A Republican state senator claimed Friday that state agencies misused millions of dollars in taxpayer money on a campaign to sway Floridians to vote “no” on Amendment 3, which would legalize the personal use of marijuana for those 21 years and older.

A Republican state senator claimed Friday that state agencies misused millions of dollars in taxpayer money on a campaign to sway Floridians to vote “no” on Amendment 3, which would legalize the personal use of marijuana for those 21 years and older.

Former President Donald Trump expressed support for Florida’s Amendment 3, a November ballot initiative that would legalize the personal use of marijuana in Florida for those 21 years and older.

Former President Donald Trump expressed support for Florida’s Amendment 3, a November ballot initiative that would legalize the personal use of marijuana in Florida for those 21 years and older.

Auto repair shops would have to request crash reports or file a form with authorities before repairing damaged vehicles, under a new bill filed by Florida Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota.

The Republican Party of Florida is removing a loyalty oath as a condition for getting on the presidential primary ballot.

State lawmakers on Thursday considered a proposal that could eliminate salaries for county school board members.

Minimum wage workers in Florida will get a voter-approved pay boost this week, while about two dozen new laws kick in, including a regulatory framework for electronic cigarettes.

A record 4.8 million Floridians voted by mail in the 2020 election, and because right now a single request for an absentee ballot is good for two election cycles, they’ll be getting absentee ballots again in 2022.

When voters approved the switch to nonpartisan school board races in 1998, Democrats held a registration advantage of over 400,000 voters.

A bill sent Thursday to Gov. Ron DeSantis would limit local impact fees imposed on builders and developers to help pay for infrastructure to handle growth.

Florida’s statehouse swirled with the ghosts of the 2000 presidential election amid charges of voter suppression, as the state Senate approved a nationally watched election package Republicans tout as a move to preserve the integrity of elections but that Democrats worry will make it harder for some voters to cast ballots.

The Florida House spent more than an hour Tuesday asking questions about alimony reform before giving the legislation a tentative green light, but it was all for naught.

An effort to allow people to carry guns at churches that share locations with schools is going to the Senate floor.

Several universities have been sued after moving to online classes and shutting down campus activities. The measure unanimously approved by the Senate Education Committee would prevent those lawsuits and would be retroactive to when the public health emergency was declared in March 2020. “The irony is, if we had required students to go to campus to finish their semester, we would have been faced with lawsuits. If we had just suspended educating our students, we would have been faced with lawsuits,” Harris said. The bill was approved the day after DeSantis signed a bill to protect businesses and health care providers from coronavirus lawsuits.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Out-of-state retailers would have to collect the Florida sales tax when they ship items to the state, under a bill passed by the Senate on Thursday. The state would lose close to $1 billion in revenue in the next fiscal year and $1.8 billion in future years because sales tax isn't collected on many online and remote purchases, said Republican Sen. Joe Gruters, who sponsored the bill. Gruters said by law, consumers are supposed to pay the online taxes on their own if they aren't charged it, but it's an afterthought for most Floridians. “I would never be in favor of a (new) tax. AdA similar measure in the House has one more committee stop before reaching the full chamber.

Deborah Favata-Shultz, a physician from Apollo Beach, has been paying alimony for 17 years. Under proposed sweeping changes, alimony would no longer be permanent, but limited to half the time of the marriage. “This doesn’t end alimony. It just ends permanent alimony. But this legislation ends alimony if someone is getting substantial support, like living with someone who is helping pay the bills.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Senate committee on Monday unanimously approved a bill that would allow counties and cities to restrict smoking on beaches and public parks they own. Before passing the bill (SB 334), the Environment and Natural Resources Committee approved an amendment by Chairman Jason Brodeur, R-Sanford. that would prevent local governments from banning cigar or pipe smoking on beaches or in parks. AdThe House Professions & Public Health Subcommittee is slated Tuesday to consider the House version (HB 239), sponsored by Rep. Thad Altman, R-Indialantic. A similar bill reached this point last year but died before reaching the Senate floor.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – On this edition of “This Week in Jacksonville,” Pastor John Allen Newman offers his view of the anti-riot bill in Florida. Chief Judge Mark Mahon explains the Jacksonville Mental Health Offender Program. And Republican Party of Florida Chairman Joe Gruters on the recent election success in Florida.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Senate Finance and Tax Committee approved a bill Thursday requiring out-of-state retailers to collect sales tax on internet purchases. Florida is one of only two states that don’t require out-of-state retailers to collect the sales tax due from online purchases. He wants any added revenue from the collection of internet sales tax to be offset by tax cuts elsewhere. If they want to do internet sales, what’s the revenue increase? AdFlorida is the only state that collects a sales tax on commercial rent payments.

