Florida's Latest News

‘A true leader’: Mario Díaz-Balart endorses Alex Rizo for SD 39

Hialeah Republican state Rep. Alex Rizo is adding congressional backing to his bid for Senate District 39.

U.S. Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, the longest-serving member of Florida’s congressional delegation, is endorsing Rizo in what is now a two-candidate GOP Primary for SD 39.

The nod adds to a roster of supporters that includes statewide officials, legislative leaders, local Mayors and first responder unions.

“I am happy to endorse Alex Rizo for State Senator in District 39,” Díaz-Balart said.

“He has been a true leader in this community and at the state level, and I look forward to working with him to further improve the lives of our constituents. Alex has my full support!”

Francis Rooney joins U.S. Term Limits Board of Directors

Former U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney is taking his push for congressional term limits to the boardroom.

The Naples Republican and former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See has joined the Board of Directors of U.S. Term Limits, a D.C.-headquartered nonprofit working to restrict how long members of Congress can remain in office.

“Francis Rooney didn’t simply talk about congressional term limits — he worked to enact them while serving in Congress and then demonstrated that commitment by returning to private life,” said Marshall Stocker, the organization’s Chair.

“His experience in Congress, diplomacy, and business will be a tremendous asset to U.S. Term Limits as we continue the effort to establish term limits on Congress.”

TMH, FSU finalize agreements for academic health system partnership

Roughly six months after the city sold the Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare hospital to Florida State University, the hospital and university have finalized the long-awaited agreements establishing the framework for an expanded FSU Health network.

On Sept. 30, FSU and TMH announced they had signed agreements that include lease and operating agreements and other "definitive legal documents" like an academic and clinical framework supporting the partnership at TMH and the future FSU Health hospital in Panama City Beach, according to a news release.

“Today marks a defining step forward in our shared vision to build an academic health system that will serve our community and our state for generations to come,” FSU President Richard McCullough said in a statement.

“Our work with FSU, including the academic medical center strategy we developed together in 2021, has created an opportunity to build on that legacy in ways we could not achieve alone," TMH CEO Mark O'Bryant said, also in a statement.

FWC opens commercial and recreational oyster harvesting in Apalachicola Bay

One of Florida’s most famous seafood locales officially opens for harvesting Thursday.

The Apalachicola Bay wild oyster season is underway for both commercial and permitted recreational harvesting. The season runs through Feb. 28.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is advising that the wild harvest of the world-famous oysters will be limited to three reef sites: the Cat Point, Cat Point Spur and Peanut Ridge.

The five-month season also has its limits. The total restriction of harvest is set at 2,560 bags of oysters.

There are also additional regulations. Recreational harvesters are required to have a permit limiting harvesters to one specific reef identified on the tag issued by the FWC, which provides bag limits for recreational purposes. Each bag is the equivalent of two 5-gallon buckets, one 10-gallon bucket or 60 pounds of oysters harvested.