Florida's Latest News

Republican debate highlights: 5 key moments from the third GOP debate in Miami

Five Republican presidential hopefuls gathered in Miami on Wednesday for the third debate of the primary cycle, where they focused their attacks on each other while mostly avoiding former President Donald Trump, the clear front-runner.

Though the stage was less crowded than it was for the first two debates, the dynamic among the candidates was the same. On question after question, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy trained their fire on each other, while former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Tim Scott struggled for air time. 

Trump, meanwhile, was holding a rally in nearby Hialeah, having again chosen to avoid the debate stage. He has not participated in any of the three debates so far, and his lead in the polls gives him little incentive to change course.

Aside from a handful of comments about his absence, the five candidates that were on stage focused their criticism on one another, tackling issues ranging from Israel and Ukraine to TikTok and abortion.

As Hamas-Israel war continues, Florida lawmakers end related special session

Wrapping up a special legislative session shadowed by the war between Israel and Hamas, the Florida Senate on Wednesday passed measures to expand sanctions against Iran and provide money to bolster security at Jewish day schools and preschools.

The Senate unanimously approved the bills, which passed the House on Tuesday. They are ready to go to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Legislative leaders called the special session after the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, touching off a war that has killed thousands of people in Israel and Gaza.

While the special session also addressed issues such as providing aid to areas hit by Hurricane Idalia, lawmakers focused heavily on showing support for Israel and Jewish residents of Florida. That included passing bills to target Iran, a key backer of Hamas, and to counter a rise in anti-semitism.

Florida Senate approves $176 million in house-hardening funding

The Florida Senate on Wednesday approved legislation that addresses the existing backlog in the My Safe Florida Home Program, aimed at fortifying homes and lowering insurance premiums.

My Safe Florida Home, administered by the Florida Department of Financial Services, provides funding for free home inspections and matches funding for home enhancements to harden homes against storms to reduce insurance premiums. The program is presently paused due to a growing backlog of applications exceeding 17,000 and a lack of funds. According to the state website, applicants whose grant status indicates “Submitted” were unable to be attended to until additional funding was appropriated by the Florida Legislature.

The legislation, having been ratified by the Senate today and passed unanimously by the House on Tuesday, now awaits Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signature to be enacted.

“This is a big deal. The average policyholder discount has totaled over $1,000 and policyholders have received thousands of dollars for enhancements to their homes,” said Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis. “That’s making homes safer from storms and making premiums more affordable for policyholders.”

Florida Supreme Court asked to suspend sports betting hours after Seminoles relaunch mobile app

The group of gambling businesses currently challenging sports betting in Florida filed a request Tuesday asking the state Supreme Court to “immediately suspend” the practice, hours after the Seminole Tribe relaunched the mobile app to existing customers statewide.

Gambling law experts expected the motion, filed by West Flagler Associates and its partners just after 5 p.m. Tuesday, as the logical next step in one of its two ongoing lawsuits that seek to block the gaming deal between the state of Florida and the Seminole Tribe. The deal, called a compact, would give the tribe a monopoly on sports betting in the state and is expected to bring in billions of dollars in revenue.

On Tuesday morning, the tribe relaunched its mobile sports betting app, Hard Rock Bet, to existing customers only, a week after announcing the return of in-person sports betting. The move caught legal experts, gamblers, and West Flagler itself off-guard, according to the motion.