Ron DeSantis is again seeking to hold sales-tax “holidays” for disaster-preparedness supplies and back-to-school shopping as part of economic initiatives included in a proposed $96.6 billion budget released Thursday. In his new budget proposal, DeSantis projected $65 million in savings for Floridians from the two proposed sales-tax holidays. AdDeSantis also asked for a 10-day disaster-preparedness tax holiday before hurricane season, with shoppers able to avoid sales taxes on storm supplies, including generators priced up to $750. DeSantis’ proposed budget also includes $5 million for Enterprise Florida, the state’s business recruitment agency, and $50 million for Visit Florida, its tourism-marketing arm. The Visit Florida funding would be the same as in the current fiscal year.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Trying to return former President Donald Trump and other banned conservatives to social-media platforms, two Florida lawmakers filed proposals Tuesday that would prohibit state agencies and local governments from contracting with some tech-industry giants. The proposals (SB 810 and HB 439), filed by Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, and Rep. Randy Fine, R-Brevard County, target Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Apple and Alphabet. It’s letting people like the 70,000 conservative voices that have already been suppressed back on Twitter,” Gruters said. “It is built on a principle that the people have a right to hold power to account in the open. On Jan. 12, state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis tweeted support for divesting Florida from the technology companies.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The names of everyone applying to be a university or state college president in Florida will no longer be public under legislation making its way through the Legislature. Under the bill, only the names of applicants who become finalists for the top jobs at state universities and colleges would be made public. But public records advocates, such as the Florida First Amendment Foundation, say that information doesn’t tell the public enough. Some state lawmakers want to keep the names of people applying for university or state college presidencies out of the public record, at least at first. But opponents, including Florida State University faculty union president Matthew Lata, don’t agree with the arguments made by the bill’s backers.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Sales over the internet have increased from 30 to 50 percent during the pandemic, yet Florida remains one of two states with a sales tax that does not place the tax burden on out-of-state retailers. Only Florida and Missouri don’t force out-of-state retailers to collect at the point of sale, but lawmakers on Monday took the first step to shift the burden to internet merchants. Collecting the already owed tax at the point of sale is one of dozens of recommendations that Florida TaxWatch believes will get the state’s finances back on track. It’s been ideological head in sand,” Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic Calabro said. And consumers who haven’t paid the tax could be liable for what they over for up to three years.

Save money on these items to build a hurricane kit during sales tax holidayTALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A Senate Republican on Friday filed a bill that would provide a sales-tax “holiday” around the start of hurricane season for people who buy disaster-preparedness supplies. Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, filed the proposal (SB 734) for consideration during the legislative session that starts March 2. The state has regularly held such holidays in recent years, with Gruters proposing a holiday from May 28 through June 13. The annual six-month hurricane season will start June 1. The proposal would allow people to avoid paying sales taxes on a series of items, such as portable generators costing $750 or less, tarps costing $50 or less, packages of batteries costing $30 or less and food coolers costing $30 or less.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A proposal that would require more online sellers to collect Florida sales taxes and turn the money over to the state will appear Monday before the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee. Many out-of-state online retailers have not collected and remitted the taxes. House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, reiterated in November that, “I rule out tax increases,” before noting the online “sales tax already exists.”Gruters filed a similar measure for the 2020 legislative session, but it did not get through Senate committees. A task force led by officials from Associated Industries of Florida, the Florida Retail Federation, the National Federation of Independent Business Florida and the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association included the collection of online sales taxes in a list of proposals for the 2021 legislative session. Florida retailers have long complained of being at a competitive disadvantage because of out-of-state retailers not collecting and remitting the taxes.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – More than two dozen loyal Republicans gathered in the Senate chamber of the Florida Capitol on Monday afternoon and cast the state’s 29 votes in the Electoral College for President Donald Trump. The 29 electors -- many of them current or former elected or party officials -- were submitted to Gov. Ron DeSantis on Aug. 31 and earned a seat in the chamber when Trump won the most votes in Florida in the Nov. 3 election. Had Joe Biden carried the state, a slate of 29 prominent Democrats selected as that party’s electors would be voting Monday instead and, based on the certified popular vote, Biden will win 306 electoral votes to 232 votes for Trump. That fact made Monday a bittersweet day for Dr. Roy Hinman, of St. Augustine, who case one of Florida’s 29 votes for Trump.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Republicans and Democrats are staking their positions a proposed constitutional amendment that would gradually boost the minimum wage to $15 an hour in the state. Democrats argue the amendment would guarantee a livable wage for all Floridians, while Republicans fear it would kill small businesses and eliminate jobs. Florida’s minimum wage is expected to rise 9 cents next year, going from $8.56 an hour to $8.65. Restaurateur John Horne said that even though his workers make more than minimum wage after tips, he’d still have to pay them more per hour. RELATED: Florida $15 minimum wage amendment poised to pass despite oppositionState economists have estimated a $15 minimum wage would increase labor costs on Florida businesses by $540 million a year.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The state Republican and Democratic parties have named their slates of electors for this year’s presidential election, with the names of current and former lawmakers sprinkled through the lists. EXPLAINED: Electoral College vs popular voteThe Florida Department of State posted the lists Friday on its website. The Republican list includes Florida GOP Chairman Joe Gruters, a state senator from Sarasota; incoming state Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby; state Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples; state Sen. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville; incoming House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor; state Rep. Jason Fischer, R-Jacksonville; state Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay; and state Rep. Daniel Perez, R-Miami. The Democatic list includes Florida Democratic Chairwoman Terrie Rizzo; Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried; former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.; former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, D-Fla.; state Rep. Joe Geller, D-Aventura; and state Rep. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park. Rod Smith, a Gainesville attorney who was a Democratic candidate in the 2016 race for governor, is also on the list.

Jeanette Nunez and former Attorney General Pam Bondi are slated to speak Tuesday during the second day of the Republican National Convention. Excited to join President Trump and many of our partys patriots to address the nation on Tuesday night during the Republican National Convention! Nunez, who co-chairs a national Latinos for Trump effort, wrote Sunday on Facebook. Bondi has been a longtime supporter of Trump and worked on his defense team during the impeachment process. FILE - In this Feb. 22, 2018 file photo, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, speaks to reporters outside the West Wing in Washington. On Monday, Republican Party of Florida Chairman Joe Gruters, a state senator from Sarasota, seconded the formal nomination of Trump to be the GOP candidate.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. On this edition of This Week in Jacksonville, News4Jax politic analyst Rick Mullaney of Jacksonville Universitys Public Policy Institute discusses Joe Biden selecting Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate. Plus, there are virtual one-on-ones with Republican Party of Florida Chairman Joe Gruters and the Senior Advisor for Down Ballot Elections at the Florida Democratic Party Rose Gonzalez Speers on Floridas primary election Tuesday.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. The Florida Democratic Party applied for and received $780,000 from the Payroll Protection Program, but the party should not have applied in the first place. Criticism for accepting the PPP money has come from both inside and outside the Democratic Party. In a statement, the Florida Democratic Party said, in part: The bank, the loan processor and agents of the Small Business Association approved the funding. I really wish that the Trump administration was as responsive when it came to actually funding PPP, said Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried, the lone statewide elected Democrat. At least one Tallahassee lobbying firm has also returned PPP money.

