Florida's Latest News

DeSantis gets a boost out of CPAC heading into 2024, but it’s still Trump’s party

Gov. Ron DeSantis comes out of the weekend’s Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando boosted by a higher profile as the governor of a state he called “an oasis of freedom” from COVID-19 restrictions.

But CPAC also highlighted the biggest obstacle in his potential path to a GOP presidential nomination three years from now: his own political mentor, former President Trump.

“He freezes everybody, including DeSantis,” said Mac Stipanovich, a former Republican consultant in Tallahassee turned anti-Trump independent. “But at the same time, [DeSantis] can continue to position himself, as he has done with some success, as the second choice — believing that Trump will not run, and that he’ll thereby become the first choice.”

Ron DeSantis claims COVID-19 relief bill ‘penalizes’ Florida for success

On Monday in Tallahassee, Gov. Ron DeSantis said a COVID-19 relief package passed by the U.S. House of Representatives was unfair to Florida because payouts were tied to official unemployment numbers.

The Governor said it was “fundamentally unfair to penalize a state like Florida” for successful outcomes in managing the economic consequences of the coronavirus epidemic, offering the latest in a series of sharp critiques of Democrats governing Washington.

DeSantis said the $1.9 trillion package contains “so much” that “has nothing to do with COVID.”

“In some respects, it’s Washington at its worst,” DeSantis claimed, saying Democrats were using the package “as a Christmas tree” for Democratic interest groups.

Florida House Set To Target Social Media Companies

In a politically charged issue that has become a rallying cry for Gov. Ron DeSantis and many other Republicans, a House committee Tuesday will take up a proposal that targets large social media companies that block users from their platforms.

The bill (PCB COM 21-01), which will go before the House Commerce Committee, stems in part from decisions by Twitter and Facebook to block former President Donald Trump from their platforms in January after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol to try to prevent certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory.

DeSantis and Republican legislative leaders last month announced they would set new requirements for social media companies, including clearing the way for lawsuits and financial penalties against platforms that violate the requirements.

'The Cost Of Not Acting': How Ineffective Virtual Learning Could Shrink Students' Lifetime Earnings

A year ago almost to the day, Philip Preddy walked into the school where he had been an assistant principal for a decade and found elementary students lining the hallway to greet him.

"Mr. Preddy! Mr. Preddy!" the students chanted, waving hand-painted signs with rainbows and hearts. Preddy walked in between the two lines of students, accepting their high fives with a huge smile. "I love it!" he said over and over.

Preddy had just been promoted to a principal's job at a different Palm Beach County school, Lake Park Elementary, and this hallway celebration was his sendoff.

Not even two weeks after his promotion, COVID-19 hit.