The recently revived Florida State Guard would more than triple in size and add aviation and maritime equipment, with funding going from $10 million to more than $95 million, under Gov. Ron DeSantis’ proposed budget. DeSantis last year pushed to reactivate the volunteer state guard…
Read More DeSantis Looks To Expand Florida State Guard
House members took the first step Monday in restocking a pool of money that Gov. Ron DeSantis can distribute in emergencies. The House Appropriations Committee unanimously backed a measure (HB 1B) that would add $650 million to the state Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund, while…
Read More Florida Lawmakers Tee Up More Hurricane Aid
Florida lawmakers will start a special legislative session Monday that is expected to lead to state control over the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which Gov. Ron DeSantis targeted last year after the Walt Disney Co. criticized a controversial education law. House and Senate leaders Friday…
Read More Florida Lawmakers To Start Special Session On Reedy Creek Improvement District
International tourism has increased faster in Florida than other parts of the nation but remains below pre-pandemic levels, state tourism officials said this week. Visit Florida officials unveiled international travel figures from the final three months of 2022 that reflected the continued effects of global…
Read More International Tourism Rebounds In Florida, But Still “A Way To Go”
As part of a record $114.8 billion budget proposal released Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis is seeking wide-ranging tax breaks that build on current toll-road rebates and tap into conservative outrage about gas stoves. DeSantis requested that lawmakers approve $1.5 billion in tax cuts that include…
Read More Florida Gov. DeSantis Tax Plan Ranges From Diapers To Gas Stoves
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday pitched a $7 billion proposal to speed completion of 20 highway projects as a deadline nears for him to roll out a budget blueprint for the upcoming fiscal year. DeSantis described his four-year “Moving Florida Forward” proposal, which would use…
Read More DeSantis Seeks To Put Florida Road Work in Overdrive
Florida tourism leaders continue to fret over a lag in international visitors as the industry anticipates tourism numbers for the final three months of 2022. While Visit Florida, the state’s tourism-marketing agency, boasts that Florida is the top U.S. destination for overseas travelers based on…
Read More Florida Grapples With International Tourism Lag
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson wants to quickly spend $300 million in land-conservation money that became available as he took office this month. Also, Simpson told members of the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee on Wednesday he wants to target additional parcels so…
Read More Florida Ag Commissioner Wilton Simpson Wants To Move Quickly On Land Deals
As Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Florida Republican leaders regularly criticize “environmental, social and governance” investing, state pension-fund managers maintain some investments in firms that could draw fire for being overly progressive. Lamar Taylor, interim executive director of the State Board of Administration, told members…
Read More Florida Pension Managers Chase Returns Amid “ESG” Uproar
Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet on Tuesday approved $17.8 million in land-conservation deals that include protecting two properties that are part of an envisioned wildlife corridor stretching from the Keys to the Panhandle. With support growing for the corridor, which is expected to…
Read More Florida Land Deals Could Aid Wildlife Corridor