Jim Turner - News Service of Florida
Featured image for “Back-to-school sales tax ‘holiday’ is ready to start”
8 hours ago

Back-to-school sales tax ‘holiday’ is ready to start

Floridians can save on clothes, school supplies, computers and more beginning Monday.…

Featured image for “NIL deals approved for high school athletes”
Andrew Jackson's TayVion Lawson finishes beyond the outstretched arm of Raines' forward Zion Kemp during the 2024 Gateway Conference boys basketball tournament final on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. Lawson and the Tigers won 57-48. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
1 day ago

NIL deals approved for high school athletes

The Florida Board of Education allowed high school athletes to make money through endorsements and other kinds of deals.…

Featured image for “Hurricane forecasters ratchet up predictions after Beryl”
Flooding strands vehicles near downtown Houston on Monday, July 8, 2024, after Hurricane Beryl came ashore in Texas. | Maria Lysaker, AP
July 9, 2024

Hurricane forecasters ratchet up predictions after Beryl

Experts at Colorado State University now forecast 25 named storms, including 12 hurricanes.…

Featured image for “Black history museum moves forward in St. Johns County”
Sen. Geraldine Thompson chairs the Florida Museum of Black History Task Force. | Colin Hackley, News Service of Florida
June 28, 2024

Black history museum moves forward in St. Johns County

A state task force voted Friday to submit a report to the governor to create a Black history museum in…

Featured image for “Jimmy Buffett highway will run through Northeast Florida”
Jimmy Buffett performs in Gulf Shores, Alabama, on June 30, 2010. | Dave Martin, AP
June 28, 2024

Jimmy Buffett highway will run through Northeast Florida

Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill designating State Road A1A as Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway from Key West to…

Featured image for “Florida’s ‘Freedom Month’ tax breaks start Monday”
Fishing gear is among many items and events that will be tax-free in Florida in July. | Charlie Riedel, AP
June 26, 2024

Florida’s ‘Freedom Month’ tax breaks start Monday

The tax “holiday” will allow shoppers to avoid paying sales taxes on a wide range of recreational items and activities…

Featured image for “New laws start next week — from communism to AI”
The Florida Capitol. | News Service of Florida
June 25, 2024

New laws start next week — from communism to AI

More than 200 new laws will take effect in Florida’s 2024-2025 fiscal year. Here are a number that will arrive…

Featured image for “DeSantis signs bill allowing homeowners to shoot bears”
June 24, 2024

DeSantis signs bill allowing homeowners to shoot bears

Starting July 1, people can shoot bears to defend themselves or property. Opponents are considering legal action to halt the…

Featured image for “It’s still OK to drive in the left lane; DeSantis vetoed changes”
Northbound motorists approach Downtown Jacksonville on Interstate 95. | Bill Bortzfield, Jacksonville Today
June 24, 2024

It’s still OK to drive in the left lane; DeSantis vetoed changes

Gov. Ron DeSantis said a bill approved by the Legislature was too broad and could lead to more traffic congestion.…

Featured image for “Florida is kicking off another hurricane tax-free holiday”
Shoppers can save on hurricane supplies during the 2-week sales tax holiday. | Daylina Miller, WUSF
May 23, 2024

Florida is kicking off another hurricane tax-free holiday

The tax holiday will run from June 1 to June 14. It is timed with the start of the six-month…

Featured image for “Task force backs St. Johns for Black history museum”
St. Johns County hopes to develop a campus-style museum of African American history, performing arts, cultural exhibits and more. | St. Johns County
May 22, 2024

Task force backs St. Johns for Black history museum

St. Johns County was picked over competing proposals from Central Florida and South Florida.…

Featured image for “Tourists can still get free orange juice entering Florida”
Florida orange juice will continue to flow at welcome centers targeting tourists who travel to the state, despite a promotional budget cut. | Florida Welcome Centers
May 9, 2024

