Florida's Latest News

Ron DeSantis to hold ‘Don’t Tread on Florida Tour’ ahead of General Election

Gov. Ron DeSantis will spend the last weekend before Election Day on a “Don’t Tread on Florida Tour.” He’ll share the stage with country stars and Cabinet members, but won’t come near a rally hosted by former President Donald Trump.

All events will be free to the public but space may be limited. Those interested in attending can check EventBrite listings. Doors open hours in advance of DeSantis’ appearance in many locales. He announced a number of stops over four days before he faces Democratic challenger Charlie Crist on the Nov. 8 General Election ballot.

Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, Attorney General Ashley Moody, CFO Jimmy Patronis, Agriculture Commissioner nominee Wilton Simpson and First Lady Casey DeSantis will appear at various stops.

He will start the tour Friday, Nov. 4, in Northeast Florida, with a Clay County pit stop at bestbet Orange Park at 2:45 p.m. Then he swings south to Brevard County, where another stop takes place in Melbourne at the American Muscle Car Museum at 5:15 p.m. He wraps the day with a 7:30 p.m. appearance in Broward County at the American Top Team in Coconut Creek.

Ashley Moody wants higher state salaries for ‘top legal talent’

Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office is requesting $11.2 million next year to boost the salaries and benefits of lawyers representing the state to help “recruit and retain high quality legal talent.”

The issue was raised in the Department of Legal Affairs’ legislative budget request, which was released last month and amended Tuesday.

The request says the office competes with local and federal offices as well as the private sector, and areas of law requiring highly specialized expertise make it more difficult to recruit and retain talented lawyers in those fields.

“The (Office of Attorney General) represents the State of Florida in some of the most high-profile legal matters affecting the state,” the legislative budget request states.

Lake Okeechobee leveling off after rains from Hurricane Ian. But there's still a threat.

The Lake Okeechobee drainage system is more likely to see a blue-green algal bloom next spring as a result of Hurricane Ian. 

Lt. Col. Todd Polk, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said Ian whipped up waters and stirred nutrients within the system, and that those nutrients could fuel a bloom.

That's what happened in 2018, when nutrients in Lake Okeechobee were stirred up by Hurricane Irma (2017). 

Those nutrients fed a bloom on the lake in the early summer of 2018. Soon after, a particularly strong blue-green algae bloom gripped the Fort Myers-Cape Coral area for months. Water flowed about 70 miles from the lake, down the Caloosahatchee and miles into the Gulf of Mexico. 

Some homeowners in areas like downtown Fort Myers and Cape Coral rented hotels or sold their homes to escape the impacts from blue-green algae. 

Google, South Florida Water Management partner to tackle critical water programs

Google Public Sector is partnering with the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) to help the agency inform water management decisions across the district.

The partnership will see Google Public Sector deploy its Climate Insights for natural resources solution— powered by Google Earth Engine (GEE) running on Google Cloud and Climate Engine — to help support the availability of drinking water for Florida residents, while also preserving national treasures, like America’s Everglades.

The cloud-based technology will also help the district combat harmful algal blooms (HABs), assist with natural resource restoration, and undertake other important sustainability work. According to a news release, the partnership supports Google’s overall water stewardship strategy to share technology and tools that enable decision-makers to take action around water issues.