Florida's Latest News

Back-to-school sales tax holiday is happening this weekend

Parents can save some money this weekend during Florida’s annual sales-tax “holiday” for back to school.

The event, which runs from Friday through Sunday, exempts from state and local sales taxes clothing purchases of $60 or less per item, school supplies for $15 or less and the first $1,000 of computers and accessories.

Sales taxes range from 6% to 8% in Florida, depending on the county, and many retailers usually run sales promotions to bring down costs even more.

‘You got to meet your obligations’: Gov. DeSantis defends eviction moratorium’s narrower scope

Gov. Ron DeSantis defended the narrower scope in his most recent eviction moratorium.

Unlike previous orders, the most recent order limits protections to single-family homeowners and renters who are “adversely affected” by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The distinction potentially puts many Floridians back on the hook for issues such as unpaid bills or property damage.

As legal battle over school reopening proceeds, DeSantis stresses importance of sports

Flanked by coaches, athletes and politicians, Gov. Ron DeSantis Thursday used sports to emphasize his support of school reopenings.

DeSantis called the extracurricular activities “critical” for maintaining discipline and achieving college scholarships. Without them, he said, students will face “huge effects.”

At a press conference at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, DeSantis drew on his experience as a competitive baseball player and eventual college athlete at Yale University, recalling the sense of self-purpose learned as a student athlete.

Florida rescinds quarantine mandate for New York travelers

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis rescinded an order requiring people traveling from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to the Sunshine State to quarantine or isolate for 14 days.

The order signed by DeSantis and made public Thursday also eliminated detailed requirements for when restaurant employees should be kept from reporting to work because of coronavirus concerns.

Early in the national outbreak, DeSantis, a Republican, ordered that travelers arriving in Florida from then-hard-hit New York City and its suburbs quarantine themselves for two weeks, giving them a lot of the blame for spreading the disease in his state. But New York’s statewide daily infection-rate has plummeted since late April and is now about one-tenth Florida’s even though the states have similar populations.