Florida News Archive

It will be a lot harder to put proposed constitutional amendments on the 2022 ballot in Florida. Heavy turnout in this year’s election and a new law that seeks to limit ballot initiatives have driven up the number of petition signatures that groups will have to submit to get on the ballot in 2022 and […]

After helping craft a 2019 law that strengthened Florida’s ban on texting while driving, Rep. Emily Slosberg, D-Boca Raton, is seeking to require motorists to go fully “hands free” while using wireless phones.

State legislative leaders Friday released contrasting COVID-19 protocols for upcoming committee meetings, with the Senate setting up an off-site area where the public can view and participate in meetings amid the pandemic. Under Senate President Wilton Simpson’s plan, members of the public will have to watch remotely and testify from a civic center a few […]

A divided appeals court Friday overturned a lifetime ban on pet ownership for a Volusia County man whose arrest for killing a dog helped lead to a new state law about animal abuse. A panel of the 5th District Court of Appeal, in a 2-1 decision, said a circuit judge did not have legal authority to impose a lifetime ban on animal ownership for Travis Archer.

Florida’s unemployment rate held steady in November, as businesses did not boost seasonal hiring as much as usual amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

An effort to require public-school students to engage in a moment of silence at the start of each school day is back before the state Legislature. Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, refiled legislation (SB 282) on Thursday that would require principals to direct first-period teachers to set aside one to two minutes for “quiet reflection.” The bill is filed for the 2021 legislation session, which will begin March 2.

About 180 hospitals across the state will have access to COVID-19 vaccines as of next week, Florida’s emergency management chief said Tuesday.

Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz said five hospitals that received delivery of a Pfizer vaccine Monday and Tuesday have reached agreements to share the vaccine with 25 neighboring facilities, usually their competitors. That means 30 Florida hospitals will have access to the Pfizer vaccine this week.

Florida this week surpassed 20,000 resident deaths from COVID-19. The largest numbers of deaths have happened in heavily populated Southeast Florida. But here are the dozen counties with the fewest COVID-19 resident deaths as of a Tuesday count:

— Franklin: 4

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state Cabinet agreed Tuesday to spend more than $16.7 million to protect fields in Southwest Florida where federally endangered Florida panthers roam and land in Washington County that could be used for hunting and other recreation.

A day after President Donald Trump lost the Electoral College vote, Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested Tuesday that the exit of his close political ally from the White House could affect Florida on issues such as the coronavirus pandemic.