Latest Florida state government News
Florida surpasses 50K COVID deaths after battling delta wave
MIAMI (AP) — Florida surpassed 50,000 coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began, health officials reported Thursday, with more than one fourth of those succumbing this summer as the state battled a fierce surge in infections fueled by the delta variant. The U.S....
Federal judge declines to block Florida ban on mask mandates
MIAMI (AP) — A federal judge declined Wednesday to block a ban imposed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to prevent mandating masks for Florida school students amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. Judge K. Michael Moore in Miami denied a request by parents of disabled...
Florida paddleboarder fends off attacking alligator with oar
OCALA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida woman who was floating on a paddleboard in the Silver River used her paddle to push away a large alligator that swam directly toward her in a frightful, up-close encounter captured in startling videos and photographs. The alligator came...
Editorial Roundup: Florida
Orlando Sentinel. September 13, 2021. Editorial: At least one legislator is standing up for Florida’s diminished public records law It’s good to see that not every lawmaker has surrendered to the relentless, decades-long, bipartisan legislative...
Florida congressional candidate says rival threatened life
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A former political rival of a Republican Florida congressional candidate made repeated violent threats to “take her out,” even claiming he could summon a Russian and Ukrainian hit squad to kill her, according to trial testimony Tuesday. ...
Florida gov defends the right to choose whether to vaccinate
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that people who decide not to get a COVID-19 vaccine might be making the wrong choice, but defended their right to make that choice. Speaking a day after holding a news conference to condemn...
DeSantis proposes changes to standardized testing
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday that he will ask the Legislature to drop the current annual standardized testing in public schools and replace it with assessments taken throughout the year to better gauge individual student progress. ...
2 teens killed, 2 injured in central Florida rollover crash
OSTEEN, Fla. (AP) — Two teenagers were killed and two others injured in a rollover crash, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The crash happened Monday night in Osteen, which is in central Florida, troopers said in a report. The report said the...
DeSantis threatens cities with fines for vaccine mandates
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday threatened local governments with $5,000 fines per violation for requiring their employees to get vaccinated against the coronavirus that has overrun hospitals and killed tens of thousands across the state. Local...
Florida man arrested for exposing himself to toll collectors
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man has been arrested on several indecent exposure charges at various toll booth workers over a week's span. The Florida Highway Patrol said in a statement that the man was booked into the Osceola County Jail on Saturday. ...
