Feb 16, 2021
Vacation rental proposal on the move in Senate
A controversial effort to further limit local governments’ ability to regulate and inspect vacation rental properties is advancing in the Florida Senate, as the proposal’s sponsor on Tuesday assured critics that the legislation is “a starting point.”
Feb 16, 2021
Storm delays COVID-19 vaccine delivery
A shipment to Florida of more than 200,000 doses of Moderna vaccine has been delayed due to a storm that has battered parts of the country, and the state’s top emergency management official doesn’t know when the coveted COVID-19 vaccine is expected to arrive.
Feb 16, 2021
Moment of silence in schools backed by house
With the proposal’s sponsor saying children growing up now “have issues” in part because “they don’t have time for moments of reflection,” a House panel Tuesday approved a controversial bill that would mandate daily moments of silence in schools.
Feb 16, 2021
Alcohol ‘to go’ proposal motors ahead
Driving home with sealed mixed drinks or other alcoholic libations as part of “to go” meals, an option allowed during the COVID-19 pandemic to help restaurants, moved closer Tuesday to becoming permanent in Florida.
Feb 16, 2021
Florida tourism numbers lowest since 2010
COVID-19 ended a decade of record-setting tourism numbers in Florida, with the industry seeing a 34 percent drop in visitors in 2020 compared to the prior year.
Feb 16, 2021
Business liability protections delayed in Senate
A scheduled committee vote on a high-profile bill that would protect businesses from coronavirus-related lawsuits was delayed Monday after the measure’s primary sponsor, Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, was delayed in another meeting.
Feb 15, 2021
State grants extra time for standardized tests
Amid a debate about whether students should be required to take standardized tests in person as COVID-19 continues to spread, the state Department of Education is giving an additional two weeks for the Florida Standards Assessments and a statewide science test to be administered.
Feb 15, 2021
No-fault repeal backed in Senate
Florida senators continued moving forward Monday with a proposal to do away with the state’s longstanding no-fault auto insurance system, with trial attorneys and insurers closely watching the debate.
Feb 15, 2021
Bill seeks to remove Roberts name from law school
Florida lawmakers will again consider a proposal aimed at removing the name of former state Supreme Court Chief Justice B.K. Roberts from the building that houses the Florida State University College of Law.
Feb 15, 2021
Judge to weigh lawsuit on unemployment problems
Nearly a year after the COVID-19 pandemic began tossing people out of work, a circuit judge is again poised to consider a potential class-action lawsuit stemming from major problems in Florida’s unemployment compensation system.