The proposed Ya Ya Alert Act, sponsored by Rep. Rashon Young, would create a mandatory alert system requiring law enforcement to send notifications when a serious threat is within a three-mile radius of schools, childcare facilities, and registered users.
Florida’s yellow license plate registration decals may soon be a thing of the past with the advent of new legislation calling for an electronic renewal process.
Florida Statutes now upgrade the penalty for anyone covering or interfering with the visibility of a license plate’s primary features to a second-degree misdemeanor. The big question now is, what’s being done to clarify the law?
A stretch of West South Street in downtown Orlando will soon honor the late state Sen. Geraldine F. Thompson, a trailblazing lawmaker and historian who spent decades advocating for her community and preserving Black history.
Another two property tax proposals were filed on Wednesday, adding to the growing list of plans that lawmakers want to put in front of voters next year.
Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia is slated to reveal a “legislative proposal” during a news conference in Winter Park on Thursday morning.
The state wants a judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by 25 cities and counties, including Orange County, over an unpopular law that blocks local development regulations.
Is your license plate frame illegal? That is the question Florida drivers and law enforcement officers have been asking after a new law went into effect on Oct. 1. There was so much confusion that the state had to issue a clarification last week.
A bill bringing a special day of observation for slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk just passed its first hurdle in the Florida Legislature on Tuesday.
The state’s Joint Legislative Auditing Committee, made up of state representatives and senators, voted unanimously Monday to investigate the city of Daytona Beach over reports about spending irregularities and a surplus in building permit revenues.
This week, four proposed constitutional amendments in Florida took another step closer toward becoming reality after getting approved by lawmakers.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis lambasted the potential for abuse in the rising realm of artificial intelligence and called for an “AI Bill of Rights.”
A Florida House committee is meeting on Thursday as state lawmakers inch their way toward a possible mid-decade congressional redistricting.
A Florida lawmaker has introduced legislation that seeks to end a statewide practice of selling residents’ driver’s licenses and ID card information to private companies, data brokers, insurance analytics firms, and foreign-owned entities, according to reporting from News 6 sister station WJXT News 4 in Jacksonville.
Starting in July, any pregnant woman in Florida can apply for a handicap parking permit valid for up to one year. The change comes as part of a sweeping transportation bill that passed unanimously in the state legislature.
DeSantis has been a vocal supporter for property tax reform. But this week, he put his foot down on providing relief to seniors alone.
Property taxes will be a big issue on the election ballot in 2026. Florida House lawmakers unveiled a slate of seven potential constitutional amendments, including changes to homestead exemptions, or eliminating some residential property taxes. But Gov. Ron DeSantis is dismissing the proposals.
On Thursday, state lawmakers gave their support to a bill that could lead to major changes in Winter Springs ahead of next year’s mayoral election. But city leaders say voters should decide what changes need to be made, not Tallahassee.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has made it clear — he wants sweeping changes to Florida’s property tax system. What does that mean for counties, cities, and the services they provide?
The Florida House on Thursday rolled out a series of proposed constitutional amendments to cut property taxes, while looking to shield funding for schools and law enforcement. One bill would get rid of most homesteaded residential property taxes.
More than four months after Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the idea, the Florida House on Wednesday began a renewed effort to repeal a decades-old law that has prevented some people from pursuing key damages in medical-malpractice lawsuits.
A panel of insurance and tech officials told the Florida House Insurance & Banking Subcommittee that insurers are using artificial intelligence in a variety of ways, including in claims handling, and tried to dispel concerns that the technology could be misused.
What were you thinking about when you were in middle school? On Friday morning in Osceola County, these teens were telling community leaders why they wanted to pass a law.
Dubbed the Tristan Murphy Act, the law is named after a 37-year-old man who killed himself while incarcerated at a state prison work program. Murphy had a history of schizophrenia and had been imprisoned on a littering charge.
Orange County, the town of Windermere, and the cities of Deltona and Edgewater in Volusia County joined the lawsuit Monday against several Florida officials over a new law that limits the way these governments can make decisions about developments.
Republican voters in Sumter County will decide Tuesday who will win a special primary election for the only Florida Senate seat in the county, and move on to the November election.
With a Florida House panel finishing a two-day review of property-tax issues, city and county officials defended their financial management amid Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push to ask voters next year to slash taxes on homesteaded properties.
Republican voters in Sumter County can go to the polls early in a special primary election for the only Florida Senate seat in the county. Early voting in Sumter County runs from Saturday, Sept. 19, through Saturday, Sept. 27.
Provisions of a Florida law restricting the state’s process for getting citizens’ initiatives on the ballot can go into effect.
