The weekly checkup: vaccinations and lockdowns
March 12, 2021
With millions of vaccine doses already distributed — and promises of more to come in the next few weeks — the conversations about returning to the way things used to be, at least sort of, are sta…
House panel targets school board pay
March 12, 2021
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 t…
Lawmakers eye ‘gaps’ in mental health care
March 12, 2021
For months, as the COVID-19 pandemic has raged, Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis and top state officials have warned about a looming mental-health crisis because of job losses, lockdowns and school…
Dual enrollment plan gets Senate support
March 12, 2021
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), s…
Achievement gap for boys addressed
March 12, 2021
With the bill pointing to lagging reading scores, a House panel Thursday approved a proposal geared toward addressing an academic achievement gap for boys.
Florida sees slowing of unemployment claims
March 11, 2021
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 po…
By the numbers: completed COVID vaccinations by age
March 11, 2021
A state report Wednesday showed that more than 2 million people have completed COVID-19 vaccinations. That total includes people who completed two-dose series of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or receiv…
Lawmakers look to address ‘COVID slide’
March 10, 2021
As the state’s standardized testing “season” looms for students, teachers and schools, proposals that would help accommodate for what is being called the “COVID slide” are receiving bipartisan suppor…
House targets local emergency orders
March 10, 2021
As Florida has spent the past year combating COVID-19, the state House is considering a proposal that would restrict local government orders involving public-health emergencies — a measure that bac…
By the numbers: Long-term care deaths by county
March 10, 2021
A state report Tuesday showed that Miami-Dade County has become the second county to have 1,000 deaths of long-term care residents and staff members because of COVID-19. Here is a list of counties t…