Florida's Latest News

DeSantis wants to assign more National Guard members to Florida prisons.

A little more than a year after calling on the National Guard to assist the state Department of Corrections, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is proposing to assign another 100 guard members to Florida prisons and buy dozens of now-leased trailers to house them and family members.

The corrections agency for years has grappled with staffing shortages and high turnover rates, resulting in millions of dollars in overtime pay for workers. The Legislature has authorized hiring and retention bonuses for correctional officers and hiked starting salaries, but staffing issues persist.

DeSantis in September 2022 issued an executive order activating the National Guard “to address the present staffing shortage on a temporary short-term basis.” The governor subsequently extended the order, and 300 guard members have been working in the prison system.

The Department of Corrections recently submitted a request to a legislative committee seeking $23.5 million to offset salaries for 100 additional guard members at state prisons through June 30, the end of the fiscal year. The state is spending $30 million for the 300 guard members already working in the prison system.

Florida ranked as 5th best state for jobs.

As we near the end of 2023, the U.S. job market remains relatively strong -- but there were some standout states, including the Sunshine State. WalletHub conducted a study in which it compared all 50 states across 34 key indicators of job-market strength and economic vitality. The data set included employment growth, job opportunities, monthly average starting salary, average work week length, job satisfaction, job security, work-related stress and the unemployment rate.

Considering all the categories, Florida ranked fifth overall.

In regard to specific category performances, the Sunshine State notably scored high in employment growth, coming in at #6. This metric measured the rate of annual job growth, adjusted by the working-age population growth, according to WalletHub.

“Washington is the best state for jobs in 2023, in large part due to the fact that it’s one of the few states that doesn’t charge its workers income tax, on top of offering high wages and good employment protections,” said Cassandra Happe, WalletHub analyst.

Florida Senate president unveils plan to expand health care access, add doctors

Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and two key lieutenants on Thursday rolled out a plan aimed at expanding access to health care, with a focus on increasing the number of doctors, encouraging technological innovation and boosting medical screenings.

The legislative package calls for spending nearly $900 million to, among other things, shift patients away from emergency rooms, offset hospitals’ training costs and help doctors pay off debt. Speaking to reporters, Passidomo called the plan a “very, very robust” package with “very creative concepts that will help address the workforce needs” as the state’s population continues to grow.

“As you know, about 1,000 people a day move to the state of Florida; many of them are older. Everybody needs health care. In Florida today, we do not have enough health care personnel to take care of the Floridians that are living here,” Passidomo, R-Naples, said. “And so our whole goal is, how do we grow our health care system in Florida, our workforce, and that’s how we started.”

Detailed bills will be filed Friday, and the Senate Health Policy Committee will take up the proposals next week, Passidomo said.

Florida lawmaker files bill criminalizing panhandling in most cases.

A new bill filed by Pensacola Republican Rep. Alex Andrade adds criminal penalties for panhandling in most circumstances and adds the potential for panhandling to be a felony.

Andrade filed a new bill (HB 759) on Wednesday that amends Florida's charitable solicitation law in a way that he said gives law enforcement the tools to remove aggressive panhandling from roadways across the state.

The bill's various changes to the charitable solicitation law does two key things. First, it restricts panhandling by place and time, essentially banning it in most public areas, and limits legal panhandling to 9:01 a.m. to 3:59 p.m.

Laws cracking down on panhandling have often been overturned by courts on free speech grounds. However, courts have long upheld that speech can be regulated with appropriate "time, place, and manner" regulations.