Florida's Latest News

Ron DeSantis will return to Utah Friday

Florida’s Governor is heading back to the Beehive State Friday as he continues his presidential campaign.

As first reported by the Deseret News, Ron DeSantis will be back in Utah Friday afternoon for a press conference at the state Capitol and for other private events.

DeSantis has enthused about Utah like no other Florida Governor in history, perhaps a function of needing their votes next year in the Republican Presidential Primary.

At the Utah Republican Convention in April, the Florida Governor contended his home state is the “Utah of the Southeast.”

“Utah is one of the best governed, best-performing states in the United States. You have a sound economy, you promote a good business environment, you stress the importance of education, you have fiscal and budgetary stability and you have safe communities,” DeSantis contended.

“And I think underlying the success of Utah has been a commitment to freedom like Florida. Utah proves that freedom works,” DeSantis added. “Now over the last few years since I’ve been Governor, people have looked to Florida for leadership in a variety of different ways.”

In Ocala, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez hails governor's Alzheimer's and dementia funding

Money to assist families and friends whose loved ones suffer from Alzheimer's disease or dementia is available, and Florida's lieutenant governor visited Ocala on Wednesday to highlight that funding.

Flanked by several other government officials, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez told an audience at Hospice of Marion County's Elliot Center that Florida has been a leader in the fight against these diseases. She thanked Gov. Ron DeSantis for making this a priority, and reaffirmed the state's dedication to helping people "live long, healthy and secure lives."

Nunez said Florida has 4.4 million people ages 65 and older. That's about 20% of the population. She said 580,000 of those ages 65 and older are dealing with Alzheimer's and dementia, and the state is first in funding in those areas.

Nunez said DeSantis recently signed the Framework for Freedom budget, which provides $65 million for Alzheimer's-related issues. That's an increase of $12.5 million from the previous year. Nunez said the money includes $9 million to expand services in memory disorder clinics and the Brain Bus Initiative.

Florida Board of Education adopts Classic Learning Test as college readiness assessment

The Florida Board of Education (BoE) unanimously adopted a provision during its meeting on Wednesday to include the Classic Learning Test (CLT) as an additional assessment option for high school students to satisfy graduation requirements.

With Florida becoming the first state to formally adopt the assessment, its administering will serve as an alternative to the SAT and ACT. The CLT, a college entrance exam assessing English, grammar, and math skills, features a scaled score range of 0 to 120. According to documents presented to the BoE, a satisfactory score necessitates a combined score of 38 in the Verbal Reasoning and Grammar & Writing sections, along with a separate Quantitative Reasoning section score of 16.

The BoE states that the CLT’s inclusion serves to expand access to postsecondary education by adding a new, more affordable option for students to demonstrate college readiness. Test scores will additionally factor into dual enrollment eligibility for secondary students, developmental education exemption for returning adult students, and general course placement.

“Beginning with this upcoming school year, in addition to passing statewide assessments, students will have an additional option through the CLT to meet assessment graduation requirements,” said Juan Copa, Deputy Commissioner, Accountability, Research, and Measurement at Florida Department of Education.

EPA recommends water filters to purge most forever chemicals from Florida's drinking water

Reports about forever chemicals in drinking water across the country and here in Florida have been the cause for alarm for some.

These forever chemicals aren’t broken down easily by the body, or in nature, and in small amounts over a prolonged time can cause cancer as well as miscarriages.

This month, The Orlando Sentinel has been reporting on what’s known as PFAS chemicals that are found in water among other places.

The EPA’s senior science analyst Sydney Evans said the good news is that three common water filters she studied can take most of these chemicals out of drinking water.

“There were three that removed the PFAS down below detectable levels. So that was the Berkey, the Clearly Filtered and the ZeroWater," said Evans.

A fourth filter also does an almost perfect job, taking these chemicals out of drinking water, or tap water used to cook, clean and brush teeth.