’s proposed Space Force military branch.

DeSantis envisions Space Force as another cog in renewed growth of the iconic space industry around Cape Canaveral, which has seen a slow resurgence as private companies --- spurred by a space race among billionaires --- look to reduce costs by manufacturing launch vehicles close to the pads.

Florida’s suspended top financial regulator, in a lawsuit alleging he is the victim of “pay to play --- or else” politics, contends state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis is running a “powerful but corrupt enterprise.”

Forensic experts will return next month to the site of a notorious state reform school --- where the remains of more than 50 people were unearthed in 2015 --- to find out what lies in 27 additional sites.

Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee said Thursday that once they can determine what the below-ground “anomalies” are at the former Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, officials will then begin to establish “appropriate next steps,” which could include further digging.

Democratic Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried’s smiling face won’t immediately disappear from most gas pumps, even as Republicans seek to prohibit such displays.

With Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services inspectors conducting sweeps statewide for illegal “skimmer” devices intended to steal credit card information, many pumps will have the bright yellow, green and blue stickers well beyond July 1, the start of the upcoming fiscal year.

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried on Friday encouraged supporters of a new state hemp industry to tell Gov. Ron DeSantis to sign a bill that would lead to a regulatory framework for the crop.

Fried said an envisioned hemp “revolution” needs the governor’s signature on the bill (SB 1020), which would create a hemp program within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

President Donald Trump has become more than a part-time Florida man since taking office.

At least that’s Gov. Ron DeSantis’ take, as Trump prepares to formally announce his re-election campaign next week at Orlando’s Amway Center.

“The reason they’re in Florida is because, really if you look at it, since he’s taken office, Florida really has been his home,” DeSantis said Tuesday while in The Villages “He’s not spent any time in New York City. Palm Beach has kind of been the place. Orlando is just at the center of so much going on in our state.”

Reducing harmful nutrients in state waters, through moves such as more monitoring and staffing, is an expected short-term goal of a new task force set up by Gov. Ron DeSantis to look at toxic algae fouling Florida waterways.

But with a brief timeline for the five-member Blue Green Algae Task Force to reach its initial findings, don’t expect proposals for massive state rule changes related to farming practices or moving away from septic systems.