Florida's Latest News

Moment of silence in schools bill sitting on Governor’s desk

It’s now up to Gov. Ron DeSantis to decide whether students should start the day with a required moment of silence.

A bill to do just that is sitting on DeSantis’ desk awaiting his signature. If signed into law, the bill would take effect July 1. The Governor has until June 26 to sign the bill, veto it or let it become law without his signature.

The new law would require teachers to hold a one- to two-minute moment of silence at the start of each day in public schools. The bill prohibits teachers from making suggestions about the moment of silence, but it does encourage teachers to discuss how the student can best utilize the moment with parents or guardians. The only requirement of the student is that they are silent during the moment.

Ron DeSantis blasts ‘passive’ Joe Biden, Big Tech as doing China’s bidding

Gov. Ron DeSantis returned to the Sunday Morning Futures show this week, where he had an extended runway to sound off against familiar nemeses.

In comments to host Maria Bartiromo on the Fox News Channel, DeSantis depicted President Joe Biden and the tech industry as essentially following the lead of communist Beijing in both so-called lockdowns and the aftermath.

Asked to appraise Biden’s performance at the G-7 summit, DeSantis dismissed the President as “not nearly as assertive as someone like Donald Trump was” and said Biden’s “performance may have played well with European elites, but [DeSantis is] not sure there was much in it for Middle America.”

Florida weekly COVID-19 report shows 12K+ new cases as limited reporting takes effect

Florida health officials reported more than 12,000 new cases of COVID-19 over the past week. Cases cover new cases confirmed from June 4-10.

The state has now confirmed more than 2.3 million cases since the pandemic first landed on Florida shores last March.

The weekly report, the first since the state reported last week it would cease daily reports, also included 40 deaths in the past week, bringing the statewide death toll to 37,265. The new weekly reports contain less information that the previous daily reports, including data from longterm care facilities, and vaccinations and cases among non-Florida residents.

Hearing set in battle over social media law

A federal judge will hear arguments June 28 about whether to issue a preliminary injunction against a new law that Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed to crack down on large social-media companies.

U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle will hold the hearing just days before the law is scheduled to take effect July 1. NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association, which are online-industry groups, filed a motion last week seeing an injunction and requesting “expedited consideration.”

They contend the law, passed by the Legislature in April, would violate First Amendment rights and harm companies’ efforts to moderate content. In part, the measure seeks to bar social-media companies from removing political candidates from platforms. Companies that violate the prohibition could face fines of $250,000 a day for statewide candidates and $25,000 a day for other candidates.