Florida's Latest News

Houses amends and passes data center regulation framework

Once again, the House passed legislation on the future of data centers in Florida. The bill (SB 484) passed with a significant amendment filed by Rep. Griff Griffitts. The legislation cleared the chamber on a 92-16 vote.

The Panama City Beach Republican stressed White House-backed protections that should safeguard existing power users, even if data centers cannot meet their own promises to supply the needed energy.

“We have a rate payer protection plan that the President (Donald Trump) actually put into place last week, and those data center executives signed a commitment so that no rate payers will shoulder the burden,” Griffitts said.

That followed questions from Rep. Allison Tant, a Tallahassee Democrat, who voiced concern that large-load consumers would skip out and leave consumers “holding the bag.”

Florida House passes bill allowing prep coaches to pay for players' meals, rides

The Florida House on Tuesday unanimously approved a bill that will allow high school head coaches to use personal funds to support their players with things like food, transportation, physical therapy and rehabilitation services.

The bill (SB 178) was named after Teddy Bridgwater, who played with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season after he was suspended from his coaching posistion at Miami Northwestern High because he paid for meals and rides for his players.

"You coach people that are homeless; they have no place to stay. You coach people that have issues that sometimes people don't understand, and you don't share those issues with everybody," said Rep, Wallace Aristide, D-North Miami-Dade, qho supported the bill..

"So, you had a coach in Miami-Dade [that] decided he was going to help his players. He wanted to do something for his young men in his program because he understands his community."

Under the "Teddy Bridgewater Act," head coaches would be able to spend up to $15,000 on their players a year, with only one purchase per student athlete.

Tallahassee City Commission Approves Transfer of City-Owned Hospital Assets to FSU

The Tallahassee City Commission voted Wednesday to approve the transfer of city-owned Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare hospital assets to Florida State University (FSU), advancing a long-planned effort to build an academic health center in the city.

The vote marks the next step in an agreement first announced in February, when city officials and FSU said they had reached a $1.7 billion deal to shift ownership of the public hospital assets to the university over 30 years while preserving the hospital’s community care mission.

Under the arrangement, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare would continue operating the hospital, while FSU would take ownership of the property once the transaction closes. The two institutions are still working to finalize the long-term agreements that will govern the partnership.

City and university leaders have said the deal is intended to expand specialty care, research capacity and medical education in Tallahassee and across North Florida by more closely aligning TMH with FSU Health, the university’s academic health ecosystem.

Lawrence McClure credits Daniel Perez for restoring House in his farewell remarks

In his emotional goodbye on the House floor, Rep. Lawrence McClure said history books will remember House Speaker Daniel Perez for restoring the Florida House of Representatives.

“The legacy of most presiding officers is roads or buildings being named after you, budget priorities or policy initiatives — none of that will be your legacy,” McClure said to Perez Wednesday. “It will be instead that you just stared this whole place, this whole process in the eye and challenged it to be better every single day. And I know you’re tired, but I sure hope you’re fulfilled.

“Your legacy is going to be greater than any project or piece of policy. It will be the restoration of the Florida House of Representatives.”

McClure credited Perez for supporting a member-driven bill process and allowing lawmakers debate. Over the past two Sessions, the House has pushed back, often clashing with Gov. Ron DeSantis fighting for his own agenda. The House and DeSantis have been at odds on everything from immigration, Hope Florida, artificial intelligence regulation and more.