Florida's Latest News

Florida Police Chiefs Association endorses Ashley Moody for re-election

The Florida Police Chiefs Association (FPCA) is endorsing Attorney General Ashley Moody for re-election.

“On behalf of the Florida Police Chiefs Association, we are honored to endorse Attorney General Ashley Moody for reelection,” said FPCA president and Fellsmere Police Department Chief Keith Touchberry. “General Moody has devoted her entire career to enforcing our laws, preserving the safety of our communities, and upholding the rule of law.”

FPCA represents over 1,000 of Florida’s top law enforcement executives and provides guidance and leadership for future law enforcement officers. The law enforcement professional association also serves municipal, airport, college and university, and tribal police departments, as well as private businesses and security firms and federal, state and county law enforcement agencies across every region of the state.

More than 230K Florida Virtual School students resume classes

It’s back to school for thousands of young Floridians who are tackling classes online as students in the Florida Virtual School (FLVS).

FLVS serves more than 234,000 students across the state with two K-12 programs: The Flex option often serves as a supplement to brick-and-mortar or home-school learning, while a "more traditional" full-time option follows a 180-day school calendar.

When the pandemic hit and school districts went virtual, FLVS partnered with the Department of Education to help to train teachers across Florida. In addition, the virtual school hired 400 new teachers and boosted computer servers for enhanced capacity.

In tandem, FLVS found its own enrollment suddenly boomed, with a 35% increase in course requests for the Flex program going into the 2021-2022 school year.

Florida residents testing positive for COVID decreased the past two weeks

The numbers of Florida residents testing positive for COVID-19 have decreased the past two weeks, according to data released Friday.

The state had a reported 54,353 new cases during the week that started Aug. 5, the first time in at least 10 weeks that it had fewer than 65,000 new cases, according to the data from the Florida Department of Health.

The state had 65,665 new cases during the week that started July 29, which also was a decrease from previous weeks.

According to the state report, the positivity rate was at 18.4% over the past week, down from 21.2% from the previous report of two weeks ago.

Gas prices across Florida fall for ninth consecutive week

Gas prices across the state have fallen to their lowest levels since early March.

Florida gas prices dropped another 14 cents per gallon last week. The state average has now declined for nine consecutive weeks, falling a total of $1.24 per gallon since mid-June.

Florida drivers are now paying an average price of $3.65 per gallon. That's the lowest daily average since March 3.

Mark Jenkins, spokesman for AAA, said the state average should continue moving lower, likely slipping into the $3.50s by the end of the week.

"Oil and gasoline futures regained some strength last week, as analysts believe that falling fuel prices will encourage consumers to drive more,” Jenkins said.