Tourists can still get free orange juice entering Florida

Free orange juice will continue to flow at interstate welcome centers despite a budget cut for promotional efforts.…

Featured image for “DeSantis signs bill increasing penalties for street racing”
A state trooper on patrol along the Gandy Bridge in Tampa pulled over a Nissan GTR traveling over 100 mph on Oct. 20, 2023. The driver was charged with street racing. | Florida Highway Patrol via WUSF
May 8, 2024

DeSantis signs bill increasing penalties for street racing

Rep. Kiyan Michael, a Jacksonville Republican, co-sponsored the bill. She said current penalities have not been a deterrent for many…

Featured image for “Qualifying period begins for Florida congressional races”
April 24, 2024

Qualifying period begins for Florida congressional races

A lawsuit over a North Florida congressional district continues to work its way through the courts.…

Featured image for “Forecasters predict ‘very, very busy’ hurricane season”
Colorado State University predicts 23 named storms this year and 11 hurricanes.
April 5, 2024

Forecasters predict ‘very, very busy’ hurricane season

Researchers at Colorado State University are projecting 23 named storms and 11 hurricanes, including five major hurricanes.…

Featured image for “DeSantis signs bill easing teen work restrictions”
Gov. Ron DeSantis smiles after his 2020 State of the State Speech in Tallahassee. | Justin Bright, Fresh Take Florida
March 25, 2024

DeSantis signs bill easing teen work restrictions

The bill will ease decades-old regulations on the hours that 16- and 17-year-old Floridians can work.…

Featured image for “Jacksonville works to comply with new homeless law”
A person sits near their tent in an empty lot near Ashley and Clay streets in Downtown Jacksonville on March 8, 2024. | Casmira Harrison, Jacksonville Today
March 21, 2024

Jacksonville works to comply with new homeless law

Mayor Donna Deegan says the law adds urgency to efforts the city has already begun to get people off the…

Featured image for “Legislature votes to ban homeless sleeping in public”
A homeless camp is shown in Immokalee. | Andrea Melendez, WGCU
March 6, 2024

Legislature votes to ban homeless sleeping in public

The bill bars cities and counties from allowing people to sleep at places such as public buildings and in public…

Featured image for “Florida gambling money may pay for environmental projects”
February 20, 2024

Florida gambling money may pay for environmental projects

Legislators have agreed to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in gambling money to expand a state wildlife corridor and…

Featured image for “Florida may ban people from sleeping on public property”
January 30, 2024

Florida may ban people from sleeping on public property

Rep. Sam Garrison of Fleming Island sponsored a bill that prevents cities and counties from letting people sleep or camp…

Featured image for “St. Augustine senator targets campaign matching funds”
Sen. Travis Hutson, R-St. Augustine, is sponsoring a proposal to do away with a campaign matching funds program.
January 16, 2024

St. Augustine senator targets campaign matching funds

Sen. Travis Hutson says the money for political candidates might be better used in other ways.…

Featured image for “Drivers could get relief on gas prices in 2024”
Gas prices in 2024 shouldn't pinch motorists as much as the past two years, GasBuddy says.
December 29, 2023

Drivers could get relief on gas prices in 2024

GasBuddy forecasts that prices in Florida will average $3.19 a gallon to $3.51, depending on the time of year.…

Featured image for “Another back-to-school tax holiday starts Monday”
Florida for the first time is offering a sales tax holiday as students return from the winter break.
December 28, 2023

Another back-to-school tax holiday starts Monday

Florida for the first time is offering a sales tax holiday as students return from the winter break.…

Featured image for “Warmer winter may help citrus industry recover”
Florida’s struggling citrus industry could be showing signs of recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Ian and the decades-long fight against citrus greening disease. | PepsiCo aia AP Images
December 11, 2023

Warmer winter may help citrus industry recover

Projections for the new crop are nearly 30% ahead of last season’s production, which was hammered by Hurricane Ian and…