INSIDER
As budget talks remain stalled, House Speaker Daniel Perez said Tuesday the House has offered possibilities including a “lean, critical-needs budget with minimal spending and no tax cuts.”
Duval County students continued their fight on Tuesday to keep funding for accelerated programs, including advanced placement, International Baccalaureate, dual enrollment and career and technical education.
For six years, Gov. Ron DeSantis had a firm grasp on Florida’s legislature. In his second-to-last legislative session, that is not the case.
Florida lawmakers are still nowhere close to agreeing on a budget for the next fiscal year. That means the legislative session that was supposed to wrap up Friday will not end on time.
A newly filed amendment in the Florida Legislature could reshape the state’s approach to honoring Black history.
The Florida House on Friday approved a $5.008 billion tax package after making a change to a controversial proposal about shifting money collected for tourism marketing.
Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature is moving forward with a series of proposals that would help charter schools, while Democrats argue the measures would chip away at traditional public schools.
Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, said philosophical differences are stalling progress with the state budget, specifically over tax relief plans.
A week after a bill sparked by controversy at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts passed unanimously in the Senate, the school confirmed yet another employee has been removed over reports of “inappropriate conduct.”
Days after a mass shooting at nearby Florida State University, the state Senate appears poised to scuttle a controversial proposal that would allow people under age 21 to buy rifles and other long guns.
Amid fierce opposition from Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida House on Wednesday approved revamping laws about leadership of the higher-education system, including opening information about applicants to become college and university presidents.
As cities and counties across the state debate the issue, the Florida Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would prevent local governments from adding fluoride to water supplies.
An effort to keep students off cell phones throughout the school day passed the Florida House on Wednesday, though differences remain with a Senate proposal.
Development such as golf courses, pickleball courts and luxury lodges would be prohibited at Florida state parks under legislation passed Wednesday by the state House following a public outcry against such projects that were pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration.
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed two bills aimed at carrying out President Donald Trump’s directive to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, according to the Florida Senate.
With the Florida Legislature finally in the swing of things, one proposed bill could have a big impact on households with a tree in their yard.
A proposed Florida bill aimed at enhancing the efficiency of DNA testing by law enforcement is moving through the Florida Legislature.
A bill moving through the Florida Capitol could have significant implications for victims of deepfakes, with its roots firmly planted in Jacksonville.
A bill aimed at preventing a return of efforts to build golf courses, pickleball courts and resorts in state parks is ready to go to the full Florida House.
Erasing the Gulf of Mexico from state laws and educational materials won Florida House approval Thursday. The Republican-controlled House passed two bills along party lines to carry out President Donald Trump’s directive to rename the gulf as the Gulf of America.
Senate Bill 140 could significantly impact how school districts buy or sell property, prompting reactions from Duval County parents and leaders.
As the Florida House and Senate prepare to negotiate a new state budget, among the big issues they will face is a push by Senate President Ben Albritton, a citrus grower, to help the state’s struggling citrus industry.
A Florida Senate bill that would have allowed concealed carry on college and university campuses was voted down in the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. Senate Bill 814, introduced by Sen. Randy Fine (R-Melbourne Beach), failed in a 3-4 vote.
The Florida House on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a proposal that could lead to more medical-malpractice lawsuits, while a similar bill cleared a major hurdle in the Senate.
A Florida lawmaker’s proposal to crack down on automatic gratuity and service charges at restaurants is now part of a bill going through the State House. HB 535 passed its first committee stop on Wednesday. The bill is meant to make it easier for restaurants or public lodging businesses like hotels to remove someone who is not paying their bill.
The Florida House and Senate on Tuesday continued moving forward with a proposal that would provide an exemption to the state’s voter-approved minimum wage for certain workers in on-the-job training.
The Florida House could move quickly to pass a controversial bill that would lower the minimum age to purchase rifles and other long guns from 21 to 18.
Highway speeds could increase under a bill that has started moving forward in the state Senate. The Republican-controlled Senate Transportation Committee on Wednesday approved a wide-ranging measure (SB 462), filed by Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-Indian Rocks Beach, that includes boosting the maximum speed on interstates and Florida’s Turnpike from 70 mph to 75 mph.
A new bill in the Florida legislature has groups in Fernandina Beach concerned it could open the door again for a bioethanol plant in the city.
A key Senate panel on Monday approved a measure that would place a number of new restrictions on people and groups seeking to make changes to the state Constitution, the latest move in the Legislature’s years-long effort to curtail the ballot-initiative process.
