Florida News Archive

The Florida House will largely stick with existing COVID-19 restrictions when lawmakers return to Tallahassee for the 2021 legislative session that begins Tuesday, according to protocols released Friday by Speaker Chris Sprowls’ office. Under the House pandemic procedures, lobbyists and other visitors must register online at least three hours before committee meetings, show identification and pick up passes to gain access to meeting rooms.

In a sign that Florida’s higher-education institutions are preparing for a return to normalcy, two of the state’s largest universities are announcing changes that bring people back to campus.

The College Board released a list of the 10 states with the highest percentages of 2020 public-high school graduates who scored a 3 or higher on an AP exam. Here is how Florida stacked up:

— Connecticut: 34.5 percent

— Florida: 34.2 percent

The Florida Senate has long been considered the saucer that cools the hot tea, a metaphor purportedly coined by George Washington to describe the U.S. Senate’s tempering influence on the more hot-headed — and numerous — House of Representatives.

A House Republican is trying to ban abortions that women seek because of tests showing that fetuses will have disabilities.

Nestle Waters North America will be able to ramp up bottling to nearly 1 million gallons of water a day at a North Florida plant after a permit was approved Tuesday over the objections of opponents who said it will continue degradation of the state’s natural springs and rivers.

Marking a significant change in Florida’s vaccination strategy, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday said teachers and law enforcement officers ages 50 and older will have access to COVID-19 vaccine doses in the coming days as four federally supported vaccination sites open in the state.

Tuesday, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that CVS Health will begin offering COVID-19 vaccinations at 81 select CVS Pharmacy, CVS Pharmacy y más, and Navarro Discount Pharmacy locations in 13 counties across Florida, including 67 in Miami-Dade County. The nearest location to Navarre is Escambia County.

The Florida Senate Republicans’ campaign committee paid $450,000 in cash to purchase a restored 120-year-old building in Tallahassee this month, Senate President Wilton Simpson confirmed on Monday.

Florida on Monday exceeded 30,000 residents deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic started last year. Here are the 15 counties with the most resident deaths:

— Miami-Dade: 5,314

— Palm Beach: 2,412