Florida News Archive

An effort to allow people to carry guns at churches that share locations with schools is going to the Senate floor. The Rules Committee on Tuesday approved a measure (HB 259) that would allow people with concealed-weapons licenses to bring guns on properties shared by churches and schools. Florida law generally allows people to carry concealed weapons at churches, synagogues, mosques and other religious institutions, but it bars being armed on school properties.

A proposal that would make it more difficult for transgender female athletes to compete on girls’ and women’s high-school and college teams stalled Tuesday in a state Senate panel.

Flanked by uniformed law-enforcement officers, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed into law a controversial law-and-order measure sparked by nationwide protests that erupted last year after George Floyd’s death.

The law, which went into effect immediately, creates a new crime of “mob intimidation,” enhances riot-related penalties and makes it harder for local officials to reduce spending on law enforcement.

Gov. Ron DeSantis expressed opposition Friday to a Senate proposal that would increase unemployment benefits, as Florida’s jobless rate held steady at 4.7 percent in March.

Asked about a Senate bill that would increase maximum state benefits from $275 a week to $375 a week, DeSantis said his goal is to get people back to work.

“Increase benefits? Look, no, I mean, I think we’re getting people back to work,” DeSantis replied to a reporter during an appearance in Lakeland.

The Senate is expected Wednesday to take up a controversial elections package that would make it harder for people to vote by mail.

A bipartisan proposal to add hiring standards and bolster “use of force” training for police and correctional officers began moving forward Thursday in the House.

The Florida House on Wednesday passed a bill that would allow counties to spend so-called “bed” tax money on efforts to combat flooding, despite concerns from the tourism industry that the change would reduce marketing dollars.

The Florida Senate is poised to deliver one of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ top legislative priorities, after spending hours Wednesday considering a controversial proposal that would create a new crime of “mob intimidation,” enhance penalties on riot-related offenses and make it harder for municipalities to trim spending on law enforcement.

A bill is ready to go to the Florida House that would require upgrading the state’s online unemployment system, which largely crashed last spring amid a crush of claims caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Northwest Florida attorney who drew national headlines by dressing as the Grim Reaper to criticize Gov. Ron DeSantis’ handling of the coronavirus pandemic is asking a judge to dismiss court proceedings seeking penalties for comments attributed to him in a news story.