Florida's Latest News

Ashley Moody introduces bill to let states go after people who file fraudulent Medicaid claims

U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody is backing a bill that aims to crack down on the theft of taxpayer funds through Medicaid fraud.

Moody has introduced the STOP FRAUD in Medicaid Act in the Senate. Currently, state Medicaid Fraud Control Units mainly focus on investigations involving providers who file bogus claims. If the measure is approved, it would allow those investigators to go after people who file to receive benefits through claims that have deceived providers.

“I fought fraud as Florida’s Attorney General, recovering millions of dollars for taxpayers, and I am fighting it now as U.S. Senator, finding and closing gaps that exist in our laws. At a time when our nation’s debt is skyrocketing, we must increase our efforts to tackle wasteful spending,” Moody said.

“The STOP FRAUD in Medicaid Act gives states the authority to catch and punish fraud fast.”

RFK Jr. takes push to get junk food out of hospitals to Florida

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. chose President Donald Trump’s home state of Florida to roll out a new health initiative aimed at overhauling hospital food.

Having revamped the food pyramid and pushed state food assistance programs to restrict soda and other processed foods, Kennedy has turned his sights on U.S. hospitals, arguing that providing healthy food to patients can aid healing and reduce readmissions. And the announcement taking place in Florida is another signal of the state’s continued alignment with MAHA movement priorities being heralded by the Trump administration.

“We shouldn’t be giving people who are sick Jell-O, Cheerios, rubber chicken and sugary drinks,” Kennedy said at the event, hosted by the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute think tank. “We have the best medical technology in the world,” he continued. “We have the best doctors. We have the finest hospitals in the world, but for some reason for many years they haven’t recognized the most important tool of medicine today is good food.”

Florida county’s school-zone cameras have led to nearly 34,000 license suspensions

Since the first speed camera went up outside a Miami-Dade school in late 2024, vehicle owners across the county have received hundreds of thousands of automated speeding violations.

For many, those mailed notices also delivered problems much more severe than the $100 fine — tens of thousands of drivers saw their licenses suspended after they didn’t pay the fee.

After fewer than two years in operation, the cameras are tied to nearly 34,000 license suspensions, according to data from the county clerk’s office obtained by the Miami Herald.

Because the private operators of the lucrative camera systems rely on the postal system to notify vehicle owners that they owe $100, hiccups with the mail are putting people on track for a license suspension without knowing they were accused of doing anything wrong. The cameras also can’t confirm whether it was the vehicle owner driving in a school zone, leaving some people vulnerable to a license suspension due to somebody else being behind the wheel.

One More Child to open Vern & Sandy Buchanan Children’s Center in Sarasota

The Vern & Sandy Buchanan Children’s Center opens this week in Sarasota, expanding the One More Child nonprofit’s regional footprint as demand for family support services grows.

The faith-based nonprofit will celebrate the grand opening of the Vern & Sandy Buchanan Children’s Center at Palm Garden Village on Wednesday. The center is designed to connect families with housing support, food assistance and other critical services.

It aims to serve as a centralized hub for single mothers, children and families, connecting them with support, encouragement and practical resources. The center is meant to help strengthen family stability and support mothers who are working to build a safe, independent future for themselves and their children.

“This center is about more than a building — it is a promise,” Buchanan Foundation CEO Sandy Buchanan said in a statement. “A promise that when a child is hungry, a family is overwhelmed, or a brave single mom is rebuilding her life, they will not be alone. We are honored to partner with One More Child to create a place where compassion meets action, and where families can find real hope and a fresh start.”