Red tide off Florida is virtually gone now, showing up at near-undetectable levels. Nevertheless, at the University of South Florida, serious work on Karenia brevis, the harmful algae that causes red tide, is ongoing and producing studies of some significance.
On Jan. 4, just days before the start of a makeover of the Florida Supreme Court, justices issued two 4-3 decisions.
The cases drew relatively little attention across the state --- one dealt with Orange County elections, the other with attorney fees in a foreclosure battle. But on the losing end of the decisions were Chief Justice Charles Canady and his frequent allies Ricky Polston and Alan Lawson.
A gambling deal may or may not happen, but lawmakers are racing toward the finish line in the 2019 legislative session.
As in previous years, Republican leaders are horse-trading over their priorities in the lead-up to budget negotiations, expected to kick off when lawmakers return to Tallahassee following the holiday weekend.
Armed teachers, immigration and abortion were among the high-profile issues that prompted party-line schisms this week, as lawmakers took up issues considered GOP “red meat” while also setting the stage to finalize the leaders’ priorities.
Bay County is getting $18.5 million in federal funds as Northwest Florida continues to recover from Hurricane Michael which slammed into the region back in October.
On Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the federal government is sending the funds to Bay County as reimbursements for debris cleared in the 45 days after the hurricane hit.
On Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that in March the state unemployment rate remained at 3.5 percent, the same as it was in February. The national unemployment rate stood at 3.8 percent in March.
DeSantis noted more than 200,000 private sector jobs had been created in Florida over the past year. He took over in January from Gov. Rick Scott.
As hurricane-weary Northwest Floridians grow more impatient with the financial dickering of state and federal officials, a former lawmaker from the region helped call a disaster-relief audible Thursday.
University of Florida football legend Steve Spurrier, longtime Florida State University assistant football coach Mickey Andrews and Coastal Carolina University basketball coach Cliff Ellis stumped in the Capitol for disaster relief with Robert Trammell, a lobbyist and a former Panhandle lawmaker.
State health officials are preparing to revamp the application process for medical-marijuana businesses, with the hope of issuing up to seven new licenses before the end of the year, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office told The News Service of Florida on Thursday.
The state Office of Medical Marijuana Use is expected to withdraw a series of proposed rules, which were never finalized, and restart the process with a new set of proposed regulations as early as May.
U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, R-Fla., is drawing fire after naming the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s (DCCC) leadership team.
Earlier this week, U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., the chairwoman of the DCCC, said that the caucus had elected five regional vice chairs, including Crist, to help the Democrats keep control of the U.S. House in 2020.
This week, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., one of the co-chairman of the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus, continued his fight for support for tourism, including Brand USA.
Bilirakis held a round table event in Wesley Chapel on Thursday and he stressed the important role tourism plays to the Sunshine State’s economy.
A little more than a year ago, the idea of allowing armed teachers in classrooms nearly scuttled school-safety legislation hurriedly crafted in the wake of the horrific mass shooting at a Parkland high school that left 17 students and staff members dead.
But now, a sharply divided state Senate is prepared to sign off on another far-reaching school safety bill that includes a provision to allow classroom teachers to serve as armed school “guardians.”
