Florida's Latest News

Ashley Moody backs measure supporting lineworkers honoring their efforts after storms

U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody co-sponsored a Senate resolution to honor lineworkers who put their lives on the line during natural disasters and other emergencies.

The lineworkers for countless utility companies and local municipalities are the workers who labor to restore power after hurricanes and other severe weather events. Moody’s resolution is designed to express gratitude to the workers who keep Florida and other parts of the U.S. running during the most difficult times.

“Lineworkers’ jobs are essential, and often dangerous. That became very apparent in Florida after Hurricanes Helene and Milton rocked our state” in 2024, Moody said during a ceremony honoring Journeyman Lineworkers Recognition Day Friday.

“Crews from Florida and from across state lines left their own families and worked around the clock in hazardous conditions to restore power to Floridians. On Journeyman Lineworkers Recognition Day and every day, we say thank you to the linemen who rushed to our state to get power back up and running after major disasters.”

Vote-by-mail ballots head to nearly 28K Leon Co. voters ahead of crowded August ballot

With nearly 28,000 vote-by-mail ballots mailed out in Leon County, Democrats’ vote-by-mail advantage ahead of the Aug. 18 Primary looks similar to the county’s 2024 numbers.

Data from the state Division of Elections shows Democrats account for 59% of Leon County vote-by-mail ballot requests so far, while Republicans account for 25% of requests. Those figures roughly track the 2024 Primary, when 63% of the county’s vote-by-mail ballots were cast by Democrats and 25% were cast by Republicans.

Democrats make up 47.5% of registered voters in Leon County, while Republicans are 30% of the electorate.

The vote-by-mail margin could matter as Democrats hope to ride a blue wave to success in Florida and elsewhere. To overcome the Republican voter registration advantage statewide, Democrats will likely need to perform well in blue counties such as Leon.

As rising seas invade the Everglades, spoonbills are finding new homes

Deep in the Everglades, through the knee-high mud and up, up, up in the trees, tucked into nests made of twigs, are the squawking, flapping and distinctly pink offspring of one of Florida’s most iconic birds: the roseate spoonbill.

“You see a bunch of pink, fuzzy balls. They made this very cute clacking noise,” said Shauna Sayers, a wading bird research specialist for Audubon Florida. And then there’s the smell. “They’re stinky little guys.”

Humans have sought out these nests for nearly a century in Florida. First, to plunder them and pluck the prized feathers to adorn the hats of fashionable ladies, and then, to learn more about the birds. Audubon has been tracking them since the 1930s.

These decades of research have pointed out a curious pattern for where the spoonbills make their nests — an inland shift. The culprit, the science suggests, may be sea level rise.

Florida Chamber announces second wave of endorsements in 2026 legislative races

The Florida Chamber of Commerce has rolled out its second round of 2026 legislative endorsements, adding 25 candidates to its slate and bringing the organization’s total number of endorsed candidates this cycle to 106.

The new bipartisan list includes three Senate candidates and 22 House candidates selected through the Florida Chamber Political Institute’s candidate interview process, which brought together more than 90 business organizations to interview more than 100 legislative hopefuls over six weeks in four cities.

“To secure Florida’s future, we must continue to elect leaders dedicated to enhancing our global competitiveness, furthering economic opportunity, and protecting what makes Florida, Florida,” said Florida Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson. “We believe these candidates possess the leadership needed to continue Florida’s economic momentum and execute our blueprint to build a top 10 global economy and deliver the more than 785,000 new jobs needed by 2030.”

The newly endorsed Senate candidates are Jake Johansson in Senate District 8, Chris Nocco in Senate District 21 and Lauren Book in Senate District 30.