HOT NEWS AND MEDIA
Gov. Ron DeSantis late Sunday proposed a $115.6 billion budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year that calls for increasing pay for state law-enforcement officers and firefighters, eliminating a commercial-lease tax and holding a new sales-tax “holiday” on guns and ammunition. The proposal is an initial…
Visit Florida President and CEO Dana Young said Monday her retirement will take effect Friday, two months after announcing she was stepping down after leading the tourism-marketing agency since 2019. “I really am retiring. I’m not taking another job,” Young told the Visit Florida Board…
Upping the ante in an increasingly acrimonious feud with House and Senate Republican leaders over immigration issues, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday vowed to channel “huge sums” of money to candidates he backs in next year’s GOP gubernatorial and legislative primary elections. The governor’s message…
Florida’s high school graduation rate increased by 1.7% to a record 89.7% in the 2023-24 school year, the state Department of Education says. The previous high of 86.9% was set in the 2018-19 school year. Only the COVID-19 years of 2019-20 and 2020-21 – when…
A key senator on Tuesday signaled willingness to make further changes to safety laws that require inspections of older condominium buildings and adequate reserves for repairs, saying more-urgent structural needs should be prioritized. Senate Regulated Industries Chairwoman Jennifer Bradley, R-Fleming Island, also indicated that lawmakers…
Moving the headquarters of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to Kennedy Space Center in Florida is supported by Gov. Ron DeSantis, he said Wednesday. The second-term Republican governor made his remarks as he and other state officials kicked off the Florida University Space Research…
The Florida Department of Education, under the leadership of Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr., awarded over $24 million through the Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant Program (Workforce CAP). This investment brings the total funding for workforce education initiatives under Workforce CAP to nearly $190 million since…
Pointing to Florida’s decades-long fight with deadly citrus greening disease and damage from hurricanes, a major grower Monday announced it will “wind down” citrus operations and focus on more-profitable uses of its land. Fort Myers-based Alico Inc. said it will not spend additional money on…
Growing faster than almost any other state, Florida’s estimated population topped 23.3 million people this year, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Census Bureau estimated that Florida had 23,372,215 people as of July 1, up from 22,904,868 a year earlier.…
A report by a nonpartisan nonprofit says Florida’s citrus industry’s production has dropped 90% in the last 20 years and offers solutions back to primacy. The report by Florida Taxwatch says the industry is under assault by citrus diseases and hurricanes. Florida was hit by…
Florida’s unemployment rate ticked up to 3.4 percent in November, after holding steady at 3.3 percent since April, according to a report released Friday by the state Department of Commerce. The new rate reflects an estimated 376,000 Floridians qualifying as out of work in mid-November…
Customers of Florida’s largest power company will see a bump of about $12 in monthly bills next year to cover restoration costs from the 2024 hurricane season. The state Public Service Commission unanimously approved a $1.2 billion interim recovery package for Juno Beach-based Florida Power…
A state report shows that 506 manatees had died in 2024 in Florida as of Nov. 22. Here are the counties with the most manatee deaths: Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor Florida surpassed giving 6,400 bonuses to new law enforcement recruits this month. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that Florida was making 300 new bonus awards to law enforcement officers this month, reaching the milestone of 6,400 bonuses awarded…
Predicted to be hyperactive, the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season delivered a mighty punch to storm-weary Floridians. The hurricane season, which began June 1st and wraps at the end of the month, produced 18 named storms, including 11 turbocharged hurricanes. Despite some calm spells, both the…
Greenhouse and nursery-grown plants, particularly holiday poinsettias, might be in short supply and cost more because of damage in Hurricane Milton. Florida’s nursery industry hopes to be included in potential federal disaster aid that is expected to address damage to ranches, citrus groves and row…
Florida Power & Light customers likely will face increased monthly bills in 2025 after the utility Tuesday requested approval to collect nearly $1.2 billion to cover costs of restoring power after hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton and to replenish a storm reserve fund. FPL wants…
With the industry’s problems exacerbated by Hurricane Milton, Florida citrus growers are turning to state and federal lawmakers for help. Florida Citrus Commission Chairman Steve Johnson said Wednesday he’s met with farmers from North Carolina and Georgia, who sustained damage in last month’s Hurricane Helene,…
Four busy Florida ports will see direct impacts from an International Longshoremen’s Association strike for higher wages that began Tuesday, October 1st. JAXPORT in Jacksonville, Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, PortMiami and Port Tampa Bay are among ports along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts where…
Ranchers, farmers and timber growers are reporting widespread damage from the wind and rain of Hurricane Helene, which raced through rural North Florida last week. Chicken houses had roofs blown off. Acres of sweet corn and carrots were laid horizontal. Irrigation systems have been uprooted.…