News from around the state of Florida
Featured image for “DeSantis proposes $115.6 billion state budget”
Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference May 9, 2023, to sign several education bills and increases in teacher pay. | Rebecca Blackwell, AP
1 day ago

DeSantis proposes $115.6 billion state budget

The budget includes pay raises for first responders and a sales tax holiday on guns and ammunition.…

Featured image for “January brought record cold; February means winter heat”
1 day ago

January brought record cold; February means winter heat

Jacksonville should see high temperatures in the low-80s most of the week.…

Featured image for “Lawmakers rebuke DeSantis on special session and budget”
A general view of the Old Capitol and current Florida Capitol buildings on Feb. 8, 2023, in Tallahassee. | Phil Sears, AP
January 27, 2025

Lawmakers rebuke DeSantis on special session and budget

The rebuke included overriding the governor’s budget veto from last year.…

Featured image for “Here’s what to watch ahead of Florida’s special session”
Republican lawmakers filed a flurry of bills to crack down on undocumented immigrants and place additional restrictions on the ballot initiative process. | Sam Thomas, Fresh Take Florida
January 27, 2025

Here’s what to watch ahead of Florida’s special session

Republican lawmakers filed a flurry of bills for the special session dealing with immigration and ballot initiatives.…

Featured image for “Florida’s frosty forecast continues through Saturday”
January 24, 2025

Florida’s frosty forecast continues through Saturday

Temperatures in Jacksonville were below 40 degrees for 42 straight hours.…

Featured image for “Gulf of America: The view of people who live there”
Johnny McDonald, who was visiting Florida from his home in Tennessee, sits on a park bench facing the open Gulf on Jan. 14, 2025, in Cedar Key. He doesn't think the Gulf of Mexico should be renamed. | Libby Clifton, Fresh Take Florida
January 22, 2025

Gulf of America: The view of people who live there

President Donald Trump’s executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico has left residents along the Gulf Coast sharply divided.…

Featured image for “School voucher program has high price tag, analysts say”
Gov. Ron DeSantis signs the school voucher bill in March 2023. | Gov. Ron DeSantis, Facebook
January 21, 2025

School voucher program has high price tag, analysts say

The Florida Policy Institute says vouchers cost the state $3.9 billion this school year.…

Featured image for “Historic winter storm heads toward Florida”
January 20, 2025

Historic winter storm heads toward Florida

A winter storm is expected to bring historic amounts of snow and other winter precipitation across the Gulf Coast states…

Featured image for “Professors sue over Florida’s diversity restrictions”
Professors at the University of Florida, Florida International University and Florida State University are plaintiffs in the lawsuit. | Fresh Take Florida
January 17, 2025

Professors sue over Florida’s diversity restrictions

The professors say diversity, equity and inclusion restrictions are punishing people with disfavored viewpoints.…

Featured image for “Another polar vortex will soon blast North Florida”
January 16, 2025

Another polar vortex will soon blast North Florida

The polar vortex is forecast to plunge arctic air deep into the Deep South by early next week.…

Featured image for “There’s a new effort to legalize marijuana in Florida”
A new effort has emerged to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida. | CannabisMD TeleMed via Wikimedia Commons
January 15, 2025

There’s a new effort to legalize marijuana in Florida

The new marijuana proposal addresses objections raised when Issue 3 failed two months ago.…

Featured image for “Fleming Island senator seeks to refine condo law”
Workers make repairs to the facade of the Parker Tower Condo in Hallandale Beach on Dec. 5, 2024. | Marta
January 15, 2025

Fleming Island senator seeks to refine condo law

Sen. Jennifer Bradley said lawmakers need to clarify a condo inspection law enacted after the Surfside collapse in 2021.…

Featured image for “Fewer Florida children are receiving routine vaccinations”
The kindergarten vaccination rate in Florida dropped to 88.1%, one of the lowest in the nation. | uri Arcurs peopleimages.com/Nia L/peopleimages.com - stock.adobe.com
January 15, 2025

Fewer Florida children are receiving routine vaccinations

Vaccinations are declining as misinformation spreads and hesitancy increases.…

Featured image for “Florida manatees won’t be listed as endangered species”
Lou floats underwater in his home at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium in Sarasota.
January 14, 2025

Florida manatees won’t be listed as endangered species

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the manatee’s numbers have not fallen enough to change their status from “threatened.”…

Featured image for “DeSantis calls for special session over immigration”
Gov. Ron DeSantis called for a special legislative session to deal with immigration, condo law and other issues. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
January 13, 2025

DeSantis calls for special session over immigration

Gov. Ron DeSantis wants lawmakers to mesh Florida’s immigration policies with a crackdown by President-elect Donald Trump.…

Featured image for “Drought persists in North Florida despite recent rains”
January 13, 2025

Drought persists in North Florida despite recent rains

Recent rains have made a small dent in some areas where the drought was worsening, but North Florida is not…

Featured image for “DeSantis wants control over federal Everglades funds”
As he works on a proposed budget for the upcoming year, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state will ask President-elect Donald Trump to give Florida authority over federal money for Everglades restoration projects. |
January 10, 2025

DeSantis wants control over federal Everglades funds

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Florida could speed up Everglades restoration if it had control over federal funds.…

Featured image for “Florida pronoun debate could shift to cities and counties”
January 9, 2025

Florida pronoun debate could shift to cities and counties

A Christian coalition wants to expand a law that restricts the use of personal pronouns in schools.…

Featured image for “Polar vortex chills temperatures statewide”
Photo via WKMG ClickOrlando (2022)
January 9, 2025

Polar vortex chills temperatures statewide

Millions of Floridians are feeling the big chill this week after multiple cold fronts.…

Featured image for “Court restricts vehicle searches when police dog sniffs pot”
Photo by National Police Dog Foundation
January 8, 2025

Court restricts vehicle searches when police dog sniffs pot

The court threw out a search because the dog could not differentiate between medical marijuana and illegal pot.…

Featured image for “Environmentalists applaud ban on oil drilling off Florida’s coast”
An oil derrick in the Gulf of Mexico. | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
January 7, 2025

Environmentalists applaud ban on oil drilling off Florida’s coast

President Biden made oil and gas drilling off-limits off Florida’s Gulf Coast.…

Featured image for “Study finds manatees may be ‘recent immigrants’ to Florida”
Manatees and tourists crowd the Three Sisters Spring at Crystal River, Florida, on a cold morning. | Courtesy Thomas Pluckhahn
January 3, 2025

Study finds manatees may be ‘recent immigrants’ to Florida

Results from archaeological digs have shown few manatee bones in Native American settlements in Florida.…

Featured image for “Series of cold fronts will bring arctic blast to Florida”
January 3, 2025

Series of cold fronts will bring arctic blast to Florida

The coldest air of the season will likely affect much of Florida, if not all of it, during the next…

Featured image for “Jacksonville insurer Florida Blue fights feds over ratings”
The Florida Blue office complex in Brooklyn. | Jacksonville Daily Record
December 31, 2024

Jacksonville insurer Florida Blue fights feds over ratings

Florida Blue says key Medicare ratings didn’t account for major flooding in Broward County in 2023.…