News from around the state of Florida
Featured image for “Federal judge blocks law restricting transgender care”
Florida has been among the 25 states that have restricted access to gender-affirming care for minors, and one of six that made it a felony to provide such care to minors. | Nadzeya, Stock.Adobe.Com
June 12, 2024

Federal judge blocks law restricting transgender care

A federal court blocked Florida from enforcing a law that bans gender-affirming care for minors and restricts it for adults.…

Featured image for “Teacher unions say pay raise isn’t enough”
Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference May 9, 2023, to sign several education bills and increases in teacher pay. | Rebecca Blackwell, AP
June 11, 2024

Teacher unions say pay raise isn’t enough

Florida ranks near the bottom nationwide in average teacher salaries, according to the Florida Education Association.…

Featured image for “DeSantis vetoes bill targeting hemp industry”
June 10, 2024

DeSantis vetoes bill targeting hemp industry

Gov. Ron DeSantis said the bill placed “debilitating regulatory burdens” on small businesses.…

Featured image for “Florida justices consider UF’s COVID shutdown”
A statue of a gator appears outside Heavener Hall at the University of Florida in Gainesville. | Brooke Johnson, Fresh Take Florida
June 6, 2024

Florida justices consider UF’s COVID shutdown

A University of Florida graduate student wants a refund for services that were not provided during a COVID-19 campus shutdown…

Featured image for “Record heat returns to Florida, followed by big rain”
June 5, 2024

Record heat returns to Florida, followed by big rain

With high humidity, temperatures will feel like 105 to 110 degrees.…

Featured image for “A look inside a Hurricane Hunter plane”
June 5, 2024

A look inside a Hurricane Hunter plane

Hurricane Hunters fly into the world’s worst weather to help predict the strength and path of storms.…

Featured image for “FHSAA approves NIL deals for high school athletes”
St. Augustine wide receiver Trenton Jones breaks through the attempted tackle of a pair of Menendez players on Sept. 15, 2023. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
June 4, 2024

FHSAA approves NIL deals for high school athletes

The Florida High School Athletic Association will allow student-athletes to earn money from business arrangements such as endorsements.…

Featured image for “Nemours lawsuit continues in fight over duPont money”
A Florida appeals court has ruled that the Delaware attorney general can pursue a lawsuit about whether Delaware is being shortchanged due to Nemours children's hospitals in Florida and other states. | Nemours Children's Health
June 4, 2024

Nemours lawsuit continues in fight over duPont money

An appeals court cleared the way for a lawsuit from Alfred I. duPont’s native state, Delaware.…

Featured image for “Elections supervisors wary of ballot rule”
A Duval County ballot for the election Nov. 8, 2022.
June 3, 2024

Elections supervisors wary of ballot rule

Supervisors worry that a rule proposed by the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis could lead to votes being rejected.…

Featured image for “Hurricane season has begun. Know your risk.”
June 3, 2024

Hurricane season has begun. Know your risk.

Sixty percent of people in hurricane-prone state are unlikely to prepare for hurricane season.…

Featured image for “Florida’s property insurance market seems to be improving”
Rescue personnel search for people who may need help in Mexico Beach, one day after Hurricane Michael made landfall near the area in 2018. | Gerald Herbert, AP
May 31, 2024

Florida’s property insurance market seems to be improving

The AM Best financial-rating agency says Florida’s property insurance market is showing signs of improvement — but that time will…

Featured image for “Hurricane season: The terms you must know”
May 31, 2024

Hurricane season: The terms you must know

Knowing basic critical terms could save you lots of time and worries, as well as avoid any confusion in hyped…

Featured image for “Jacksonville murder case leads to death penalty challenge”
May 29, 2024

Jacksonville murder case leads to death penalty challenge

Michael James Jackson was convicted of burying a couple alive in 2005. Death penalty opponents say his case illustrates that…

Featured image for “Drought worsens in some areas. Is rainy season here yet?”
May 29, 2024

Drought worsens in some areas. Is rainy season here yet?

The rainy season in North Florida runs from late May to late September.…

Featured image for “Florida begins to repeal renewable energy goals”
Tampa Electric's Big Bend power plant. | Luis Santana, Tampa Bay Times
May 24, 2024

Florida begins to repeal renewable energy goals

A proposal from the state says the goals are “no longer necessary” as Florida deemphasizes greenhouse gas emissions in state…

Featured image for “Up to 13 hurricanes predicted for 2024 season”
May 24, 2024

Up to 13 hurricanes predicted for 2024 season

The National Hurricane Center predicts 17 to 25 named storms this year, making the 2024 hurricane season one for the…

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 “Just in time for a sweltering weekend: A heat risk forecast”
May 23, 2024

Just in time for a sweltering weekend: A heat risk forecast

The National Weather Service is launching a new heat risk forecast to warn people of potentially long durations of dangerous…

Featured image for “Florida utilities grapple with unpredictable storms”
Hurricane Michael made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane in October 2018 near Mexico Beach. | Mike Braun, WGCU Public Media
May 22, 2024

Florida utilities grapple with unpredictable storms

The increased intensity and unpredictability of hurricanes is making storm preparation more difficult — and expensive.…

Featured image for “Infant mortality remains tragically high in Florida”
Florida's infant mortality rate has remained nearly stagnant for about a decade. In that time, the rate of births to mothers with no prenatal care has risen, according to state data. | Stock.Adobe.Com, 529904983
May 21, 2024

Infant mortality remains tragically high in Florida

Infant mortality among Black babies is double that of white babies, and the rate of births to mothers with no…

Featured image for “Federal judge tosses part of Florida’s elections law”
Daryl Jones, board chairman of the Transformative Justice Coalition, advocates for voter rights in June 2023. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
May 17, 2024

Federal judge tosses part of Florida’s elections law

Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker blocked part of a 2023 law that restricts voter registration groups.…

Featured image for “High school athletes might get paid for endorsements”
The Florida High School Athletic Association is considering whether high school athletes should be able to profit from business agreements. | News Service of Florida
May 14, 2024

High school athletes might get paid for endorsements

The FHSAA is considering whether to allow student-athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness — similar to college…

Featured image for “Heat risks increase for workers in the South, study says”
Gilberto Lujano, 49, wipes sweat from his face after while working on a roof on May 2, 2023, in Homestead. | Matias J. Ocner, Miami Herald
May 14, 2024

Heat risks increase for workers in the South, study says

After Florida lawmakers this year barred local heat protections for workers, a new study concludes that excessive heat puts their…

Featured image for “Ascension hospitals are open despite ransomware attack”
Ascension St. Vincent's St. Johns County is part of the nonprofit national chain attacked by ransomware on May 8, 2024. | Ascension Florida
May 14, 2024

Ascension hospitals are open despite ransomware attack

Ascension’s St. Vincent’s hospitals in North Florida are accepting patients as the health system works to restore its computer network.…