Tag: Florida
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Florida is set to receive nearly $2 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimbursement funding to support disaster recovery projects across the state, according to U.S. Senator Ashley Moody. The announcement is expected to be made during a news conference with leaders in Charlotte County. The latest allocation follows a previous announcement in May,…
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A new statewide poll shows Florida’s property tax relief ballot measure has enough support to pass this November, according to survey results released by government and political public relations firm Sachs Media. The poll found 64% of Floridians support reducing their property tax bill on their primary residence this November. The measure originated as a…
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Florida has climbed to No. 2 in the nation for child hot car deaths following a series of recent tragedies across the state, prompting renewed warnings from safety advocates and medical professionals as summer temperatures rise. Nationally, nearly 40 children die in hot cars every year, an average of about one death every nine days.…
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Following the Florida Legislature’s June special legislative session, local governments across the Tampa Bay area are rapidly drafting financial contingency plans and issuing stark warnings to residents regarding the potential fallout of a major property tax overhaul on the upcoming November ballot. Dubbed Amendment 3, or the “Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes” amendment,…
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Florida restaurants are now required to disclose mandatory service charges and other required fees before customers place an order under a new state law that took effect July 1. Senate Bill 606 expands existing disclosure requirements by requiring restaurants to clearly inform customers about any mandatory “operations charges,” including service charges, automatic gratuities, credit card…
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A new Florida law that changes some of the requirements for earning a standard high school diploma is now in effect, giving students additional options for meeting graduation requirements. The law, which took effect July 1, allows students who complete two years of marching band to satisfy both the one-credit physical education requirement and the…
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A new state law regulating large-scale data centers took effect Wednesday, part of a wave of Florida legislation that became active on July 1. Senate Bill 484, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May, is designed to protect residential and small-business electricity customers from having to foot the bill for power-hungry facilities. The law bars…
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A sweeping new Florida law took effect Wednesday, giving pet buyers stronger legal footing when a newly purchased animal turns out to be sick, arming consumers with rights to refunds, exchanges, and reimbursement for vet bills. SB 1004 is one of more than 100 new state laws taking effect July 1. Gov. Ron DeSantis has…
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Florida will waive admission fees at its state parks for three days next month as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection announced. Day-use admission will be free at Florida State Parks from Friday, July 3, through Sunday, July 5, 2026, in celebration of America’s 250 years of independence.…
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Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Friday that a majority of Florida students are now meeting or exceeding grade-level benchmarks, marking the highest proficiency levels recorded since the state scrapped its old end-of-year standardized exams in 2022. According to data released at a Lakeland press conference, more than 60% of Florida students are performing at or above…
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Beginning July 1, more than 100 new Florida laws will take effect, bringing changes that affect education, public safety, transportation, housing, agriculture, technology, government operations, and consumers. The new laws were approved during the 2026 legislative session and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. In total, approximately 140 new laws from the regular and special legislative…
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A new report shows that nearly half of Florida households are struggling to afford basic necessities, highlighting ongoing affordability challenges despite a strong labor market and continued population growth. According to the 2026 State of ALICE Report, 47% of Florida households fell below the ALICE Threshold in 2024, meaning they either lived in poverty or…
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Florida remained in the bottom half of national child welfare rankings for the second consecutive year, placing 35th overall in the 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The annual report evaluates child well-being across four categories: economic well-being, education, health, and family and community factors. The report found that…
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Florida homeowners and drivers are waking up Wednesday to welcome the news that reports insurance rates across the state are falling, and the trend shows no signs of slowing. More than 42 personal auto insurers have filed for rate decreases over the past year, with major carriers including State Farm, Progressive, GEICO, Allstate, USAA, and…
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A developing weather system in the Gulf of Mexico could become the first named tropical storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Forecasters are monitoring the disturbance, known as Invest 90L, as it moves from northeastern Mexico into the northwestern Gulf. As of Monday, the NHC gave the…
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Florida drivers are seeing some relief at the pump as gasoline prices continue to decline following an international agreement to restore oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy transit routes. The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in Florida fell to about $3.81 on Monday, according…
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Florida legislators approved a constitutional amendment Wednesday that would eliminate property taxes on primary residences, sending the measure to voters for a final decision this November. The vote came during a special session called last week by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has framed rising property taxes as a mounting burden on Florida homeowners. For the…
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The State of Florida has filed a civil lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, becoming the first state to bring such an action against the artificial intelligence company. Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the suit Monday, alleging that OpenAI knowingly marketed ChatGPT to the public while concealing serious risks to users. Uthmeier said…
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Local governments across the Tampa Bay region are raising concerns about a state property tax relief plan being debated in a special legislative session in Tallahassee, warning that cuts to property tax revenue could force reductions to city services beyond public safety. Florida lawmakers convened a special session to consider major changes to the state’s…
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Florida lawmakers returned to Tallahassee Tuesday for the second day of a special legislative session focused on a proposed overhaul of the state’s property tax system, with final votes expected as early as this week. The special session was called by Gov. Ron DeSantis to consider a constitutional amendment aimed at reducing or eventually eliminating…
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Gas prices across Florida have dropped sharply in recent days, offering drivers some relief after months of steep increases tied to the ongoing U.S.-Israel military conflict with Iran. The price of crude oil has largely declined over the past two weeks, falling from $108.66 per barrel down to $87.36 on Friday. The drop has translated…
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Duke Energy Florida customers will see lower electricity bills this month after the company implemented its third rate reduction of 2026, which took effect Monday. The latest reduction is expected to save residential customers roughly $6 per 1,000 kilowatt-hours used. Combined with two earlier reductions this year, customers’ monthly bills are now approximately $50 lower…
