CORD BYRD

Critics argue the changes were designed to suppress voting by minorities and Democrats.

If you have a vote-by-mail ballot you need to fix or a provisional ballot you need to provide documents for, you have a couple more days to do that because of Hurricane Nicole.

A Florida woman, who is registered as a Democrat, was charged with voter fraud after officials say she voted in both Florida and Alaska.

Earlier this month Gov. DeSantis signed an executive order making some election concessions to three counties ravaged by Hurricane Ian.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an order extending early voting and mail ballot access for certain voters who were affected by Hurricane Ian ahead of elections this fall.

Long-time figure in Florida government Peter Antonacci has been tapped to lead Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new election-crime investigation team.

Florida lawmakers will have until 3 p.m. Friday to weigh in on a proposal by Democrats to hold a special legislative session on gun violence.

‘We must address these issues with legislation mandating universal background checks, expanding red flag laws, and regulating high capacity rifle magazines.’

Florida Rep. Joseph Geller announced that he is calling for a special session for a discussion of possible solutions to gun violence in the state.

ORLANDO, Fla. — This summer, a trip to the library can get Floridians free admission to one of more than 170 participating state parks. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida State Parks and the Florida Department of State’s Division of Library and Information Services have teamed up to give all Floridians access to Florida’s state parks with the Real Florida Reader Day Pass. “A visit to one of Florida’s state parks goes hand-in-hand with a visit to the library,” said DEP Secretary Shawn Hamilton. “We are proud to partner with Florida State Parks to offer park passes in Florida’s public libraries,” said Secretary of State Cord Byrd. Read: Electric Ocean to light up SeaWorld again this summerTo find out more about the Real Florida Reader Day Pass, CLICK HERE.

Florida’s top elections official said Tuesday that voters should be confident in the state’s voting process, including when casting ballots by mail.

Florida’s top elections official said Tuesday that voters should be confident in the state’s voting process, including when casting ballots by mail. But when asked...

Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a measure Friday that would have increased the value of vehicles protected from legal claims in bankruptcy proceedings.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis decided on Rep. Cory Byrd as the newest Secretary of State, following the resignation announcement by the prior secretary earlier this week.

The House Redistricting Committee voted 15-9 to advance to the full House a pair of revised congressional maps that Democrats and other critics said fall short of requirements under a 2010 “Fair Districts” constitutional amendment.

A controversial proposal would prevent workers from having dues deducted from their paychecks.

Amid a legal battle that could be decided by the Florida Supreme Court, Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a measure that will ratchet up a ban on local gun regulations.

From the streets in Central Florida last summer to the House Floor in Tallahassee this spring, calls for police reform in Florida are leading to some change at the state level.

click to enlarge AdobeWith supporters saying the issue is about property rights, the Florida House on Friday overwhelmingly passed a bill that would allow people to carry guns at churches that share locations with schools.House members voted 76-37 to approve the measure (HB 259), sponsored by Rep. Jayer Williamson, R-Pace, and Rep. Cord Byrd, R-Neptune Beach. Florida law generally allows people to carry concealed weapons at churches, synagogues, mosques and other religious institutions, but it bars being armed on school properties. That leads to people being prevented from carrying guns on properties shared by religious institutions and schools.The bill would allow people with concealed-weapons licenses to bring guns on properties shared by churches and schools. Geller said the Legislature’s job should be to protect students.“We have a choice to keep all those school children safe, every one of them,” Geller said.The bill passed along almost straight party lines, with Rep. James Bush, D-Miami, joining Republicans in supporting it. The Senate version of the bill (SB 498), sponsored by Sen. Joe Gruters, has been approved by two committees and would need to clear the Rules Committee before it could go to the full Senate.

Private employers, other than government contractors, would not be mandated to use the E-Verify system. [READ MORE: E-Verify proposal emerges in Senate][READ MORE: Florida lawmakers immigration ideas: enhanced penalties, E-Verify][READ MORE: Ron DeSantis steers clear of anti-immigration step opposed by big GOP donors]DeSantis has made a priority of using the E-Verify system but has faced opposition from Senate leaders in advance of the 2020 legislative session, which starts Tuesday. Byrds proposal is a slimmed-down version of a Senate bill (SB 664) that would require all private and public employers to use E-Verify. A public employer, contractor or subcontractor may not enter into a contract unless each party to the contract registers with and uses the E-Verify system, the bill said. His bill, however, would expose public employers and their contractors to penalties for failing to use the verification system.

click to enlarge Photo courtesy Florida SenateFlorida Senate President Bill GalvanoOrlandos Pulse nightclub. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. The first would allow people to openly carry guns without concealed-weapons licenses. The criminals by definition are going to break the law anyway.Byrd, whose clients includes people fighting risk protection orders, said Floridas red-flag law has got problems.It needs to be fixed. So the name of the game is enforce the laws you have.

But DeSantis has made the controversial proposal one of his top priorities for next years legislative session, which starts Jan. 14. But, although Galvano said he opposes an across-the-board E-Verify requirement, he left the door open for a slimmed down immigration proposal. Its putting an additional additional responsibility on non-government officials.Galvanos comments come less than a year after the Florida Senate approved a ban on so-called sanctuary cities another immigration priority of the governor. Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, declined to comment on whether he intends to support or oppose an E-Verify bill during the upcoming session. Sen. Aaron Bean earlier this year sponsored an E-Verify bill, which never received a committee vetting.

Employers would lose all applicable licenses if they do not register with the E-Verify system, operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Under the proposal, such licenses could include a franchise, a charter, or approval to run a business in the state. This is much more central to the problem, because the job market is the magnet for illegal immigration, Lee said. Under the umbrella of E-Verify, there are a lot of nuances that we need to figure out, Byrd said in September. Lee characterized Byrd, who is an attorney, as a lawyers lawyer, adding that he expects to learn "a lot" from him on E-Verify.

This encroaches into an area of exclusive federal authority and will interfere with the comprehensive federal immigration system enacted by Congress in violation of the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami, said. Ron DeSantis pushed for passage of the sanctuary cities ban, which was one of the most hotly debated issues of the legislative session that ended in May and was a cornerstone of DeSantis campaign last year. The suit, filed by the city of South Miami and nine other plaintiffs, names as defendants DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody. The plaintiffs want a court to deem the new law unconstitutional and keep the state from enforcing it. When he signed the bill, DeSantis said it would allow Florida officials to help ICE remove criminal aliens. Moody and DeSantis did not immediately respond to requests for comment.