Florida's Latest News

Public school chaplains, other education laws take effect Monday

The 2024 Legislative Session saw the approval of divisive education-related laws, several of which take effect Monday. Read our partial rundown on what will change in Sunshine State schools in the new fiscal year:

HB 931: Volunteer school chaplains: Despite queasiness on this score in other GOP-controlled states, a Florida law implementing volunteer chaplains in schools will take effect Monday.

The law has generated concern regarding the qualifications required of chaplains and the separation of church and state.

Volunteer chaplains must pass a background check — the law specifies no other qualifications. Applicants must submit their name and religious affiliation to the school for public disclosure.

As potential Florida VP choice looms, Donald Trump heads to Doral this week for campaign rally

Former President Donald Trump will rally supporters in South Florida next week in one of his final campaign appearances before this month’s Republican National Convention.

At that Tuesday night event in Doral, the presumptive GOP nominee will deliver what his campaign’s advisory sells as a Florida-centric message.

“Florida is a place near and dear to President Trump’s heart as his home state. President Trump loves Florida and its people,” the campaign says.

The advisory suggests that Trump will blame President Joe Biden for the cost of living and security issues in the state. Biden’s campaign is in existential crisis after the Democrat’s disastrous debate last week. “Florida families are being smothered by high inflation on everyday goods,” the campaign claims. “Biden’s weak immigration policies have turned Florida into a border state.”

Florida health department data captured in cyberattack, hackers claim

A hacker group claims it has breached the Florida Department of Health and gained access to a large amount of potentially sensitive data on Floridians.

The RansomHub ransomware group said in a post on the dark web that it will release 100 gigabytes of department data unless the state pays an undisclosed amount of money. A database of all of the state’s payments to contractors in a year takes up about 0.1 gigabytes.

What type of information the group possesses, or even whether it possesses any, is unclear. A spokesperson for the department, which reports to Gov. Ron DeSantis, confirmed on Wednesday the department experienced “a potential cyber incident.” The Times/Herald has asked the state about the hack since Friday.

The Department of Health holds some of the state’s most sensitive information, including individuals’ COVID-19 vaccine records, prescriptions for controlled substances and medical marijuana patient data.

Behold! Some of the biggest Burmese pythons caught during Florida Python Challenge

The Florida Python Challenge will take place Aug. 9 to18. Participants have nine days to kill as many Burmese pythons as possible. 

Burmese Pythons are an invasive species that pose a threat to wildlife in the Everglades. Florida pays hunters annually to catch the snakes. The competition helps protect the Everglades habitat and all its native animals by removing the invasive Burmese pythons. State-approved hunters can win up to $25,000 this year.

In last year's hunt, 209 snakes were caught during the Florida Python Challenge. The prize was $10,000. A 2012 study suggested that in Everglades National Park, pythons were responsible for a decline of 85% to 100% of the population of medium-sized animals such as raccoons and rabbits.

Prizes will be awarded for the longest or most snakes caught. To register for the Florida Python Challenge, go to FLPythonChallenge.org.