Florida's Latest News

Florida Gov. DeSantis says he's ready for redistricting – with or without new census

Gov. Ron DeSantis said he’s prepared to redraw Florida’s congressional districts – with or without new census numbers.

“I don’t know how quick they can do it but if they did do it and came up with something in the next six months and they gave us a seat that would require us to redraw the lines,” DeSantis told reporters at an Aug. 11 event in Melbourne.

“Short of that, we’re in a situation where we believe there’s defects in the current map … even if they don’t revise the current census, I think it is appropriate to be doing it.”

The census is conducted once every 10 years but President Donald Trump called for a redo last week, claiming the U.S. Census Bureau produced faulty numbers that hurt Republican-run states.

At the heart of the push for a new census is Trump’s push to get GOP-led states to redraw their congressional districts to gain more Republican seats in the U.S. House ahead of the 2026 mid-term elections.

Up or down? See how Florida home insurance costs are trending, company by company

About those home insurance rate decreases that Florida lawmakers and insurance executives have been crowing about for nearly a year:

Data released by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation shows costs for all-perils coverage of single-family homes are continuing to increase for a majority of policyholders in the state.

In fact, among customers of the 90 residential property insurers regulated by the state, two-thirds were insured by companies that posted average premium increases between January and May, while only a third were insured by companies that posted decreases. Companies with average cost reductions served 1.37 million homeowners while companies with increased average costs insured 2.77 million customers.

While rate reductions and newly entering companies have produced competition and lower costs for some, the latest data shows a majority of homeowners must still wait to see relief from annual cost hikes that have burdened the state for nearly a decade.

Marcus Herman sets his sights on succeeding Tyler Sirois in Legislature

Merritt Island businessman Marcus Herman has filed to run for House District 31 in 2026.

Herman, a Republican, is seeking to succeed House Majority Leader Tyler Sirois, who is unable to run for re-election due to term limits. The seat covers a stretch of central Brevard County including several coastal communities.

“Over the past few months friends, family and community leaders have urged me to step up and run for the Florida House. I feel fortunate that I have the time to dedicate to this important job,” Herman said in a news release.

“I am definitely not a politician but a family man who grew three successful businesses in our community. I’ll bring a good dose of common sense and conservative backbone to Tallahassee to back the Trump-DeSantis agenda.”

Herman is a longtime Brevard County resident who graduated from Merritt Island High School before earning a business management degree from Carson-Newman College, where he also played football. He has operated three local businesses over the past 30 years.

My Safe Florida Home reopens with $352M in funds and new eligibility requirements

The My Safe Florida Home program has reopened applications with replenished funding — but still less than what the governor requested.

There are also new eligibility requirements.

The program conducts a free home inspection to identify areas that need to be upgraded to better withstand winds during a hurricane.

Then, if eligible and accepted, a homeowner receives assistance in upgrading their homes and is reimbursed at the end of the process.

Governor Ron DeSantis had previously asked state legislators for $600 million to be allocated for My Safe Florida Home, but they instead allocated $280 million in this year's budget.

Steven Fielder, the chief business officer at the Florida Department of Financial Services, said the program had residual grant funds from last year.

"We have had some homeowners who were previously awarded grants, but then, for whatever reason, they either moved or decided they changed their mind and didn't use the money," he said.