Florida's Latest News

Ron DeSantis Plans to Detail Energy Policy on Visit to Oil-Rich Texas

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis plans to unveil a major proposal for energy policy at an event in Midland, Texas next Wednesday during a fundraising swing in the oil-rich state, according to a campaign official.

DeSantis is expected to call for ramping up domestic energy production, including increased mining of natural gas, as a way to combat rising inflation, according to people briefed on the speech who requested anonymity to speak about its contents.

DeSantis will promise to roll back President Joe Biden’s green policies, many of which are embedded in the Inflation Reduction Act, the people familiar said. The landmark Democratic law provided billions of dollars to address climate change and to transition the US economy to electric vehicles and other green technology, 

A major thrust of the speech is intended to focus on how energy policy can bring jobs back to the US and will look at the issue through the prism of both the economy and national security, according to the people. 

Ed Hooper wants to tax electric, hybrid vehicles — but not golf carts

A carefully crafted bill would erase some of the economic benefits of opting for green transport in Florida without disturbing golf-carting populations in places like The Villages.

Sen. Ed Hooper recently filed a bill (SB 28) that would impose extra license costs for drivers of electric and hybrid vehicles. But the Clearwater Republican’s bill appears to make a special exception for golf carts, a staple vessel for Floridians on and off the links.

The bill provides for an additional license tax for drivers of electric and hybrid vehicles. The proposed tax for fully electric drivers is $200 annually until 2029, when it ramps up to $250 per year. The tax for hybrid owners is $50 per year, increasing to $100 in 2029.

Currently, Florida drivers pay a much cheaper license tax, ranging from $14.50 to $32.50, for most private vehicles depending on weight. Under the language of the bill, electric and hybrid owners would continue to pay these already-in-effect license taxes, too.

123,000 new students taking Florida school vouchers, report says

Nearly 123,000 new students have received private-school vouchers after state lawmakers this year passed a major expansion of voucher programs, while a group that administers the programs says they will not bring an “exodus” from public schools as critics have predicted.

As of Sept. 8, 242,929 students had enrolled in 2,098 private schools using vouchers through the state’s two main programs, the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship and Family Empowerment Scholarship, according to a report by Step Up for Students, an organization that administers the vast majority of vouchers in the state.

That is an increase from the roughly 170,000 students who received vouchers through the programs during the 2022-2023 school year.

Of the nearly 243,000 students this year, 122,895 “are new to the programs,” though many had already been enrolled in private schools, according to Step Up for Students.

Firefighters fear the toxic chemicals in their gear could be contributing to cancer cases

Boston firefighter Daniel Ranahan had heard about colleagues getting cancer but he was stunned when doctors discovered a tumor in his chest.

He was only 30 and had been in the Boston Fire Department less than a decade. But as he investigated his diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma in October 2020 and sought successful treatment, he learned he and others wore gear that contained the toxic industrial compound PFAS.

“You always hear about the dangers. You just never think it's going be you,” said Ranahan, who stopped working due to the cancer and is among thousands of firefighters nationwide who sued PFAS manufacturers and companies that make firefighting gear and foam, seeking damages for their exposure.

“These guys put this on day in and day out to protect neighborhoods and wherever they are working," he said. The Associated Press was not given access to his doctors due to the ongoing litigation, making it difficult to independently verify his claims.