Florida's Latest News

Memorial Day Weekend is brought to you by these lobbyists and political associations

The drought between three-day weekends is over. Year in and year out, the three-and-a-half months between Presidents’ Day and Memorial Day is the longest gap between federal holidays on the calendar. It couldn’t have come at a better time.

There have been three — three — Special Sessions since state employees and those in The Process have had a guaranteed day off. Thankfully, the most recent one had good enough manners to adjourn ahead of the weekend.

Memorial Day honors the men and women who died while serving in the country’s armed forces. But the holiday also marks the unofficial start to summer.

If any airline has the chops to challenge American, it’s Delta. The company ranks No. 1 in most financial metrics, including overall revenue, profits, assets and market cap. And while its closest hub is in Atlanta, it still sends plenty of traffic to Florida. Its jump crew includes Nick Iarossi, Ron LaFace, Maicel Green, Andrew Ketchel, Jared Rosenstein and Chris Schoonover of Capital City Consulting.

Florida lawmakers push expansion of state’s red flag law amid recent mass shootings

Florida Democratic lawmakers are looking to expand the state’s “red flag” law after the devastating mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas in which 21 people including 19 children were killed.

The “red flag” law allows the court to confiscate firearms from people who show that they’re at risk of harming themselves or others. The law also restricts gun purchases for up to a year.

Florida’s risk protection order policy is a court-mandate to seize guns and block the sale of firearms for up to a year from someone who is showing signs of violent intent.

Lawmakers said the red flag law has been used in Florida more than 5,000 times since its adoption in 2018, but it only allows law enforcement officers to go to the court for a risk protection order.

Some Democratic lawmakers want to expand the risk protection order policy law to allow family and friends to petition the court directly.

Legislation will help Florida brace for rising sea levels, but doesn't address its underlying cause

Florida will craft a first-ever plan for addressing the growing threat of flooding and sea level rise, in an effort to be overseen by a newly established Statewide Office of Resilience, under legislation Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed into law.

The measure builds upon legislation approved last year that set aside millions of dollars for infrastructure projects and called on the state Department of Environmental Protection to compile flood and sea level rise data for a vulnerability assessment, among other things.

The new measure goes further, codifying into law the position now held by Chief Resilience Officer Wesley Brooks and situating the position within the Executive Office of the Governor. It also specifies the resilience plan, due in 2023, must include a ranking of projects submitted by local governments and a narrative of how the plan was developed. The state Department of Transportation also must produce a resilience plan for Florida’s roadways.

Agatha, first hurricane of Pacific season, headed for Mexico. Threat to Florida uncertain

Days before the official start of the 2022 hurricane season, Agatha has become the first hurricane to develop over the Pacific Ocean. The storm is expected to make landfall along Mexico's southwestern coast Monday, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said. 

Agatha was a Category 1 hurricane Sunday, with 85 mile per hour winds. Forecasters expect the storm to strengthen rapidly and make landfall at nearly major hurricane intensity Monday. Hurricane watches and warnings are in effect along Mexico's southern coastlines as forecasters warn of coastal flooding and dangerous winds Sunday night and into Monday.

Agatha is expected to rapidly weaken as it moves inland over Mexico, but there is a chance the storm's remnant could move over the Gulf of Mexico or Caribbean Sea and develop into a new tropical system there. There's a 30% chance an area of low pressure could form into a tropical cyclone over the southwest Gulf of Mexico or northwest Caribbean Sea in the next five days, the NHC said Sunday.