Florida's Latest News

Ron DeSantis qualifies for Maine ballot.

Florida’s Governor is officially on the ballot in the Pine Tree State.

On Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis officially qualified for the ballot in the Maine Republican Presidential Primary, one of 14 primaries on March 5, as the Bangor Daily News reports.

In Maine, 20 delegates are at stake, and the winner will take most of them. That could be bad news for the Florida Governor, according to one of the rare polls of the New England state.

June polling from Digital Research Inc. showed the Governor 32 points behind Donald Trump.

The former President commanded 59% support, well ahead of DeSantis’ 27%. Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming was good for third place with 10%. Former candidate Mike Pence (5%) and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley (3%) rounded out the top five, with 17% of the 448 Republicans and independent voters polled who plan to vote in the open GOP Primary undecided.

Legislation seeks mandatory participation of health insurers in claims processing.

A pair of Florida lawmakers filed companion bill proposals this week that would tighten regulations on health insurance providers, focusing on their involvement in claims disputes and payment obligations.

House Bill 659, introduced by Rep. Shane Abbott, outlines amendments to preexisting state statutes that, if adopted, would prohibit health insurance providers from declining participation in filed claims, with non-compliance resulting in a default against the health plan.

The Senate version of the legislation, brought forth by Sen. Gayle Harrell, while largely identical, details that providers would be required to submit supporting documentation for their position in a dispute within 15 days upon request, with failure to do so also resulting in a default.

“A health plan may not decline to participate in the claim-dispute-resolution process,” reads Abbott’s filing.

In addition to mandating participation in claims, the bills would establish penalties for health plans that fail to comply with agency orders to pay providers following claim disputes. If a health plan, under the House bill, does not pay the ordered amount within 35 days of the agency’s order, it faces a potential penalty of up to $500 per day until the payment is made.

$50 million proposed to speed up high-speed rail service from Orlando to Tampa

Florida lawmakers are championing hundreds of projects and seeking billions of dollars as they prepare for the start of the 2024 legislative session in January.

Topped by $50 million requests for expanding water storage and treatment in the Lake Okeechobee and Caloosahatchee River basins and for speeding up private passenger rail between Orlando and Tampa, House members as of Monday morning had filed just under 1,500 separate proposals that would require $3.1 billion to fund.

The rail proposal (House Form 1989), filed by Rep. Karen Gonzalez Pittman, R-Tampa, would boost the Brightline passenger service, which recently completed a Miami-to-Orlando line and has eyed the Interstate 4 corridor for a link to Tampa.

“Advancing structure improvements within the I-4 Corridor will accelerate the passenger rail connection from Tampa to the Orlando International Airport, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Aventura and Miami,” the request form said. “Upon completion of this effort, it will provide access to nearly 16 million Florida citizens and 118 million visitors throughout the service area.”

Amazon searching for office space in Miami as it seeks to grow business.

Amazon is looking to expand business in South Florida.

A spokesperson confirmed to NBC6 on Tuesday that the company is searching for 50,000 square feet of office space in the Miami area.

The company said the leased space is part of its organic growth over the past few years in the region.

Amazon currently has more than 400 corporate and tech employees assigned to its existing office locations in the Miami area, but this would be the first base location in the city. 

This comes as founder Jeff Bezos announced earlier this month that he's moving from Seattle to Miami.

Bloomberg News reported that Bezos purchased a mansion in the area known as “Billionaire Bunker” for $79 million. The man-made, 300-acre barrier island in Biscayne Bay has been home to some of the biggest names in sports, entertainment and business.