Florida's Latest News

Want your mug shot less searchable? A bill sitting on Gov. DeSantis’ desk has you covered

A bill to crackdown on companies that publish mug shots is sitting on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk.

DeSantis has until July 3 to sign the bill, though it would take effect July 1.

If signed, the new law (SB 1046) would require mug shot publishers to remove booking photos if requested by the person featured in the image. The bill creates noncompliance penalties. If the publisher doesn’t remove the photo within 10 days of written notice they would face a daily $1,000 penalty.

A published mug shot can be an obstacle to employment, according to a staff analysis that notes 77% of employers Google their job applicant’s name during the hiring process.

Florida wins first blow in cruise fight with CDC

A federal court has temporarily dislodged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s sailing restrictions for cruise lines amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday in Tampa on Friday granted a preliminary injunction against the CDC and its sailing order, kicking in July 18. Beginning then, the CDC’s conditional sailing order will remain, but on the same “non-binding” level that applies to other travel industries, like airlines and hotels.

“This order finds that Florida is highly likely to prevail on the merits of the claim that CDC’s conditional sailing order and the implementing orders exceed the authority delegated to CDC,” Merryday wrote.

Amid red tide outbreak, Florida beckons visitors to beaches

Plumes of toxic oceanic bacteria known as red tide continued to move up the western Florida coast, strewing thousands of dead fish on beaches while state officials tried to reassure Floridians and potential tourists Thursday that the outbreak was being taken seriously but isn’t as bad as it would seem.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday assembled a team of experts in St. Petersburg to describe the work that is underway to better understand and control the latest outbreak.

As the state’s economy continues to emerge from the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic, images of beaches littered with dead fish could threaten to keep visitors from flocking to seaside communities during the July 4 holiday.

Lake Okeechobee Would Rise More Than A Foot, Or Higher, Under Army Corps Proposed Management Plans

New operating plans for managing Lake Okeechobee would raise the lake at least 1.5 feet once the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completes $1.8 billion in repairs to the aging Herbert Hoover Dike.

The plans, previewed Thursday, all allow the 730-square-mile lake to jump over 17 feet or higher, drawing concerns about worsening the lake’s health.

“Lake Okeechobee in these runs is the biggest loser,” said Paul Gray, Everglades Science Director for Audubon Florida. “We know that deepwater harm to the lake is pretty bad. When you get to 17 feet by accident, it really causes long-term harm to the lake. And heaven forbid we get to 18 feet.”