There also appears to have been a shift to more online purchases, which is renewing a call for Florida to collect a tax already owed but ignored by the state. Sales taxes were off, falling almost $600 million. At the same time more packages from untaxed online sales were being delivered. Its a tax thats owed, and right now Florida businesses have an obligation that foreign businesses do not, said Shalley. Only five states dont have a sales tax and 38 of the other 45 already collect from online sales, putting Florida in the minority.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A long-running dispute over vacation rentals is heating up, as a Senate panel Tuesday approved a proposal that would give the state -- not local officials -- control over regulation of short-term rentals. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah, would “preempt” regulation of vacation rentals, including licensing and inspection, to the state. Under current law, cities and counties cannot prohibit short-term rentals of residential properties. But it would let cities and counties impose new regulations so long as the rules applied equally to all residential properties, including private homes as well as vacation rentals. Diaz said he is well-suited to sponsor the proposal because, unlike other regions of the state, the majority of his district “does not suffer” from problems associated with vacation rentals.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A clearly emotional chairman of the Duval County Republican Party condemned the van attack on volunteers registering voters Saturday afternoon in a Walmart Superstore parking lot. Booking photo of Gregory Timm (Jacksonville Sheriff's office)“We don’t know if this is politically motivated,” Gayle said Saturday afternoon. (Watch full JSO briefing)At Monday’s news conference, Mayor Lenny Curry called the attack “attack outrageous and scary,” but deferred specific questions about the attack to police. The local Republican Party, Democratic Party, the state’s two U.S. Black said he would be discussing safety measures with the mayor and sheriff to see if any changes are needed to protect party volunteers.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Tax breaks on hurricane and back-to-school supplies, expected to be in the mix for any tax package lawmakers cook up during the 2020 legislative session, drew initial support Tuesday in the Florida Senate. Committee Chairman Joe Gruters, a Sarasota Republican who is sponsoring the disaster-preparedness measure, intends to continue advancing proposals as separate bills before they are ultimately combined in a tax package. "We'll have a lot of different tax bills, but the final determination of who runs the tax package we'll have to wait until later on and see what transpires." During the 2019 session, lawmakers compromised on a $121 million tax package that included a seven-day tax holiday ahead of the hurricane season and a five-day school tax holiday on clothes, supplies and computers. The proposed tax holiday on disaster-preparedness supplies would run from May 29 to June 15, a period that includes the June 1 start of the hurricane season.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A Florida lawmaker is renewing his push to ban smoking on public beaches and in parks. This is the second consecutive year lawmakers will consider making it illegal to smoke in public spaces. If passed, It would be illegal to smoke in state parks and counties would be allowed to ban smoking on public beaches and in public parks. During its last international cleanup, almost 2.5 million cigarette butts were collected which is enough to line the distance of five marathons. In Florida, Beaches Go Green said during its last cleanup, it collected roughly 4,000 cigarettes.

I expect there will be a robust debate, but the case is going to have to be made before it passes. The first indication of hurdles an E-Verify bill (SB 664) could face in the Senate will come with the number of committee assignments it gets. I am very concerned about the E-Verify bill and what that can potentially do to our smaller farmers in creating this additional paperwork and burden, Fried said. Under the Senate bill, employers would lose all applicable licenses if they do not register with the E-Verify system. It seems like they would be perfectly equipped to have this type of system.In the House, state Rep. Cord Byrd has said he intends to file the E-Verify bill.

The bill, as filed, would apply to all Florida private employers -- big and small, Lee said. Employers would lose "all applicable licenses" if they do not register with the E-Verify system, operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. "This is much more central to the problem, because the job market is the magnet for illegal immigration," Lee said. Byrd told the News Service he intends to file an E-Verify bill in the House ahead of the 2020 session, which starts Jan. 14. "Under the umbrella of E-Verify, there are a lot of nuances that we need to figure out," Byrd said in September.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla - Hurricane supplies tax holiday next season may be extended for a longer period if Florida lawmakers come to agreement. A bill SB 524. filed by Sarasota Senator Joe Gruters would cut sales tax on disaster supplies from May 29 through June 15, 2020. The legislation, would still need to pass the bill that does not give a break on school supplies tax. While it would not be tied into a school supplies tax break like the previous season, the disaster sales tax holiday would be more than twice as long as 2019. Most disaster supplies are included in the tax break but items must fall under certain price thresholds.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Online sellers would have to automatically collect sales tax from Floridians and submit it to the state under a bill moving in the Florida Senate. Republican Sen. Joe Gruters said Florida consumers are required to pay the sales tax, but rarely do so if online sellers don't collect it. Florida's sales tax is 6%. Forty-three of 45 states with a sales tax jumped on the idea. If they sell less than 100 products or have sales less than $200,000 annually, they do not have to collect Florida sales tax.

