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DeSantis signs legislation to expand veteran support

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two bills into law on Thursday aimed at enhancing support for veterans and their families in Florida.

The first measure, House Bill 725, expands eligibility for residency in state veterans’ homes to include the spouses and surviving spouses of qualifying veterans. Previously, only veterans were eligible for admission to these facilities, which are operated by the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs (FDVA).

The bill prioritizes veterans for admission but now allows their spouses to live with them in these facilities. Currently, the FDVA operates nine state veterans’ homes that provide comprehensive care and services to veterans. “We want to make sure that families are kept together, spouses are kept together,” said DeSantis.

House Bill 1329, the second signed bill, introduces several initiatives to support veterans’ transition to civilian life and improve their employment opportunities. The legislation creates the Major John Leroy Haynes Florida Veterans’ History Program, which will collect and preserve veterans’ stories and experiences, ensuring their contributions are recognized and remembered.

Florida Supreme Court says peaceful protesters OK under DeSantis anti-riot law

Rejecting arguments that the law is ambiguous, the Florida Supreme Court said Thursday that peaceful protesters are not threatened by a measure that Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature passed in 2021 to crack down on violent demonstrations.

DeSantis championed the law after nationwide protests following the 2020 death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer. But civil rights groups filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the measure, contending it could lead to peaceful protesters facing charges when demonstrations turn violent.

Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker in 2021 issued a preliminary injunction against the law, describing it as unconstitutionally “vague and overbroad.”

The state appealed, but the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals took a somewhat unusual step of requesting help from the Florida Supreme Court with what it called a “novel” issue — how to determine the meaning of the word “riot” in the law.

Florida Supreme Court allows judicial candidates to declare political ideology

The Florida Supreme Court cleared the way for judicial candidates across the state to openly declare their political ideology — as long as they don’t disclose their party affiliation.

The high court’s decision was tucked in a ruling over how to penalize a St. Johns County judge who told potential voters in a 2022 campaign voicemail that she was a conservative. Judicial races are supposed to be nonpartisan, but the high court ruled her statement was ethically permissible.

“To describe oneself as a ‘conservative’ does not signal bias, pro or con, toward anyone or on any issue,” the justices ruled, overriding the findings of the Judicial Qualifications and the admission of the judge facing discipling, County Court Judge Casey L. Woolsey.

Judges have been publicly scolded for even admitting their political party registration in response to questions from the media. But Woolsey never said she was a Republican. “The statement ‘I am a conservative’ is not partisan, either inherently or, as the JQC believed, when made during an election campaign in a predominantly Republican community,” the court ruled.

Across Florida, residents fear impact of higher Duke, Tampa Electric rates

They came from homes where air conditioners sat silent, relief from the heat a luxury they can no longer afford. They came between shifts — cleaning houses, installing floors, pouring drinks — earning wages that no longer stretch as far as they need.

They came exasperated, after shelling out for solar panels only to still feel the pinch of energy costs.

For hours in three different counties last week, Tampa Bay residents implored state utility regulators to say no to higher rates in their electric bills. These local, in-person hearings are so rare they haven’t happened for Duke Energy and Tampa Electric customers in more than a decade. Additional virtual hearings wrapped up Tuesday.

The Public Service Commission meetings offered a raw glimpse into a region where an affordable housing crisis, inflation and high electric costs collide. Dozens of residents told a governor-appointed commission how their families’ finances teetered. Higher electric bills, some warned, would mean skipping meals. One less birthday gift for their kids. More anxiety around insulin that must be kept cold.