While Florida homeowners anxiously await property insurance relief, legislators are considering more than a dozen bills that would revive the My Safe Florida Home Program, which provides financial assistance for storm readiness work.
House and Senate Republicans are proposing a constitutional amendment about eight-year term limits for county commissioners and school board members.
After fierce — and expensive — political battles last year about abortion rights and recreational marijuana, Florida lawmakers Thursday began moving forward with a proposal that would place additional restrictions on the ballot-initiative process.
After fierce — and expensive — political battles last year about abortion rights and recreational marijuana, Florida lawmakers Thursday began moving forward with a proposal that would place additional restrictions on the ballot-initiative process.
As the Florida Legislative session enters its third day, developments are unfolding with the introduction of bills targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies at the local government level.
Senator Randy Fine has introduced a bill for the 2025 Florida legislative session that would permit individuals under 21 to purchase firearms. Senate Bill 94, aims to repeal a law that currently prohibits licensed firearms dealers from selling or transferring firearms to those younger than 21.
A newly filed bill in the Florida Legislature, House Joint Resolution 1325, proposes eliminating the office of lieutenant governor and replacing it with a new Cabinet-level position: the commissioner of government efficiency.
Senate minority leader Tracie Davis, who represents Jacksonville, and House minority leader Fentrice Driskell of Tampa filed a bill on Tuesday to repeal Florida’s six-week ban on abortion.
State Sen. Tom Wright filed Senate Bill 572 after an 8-year-old boy was mauled to death last month in Volusia County, which Wright represents.
Florida lawmakers are gaveling in another special legislative session on immigration, aimed at leveraging state and local resources to carry out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday continued to blast an immigration bill passed by the Florida Legislature and expressed frustration over politicians' inaction and the need for strong border policies.
As the Florida Legislature holds a special session this week tackling only one issue -- immigration -- Gov. Ron DeSantis hosted a roundtable on Wednesday in Titusville signaling a possible veto of the bill that lawmakers passed on Tuesday night.
Florida lawmakers gaveled in the special session Gov. DeSantis asked for on Monday, then quickly gaveled out of it and started their own, News4JAX sister station WKMG reported.
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday morning announced plans to reform Florida’s petition and amendment process, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability.
Two Florida House Representatives, Hillary Cassel and Susan Valdés, recently announced they were leaving the Democratic Party to join the GOP.
Rep. Fentrice Driskell, Democratic Leader of the Florida House of Representatives, is urging action on the expansion of the Florida KidCare program.
State senators are off to a quick start filing bills as they gear up for the 2025 legislative session, which begins March 4.
Florida Rep. Debbie Mayfield has announced her candidacy for Florida Senate District 19, a seat she previously held before reaching the state’s term limits.
State laws that allow motorcyclists not to wear helmets are costing lives every year, according to a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
With a federal appeals court poised next week to hear a challenge to a Florida law that bars people under age 21 from buying rifles and other long guns, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday at least temporarily allowed a Pennsylvania gun restriction on young adults.
All Alachua County voters will see two local ballot questions in the 2024 general election: a proposed charter amendment and a school district referendum on property taxes. Additionally, voters in Gainesville, which makes up about half of the county's population, will make a choice on a proposed charter amendment.
Five at-large elected commissioners govern the district, each serving four-year terms, with staggered terms. Two seats on the board are on this November’s ballot.
On Tuesday at the RNC in Milwaukee, the incoming head of the Florida Senate called on former St. Johns County sheriff David Shoar to drop out of a Florida Senate race.
A new state law signed into effect Friday has the Jacksonville Ethics Commission sounding the alarm.
Laws passed in several Republican-controlled states after the 2020 presidential election have criminalized much of the work done by voter outreach groups.
Progressive civic groups have challenged how four congressional districts and seven state House districts in South Florida were drawn by the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature.
DeSantis previously said he wanted a special session to address immigration issues, but another issue that is on the minds of many Floridians is what some are calling a “property insurance crisis.”
A federal judge on Friday heard arguments in a court battle over a law restricting educators’ use of personal pronouns and titles in schools, in one of a series of challenges to Florida policies targeting LGBTQ people.
According to FloridaFloodInsurance.org, Florida is more likely to flood than any other state because of its flat terrain.
The 2024 legislative session ended Friday with an annual hanky-drop ceremony in the rotunda between the House and Senate chambers. Here are snapshots of 10 big issues from the session
A bill passed by the Florida House aims to make it easier for people to shoot bears on their property under the claim of self-defense. The bill would provide self-defense protections to individuals who kill bears, as long as they can reasonably prove that their actions were necessary to prevent imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury. Critics argue that the bill is based on fear rather than facts and does not include mechanisms to prevent excessive killings of bears.
