A House Republican on Tuesday proposed allowing school districts and charters to have volunteer school chaplains. Rep. Stan McClain, R-Ocala, filed the proposal (HB 931) for consideration during the 2024 legislative session, which will start Jan. 9. Under the proposal, district school boards and charter-school…
Read More Florida Republican Proposes School Chaplains
After plummeting early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of inmates in Florida prisons is expected to continue steadily increasing in the coming years. A new report from the Legislature’s Office of Economic & Demographic Research estimated that the prison system will have 88,240 inmates…
Read More Prison Population In Florida To Steadily Grow
Enrollment in Florida’s Medicaid program dropped below 5 million people in November as the end of a federal public health emergency continues to reduce the rolls. The program totaled 4,946,551 beneficiaries in November, down from 5,105,874 in October, according to data posted online Monday by…
Read More Florida Medicaid Enrollment Drops Below 5 Million
A House Republican on Monday filed a proposal that would prevent local governments, schools, and colleges from flying flags that represent “a political viewpoint,” including flags related to “sexual orientation and gender” or race. Rep. David Borrero, R-Sweetwater, filed the bill (HB 901) for consideration…
Read More Florida GOP Lawmaker Targets Political Flag Displays
A reported 92,553 Florida resident deaths have been linked to COVID-19 since the pandemic started in 2020, including 8,070 this year, according to data posted Friday on the Florida Department of Health website. This year’s total is far lower than during the past three years.…
Read More Florida COVID-19 Deaths Top 92,500
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday awarded just over $6.5 million for infrastructure projects in Ocala, Ormond Beach and Haines City. The largest amount, $4.75 million, was awarded to Marion County to complete work at the Florida Crossroads Commerce Park in Ocala. Another $1.6 million…
Read More Florida Gov. DeSantis Doles Out Money For Infrastructure Projects
A proposed constitutional amendment aimed at ensuring abortion rights got a boost in petition signatures during the past week. The Florida Division of Elections website Friday showed 753,306 valid petition signatures for the measure, up from 687,700 a week earlier. The political committee Floridians Protecting…
Read More Florida Abortion Measure Tops 753K Signatures
Federal officials are expected to decide by Jan. 5 whether to approve a Florida plan to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada, state Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Jason Weida told a House panel Thursday. Weida said he is “cautiously optimistic” that the U.S.…
Read More Decision On Florida’s Canadian Drug Importation Plan Could Be Near
Applications for unemployment benefits in Florida continue to come in at a slow, steady pace. The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday issued a report that estimated 5,818 initial jobless claims were filed in Florida last week, down from a revised count of 6,183 during…
Read More Florida Jobless Claims Show Little Change
An appeals court Wednesday upheld a decision awarding workers’ compensation benefits to a Seminole County firefighter who had a heart attack and needed a heart transplant after being diagnosed with COVID-19. The ruling by a three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal involved…
Read More Workers’ Comp Benefits OK’d In COVID Case For Florida Firefighter