Florida's Latest News

Kelli Stargel endorses Colleen Burton as next SD 22 Senator

Sen. Kelli Stargel on Wednesday endorsed Rep. Colleen Burton to succeed her in Senate District 22 next year.

“My friend Colleen Burton is a true conservative who has a strong record of fighting for family values, and creating an environment where businesses can prosper and create jobs,” Stargel said. “She’s the right person to represent us in the Florida Senate, and she has my vote!”

Stargel, a Lakeland Republican who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, cannot run for reelection next year because of term limits. Burton is one of two Republicans running for SD 22 this cycle.

“It is an absolute honor to earn the support of my friend, Senator Kelli Stargel, and it would be a privilege for me to follow in her footsteps,” Burton said. “The voters of Polk and Lake Counties can rest-assured, I will protect our family values, stand up for law and order, and help bring opportunity and prosperity to our region.”

Gov. DeSantis signs Purple Alert bill

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Wednesday implementing an alert system to help locate missing individuals with cognitive disabilities.

Sponsored by Palm Beach Democratic Sen. Lori Berman, the bill (SB 184) establishes a Purple Alert system under the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).

The Purple Alert system will dispatch alerts when an endangered adult goes missing with a mental or cognitive disability, a brain injury or another physical, mental or emotional disability.

The bill passed nearly unanimously in both chambers.

Wandering can be a danger to a person with limited cognitive abilities, according to the bill analysis. About 12% to 60% of individuals with a cognitive disability wander, and about 5% of wandering instances result in physical harm.

Gov. DeSantis Pushes Through Pardon For COVID-19 Violators

With Gov. Ron DeSantis saying lockdown restrictions and mask mandates meant to stop the spread of COVID-19 did more harm than good, the state clemency board on Wednesday pardoned all Floridians who were arrested or fined for violating local-government requirements about wearing masks or social distancing.

“This action is necessary so that we can recover, have a good transition to normal operations, and also just a recognition that a lot of this stuff was way, way overboard,” DeSantis said.

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democrat running to unseat the Republican governor in 2022, was the only member of the Board of Executive Clemency to oppose the move. The board also is made up of Attorney General Ashley Moody and state Chief Financial Official Officer Jimmy Patronis, both Republicans.

Florida lawmakers push for seasonal crop protections in Congress

Trade deals with Mexico have left Florida farmers frustrated for years. That continued after the negotiation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Now a bipartisan group of lawmakers wants relief for the state’s vital agriculture industry. U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott and U.S. Reps. Vern Buchanan and Al Lawson sponsored the Defending Domestic Produce Production Act to provide it.

“We must ensure the viability of Florida’s fruit and vegetable growers, who for years have struggled to compete with dumped and unfairly priced Mexican imports,” Rubio said. “I firmly believe that food security is national security, and that to ensure our nation’s food security we must defend our food producers from malicious trade practices that are intended to undermine our self-reliance.”