Florida's Latest News

DeSantis seeks to supplement Florida school vouchers with federal tax plan

Gov. Ron DeSantis says he wants to make Florida’s school voucher program even bigger by opting into the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit enacted by Congress in 2025.

But first, he plans to make certain the program, which begins in 2027, will supplement rather than supplant students’ state paid vouchers.

“Obviously, philosophically we’re in favor of it,” DeSantis said Wednesday during a news conference celebrating National School Choice Week at Grace Christian School in Valrico. “We want to make sure it’s not going to subtract what we’re putting into it.”

Questions arose earlier in the week after the U.S. Department of Education released a list of participating states and Florida was not on it. DeSantis said he was confident the eventual rules would not harm Florida families, adding that he is watching the federal rulemaking.

At the end of the day, he said, the added $1,700 per student could help families provide more resources to support their children’s education. DeSantis warned private schools not to try to take advantage.

Survivor-backed bill toughening domestic violence laws clears first House hurdle

A bill that would significantly expand and strengthen Florida’s response to domestic and dating violence just cleared its first of four committee stops in the House with emphatic, cross-aisle support.

Members of the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee voted 16-0 for the measure (HB 277) by Democratic Rep. Debra Tendrich, who described the legislation as turning “pain into policy.”

Tendrich, a freshman lawmaker from Lake Worth Beach, spoke hoarsely while introducing her bill, explaining that losing her voice ahead of the committee meeting would not keep her from “speaking for the voiceless.”

And she was once among them. Tendrich detailed how she came to Florida 13 years ago to escape a “domestic violence situation” with nothing but her daughter, a suitcase with two changes of clothes, and $15.

“People often ask victims, ‘Why don’t you just leave?’ Because leaving is typically the most dangerous time for a victim,” she said Wednesday. “And for many abusers, an injunction for protection is just a piece of paper, nothing more.”

Senate bill upping e-bike regulations rolls through second committee

A Senate committee unanimously approved Wednesday to a bill that would increase regulations on electronic bicycles and scooters.

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development reviewed the bill (SB 382) while about a dozen representatives from local governments, law enforcement offices and school boards urged legislators to sharpen rules governing the vehicles, which have been involved in an increasing number of accidents, some of them fatal.

Nancy Bowen, Vice Mayor of Coral Springs, said residents complain every day as the devices are visible throughout the community. And more are entering pedestrian paths.

“Parents worry when they’re walking with their young children,” Bowen said. “Right now, the rules haven’t caught up.”

The bill calls for increased regulation and data collection on the vehicles. It would establish an “electric bicycle task force.” The panel would collect data on e-bike and e-scooter accidents, provide recommendations on enforcement, and submit a report in the Fall to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Rick Scott launches video series spotlighting Florida entrepreneurs

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott has announced a series of online videos spotlighting the work of Florida entrepreneurs.

The “American Dream At Work” series shows the importance of small business in communities in terms of job creation and empowering citizens. The series was announced by his Senate Office.

“Growing up, my mom always told us how blessed we were to live in the greatest country in the world, where anybody willing to work hard could achieve their American Dream,” Scott said. “She was right — I worked hard, opened my first business, and turned my entire life around to live my dreams.”

Scott has often told his own story of growing up in poverty, then growing as an entrepreneur to run a major health care company, before winning election as a Governor and now a U.S. Senator.

But he said the American dream today feels further out of reach thanks to challenges with affordability and inflation.