Florida News Archive

The outlook for the state’s Bright Futures program might not be so sunny for students, as Senate Republicans are putting a bullseye on the popular scholarships.

A House committee Monday will take up a wide-ranging bill about the state’s election laws, including maintaining the use of drop boxes for mail-in ballots and requiring Floridians to more frequently request such ballots.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that Florida will start offering COVID-19 vaccines to all people age 50 and older starting Monday. This week, Florida lowered the age threshold from 65 to 60, but the governor said softening demand convinced him the state could go to 50.

Gov. Ron DeSantis rolled out more fodder for conservatives on Wednesday, when he announced a $106 million “civics literacy” proposal to educate kids — and teachers — about the nation’s roots.

About 2.5 million people in Florida had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Tuesday.

As the “COVID slide” continues to affect learning gains and widen achievement gaps for students nationwide, the Florida Department of Education was moving Wednesday toward requesting a federal waiver for testing accountability measures. The federal government requires 95 percent of Florida students in grades 3 through 8 to sit for math and English-language arts exams.

A 2020 law that required doctors to obtain written consent before conducting pelvic exams caused confusion last summer among Florida physicians. The Senate Health Policy Committee on Wednesday took a step to clarify the law by unanimously passing a bill (SB 716) that says the requirement only applies to female patients and that pelvic exams include examinations of the internal reproductive system.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that he will soon lower the eligibility age to 55 for COVID-19 vaccinations, as demand appears slower for shots even with the eligibility age lowered Monday from 65 to 60.

Despite impassioned pleas from LGBT advocates, a Florida House panel on Wednesday approved a controversial proposal that would ban transgender girls and women from competing in women’s high-school and college sports.

The state this week opened COVID-19 vaccinations to all people ages 60 and older, after earlier focusing on groups such as seniors and health-care workers. Here is a breakdown by age group of the people who had been vaccinated as of a Monday count:

— Ages 16 to 24: 66,473 people

— Ages 25 to 34: 183,684 people