Judges overseeing Trump cases in New York and DC are latest targets as bogus 'swatting' calls surge
Bomb threats and false reports of shootings at the homes of public officials, state capitols and courthouses have surged in recent weeks, including some connected to court cases against former president Donald Trump.
Senators back solar tariffs, oppose prairie bird safeguards
The Senate has approved a measure that would reinstate tariffs on solar panel imports from several Southeast Asian countries after President Joe Biden paused them in a bid to boost solar installations in the U.S. Lawmakers also approved a separate plan late Wednesday to undo federal protections for the lesser prairie chicken, a rare grouse thatโs found in parts of the Midwest and Southwest, including one of the countryโs most prolific oil and gas fields.
Texas bill proposes up to $25K for armed school 'sentinels'
Texas schools could offer up to $25,000 stipends to teachers and staff who accept the dual role of being armed campus โsentinelsโ with specialized mental health training under a proposal that state lawmakers advanced Tuesday in response to the Uvalde classroom shooting.
Viewing held for 9-year-old victim of Pine Hills slayings
Final goodbyes begin Friday for 9-year-old TโYonna Major, the youngest victim of a deadly shooting spree last month in Pine Hills that took three lives and inflamed a war of words between the regionโs state attorney and Floridaโs governor.
โShame on them!โ Families of Pine Hills shooting victims accuse DeSantis, Scott of exploiting deaths
The families of two of the three victims in a string of Pine Hills shootings last week talked Thursday about their loved ones publicly for the first time, but also to criticize Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Rick Scott for attacking the Orange-Osceola state attorney in a โcoordinated effort to paint a false narrative.โ
Time after time: Rubio, Scott introduce Sunshine Protection Act for 4th time
Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott reintroduced the Sunshine Protection Act for Congressโ consideration on Thursday, marking the fourth such effort to โlock the clockโ and make daylight saving time permanent nationwide.
Immigration advocates urge Floridaโs senators to support, vote for Dream Act
With only three weeks left for the current congress to act, Central Florida immigration reform advocates, including faith leaders, urged Florida senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott Tuesday to act now for Dream Act legislation.
By boat and jet ski, volunteers assist in Hurricane Ian rescue efforts
As authorities in Florida try to reach people who have been trapped by floodwaters or isolated on barrier islands since Hurricane Ian came ashore last week, concerned members of the public have been springing into action to aid the official rescue efforts.
Nazis show up outside Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa
A Holocaust center in Florida and others condemned the presence of protesters holding Nazi flags and posters with antisemitic imagery outside a convention of young conservative activists that drew as speakers President Donald Trump, Florida Gov, Ron DeSantis and several Republican U.S. senators.
Florida lawmakers introduce bill to address baby formula shortage
Several U.S. senators introduced a new bill Monday called the โUrgently Feeding Americaโs Babies Act,โ which would direct President Joe Biden and his administration to invoke the Defense Production Act in response to the ongoing baby formula shortage.
Lake Okeechobee water release could curb toxic algae bloom
Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency in seven Florida counties to combat the potentially toxic green algae bloom. While the South Florida Water Management District supported the decision to release water to the St. Lucie Estuary, spokesman Randy Smith said they will closely monitor salinity levels. With rainy season approaching in May, South Florida is still soggy from Tropical Storm Eta last year. If they go wrong, everything goes wrong,โ said South Florida Water Management District board member Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch in a February meeting. The Army Corps makes weekly decisions on lake levels, and Perry hopes the water releases end before the April oyster spawning.
More states on board, senators introduce bill (again) to make daylight saving time year round
Rubio and other senators have been trying to pass the federal legislation needed to allow Floridaโs 2018 law to actually change the state to daylight saving time. If the bill passes it would apply to the states who currently participate in daylight saving time, which most states observe for eight months out of the year. Rubio and Scott introduced legislation last year citing the coronavirus pandemic as one reason why daylight saving time would be beneficial. The push to make daylight saving time permanent across the country does have support beyond politicians. AdDr. Daliah Wachs, a family medicine physician, says that one-hour time difference of daylight saving causes a spike in car crashes, workplace injuries, heart issues, fertility issues and depression.