In a major decision, a state appeals court on Wednesday ruled that Florida’s ban on openly carrying guns is unconstitutional. A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal, pointing to U.S. Supreme Court rulings on Second Amendment issues, said the open-carry ban is incompatible with the nation’s “historical tradition of firearm regulation.”
Republican State Rep. John Temple is getting a new gig -- president of a state college. Temple, 49, was selected as the next president of Lake-Sumter State College this week.
For the second straight day, Gov. Ron DeSantis mentioned a law that he claimed pertained to the removal of street art from crosswalks. So what is the law?
Early voting starts soon in the special elections for Florida Senate District 15 and House District 40 after a printing error reached tens of thousands of people in the form of faulty sample ballots.
Seminole County lacks 100% no-fee providers, making the Mental Health Association’s planned Sanford Clinic the sole free service provider for individuals under 300% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
Volusia County is joining law enforcement agencies across the Southeast United States for Operation Southern Slow Down, a crackdown on reckless drivers. They say a new law that lets them arrest "super speeders" will make that more efficient.
$1 million in state funds will be used to reinforce canals in Edgewater, especially around the Florida Shores neighborhood. Many of these canals have not been upgraded since they were built in the 1990s, despite significant growth in the area.
Tucked into the Florida budget that Gov. Ron DeSantis signed this week was $394,421 for the Pulse National Memorial. Since the budget allocation survived DeSantis’ line-item veto, that money will now go to the city of Orlando, which is getting close to construction on a permanent memorial to the 49 people killed in the 2016 shooting.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a $115.1 billion budget for Florida in Wildwood Monday, but not everything lawmakers wanted made it past the governor. DeSantis released a veto list that included $1.35 billion in cuts, largely to local programs.
State Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis won a four-way primary race for Florida Senate District 15, while Bracy Davis’ chief of staff, RaShon Young, won the primary to fill her Florida House District 40 seat. Both candidates now go on to face Republican opponents in the special general elections on Sept. 2.
This latest batch of laws involves a variety of topics, including the definition of child neglect, mandated flood disclosures, and even attempts to control the weather.
After months of contentious debate, some in public, Florida lawmakers passed a budget Monday that included $1.3 billion in state and local tax cuts, but nothing as radical as leaders were proposing.
On the 105th day of what was supposed to be a 60-day legislative session, Florida lawmakers passed a bill to allow charter schools to “co-locate” inside traditional public schools.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs a raft of bills into law that would crack down on sexual offenders, human sex trafficking, and unauthorized deepfake sex images.
A special election Tuesday will chose two new state lawmakers for some residents in Brevard County.
A group of Orange County high school students will protest Tuesday afternoon against proposed changes to advanced academic programs, a move they say could impact their access to college-level coursework.
Florida lawmakers Thursday started moving forward with a proposed constitutional amendment that supporters say would bulk up financial reserves to help the state weather potential problems such as economic recessions.
Mobile home residents in Central Florida say they are being priced out of what was supposed to be an affordable place to live.
A federal judge has barred state officials from enforcing a Florida law that would ban social media accounts for young children, while a legal challenge against the law plays out.
When lawmakers begin budget conference talks Tuesday, a couple of priorities of Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, and House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, likely will already be off the table, including a plan to bolster rural areas and cut the overall sales tax rate.
Nearly a month after leaving the Capitol without passing a budget, House and Senate leaders said Friday night they had reached an agreement that will clear the way for lawmakers to begin hammering out details of a spending plan Tuesday.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Tuesday in Apopka that would allow people to use gold or silver coin to pay for bills, calling it a way to give people financial independence from the federal government.
Florida lawmakers are no closer to releasing a budget proposal, and on Friday, state House leaders told representatives that they shouldn’t expect to be in Tallahassee next week.
These new laws cover a wide range of issues, including new crimes, state parks, and even what’s methods are allowed for the death penalty.
A bill to restrict Florida from building sports facilities and large lodges on state parks is now a law, born from last year's outcry over plans to add golf courses, pickleball courts and more to several parks.
Many of these new laws are set to take effect in July, and they cover a wide range of issues, including dangerous dogs, school start times, and arrest rules for law enforcement.
On Tuesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed another bunch of bills into law, just a day after giving his signature to the largest batch yet.
On Monday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed 13 new bills into law as the latest state Legislative session approaches its end.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has already signed off on over a dozen bills this Legislative session, though a newly signed bill on Thursday packs plenty of big changes on its own.
Florida lawmakers have given final approval to creating new hurdles for getting citizen-driven initiatives on the ballot before voters.
The 60-day legislative session was scheduled to end Friday, but lawmakers have blown past a budget deadline to make that happen. House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, and Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, also advised their members Thursday that lawmakers won’t be in Tallahassee next week.
