Florida's Latest News

Legislators begin to grapple with Gov. DeSantis’ third budget

Gov. Ron DeSantis rolled out his third and by far most ambitious budget last week, and legislative panels will begin a preliminary review this week.

The Senate Appropriations Committee will hear a presentation about the proposed $96.6 billion budget on Tuesday morning. The House Appropriations Committee takes up the document the following day. Subcommittee review will follow from there.

The proposed spending plan is more than $4 billion higher than the current year’s budget, with $2.6 billion of the overage driven by response to COVID-19.

Florida lawmaker seeks to limit $15 minimum wage approved by voters with ‘training pay’

A state Senate Republican has filed a proposal that could lead to young people, felons, prisoners and other “hard-to-hire” employees making less than the $15 an hour minimum wage approved by Florida voters in November.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, unveiled a Senate resolution Wednesday that would modify the $15 wage amendment to allow the Legislature to set a reduced pay rate for workers under age 21, those convicted of felonies, for state prisoners and for “other hard-to-hire employees.”

In an interview Thursday, Brandes said the change would allow the Legislature to help struggling workers find employment.

Manny Diaz school voucher reform bill teed up for first Senate test

A bill that would simplify Florida’s education choice programs by merging five scholarship programs into two, while adding flexible spending options, gets its first committee hearing this week.

 SB 48, sponsored by Sen. Manny Diaz Jr., would make school-voucher programs more accessible, streamline current choice programs, and would allow parents and guardians to use education savings accounts to pay for education outside traditional public schools.

The legislation is slated for a hearing Wednesday, and worth watching will be how many Democrats join Republicans in backing it.

Jim Boyd property insurance reform bill up for Tuesday Senate committee vote

A Senate committee next week will take up a potentially far-reaching bill that would make changes in Florida’s property-insurance system.

The Banking and Insurance Committee on Tuesday will consider a measure (SB 76), filed by Chairman Jim Boyd, a Republican from Bradenton, that seeks to reduce attorney fees and litigation in property-insurance disputes and limit the costs of claims for roof damage.

The measure comes after regulators last year signed off on dozens of double-digit rate increases for private insurers and as homeowners’ policies flooded into the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp.