Florida News Archive

With dozens of students testifying against the bill, a controversial plan to reduce Bright Futures scholarships for students who pursue degrees deemed unlikely to lead to jobs was approved Tuesday by a Senate committee.

The proposal (SB 86), sponsored by Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, advanced from the Republican-controlled Senate Education Committee in a 5-4 party-line vote.

The state released a report Monday showing that Florida’s unemployment rate declined in January to 4.8 percent. Here are county-by-county rates:

— Miami-Dade County: 8.1 percent

— Osceola County: 7.0 percent

Four months ago, Gov. Ron DeSantis bragged that other states should emulate voting procedures in Florida, where former President Donald Trump’s solid Election Day victory over President Joe Biden was done and dusted long before midnight.

Under pressure that has included a student-led opposition campaign, lawmakers are expected to overhaul a controversial Senate proposal that would tie Bright Futures scholarships to a list of job-creating degrees.

The measure (SB 86) was tabled last week before it was set to be considered by the Senate Education Committee. Sponsor Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, told reporters at the time that he was receiving “a lot of different inputs” on the proposal, which he said left him wanting to “hit the brakes.”

Florida regulators on Monday dug into a proposal to raise rates for customers of Citizens Property Insurance Corp., with the state-backed insurer saying its policy counts — and financial risks — are increasing because of problems in the private insurance market.

One year.

That’s how long it’s been since the onset of “the new normal,” when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic.

A House panel Thursday backed a bill that would prevent doctors from performing abortions that women seek because of tests showing that fetuses will have disabilities.

After debating whether county school board members should be paid, and if ending salaries would threaten diversity on the boards, a House panel took a first step Friday toward letting voters decide the issue in 2022.

A Senate proposal that would create a dual-enrollment “scholarship” program for high school students taking courses at colleges and universities is ready to go to the full Senate. The bill (SB 52), sponsored by Sen. Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero, seeks to reimburse higher-education institutions for tuition and instructional material costs incurred by students who are dual enrolled.

Florida continues to see a slowing of first-time unemployment claims, with applications last week the lowest since the coronavirus pandemic started a year ago and as more federal stimulus money is poised to flow to the state.