Florida's Latest News

Gov. DeSantis sends $10.5M for apprentice programs to state colleges

Eight state colleges, two K-12 school districts and one university will receive a combined $10.5 million to expand apprentice and pre-apprentice programs, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday.

“We are proud to invest in programs that make a difference for students and their employers,” DeSantis said in a prepared statement. “This $10.5 million will provide opportunities for an additional 4,200 students in the next year and will encourage more businesses to start their own apprenticeship programs to meet industry demands.”

The money will come through the Expansion of Registered Apprenticeship and Preapprenticeship (ERAP) grant program, designed to spur state colleges to start or expand apprentice programs. The programs are geared toward training students in industry standards for trade jobs.

Apprentice programs offered by the schools currently include training for electrical, plumbing, HVAC, carpentry, electric vehicles, diesel mechanics, low voltage communications, construction and design, radiology and magnetic resonance imaging, according to DeSantis’ office.

Ashley Moody, Jimmy Patronis back Wilton Simpson for Agriculture Commissioner

Two Republicans members of Florida’s Cabinet made clear who they want joining them on the 2022 ticket. Attorney General Ashley Moody and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis have endorsed Senate President Wilton Simpson for Agriculture Commissioner.

“As a successful businessman, Wilton Simpson knows that public safety is the foundation of a thriving economy,” Moody said. “Throughout his time in the Senate, Wilton has always helped give our men and women in law enforcement the resources and tools they need to keep our state safe. We need leaders who wholeheartedly believe in the rule of law on the Florida Cabinet and I am proud to endorse him to be our next Agriculture Commissioner.”

Simpson has helped usher a number of Moody priorities to law, including an anti-riot bill that was among the main Republican efforts during his first year as Senate President. While the two have occasionally found themselves at odds over policy such as a casino referendum, they for the most part align, especially on matters of law enforcement support.

What Tampa Bay lawmakers think about the upcoming redistricting special session

True to his word, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday vetoed the congressional redistricting maps approved by Florida’s Legislature, calling lawmakers back to Tallahassee for a special session in April.

As of now, the special session will only focus on congressional redistricting. But lawmakers could choose to tackle other issues. Some have floated discussing property insurance woes, data privacy issues and letting gun owners carry concealed weapons without a permit.

The session will be held from April 19 to April 22.

Here’s how Tampa Bay’s lawmakers are feeling about the special session and the governor’s veto of the maps.

The manatee feeding program is about to end after serving up 96 tons of lettuce

A supplemental feeding program that served up more than 193,000 pounds of lettuce to hungry manatees in the Indian River Lagoon is expected to end on Friday.

A record 1,101 manatees died in Florida last year, many from starvation in the sprawling lagoon. In winter, they gather near power plants. But excess nutrients from homes and farms have clouded the water with algae and killed much of the sea grass they eat.

State and federal wildlife officials are working together to address the unusual die-off of manatees. Already this year more than 440 have died. That’s high, but not as bad as in 2021.

Ron Mezich, a branch chief with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, says it’s unclear how many were saved with supplemental feeding.