Florida's Latest News

DeSantis court pick improper, but high court won’t undo

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis exceeded his authority by appointing a constitutionally ineligible person to the Florida Supreme Court, but the high court said in a ruling Thursday that it won’t undo the appointment.

State Rep. Geraldine Thompson asked the court to invalidate the appointment of Judge Renatha Francis because the state constitution requires Supreme Court appointees to have served as a member of the Florida Bar for at least 10 years.

The Supreme Court said Thompson is right that Francis was ineligible for the appointment, but said she asked the court for a remedy that was not legally available, and that it would not undo the appointment on its own.

Ashley Moody says Donald Trump makes moms feel safe

Donald Trump is down in polls behind Joe Biden, with women breaking for the Democrat in Florida and elsewhere.

Florida’s Attorney General doesn’t think that will hold when the votes are counted, however, because the President makes moms feel safe.

Ashley Moody, booked Thursday afternoon on “After the Bell” on the Fox Business Network, discounted polling that showed Biden up 53% to 43% among likely female voters in Florida.

Florida sees fewer jobless claims, COVID-19 cases

Florida’s jobless claims dropped by more than a third last week from the previous week as officials also reported 139 new deaths from the coronavirus Thursday, bringing the state’s overall total above 11,000.

The state has seen rates of new cases averaging below 3,500 a day in recent days — down from peaks averaging nearly 12,000 daily in mid-July. The positivity rate in testing has been just under 10% the past couple of days. Florida’s daily average in reported deaths over the past week is 118, which is third in the nation behind Texas at 178 and California at 126.

The number of people being treated in Florida hospitals for COVID-19 has been declining since a peak of more than 9,500 on July 23. The number of patients in the late morning Thursday stood at 4,285, according to a state hospital census posted online.

Judge’s order on school reopening back in effect, for now

Saying students and staff face “irreparable injury” if his order is halted, Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Dodson on Thursday lifted the stay on his ruling against the state’s school reopening order.

The ruling on Monday found the Department of Education had overreached its authority by requiring schools to open their doors in August under the threat of potential financial penalty. But it was automatically put in abeyance after the state appealed it.

In his latest order, Dodson explained his rationale for lifting the stay, writing: “The evidence before the court plainly demonstrates that as a result of the (state’s) unconstitutional action requiring the statewide reopening of schools during the month of August 2020, without local school boards being permitted the opportunity to determine whether it is safe to do so, places people in harm’s way.”