Florida News Archive

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.

The Florida House is poised to pass a measure that would bar transgender females from participating in girls’ and women’s high-school and college sports, amid fierce opposition from Democrats and warnings about potential financial repercussions.

A Senate proposal that would provide free online courses at state universities to people who have been out of college for five years is moving again after it was tabled last week. The measure (SB 1672) was approved unanimously Tuesday by the Senate Education Appropriations Subcommittee.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was recently vaccinated with the single-dose Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, said Tuesday that Florida would halt the vaccine’s use following a recommendation from federal health authorities. DeSantis said he understood the need for caution because the vaccine was only approved for emergency use, but he added that he did not think Floridians need to worry.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday railed against YouTube and Google for removing a video of a COVID-19 discussion he had with scientists who oppose government lockdowns, school closures and mask wearing, calling it “censorship.”

In a case that has drawn interest from a wide range of civil-liberties groups, a federal appeals court ruled Friday that a state inmate can seek punitive damages in a lawsuit that alleged threats by guards at a Northwest Florida prison violated his First Amendment rights.

In a win for Republican lawmakers and the National Rifle Association, an appeals court Friday upheld a 2011 state law that threatens tough penalties if city and county officials approve gun-related regulations.

Answering the question of how the state would handle standardized testing this year, the Florida Department of Education issued an emergency order Friday waiving accountability measures tied to state exams. 

Concerns about consequences of testing had loomed as exams kicked off this week for some students. Education officials and lawmakers grappled with the issue because of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on schools, including many students learning remotely.