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Google is asking federal regulators for permission to release up to 32 million mosquitoes in Florida and California as part of an effort to reduce populations of the insects that spread dangerous diseases. The initiative, called the “Debug” program, involves releasing sterile male mosquitoes carrying a naturally occurring bacterium called Wolbachia, which prevents them from…
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Florida legislators are gathering in Tallahassee today for the state’s third special session of the year, taking up a sweeping property tax relief proposal put forward by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The governor’s plan, called “Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes,” centers on increasing the homestead exemption to shield the first $250,000 of a home’s…
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Florida lawmakers approved a nearly $115 billion state budget Friday following a special session called to break a deadlock between the Republican-led House and Senate — the second consecutive year a special session was required to finalize spending. The budget passed the House 99-6 and cleared the Senate unanimously. Supporters said the package includes significant…
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Florida homeowners saw their insurance premiums climb at roughly twice the national pace between 2021 and 2025, according to a new report, with experts divided over the cause. The report, from the national nonprofit Coalition for an Insurable Future, found that homeowners’ insurance costs rose an average of 38 percent across the United States during…
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Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday that he is calling a special legislative session beginning June 1 to advance a property tax reform proposal that would appear on the November ballot as a constitutional amendment. The measure seeks to provide significant property tax relief for Floridians, with the governor stating it would eventually eliminate property taxes…
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The Florida legislator is set to vote today on a state budget after House and Senate leaders reached a tentative agreement earlier this week. The spending plan, which takes effect July 1, comes in at nearly $115 billion — less than the Senate’s preferred figure but more than the $113.6 billion the House had sought.…
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While major Florida airports are bracing for a quieter summer travel season, Lakeland Linder International Airport is bucking the trend. Airport officials say nearly 4,000 passengers traveled through the terminal during the Memorial Day holiday week — a record for the facility. The achievement stands in contrast to the outlook at larger regional airports. Tampa…
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is signaling that his long-running push to eliminate property taxes on primary residences could finally move forward this summer, targeting a November ballot measure. Speaking at a roundtable in Melbourne on Monday, DeSantis urged state lawmakers to finish the state budget so the property tax effort can advance, posting on social…
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Florida cash transactions will be rounded up or down to the nearest nickel under a new state law that takes effect immediately. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1074 on Monday, requiring that any cash purchase be adjusted to the nearest five-cent increment when the one-cent coin is no longer being produced by the U.S.…
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After two legislative sessions and one special session failed to produce a property tax relief plan, Florida’s Republican leaders are signaling a summer showdown over one of the state’s most ambitious fiscal proposals in decades. The question now is not whether lawmakers will return to Tallahassee, but what plan they will bring with them —…
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Florida school districts are heading into budget season without a clear picture of their state funding, as lawmakers return to Tallahassee this week to resume negotiations on a spending plan they failed to finalize during the regular 60-day legislative session. Orange County Public Schools leaders say the delay is making it difficult to plan for…
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Florida’s affordability challenges are drawing renewed attention from both parties ahead of the November midterm elections, though Republicans and Democrats differ on the best approach. New labor data shows Florida’s unemployment rate has risen to 4.7 percent, up one percentage point from the same period last year, representing approximately 523,000 unemployed residents. Polling from Florida…
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With the 2026 hurricane season less than a month away, Florida’s chief financial officer is taking a new approach to storm readiness — going directly to residents before a storm is in the forecast. Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia announced the initiative on Tuesday, saying his team will visit neighborhoods and communities across the state to…
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Duke Energy Florida customers will see lower electric bills this summer after state regulators approved a $90.5 million refund stemming from hurricane recovery overcharges. The Florida Public Service Commission approved the refund Tuesday after a review of final storm restoration expenses. The commission had authorized an interim storm restoration charge in February 2025 to allow…
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The Florida Department of Education on Monday released the framework for a new state-developed U.S. History course for high school students, positioning it as an alternative to the College Board’s Advanced Placement program. The Florida Advanced Courses and Tests (FACT) U.S. History course will be available to public and charter schools in the upcoming school…
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With National Hurricane Preparedness Week underway, insurance experts and consumer safety organizations are urging Floridians to review their coverage now, warning that a significant portion of residents remain dangerously underprepared. According to a survey by AAA, roughly one in four Florida residents lacks adequate preparation for hurricane season, which officially begins June 1. Nearly one…
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Florida has landed at the bottom of national teacher pay rankings for the third year in a row, according to newly released data from the National Education Association. The average teacher salary in Florida rose to $56,663 in the 2025–26 school year, a 3.3% increase from the prior year. However, adjusted for inflation, average teacher…
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More than 13,000 Florida families have enrolled in a new state program that links preschool registration with college savings accounts, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced last week. The partnership between Florida’s Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program and Florida Prepaid allows families to open a 529 college savings account when they enroll their child in the state’s free…
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Florida legislators gathered Tuesday in Tallahassee to begin a special session running through May 1, with congressional redistricting emerging as the session’s most contentious issue alongside agenda items covering artificial intelligence protections and health care policy. The push to redraw Florida’s congressional maps follows former President Donald Trump’s call last year for a new census…
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Florida’s housing affordability crisis took center stage Thursday at the Florida Policy Project’s third annual summit in St. Petersburg, where Realtors, builders, business owners, and elected officials gathered to examine the pressures squeezing buyers and renters across the state. According to Zillow, the average home price in Florida currently stands around $375,000 — well above…
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Florida drivers looking for relief at the pump will have a new option starting tomorrow, but experts say it may not be right for every vehicle. The state has issued an emergency order allowing gas stations statewide to sell E-15 fuel — commonly known as winter-blend gasoline — for 90 days beginning May 1. The…
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