With time already an enemy, Gov. Ron DeSantis injected more uncertainty Tuesday into a gambling deal reached by a Senate Republican leader and a representative of the Seminole Tribe, saying its passage would be a “legislative lift” with less than two weeks remaining in the annual session.

“There’s a lot of stuff to go through,” DeSantis told reporters Tuesday morning. “I’d like to get a deal, but at the same time I’ve got to make sure that what we’re doing is right for Florida.”

Florida’s senior senator on Capitol Hill is going to bat for Gov. Ron Descants' proposal for the federal government to assume more of the costs to help North Florida recover from Hurricane Michael. 

On Friday, Descants wrote President Donald Trump on the matter, urging him to make the federal government pay 90 percent of recovery costs instead of the current 75 percent. Descants noted that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reclassified Hurricane Michael 5 as a category 5 storm last week. 

The Florida Senate on Tuesday passed Senate Bill 7030, which implements the legislative recommendations of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission, including the ability of eligible teachers who volunteer to carry guns. 

This week, a congressman from Florida insisted a recent decision from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is undermining public health. 

Back at the end of December, the EPA proposed revising the Supplemental Cost Finding for the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) and the Clean Air Act-required “risk and technology review.”

This legislative session, state Rep. Randy Fine has become one of the Florida House’s most-fierce and eager debaters.

Whether it be discussions on expanding school choice, holding higher-education officials accountable for misusing state funds or championing legislation to battle anti-Semitism, the Brevard County Republican is no stranger to headlines.

Environmentalists used Earth Day to ratchet up criticism of a proposal going before the Senate to expand and build toll roads through hundreds of miles of the state.

Sierra Club Florida Director Frank Jackalone said during a news conference Monday in St. Petersburg that his group will “declare war” on lawmakers who sponsor the bill (SB 7068), which is a priority of Senate President Bill Galvano.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is calling on the federal government to shoulder more of the costs as Florida continues to recover from Hurricane Michael which hit the Panhandle and the Big Bend back in October. 

On Friday, DeSantis wrote President Donald Trump asking for the federal government to take up 90 percent of recovery costs instead of the current 75 percent. DeSantis noted that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reclassified Hurricane Michael as a category 5 storm last week. 

With Gov. Ron DeSantis announcing that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is sending $18.5 million to Bay County at the end of last week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., noted that more federal help will be on the way as the area recovers from Hurricane Michael. 

With Florida considered one of the lynchpin states to any candidate's presidential bid, it stands to reason a native politician would become a fixture in the looming campaign season. Wouldn't you think? Most would expect that to mean a major politician with either name recognition, or an established history in the state would rise to the fore to leverage at least some influence.

Not Wayne Messam.

Buckle up. The 2019 legislative session is about ready to pick up speed.

When lawmakers come back from the holiday weekend, they will be poised to start budget negotiations and to try to resolve a laundry list of major --- and controversial --- issues. That means a sprint toward the scheduled May 3 end of the 60-day session.