Florida's Latest News

Ron DeSantis has doubts about Donald Trump as 2024 GOP standard-bearer

'People have been talking for a long time. And the question is, are we going to actually be able to turn the ship around?' Gov. Ron DeSantis endorsed Donald Trump upon leaving the presidential race, but he clearly harbors doubts about the former President’s viability.

Asked about “our chances” in 2024, DeSantis started off with a quip before cataloging many of the concerns that animated his speeches in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina in recent months. “Well, obviously I wouldn’t have run if I didn’t think my chances were the best on all of this. So I may not be the right guy, but look, these things happen and, and ultimately, it’s up for candidates to be able to go out there and make the case going forward,” DeSantis said in Naples.

While DeSantis believes Joe Biden is a “failed President,” he also thought the Democrat was a “failed candidate” four years ago. And Biden’s bumbling doesn’t in itself make the case for Trump, he added.

“Ultimately, it’s not just the person with our jersey’s in or not in,” DeSantis said. “It’s like, are you going to deliver and actually fix all these problems that are there because we’ve talked about these problems for a long time.”

DeSantis urges four amendments, including a balanced US budget and setting term limits for Congress

Governor Ron DeSantis, just a week from suspending his 2024 Presidential campaign, announced an effort Monday to bring constitutional reforms to the U.S. Congress. DeSantis made the announcement in Naples along with Florida House Speaker Paul Renner.

"It's going to require us working in our individual states using the tools that the Founding Fathers gave us to be able to take power away from DC and return it back to the American people to make sure that the incentives are to produce good government rather than self-serving government," the governor said. "And so that's what we're here to announce to do. With Speaker Renner's help as well as Kathleen Passidomo in the Senate. And with my support, the Florida Legislature is going to be certifying a series of amendments constitutional reforms under Article Five of the Constitution that will rein Washington in and that will hold Washington accountable."

DeSantis listed the four amendments his effort will be promoting:

• Term limits for members of Congress.
• A requirement for a balanced budget at the federal level
• A line item veto for the president
• An amendment that Congress shall make no law respecting the citizens of the United States that does not also apply to members of Congress.

Artificial intelligence regulation a major theme this legislative session

Several Florida lawmakers are attempting to bring malicious uses of artificial intelligence to heel.

Several proposed bills this legislative session would enact preliminary regulation on A.I., including requiring transparency in A.I. use in political ads and allowing people misrepresented in A.I. to sue. The trend comes as artificial intelligence misuse, whether in the form of sexually explicit deepfakes or misleading advertisements, have drawn national attention.

One of the bills, HB 919, would make it a campaign violation to not be forthcoming about the use of A.I. in political advertisements.

The measure would require the label “created in whole or in part with the use of generative artificial intelligence” to appear on ads where it is used. Violators could be fined thousands of dollars. Hialeah Republican Representative Alex Rizo, the bill’s sponsor, said in committee discussion Monday that its purpose is to ensure that voters aren’t tricked by artificial intelligence.

Fantasy sports bill barring those under 21 years old from playing advances in Senate

Travis Hutson's bill made progress Monday. Fantasy sports is an obsession for many Floridians, and a bill with some momentum in the Senate would put guardrails on that business to “ensure public confidence in the integrity of fantasy sports contests and contest operators.”

Sen. Travis Hutson’s measure (SB 1568) would allow anyone old enough to drink legally to participate in commercial fantasy sports legally, but with caveats. In addition to barring those under the age of 21 from the contests of “skill,” the Fantasy Sports Contest Amusement Act would require all entry fees to be paid out as prizes at the end of seasons, and would also cap prize monies at $1,500 per season or $10,000 annually.

That prize money would be kept in an escrow account to formalize the structure, and leagues would be required to conduct yearly forensic audits.

The Hutson bill would require commercial fantasy sports operators to be licensed by the Florida Gaming Control Commission, with fees ($1 million for initial licensing and $250,000 for renewal) attached via separate legislation (SB 1566).