Richard Corcoran liked to stir the pot when he served as speaker of the Florida House, and he’s equally bold since taking over as the state’s education czar.
Corcoran has brought his firebrand style to the Florida Department of Education after Gov. Ron DeSantis picked the Land O’ Lakes Republican --- who branded public schools as “failure factories” during his tenure as House speaker --- to head the agency.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Friday Florida’s economy continues to grow -- adding 213,000 private-sector jobs over the year in August, while maintaining a low unemployment rate of 3.3 percent.
These positive economic indicators show that Florida’s low taxes and reasonable regulations continue to fuel job creation, the governor said. The news comes on the heels of the announcement earlier this week of strategic steps being taken to prepare Florida’s business environment and workforce for enhanced economic growth in expanding industries such as financial technology.
As a Democratic lawmaker from Broward County, Jared Moskowitz had been a vocal member of the House minority when he was selected in December by then-incoming Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to serve as director of the state Division of Emergency Management.
The selection of Moskowitz, 38, was noteworthy for coming across the political aisle, and it drew praise from members of both parties.
Using his position on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., brought out a bill this week to reauthorize the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
Rubio teamed up with U.S. Sens. Cory Gardner, R-Col., Chris Coons, D-Del., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Bob Menendez, D-NJ, to bring out the “United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Act" which would authorize the commission for another four years and increases its funding.
After the devastation his district suffered when Hurricane Michael hit in October, a North Florida congressman has offered a proposal to help the federal government respond to disasters.
Last week, U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn, R-Fla., brought out the “Streamlining the Official Response and Monetary Aid for Disasters Act” (STORM Aid for Disasters Act).
Dunn’s proposal would have federal agencies send reports to Congress and the Office of Management of Budget after the White House issues major disaster declarations.
About 12 percent of claims, or 18,211, filed in the wake of Category 5 Hurricane Michael, which hammered the Panhandle last October causing more than $6.5 billion in insured losses, remain open, Florida Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier told the Senate Banking & Insurance Committee earlier this week.
That’s the bad news. The good news, he said, is the state’s Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) has not received many complaints from policyholders, an indication most are “satisfied” with attempts by insurers to resolve outstanding claims.
The state Department of Education and the Florida Education Association asked a federal judge Thursday to preliminarily approve a $15.5 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit alleging that the “Best and Brightest” teacher-bonus program discriminated against black and Hispanic teachers.
After a battle with spinal cancer, former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre, the first Hispanic to serve in that post, died at age 84.
“It is with great sadness that we mourn the loss of our dear friend, former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre,” Miami Mayor Francis Suarez posted on Twitter. “He was a man of elegance, class, and grace who has inspired me to carry on his legacy of elevating Miami as a diverse world-class city. He will be greatly missed.”
Florida’s two U.S. senators have teamed up in the latest effort to allow Canadians to stay longer in the United States.
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., brought out the “Canadian Snowbirds Act” this week with U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., R-Fla., cosponsoring it. The bill would add two extra months to the 182 days that retired Canadians who are 50 and older can stay in the United States each year.
A Florida congressman is pushing the federal government to be ready for extreme-weather events and create best practices for various agencies and departments to follow--and he wants them to follow reforms enacted in Tallahassee.
