Florida's Latest News

Gov. DeSantis receives measure returning beach smoking bans back to local govs

Local governments may soon be able to regulate the use of cigarettes on the beach after Gov. Ron DeSantis received the new measure Friday. It will become law upon his signing.

The proposal (HB 105) empowers cities and counties to regulate cigarettes in parks, including beaches. That’s a change from Florida’s previous law, which restricted the right to regulate outdoor smoking only to the state. Many cities and counties have tried to ban smoking on beaches in the past, but a ruling in a 2017 case brought by the ACLU against a Sarasota ban on smoking in parks made clear no local ordinance could regulate outdoor smoking.

The legislation was sponsored by Sarasota Republican Sen. Joe Gruters and Brevard County Republican Rep. Randy Fine. It cleared the Senate in a 30-7 vote, and the House in a 105-10 vote.

Gov. DeSantis gives $4M to Callahan for clean water plant

The town of Callahan, a small burg of 1,372 just north of Jacksonville, will receive $4 million to build a clean water plant, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday.

The money will come from the state’s Job Growth Grant Fund, a pot used by DeSantis for job training and infrastructure projects, and will be used to expand capacity at the Crawford Diamond Industrial Park in Callahan. The project will help bring more jobs to the area and boost manufacturing jobs, DeSantis said.

“We want to build more stuff in the U.S. We want to build more stuff in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said before handing over the check to local officials.

Audra Wallace, president of the JAXUSA Partnership, an economic development agency for the Jacksonville area, said the port and transportation infrastructure has lured logistics companies and other manufacturers to the region.

Where can babies, toddlers get COVID vaccines in Miami and the rest of Florida?

Now that federal regulators have authorized COVID-19 vaccines for infants and toddlers, parents are one step closer to being able to vaccinate their little ones in Florida.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday granted emergency use authorization to Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines for kids as young as 6 months old.

On Saturday, an independent advisory committee for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5. The recommendation will then go to the CDC Director, who is expected to approve it, likely this weekend. Then the vaccine administration can begin.

Tampa Bay school board races are set amid high political interest

School district politics have drawn increased attention over the past year as boards have grappled with hot button issues — from disputes over pandemic masking to topics like library book content, gender and race.

The interest became clear as candidates qualified this week for the Aug. 23 nonpartisan school board elections, in which all voters may participate.

Across the Tampa Bay region, board hopefuls emerged demanding stricter adherence to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ conservative education agenda, such as the banning of “indoctrination.” Candidates opposed to aspects of DeSantis’ platform also turned out, providing voters with stark choices for several seats.