Florida's Latest News

Florida Launches Resiliency Endorsement for Educators

First Lady Casey DeSantis on Friday announced a new Resiliency Educator Endorsement that Florida teachers may add to their certification after completing required training.

The State Board of Education approved the endorsement, which officials described as the first of its kind in the country. It is intended to help educators incorporate lessons on perseverance, responsibility, confidence and other life skills into classroom instruction.

The endorsement is based on Florida’s 11 resiliency characteristics and will become one of 14 endorsements available to certified educators. Teachers who complete the professional learning requirements may add the designation to a valid Florida educator certificate.

.“The Resiliency Educator Endorsement empowers teachers with practical strategies to cultivate resilience in the classroom, helping students build the confidence, perseverance, and life skills they need to succeed in school and beyond,” said Ryan Petty, Chair of the State Board of Education.

‘Leading the charge to make Florida affordable’: Ashley Moody backs Blaise Ingoglia for CFO

U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody is throwing her support behind CFO Blaise Ingoglia’s bid for a full, elected term — about one week after he endorsed her for the same.

Moody, who announced a nod from Ingoglia last week, called him “a proven leader who delivers results for Floridians.”

“As your CFO, he is leading the charge to make Florida affordable, protecting the taxpayers of this great state, and standing with law enforcement to keep our communities safe,” she said.

“I am proud to endorse his campaign for a full term as Florida’s fiscal watchdog.”

Ingoglia responded by praising Moody’s record.

“I am honored to receive Senator Moody’s endorsement,” he said. “Ashley has been a relentless advocate for Florida families. Together, we will continue working to protect taxpayers, ensure government operates with transparency, and support our law enforcement.”

Three open seats could change the direction of the Sarasota County School Board

Sarasota County voters are set to cast their ballots in an election that will reshape the school board after years of tumultuous meetings over issues like mask mandates, inclusion policies and even national topics like immigration. During that period, the board’s conservative majority frequently voted together on many of the highest-profile issues.

None of the board's three conservative incumbents will appear on the ballot.

The election comes as Sarasota County Schools navigates falling enrollment, stagnant state funding and the expiration of $115 million in federal COVID-19 relief funding.

As the district prepares for the upcoming school year, it plans to eliminate 180 instructional positions and 79 classified jobs, while district officials estimate Florida's school voucher program reduced district revenue by another $45 million this year alone.

This is the challenging fiscal environment that three of the seven candidates will step into when they fill the seats for Districts 1, 4 and 5 now held by conservatives Bridget Ziegler, Karen Rose and Robyn Marinelli.

How Florida's coral researchers are adapting to extreme heat amid another El Niño warming event

University of Miami Rosenstiel School scientists are pulling bubble-wrapped Elkhorn coral from a large cooler. They're yellow-brown with flat, antler-like arms.

"Here's another beautiful one right here,” one scientist said unwrapping one of the branching stony corals.

They're functionally extinct in Florida’s wild barrier reef, along with staghorn coral, thanks to ocean temperatures reaching up to 100 degrees three years ago.

"We're in the midst of a thermal rescue operation,” said Cameron McMath, who supervises UM's Coral Reef Futures Lab at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric & Earth Science here on Virginia Key.

 A predicted "super" El Niño climate pattern has scientists on edge, after a similar phenomenon in 2023 broke records — bleaching up to 100% of certain coral species with near-total mortality in some cases.