Florida lawmakers pass bill requiring moment of silence in schools
Florida public-school students might soon have a required moment of silence at the start of each day, under a measure passed Thursday by the Florida Senate and headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk.
'No-fault' auto insurance repeal bill advances in Florida legislature
HB 719 would eliminate the state's no-fault auto insurance system and the requirement that drivers carry personal-injury protection coverage.
Florida Senate to consider bill allowing guns in churches that share locations with schools
If passed, the bill would allow people with concealed-weapons licenses to bring guns on properties shared by churches and schools. Florida law already generally allows concealed weapons at places of worship, but bars being armed on school properties.
Bill to ban social media companies from removing political candidates moves forward in Florida Legislature
The bill would bar social media companies from removing political candidates from their platforms. Companies in violation could face fines of up to $100,000 a day. Gov. DeSantis made the bill a priority after former President Donald Trump was blocked from Facebook and Twitter after the Capitol riot.
Florida bill that would raise legal age to use tobacco, vaping products to 21 heads to House floor
The Florida House will vote on a bill that would regulate the sale of e-cigarettes and raise Florida's legal age to use tobacco and vaping products from 18 to 21. But prominent health groups like the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society oppose the bill.
Toll road revamp speeds forward in Florida House
A Senate proposal to scuttle large parts of a controversial toll-road plan was fast-tracked Friday to the House floor.
'Alcohol to go' bill on the move in Florida House
A measure that has been dubbed the “alcohol to go” bill will have to travel back to the Senate, as lawmakers continue trying to agree on details.
Florida House unanimously passes sea-level rise legislation; bill now goes to governor's desk
Legislation hailed as some of the most robust yet to defend U.S. coasts against sea-level rise is headed to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a proposal that would provide millions of dollars annually to communities threatened with losing ground to rising oceans because of climate change.
Florida Senate passes 'alcohol to-go' bill
The Florida Senate approved a bill that would make permanent a move that has allowed restaurants to sell alcoholic drinks with take-home meals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Florida lawmakers consider bill that would ban 'disability abortions'
Physicians who terminate pregnancies solely because women don’t want children with disabilities could face felony charges under a bill moving through the Florida House.
Transgender athlete ban heads to full Florida House
A proposal to ban transgender females from taking part in girls’ or women’s high-school and college sports is teed up for consideration by the full Florida House of Representatives, after a Republican-controlled education panel overrode fiery objections Tuesday.
Florida Supreme Court to hear challenge to insurance law
The Florida Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a constitutional challenge to a 2016 state law that put new requirements on life insurance companies to determine whether policyholders have died and to contact beneficiaries.
Bill in Florida Legislature would require moment of silence in schools every morning
Florida lawmakers are on the verge of requiring public schools across the state to set aside one to two minutes of silence every morning. If passed, Florida would become the 15th state in the country to mandate a moment of silence at the beginning of each school day.
Florida bill would require school districts to get parental permission before students take sex ed
A new Florida bill would require schools to get written consent from parents if they want their children to take part in sex education classes.
Dominion Voting sues Fox News for $1.6B over 2020 election claims
Dominion Voting Systems filed a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News, arguing the cable news giant falsely claimed that the voting company had rigged the 2020 election.
Florida bill would let victims track rape kit processing
If passed, the law would require a tracking system for rape kits in Florida. The bill is called "Gail's Law" after a victim who raped in 1988, but whose sexual assault test kit wasn't tested until 2019, more than 30 years after her attack. She later learned her attacker had raped 15 other women.
Florida House passes bill to expand number of days a parent can surrender a newborn baby
Current Florida law allows parents to anonymously surrender a newborn baby up to 7 days old at a hospital or fire station. But the Florida House has now passed a bill that would expand that window to up to 30 days after a baby is born.
Florida Senate votes to close sex offender loophole
Last year, a judge ruled that a Tampa man convicted of molesting two young girls at a public pool didn't have to register as a sex offender because he hadn't paid off a court-ordered fine. Now the Florida Senate has unanimously passed a bill to close that loophole.
Florida lawmakers consider banning transgender female athletes from competing in high school, college sports
Florida lawmakers are considering a controversial proposal that would ban transgender girls and women from competing in women's high school and college sports. The bill would require student-athletes to compete according to their sex assigned at birth.
Revamped Bright Futures bill clears first hurdle
With dozens of students testifying against the bill, a controversial plan to reduce Bright Futures scholarships for students who pursue degrees deemed unlikely to lead to jobs was approved Tuesday by a Senate committee.