Florida's Latest News

Gov. DeSantis declares emergency throughout most of Florida as tropical depression looms

Beware heavy rain, flooding and downed power lines.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has issued an emergency order for most of the state as a predicted tropical depression approaches and could cause dangerous weather.

DeSantis’ executive order affects 54 of Florida’s 67 counties. It warned that heavy rains over the next seven days could cause “flash flooding, river flooding, coastal flooding, erosion, and gusty winds. The Governor warned that power outages could also be possible from downed trees and power lines.

“These conditions could damage the operational capability of critical infrastructure to include major interstates and roadways, bridges, airports, schools, hospitals, power grids, and other critical infrastructure,” the executive order said.

Florida exceeds 5,400 bonus payouts in police recruitment program

Efforts to recruit police officers (both new ones from Florida and veteran cops from other states) are ongoing through the Florida Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Program, with the state dishing out more than 1,000 bonuses to recruit officers this year.

FloridaCommerce says the state has “welcomed more than 400 recruits from anti-police jurisdictions like Illinois, California, and New York,” paying out 5,407 bonuses of $5,000 in total, with 1,340 of them paid out this year alone.

“Under Governor Ron DeSantis’ leadership, Florida is and will remain a pro law enforcement state,” said Florida Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly. “This program continues to attract officers eager to pursue a career in law enforcement to our great state because we believe in supporting those who serve and protect our communities.”

State data details good news for air quality in the Glades during sugar harvest season

Data from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Department of Health shows air quality in the Glades was in the “good” range — the highest standard under Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards — for 200 out of 209 test days during the 2023-24 harvest period, or 95.7% of the time.

Measurements of PM 2.5 levels — fine particles under 2.5 micrograms that can decrease air quality — also show that the Glades average of 6.8 PM2.5 per cubic meter sat below the state average of 7.4. Farmers also turned to private monitors in the region to reinforce findings at the state level.

The average air quality in the Glades also sits well below the EPA’s new, tighter definition of “good” air quality, which dropped from a maximum of 12 PM2.5 per cubic meter to 9. That change took effect in May.

Florida may have to pay businesses’ legal fees after Stop Woke ruling

Florida could face paying attorney fees for businesses that successfully challenged part of a 2022 law that Gov. Ron DeSantis dubbed the Stop Woke Act.

Attorneys for the businesses Tuesday filed an 11-page motion that asks a judge to determine that the plaintiffs are entitled to recover legal fees and costs. The motion came four days after Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker granted a permanent injunction against part of the law, officially named the Individual Freedom Act, that sought to restrict businesses from addressing race-related issues in workplace training.

The permanent injunction came after the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this year upheld a preliminary injunction that Walker issued in 2022. Walker and the appeals court said the restrictions violated First Amendment rights.