A Tampa Christian school is continuing a legal battle about whether it should have been allowed to offer a prayer over a stadium loudspeaker before a state high-school football championship game.
Gov. Rick Scott late Friday signed 13 bills, including a measure that will carry out a constitutional amendment aimed at boosting the use of solar energy in the state.
Gov. Rick Scott and House Speaker Richard Corcoran haven't exactly gotten along so well the past few months.
Saying the Florida Department of Children and Families didn't do its job, state lawmakers last month approved paying $3.75 million in a 2011 child-abuse case that drew national headlines.
But the planned payment in the death of 10-year-old Nubia Barahona and injuries suffered by her twin brother, Victor, was part of a broader effort this year by lawmakers to compensate people for injuries or deaths caused by actions --- or negligence --- of government agencies.
Florida lawmakers will gather Monday at the Capitol to pass a new state budget. But for the most part, the annual legislative session ended Friday night when the House and Senate adjourned after a final round of negotiating and maneuvering.
As always, the Legislature considered hundreds of bills during the session, with many passing, many dying quietly and others flaming out because of disagreements between the House and Senate.
Here is a quick look at 10 big issues:
Florida budget leaders will have to decide how to structure about $651 million in Medicaid cuts for hospitals and also will grapple with issues such as how much money nursing-home residents should keep each month for personal needs.
A conference committee on health and human-services programs finished work after a late morning meeting Saturday and "bumped" unresolved issues to Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, and House Appropriations Chairman Carlos Trujillo, R-Miami.
State Rep. Cary Pigman stepped down Tuesday as chairman of a House health-care panel after being arrested last week on a drunken-driving charge in St. Lucie County.
Florida lawmakers are poised to return to Tallahassee for the March 7 start of the 2017 legislative session.
They will grapple with hundreds of bills during the 60-day session, while also trying to reach agreement on a state budget that will top $80 billion. Here are 10 big issues to watch:
Amid a new wave of legal battles about hospital projects, Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday called for eliminating key regulations about building health-care facilities and opening trauma centers.
With a major nursing-home group looking for changes, a Senate panel Wednesday began delving into part of the Medicaid program that involves seniors enrolling in managed-care plans.