The president plans to announce an executive order to protect Medicare and address an invitation-only group during his visit Thursday. ... We are firing on all cylinders.As for the impeachment inquiry, Gruters said it will only drive up turnout for Trump among the GOP base. The strongest support for Trump in Florida, arguably, is in The Villages, said University of Florida political science professor Dan Smith, who agreed that the impeachment inquiry would only strengthen that support. In contrast to harsh criticism of the impeachment inquiry from many Florida Republicans, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio has taken a more measured approach on the issue. The Democrats, if Trump changes shoes, that must be an impeachable offense, Scott said on Fox News last week.

As for the impeachment inquiry, Gruters said it will only drive up turnout for Trump among the GOP base. "The strongest support for Trump in Florida, arguably, is in The Villages," said University of Florida political science professor Dan Smith, who agreed that the impeachment inquiry would only strengthen that support. Democratic strategist Steve Schale, who ran former President Barack Obama's 2008 Florida campaign and was a top Florida adviser for Obama's 2012 reelection, said it makes sense for Trump to visit The Villages during the impeachment inquiry. In contrast to harsh criticism of the impeachment inquiry from many Florida Republicans, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio has taken a more measured approach on the issue. "The Democrats, if Trump changes shoes, that must be an impeachable offense," Scott said on Fox News last week.

The law, which went into effect on July 1, forces all state and local officials to fully comply with federal immigration laws and to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. If local governments or local law enforcement agencies fail to make their "best efforts" in cooperating with federal immigration authorities, Moody is responsible for evaluating those cases. "We have not received complaints since the law's implementation date," said Lauren Schenone, Moody's director of public affairs. "The facts and circumstances of every complaint will be different, and our office will thoroughly evaluate each of them." Under the state law, Moody's office "may file suit against a local governmental entity or local law enforcement agency in a court" for violations of the sanctuary cities ban.

This encroaches into an area of exclusive federal authority and will interfere with the comprehensive federal immigration system enacted by Congress in violation of the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami, said. Ron DeSantis pushed for passage of the sanctuary cities ban, which was one of the most hotly debated issues of the legislative session that ended in May and was a cornerstone of DeSantis campaign last year. The suit, filed by the city of South Miami and nine other plaintiffs, names as defendants DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody. The plaintiffs want a court to deem the new law unconstitutional and keep the state from enforcing it. When he signed the bill, DeSantis said it would allow Florida officials to help ICE remove criminal aliens. Moody and DeSantis did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Storm hardening plans for 2019-2021 for Floridas five major utility companies were approved by the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) on Tuesday morning. The plans set the short-term goals for undergrounding power lines and reducing outages during storms, but the power companies will soon be required to take a long-term view of storm hardening. Following hurricanes Matthew, Irma and Michael, lawmakers demanded utility companies look further out. The focus will be on undergrounding power lines and vegetation management. The PSC will also be required to report to lawmakers each year on the progress of the utility companies hardening efforts.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - After successfully pushing through a controversial law that bans so-called sanctuary cities, the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida is planning a statewide listening tour on immigration. Sen. Joe Gruters, a Sarasota Republican who doubles as state GOP chairman, announced Monday that plans are in the works to hear from Floridians on immigration, a key issue heading into the 2020 presidential election. I want to hear straight from Floridians and listen to their ideas on what additional reforms theyd like to see the Legislature address next session.Gov. Ron DeSantis on June 14 signed the sanctuary-cities bill (SB 168), sponsored by Gruters and Rep. Cord Byrd, a Neptune Beach Republican who will take part in the listening tour. The new law is designed to force local law-enforcement agencies to fully comply with federal immigration detainers and share information with federal immigration authorities after undocumented immigrants are in custody.