Families, advocates and lawmakers will hold a rally Thursday at the state capitol to call for changes inside Florida prisons as two bills to address the issue are stalled in the Florida Legislature.
The Florida Senate is ready Thursday to pass a high-profile bill that seeks to prevent children under age 16 from creating accounts on what lawmakers say are “addictive” social-media platforms.
Senate President Kathleen Passidomo on Wednesday raised questions about the fate of a proposal to protect historic monuments and memorials after several lawmakers voiced outrage over comments Tuesday by supporters of the bill.
Governor Ron DeSantis announced he's working with the Florida Legislature to combat homelessness by moving bills through the legislative session.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 7-2 to approve a bill (SB 1788) that is similar to a measure (HB 1) that passed the House last month and is a priority of House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast.
A little more than a month after Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan removed a Confederate monument from a Springfield park, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he’s strongly opposed to taking down any historical monuments.
Florida lawmakers are considering a cap on the awards for things like pain, suffering, and loss of companionship when someone is killed or seriously hurt by medical malpractice.
The Florida State Guard, revived by Gov. Ron DeSantis, could operate outside Florida and be called into service anytime he “deemed necessary,” under a bill approved Thursday by a House panel.
The Florida House is poised to pass a bill aimed at preventing children under age 16 from using social media, as parts of the tech industry argue the measure could be unconstitutional and create data-privacy concerns.
Some are questioning whether a proposal to tax electric vehicle owners is trying to address the infrastructure issue or if it is politically motivated.
While Florida lawmakers are getting ready to begin work in Tallahassee as the next legislative session gets underway on Tuesday, some are calling for all members to come together and work as a government and not just for individual political parties.
It could potentially reverse part of a law that passed in the aftermath of the 2018 mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis wants to expand what he calls one of the state's best-kept secrets: The Division of Consumer Services.
The 1st District Court of Appeal reversed a lower court’s ruling that the map that rewrote U.S. Rep. Al Lawson’s district was unconstitutional because it diminished Black voters’ ability to elect a candidate of their choice.
An appeals court has ruled that the Florida Legislature didn’t violate the state constitution when it approved congressional maps pushed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis last year.
A new statewide poll found that the cost of housing is the most important problem facing Florida right now.
The State of Florida may soon be taking a brand-new approach toward preventing the drowning deaths of children.
A slate of bills aimed at reducing regulations on public schools began moving forward Wednesday, as a key Florida Senate panel signed off on changes such as eliminating testing requirements for earning high-school diplomas.
In 2017, Florida lawmakers signed an education bill that carried several mandates including one that said students in kindergarten through fifth grade were entitled to 20 consecutive minutes of free-play recess every day.
State Representative Dean Black has filed legislation that would punish lawmakers who vote to successfully take down Confederate monuments. If it is passed next year by the Florida legislature, it would have a big impact on what’s happening in Jacksonville with Confederate monuments.
The proposal aims to give voters the choice of legalizing recreational marijuana use for individuals aged 21 and older.
The Florida Legislature will return to the Capitol for a special session that will allow lawmakers to express their support for Israel and give Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis more talking points as he campaigns for president.
The Florida Legislature has returned to the Capitol for a special session where lawmakers will express their support for Israel and give Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis more talking points as he campaigns for president.
A judge says that a Florida redistricting plan pushed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis violates the state constitution.
Planning for a hurricane means high-stakes decisions must be made quickly, especially when you're the person or organization responsible for people's lives and preparedness.
There are new calls for accountability from lawmakers as Florida homeowners face record-breaking property insurance hikes and outright cancellations of their policies.
Curtis Law, which officially takes effect Saturday in Florida, gives victims' families more rights during investigations, something Patricia Ward said she wished she had 26 years ago when her 16-year-old son, Curtis Williamson, was killed.
More than 200 new laws will go into effect in Florida on Saturday, and one of the new laws will allow guns to be carried almost anywhere in the state, without a permit.
Three organizations have filed federal lawsuits, claiming Florida’s Senate Bill 7050 violates First Amendment rights and harms efforts to sign up Black and Hispanic voters.
The largest LGBTQ+ rights organization in the U.S. has joined other civil rights organizations in issuing a travel advisory for Florida.
The NAACP on Saturday issued a formal travel advisory for Florida saying that the state is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals.
The Walt Disney Co. says it's scrapping plans to build a new campus in central Florida and relocate 2,000 employees from Southern California to work in digital technology, finance and product development.
