Florida's Latest News

DeSantis announces $8 million infrastructure grant for Inter Miami stadium project

The new Inter Miami stadium in Miami is not scheduled to open until the start of the 2026 MLS season, but already, Miami Freedom Park got a significant assist from the State of Florida.

Governor Ron DeSantis was at the team’s temporary home, Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, on Thursday to announce that the state is granting $8 million to Miami-Dade County to assist with infrastructure around the stadium, including constructing a roadway to relieve traffic around the new stadium park project, which is adjacent to Miami International Airport.

In addition to a 26,700-seat stadium, the project includes a 58-acre park, hotels, offices, retail and entertainment venues. “As much as I love sports, we just don’t believe that we give money to build sports stadiums, we’ve never done that with our state money,” DeSantis said.

“Local governments sometimes make those decisions, but from the state perspective, it’s not anything we’ve ever done and not anything we are going to do.

Florida poised to rebid $13B program for medically fragile children

Florida health care officials are expected to drop another invitation to negotiate (ITN) for a Medicaid program, this one for the Children’s Medical Services (CMS) Health Plan.

The nearly $13 billion contract to provide health care services for medically complex children who are Medicaid or state children’s health insurance program eligible expires Jan. 31, 2025, and the Department of Health (DOH) is expected to drop an ITN to procure the program any day.

The soon-to-be-released ITN follows DOH’s decision in May to extend its current contract with Sunshine Health Plan. Under the amended contract Sunshine will be paid an additional $3 billion, bringing the total value of the contract with the state to no more than $12.9 billion.

Florida requires most Medicaid beneficiaries, including medically complex children who can require specialty health care services, to enroll in managed care plans. Families have a choice of enrolling their children in one of the plans participating in the statewide Medicaid managed care program or the CMS Health Plan.

JAG tag team: Ron DeSantis backs Sam Greco in HD 19

Gov. Ron DeSantis is throwing his support behind Republican Sam Greco in House District 19, giving Greco one of his biggest endorsements yet.

Greco will face Darryl Boyer in the Aug. 20 Primary. He’s running to replace outgoing Republican Rep. Paul Renner, who is finishing his term as House Speaker and is endorsing Greco as his successor.

While the endorsement from DeSantis is a huge get, it’s not all that surprising considering a big similarity between the two — both served as JAG Officers in the Navy.

“As a former Navy JAG Officer, I know Sam’s experience also serving in the U.S. Navy JAG Corps means he’s ready to serve District 19 and all of Florida with distinction. He will be a trusted fighter for the conservative values that we champion — lower taxes, law and order and families first,” DeSantis said in his endorsement. Greco said he was grateful for the honor.

2024 primary voter guide: Over 100 local candidates on the issues

Florida’s 2024 state primary election will be held on Aug. 20. In this guide, you can find the candidates running for office across Tampa Bay and where they stand on key issues.

For races from the U.S. Senate to local school boards, Tampa Bay Times reporters have asked candidates to respond to specific policy questions, so you can know more about their positions when you vote.

In this guide, use the buttons at the top to filter which races you want to show. In Florida, Democratic and Republican primaries are only open to voters already registered with the parties, except in races where the winner will be unopposed in the general election.

If you prefer a hard copy, just press the button reading “Download printable PDF” to save an easy-to-read document with your selected races.