With more states on board, Florida senators introduce bill (again) to make daylight saving time year round
ORLANDO, Fla. โ Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, of Florida, is trying again to make daylight saving time permanent across the country after reintroducing the Sunshine Protection Act. If the bill passes it would apply to the states who currently participate in daylight saving time, which most states observe for eight months out of the year. โStudies have shown many benefits of a year-round Daylight Saving Time, which is why the Florida legislature voted to make it permanent in 2018. Rubio and Scott introduced legislation last year citing the coronavirus pandemic as one reason why daylight saving time would be beneficial. The push to make daylight saving time permanent across the country does have support beyond politicians.
With more states on board, senators introduce bill (again) to make daylight saving time year round
Rubio and other senators have been trying to pass the federal legislation needed to allow Floridaโs 2018 law to actually change the state to daylight saving time. If the bill passes it would apply to the states who currently participate in daylight saving time, which most states observe for eight months out of the year. Rubio and Scott introduced legislation last year citing the coronavirus pandemic as one reason why daylight saving time would be beneficial. The push to make daylight saving time permanent across the country does have support beyond politicians. AdDr. Daliah Wachs, a family medicine physician, says that one-hour time difference of daylight saving causes a spike in car crashes, workplace injuries, heart issues, fertility issues and depression.
Florida GOP outlines $100M+ plan to tackle climate change
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. โ Low-lying Florida, surrounded by the sea, is one of the most vulnerable U.S. states to ocean level rise driven by climate change. House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, said at a news conference that measures in the upcoming session of the Legislature would address flooding and sea level rise. They include:$100 million a year from 2022-23 to deal with sea level rise and flooding. A grant program providing money to local governments for the costs of planning and dealing with sea level rise. We must adapt to rising seas but, we also must lower the heat and rising temperatures causing seas to rise,โ she said.
Gov. DeSantis among Florida lawmakers speaking at CPAC in Orange County
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. โ When the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, comes to Orange County, Floridaโs governor will be making an appearance. Ron DeSantis now appears among the long list of speakers for the conservative event set to take place at the Hyatt Regency near the Orange County Convention Center Feb. 25-28. [TRENDING: Plan to track COVID-19 variant | NASA prepares to land Mars rover | REWATCH: Town hall on race, obstacles, opportunities]AdDeSantis is not the only GOP Florida lawmaker set to speak at CPAC. CPAC, which has been running since 1974, is normally held in the Washington, D.C. area. This will be the first time the convention will be held in Central Florida.
Senators introduce school safety act nearly 3 years after Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting
Sorrow is reverberating across the country Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021, as Americans joined a Florida community in remembering the 17 lives lost three years ago in the Parkland school shooting massacre. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)Three U.S. senators have introduced a school safety bill named for two of the students killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting almost three years ago on Feb. 14. Senators Rick Scott, Marco Rubio, of Florida, and Sen. Ron Johnson, of Wisconsin, introduced the Luke and Alex School Safety Act of 2021. โThe Luke and Alex School Safety Act will ensure that the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse remains a resource our schools can access in the future. AdJohnson introduced the Luke and Alex School Safety Act of 2019 to create the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse.
Donor backlash fuels GOP alarm about Senate fundraising
The GOP already faces a difficult Senate map in 2022, when 14 Democratic-held seats and 20 Republican ones will be on the ballot. That includes at least two open seats that Republicans will be defending because of the retirements of GOP Sens. One of those lawmakers, Florida Sen. Rick Scott, is the new chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, a post that makes him the public face of the Senate Republican fundraising efforts. But two senior Republican strategists involved in Senate races say the cumulative effect of the companies' decisions could have a bigger impact. That puts more pressure on the NRSC and the leading Senate Republican outside group, Senate Leadership Fund, to cover the difference.