Florida's Latest News

Ed Pope launches campaign to succeed Vern Buchanan in CD 16

Navy veteran Edward Pope officially launched his campaign to succeed U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan.

The Florida Highway Patrol trooper-turned-business executive is pursuing the Republican nomination in Florida’s 16th Congressional District.

“Florida’s 16th District deserves a representative who understands law enforcement, national security, executive leadership, and the real-world consequences of federal policy. It deserves someone who has worn the uniform, balanced budgets, led teams under pressure, and delivered measurable outcomes,” he said. “I bring courage without compromise, experience without excuses, and leadership without ego. I am not running to build a political career — I am running to protect the way of life that makes this country worth fighting for.”

Pope opened a federal campaign account earlier this month and launched his campaign on Friday, he said. That came months after Pope earned his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Walden University.

Florida may have outgrown part-time legislature, experts say

With a diverse population of 23 million people, a $115 billion budget and a long list of complicated, unsolved problems like housing affordability and high property insurance costs, Florida may have outgrown its part-time citizen Legislature.

“It is structurally set up to fail,” said Bob Jarvis, a law professor at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale. “That’s the problem with a 60-day session. Florida is too big, its problems too complex, to have a part-time Legislature.”

Florida also pays its lawmakers as if they are truly part-time, weeding out state residents who can’t afford to serve.

By law, the Florida Legislature must meet for two months beginning in January or March to take up the state’s business, passing bills and ultimately approving a balanced budget.

Board of Governors clears the way for FAMU athletic debt forgiveness

Florida A&M University has been paying back millions of dollars in auxiliary funds that were unrightfully used years ago for its Athletics Department, but the longstanding debt is no longer a setback. 

During a March 26 Florida Board of Governors meeting, the higher education board voted in support of letting the FAMU Board of Trustees take steps to recuse the university from repaying the athletics debt – a move that comes as the governing board’s regulations recently started allowing athletics departments of the state’s public universities to use auxiliary funds for athletics expenses.

Now, the ball is in the FAMU board’s court to make the debt forgiveness decision. While the university board is scheduled to convene virtually on April 15, it is unclear if the matter will be considered during that meeting as an agenda has yet to be posted.

Here’s who’s running for Pinellas County school board seats

A majority of the Pinellas County school board’s seven seats come up for election in August.

Unlike two years ago, when the nonpartisan board became a takeover target for supporters of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ education agenda, candidate interest in the posts has been slower to surface. And there’s been no concerted effort to this point to “flip” the board to a more conservative perspective, with qualifying three months away.

Three incumbents — Lisa Cane in District 2, Dawn Peters in District 3 and Caprice Edmond in District 7 — announced their reelection bids early. Cane so far has drawn no opposition, while Edmond has one hopeful in her race and Peters has two.

The fourth seat, being vacated by one-term member Stephanie Meyer, initially appeared on track to be an unchallenged campaign for former board member and county commissioner Nancy Bostock. Several establishment figures, including current and former commissioners and board members, quickly endorsed Bostock in an effort to ward off other potential aspirants.