Florida's Latest News

FSU’s College of Nursing tops public schools in federal research funding

Florida State University’s (FSU) College of Nursing has attained the top position in national rankings for federal research funding among public nursing schools, according to the latest data released by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research (BRIMR) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The university ranked first nationally among public schools of nursing in securing combined federal funding, totaling $18.7 million, which includes grants from the NIH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FSU also placed second for NIH funding among public nursing schools and fourth overall among both public and private institutions.

This ranking is a result of federal awards that funded a collection of projects related to HIV prevention and intervention, mental health and chronic disease management, the university said in a release.

“With a focus on initiatives such as our Institute on Digital Health and Innovation, the NIH Florida FIRST Health Science Brigades, and the Intervention Research and Implementation, or the IRIS Hub, we’re dedicated to pushing forward new and advanced solutions for health care,” said Associate Dean for Research Lisa Hightow-Weidman in a university-issued statement. “These projects are closely connected to large grants from the NIH and represent our active approach to solving health care problems while ensuring our work has a national impact and supports the development of future health care leaders.”

Senate passes Everglades protection bill neglected in the House

A House version of the bill still sits in a subcommittee that isn’t meeting anymore. A Senate bill aimed at better protecting the Everglades from encroaching construction is heading to the House, where time may have run out for the legislation to pass this year.

Senators voted unanimously for SB 1364, which would establish a protective buffer zone around the wetlands in Miami-Dade County.

Projects and zoning changes could still happen within the area, but they would first have to undergo a coordinated state review by the Department of Environmental Protection to determine whether they would hurt Everglades restoration.

If the answer is yes, the plan would have to be amended to eliminate those negative impacts. Freshman Miami Republican Sen. Alexis Calatayud ushered the legislation this year through three committees, all of which uniformly supported the measure.

Florida lawmakers seek more oversight of child-welfare organizations, exec pay

In the Tampa area, a child-welfare organization doing business with the state was enhancing an executive’s annual pay with state and federal funds while children under its watch were forced to sleep in offices. 

In Central Florida, the lead agency for foster care was accused in a lawsuit of failing to pay a service provider that was helping it house children in the system. And in North Florida, the chief executive officer of an organization dedicated to helping abused and neglected children currently earns nearly $775,000 — a majority of which is paid through public contracts.

All of these scenarios — outlined in state reviews and investigations, news reports and lawsuits — have been cited as the impetus for legislation advancing this year in the Florida Senate that would set stricter disclosure requirements for administrative salaries and conflicts of interests, among other accountability measures. The bill sponsor, Sen. Ileana Garcia, R-Miami, says she wants to ensure non-profit organizations that are hired by the state to provide services for abused and neglected children are not misusing public funds.

“We have an obligation to protect the resources of the taxpayers, especially when it comes to making certain those dollars are wisely used in caring for the most vulnerable,” said Garcia, who is sponsoring Senate Bill 536.

The Florida Senate is passing an amended social media bill that includes more parental consent

Florida lawmakers are prepared to give parents more control over what their child watches online. The revised social media bill cleared the Florida Senate by a 30-5 vote. It lowers the minimum age to 14 for kids and teens to own a social media account.

The changes were made Monday morning after Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the original proposal (HB 1) that called for tech companies to ban users under 16. That piece of legislation came with no parental say so, however Senator Erin Grall, R-Fort Pierce, said Monday the new bill (HB 3) now lets parents be involved.

“We don't want the parental consent provision to be too onerous in order to let the policy move forward,” she said during the Senate Session.

The amendment allows for 14 and 15 year-olds to create and maintain social media accounts, as long as a parent or guardian says it's ok. HB 3 also gives tech companies options to use “standard or anonymous” age verification methods. Grall said this will ensure Floridians don't have to give up personal identifying information.