Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signing of a bill greenlighting e-scooters in bicycle lanes is a little-known triumph to come out of the 2019 legislative session. It will mitigate certain safety concerns and issues with pedestrians -- particularly the elderly, disabled, and toddlers who populate Florida’s urban sidewalks.
But there is more to be done to shore up scooter safety.
A South Florida congressman is pushing a bill expanding federal grants to help school security.
U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., whose district includes Parkland where the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting took place last year, and U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, R-Tex., championed the “School Violence Prevention and Mitigation Act” this week. Williams is the main sponsor of the proposal.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis is pushing to fire the state’s top financial regulator, who was suspended amid a sexual harassment investigation, at the next Cabinet meeting.
Patronis’ request to consider the termination of Office of Financial Regulation Commissioner Ronald Rubin at the July 25 meeting was made Thursday, as allegations of misconduct have been levied against both Patronis and the man he once encouraged his Cabinet colleagues to hire.
Alex Acosta, the former South Florida prosecutor who more than a decade ago crafted what many consider a lenient plea deal for accused child sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein, is out as U.S. labor secretary.
Acosta’s resignation Friday came two days after he publicly defended his actions as the U.S. attorney for Florida’s southern district in 2008, when his office gave Epstein the plea deal now under intense scrutiny.
Nine months ago, Rodrick Fagiole was inside Gulf Correctional Institution when Hurricane Michael blew the roof off of the Panhandle prison.
Through a gaping cavity above him, Fagiole said he watched as the eye of the storm passed overhead, following a moment of calm.
“Looking at the hole in the ceiling, I was thinking, where can I be safe?” Fagiole, who was released in December after two years behind bars, told The News Service of Florida in a telephone interview. “I really thought I was going to die.”
Activist groups lobbying municipalities nationwide to file lawsuits against utilities as part of a two-decade climate litigation campaign have changed tactics and are now targeting energy manufacturers. That's a shift posing significant repercussions for business, industry and consumers.
While “climate litigation” is now targeting “manufacturers in the energy sector” -- oil and natural gas companies, refiners, fuel transport, coal gas producers, distribution, sales and retailers, including gas stations – ultimately, consumers will pay should a lawsuit be successful.
What do top-tier lobbying and law firms, the Florida Realtors association and an Israel bond organization have in common?
They all sponsored events for members of a delegation that Gov. Ron DeSantis led to Israel in late May.
With tensions continuing to linger with China, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., last week looked to push back with a bill to help stop American dependence on that nation for mining and rare metals.
HB 521, amending the mitigation options for wetlands impacted by development projects, has just been signed into law. It means local governments will now be allowed to authorize mitigation of conservation lands they have purchased and own -- if state and federal mitigation credits are not available and financial assurances are provided by the developer for the perpetual maintenance of the land.
The city of South Miami is preparing to fight a controversial new law aimed at banning so-called “sanctuary cities,” after commissioners unanimously agreed Tuesday to hire an attorney to handle the legal challenge.
The ban, signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis last month, was one of the most fiercely fought issues of the 2019 legislative session that ended in May. The measure came after after DeSantis vowed during his 2018 campaign to prevent sanctuary cities.
