Florida's Latest News

Byron Donalds says Miami-Dade must ‘get creative’ in homebuilding for first-time owners

Miami-Dade needs to make it easier and more profitable for homebuilders to construct properties within economic reach of first-time homebuyers, and that means allowing the development of smaller units within the urban corridor, according to U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds.

One way to do that is to shorten the design-to-build timeline so shovels can hit the ground and housing can rise faster, said Donalds, the Republican nominee for Governor, citing a National Association of Home Builders study that found 26.4% of a new home’s cost is based on government-related expenses like permitting.

But zoning also falls to counties and municipalities — though state lawmakers in recent years have eroded local controls in the name of safety and housing affordability.

Donalds said Miami-Dade should remove some of its zoning restraints, which in turn would lead to lower homebuilding costs, more housing inventory and, consequently, more acquirable homes.

Gov. DeSantis promotes sales tax holiday for hunters and anglers

Gov. Ron DeSantis is promoting the state’s Second Amendment sales tax holiday that runs through the rest of the year to help hunters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts save money.

At a news conference in Lakeland’s Tenoroc Public Shooting Range, DeSantis highlighted that the discount is expanding this year.

“Because of the success of last year’s holiday, we’re making it even better,” DeSantis told the crowd.

“This year we’re doubling the eligible price thresholds for fishing, bait and tackle, allowing individual items up to $10 and multiple items sold together up to $20 to qualify for the full exemption. We’ve also expanded tax relief for Second Amendment supporters and a separate sales tax exemption on a broader range of accessories, including magazines, range bags, barrels, triggers, slings, bipods and suppressors.”

Ashley Moody renews efforts to pressure federal regulators to expand red snapper recreational fishing permits

Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody is picking up renewed efforts to increase the number of new Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) applications for red snapper.

Moody is heading up a South Atlantic congressional delegation that is imploring the U.S. Department of Commerce to approve new fishing permits for catching the species in federal waters. It’s been an ongoing cause for Moody, who has been committed to the issue since March, though no formal action has been taken.

She and several other lawmakers have worked to extend the red snapper season in Atlantic waters. In 2025, the red snapper season lasted only two days under federal regulations. A federal court also halted prior EFPs on Florida’s approved red snapper season in May.

Where have all the Atlantic hurricanes gone? El Nino might bring record slow storm season

The Atlantic is quiet — record quiet — this hurricane season thanks to an enormous El Nino that crushes storms before they get going.

No Atlantic hurricanes have formed yet this year and none are likely to form for at least another week, even though this would normally be the peak of the season, according to the National Hurricane Center. Only five relatively weak and brief tropical storms have spun up this season.

On Saturday, 2026 set a record for the longest a season has begun without a storm that has reached winds of 74 mph (119 kph) to qualify as a hurricane — at least in the satellite era, said Nick Novella, a meteorologist at the government’s Weather Prediction Center. Before the 1950s there were a few years where no hurricanes were recorded this late in the season, but meteorologists don’t trust those records because ocean monitoring wasn’t complete.