Florida's Latest News

Legislature eyes fixes for voucher program despite inaction so far

Months after the state’s auditor general found a "myriad of accountability challenges" with Florida’s K-12 school voucher system, the Legislature failed to pass a bill providing better oversight of the $4 billion program.

Now the Florida Department of Education and the scholarship funding organizations that administer the program, such as Step Up for Students, are attempting to fix the mismanagement of millions of dollars without legislative guidance.

A 2024-2025 report on the Family Empowerment Scholarship released in November showed overspending and delays in scholarship payments that resulted in a funding shortfall and a system without proper controls to verify where students who received the voucher payments were being educated.

The Senate unanimously passed a bill (SB 318) aimed at keeping better track of where the money goes. But the House never took up the measure.

Water officials urge Tampa Bay area residents to conserve amid severe drought

Water is limited after an especially dry year, putting the greater Tampa Bay region in one of the worst water shortages in five decades.

"We're asking the public to step up and conserve water," said Tampa Bay Water's chief science officer Warren Hogg. "Help us extend our reservoir storage until we get to the rainy season."

On Tuesday, the Southwest Florida Water Management District announced a stricter "phase three" level of outdoor watering restrictions, as the region continues to experience a drought.

Residents who live in the Tampa Bay area, as well as some surrounding counties, will be limited to watering their lawns once a week from April 3 to July 1.

Counties and cities may have their own restrictions in place already.

Regular afternoon showers that help replenish the region's rivers typically pick up around late May or early June.

A post-election Boca Raton looks ahead to ‘a shared vision’ for the city

Boca Raton is welcoming a new era of city leadership — after voters recently rejected a redevelopment measure and selected many new faces to join the City Council.

When the new council is sworn in this Tuesday, City Manager Mark Sohaney sees it as an “opportunity for a reset.”

“It’s an opportunity for new faces and new leadership and new ideas to come forward,” Sohaney told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Post-election, the city still has a need for new government facilities and a new police headquarters — and city officials have a plan to address it, he said.

To Sohaney, the goal is for everyone to be well-informed, up to speed with city business.

And as some of the current council members plan their departure, they remain hopeful about the city’s future. Here’s a look at some of the considerations moving forward.

Sens. Moody, Scott introduce bipartisan bill to lower farming costs via advanced tech grants

Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody joined a bipartisan group of colleagues Wednesday to introduce legislation aimed at modernizing American agriculture through increased research into artificial intelligence, precision farming, and invasive species management.

The Land-Grant Research Prioritization Act of 2026, co-sponsored by Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., and Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., seeks to empower land-grant universities to lead the charge in agricultural innovation to lower costs and strengthen the national food supply.

If passed, the bill would allow institutions like the University of Florida and Florida A&M University to apply for specialized U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA grants. These grants would fund research into “precision agriculture,” a field that utilizes sensors, data systems, and AI to help farmers reduce their use of water and fertilizer while maintaining high crop yields.

“Florida’s farmers have been hit hard by droughts, freezes, hurricanes, and other unforeseen challenges, but they remain resilient,” Moody said in a statement. “Our Florida universities are the best in the nation, and they should continue to lead in innovation.”