Florida's Latest News

Barrett keeps Democrats, Trump at bay in Senate hearing

Over and over, Amy Coney Barrett said she’d be her own judge if she’s confirmed to the Supreme Court. But she was careful not to take on the president who nominated her and sought to create distance between herself and her past personal positions, writings on controversial subjects and even her late mentor.

Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme Court to take the seat of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg seems inevitable, as even some Senate Democrats acknowledged in two days of Senate hearings. The shift would cement a 6-3 conservative majority on the court and would be the most pronounced ideological change in 30 years, from the liberal icon to the conservative appeals court judge.

The 48-year-old judge skipped past Democrats' pressing questions about ensuring the date of next month’s election or preventing voter intimidation, both set in federal law, and the peaceful transfer of presidential power. She also refused to express her view on whether the president can pardon himself. “It’s not one that I can offer a view,” she said in response to question Wednesday from Sen. Pat Leahy of Vermont.

Democrat running for Florida State Senate District 5 dies of cancer

Melina Rayna Svanhild Farley-Barratt, a transgender and women's rights activist running to represent North Florida in the Florida State Senate, has died from cancer.

She  passed away in hospice care Wednesday, according to friends and colleagues, who've established a GoFundMe account to help her family pay for her memorial service and cremation. 

Gainesville Mayor Lauren Poe was among those mourning Ms. Farley-Barratt's death.

"We lost a special neighbor. Melina Rayna Farley-Barratt was a fighter, a saint, a mentor, a leader and a friend. May you rest in power, dear sweet Melina," Poe posted on Facebook.

Nearly all Florida voters concerned about Social Security, Medicare, COVID, poll finds

At least 90% of Floridians are at minimum very concerned about Social Security, Medicare, the costs of health care, and protection from COVID-19, according to a new survey from St. Pete Polls.

If political campaigns appear to be focusing on those issues in closing weeks, their numbers apparently are telling them the same thing about Florida.

The St. Pete Polls survey, sponsored by Florida Politics and AARP Florida, found 94% of likely voters in Florida consider Social Security extremely important or very important to the futures of themselves and their families.

Florida schools keep mask mandates, as some parents fight back

In announcing thousands of students would return to campuses next quarter, Pinellas County school district officials said one reason it was possible was schools' careful adherence to safety protocols. Masks have played a critical role in keeping the virus at bay, the district’s medical advisers said. Some parents have been trying to get that requirement overturned, with little result. Similar debates are occurring across Florida. Read on for the latest.

The masks stay longer. The Pinellas County School Board extended the district’s mask mandate, over the objections of several parents who argued masks are unnecessary and harmful. • An anti-mask group has raised $11,000 to hire a lawyer to fight the Sarasota County school district’s rule, the Herald-Tribune reports. • Public comment lasted so long over the Indian River County school district’s proposal to end its mask requirement that the board delayed its decision, WBPF reports. • The Orange County School Board updated its mask policy, detailing when people don’t have to wear one, WKMG reports. • The Bay County school district banned masks with vents, saying other options exist, WJHG reports.