Florida's Latest News

Florida Governor DeSantis to Get COVID-19 Vaccine This Week

 Now that Florida is making coronavirus shots available to people age 40 and up, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday he's going to get his vaccine this week.

DeSantis, 42, will join about 6 million people in Florida who have already received at least the first dose of a vaccine. The state has a population of 21.5 million people. He didn't give details about when or where he'll get his shot.

“I'm not sure we're going to do it on camera, we'll see. If you guys want a gun show, maybe we can do it, but probably better off not,” DeSantis said at a news conference. “We will let you know when I get the jab.”

DeSantis proposes $1,000 bonus for Florida teachers, principals

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday proposed a $1,000 bonus for public school principals and full-time classroom teachers for grades Pre-K through 12 who have been apart of a historic and challenging school year.

“The past year included so much uncertainty for our state’s students, parents and educators,” DeSantis said. “In Florida, we knew how important it was for our students to return to school, and our principals and teachers answered the call. I urge the Florida Legislature to join me in awarding our great educators through this bonus program as a show of gratitude for their actions and hard work.”

The proposal would provide a bonus to more than 3,600 public school principals and nearly 180,000 full-time classroom teachers. Funding for the bonuses would be $216 million from the third round of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER), funds that were passed by Congress in response to the pandemic.

Senate Panel Approves Bill Targeting Local Emergency Powers

Lawmakers continued to move forward Tuesday with efforts to limit local-government emergency orders, despite arguments by Democrats that the proposals are a state overreach.

The Senate Military and Veterans Affairs, Space and Domestic Security Committee voted 4-3 along party lines to approve a bill (SB 1924) that sponsor Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah, said could be merged into a larger package. That would be similar to a wide-ranging House approach (HB 7047).

After months of cities and counties taking steps such as requiring people to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, Diaz said his goal is to have local officials share decisions about issues such as closing businesses and imposing curfews and to “not allow for one person just to continue on to renew orders.”

Transgender Athlete Restrictions Move Forward In Florida

A Florida Senate panel Wednesday signed off on a proposal aimed at keeping most transgender females from participating in high-school and college sports, but the measure stops short of an all-out ban being considered by the House.

The measures have become one of the 2021 legislative session’s most contentious issues and put Florida in line with at least two dozen other Republican-controlled state houses that have passed or are considering similar proposals.

Opponents of the bills maintain the proposed restrictions could endanger teenagers and young adults who are already vulnerable to bullying and abuse and cause the state to lose out on lucrative college championship games.