Florida's Latest News

DeSantis might not pick anyone to fill empty Escambia D4 seat, but not for lack of options

Escambia County’s District 4 commission seat has been vacant since January, when former commissioner Robert Bender was appointed by the governor as the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections. Longtime Supervisor of Elections David Stafford stepped down to take a federal elections security job.

Since then, 10 people have applied to be the interim District 4 commissioner, until the general election in November when voters have a chance to decide who will represent them. However, Gov. Ron DeSantis has not appointed anyone, and his office has not responded to questions of if or when anyone will be assigned to the seat before the election.

If the seat isn't filled until the election, that means constituents of Escambia County’s District 4 will have gone without representation for almost a year. The district covers southeastern Escambia County and includes much of the city of Pensacola and Pensacola Beach.

Pensacola City Councilman Jared Moore represents much of the same area for the city and he also put his name in the hat of applicants for DeSantis to consider.

In run-up to hurricane season, Citizens gains policies despite positive market trends

After three years of skyrocketing property insurance rate increases, bankruptcies and moves by companies out of Florida, legislative leaders and state regulators have been touting the positive signs in the market in recent months.

Some companies have asked for level rates, others have even asked for small decreases and more companies are entering the market. But one factor isn’t going in the right direction: the policy count for state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp.

As of Jan. 31, Citizens had 1.16 million policies in force. As of May 17, that’s risen to 1.2 million policies. But Citizens officials aren’t overly concerned, noting that it tends to add policies leading into the start of hurricane season, which begins Saturday and runs until Nov. 30.

“It is not unusual for Citizens’ policy count to increase as the hurricane season approaches,” Citizens spokesman Michael Peltier wrote in an email.

What to know about Florida’s Amendment 2, the hunting and fishing ballot question

This election season, Florida voters will have a chance to solidify the right to hunt and fish in the state’s constitution by voting in favor of Amendment 2. Placed on the state ballot by Florida lawmakers, Amendment 2 aims to establish a constitutional right to hunt and fish, which its proponents believe is a necessity to protect the outdoor recreation industry and give power back to Florida residents.

“There’s a lot of people, both on the Democratic side and the Republican side, that do enjoy these past times,” said state Rep. Alex Rizo, R-Hialeah, who was a co-sponsor for the bill that put the amendment on the ballot. But critics of the proposal fear that it could cause more harm than good.

The Animal Law Section of the Florida Bar has taken an active stance against Amendment 2, arguing that the specific language of the amendment could put the state’s wildlife and its ecosystems at risk.

Ralph DeMeo, animal law lawyer and legislative lobbyist for the Animal Law Section, said that apart from being “dangerous,” Amendment 2 is also “unnecessary” given that hunting and fishing already has statutory protection in Florida.

The latest on Florida State, ACC, Clemson lawsuits

The dueling lawsuits between Florida State and the ACC are playing out in courts: Florida State University Board of Trustees vs. Atlantic Coast Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference vs. Board of Trustees of Florida State University.

We’re using this as a landing spot for the latest updates with FSU’s case (filed in Leon County), the ACC’s case (filed in Mecklenburg County, N.C.) and ones between Clemson and the ACC as the Seminoles and Tigers weigh a potential exit from the league — a move that could trigger another round of conference realignment.

The latest (May 28, 2024): The FSU-ACC case in Leon County officially has its next court date: June 18. It’s scheduled to last all day, according to the latest court filing.

Judge Louis A. Bledsoe III granted the stay because FSU is appealing the conference’s complaint to the North Carolina Supreme Court. That means discovery and pleadings won’t happen in the North Carolina Business Court until the state supreme court issues a final resolution.