Florida's Latest News

Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking appoints 3 to board

The Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking has appointed three members to its board of directors, including Maggie Overdorf, Tammie Rattray and Jared Rosenstein.

House Speaker Paul Renner appointed Overdorf and Rosenstein, while Attorney General Ashley Moody appointed Rattray.

“We are excited to have these professionals join the Board to help raise awareness about human trafficking throughout the state,” said Board Chair Ellyn Bogdanoff. “Each brings a unique perspective on how industries can work together to prevent these horrendous crimes from occurring in the future.”

Rosenstein is a partner with Capital City Consulting. He also served as a staffer in both chambers of the Florida Legislature where he provided policy analysis on gaming, animal welfare and natural disaster issues.

Rosenstein was also one of the staff to help craft the Marjory Stoneman Douglas School Safety Act during the 2018 Legislative Session following the tragic shooting at the Parkland high school. Rosenstein also previously served as the legislative affairs director at the Florida Department of Emergency Management under Gov. Ron DeSantis and then-Director Jared Moskowitz.

Governor DeSantis and Cabinet sign off on multiple land conservation deals

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state Cabinet on Monday quickly approved $141 million in deals that will help preserve land from the Panhandle to Southwest Florida.

During a meeting held by telephone, DeSantis and Cabinet members supported three land purchases under the Florida Forever program. They also approved buying three conservation easements, which help preserve land while allowing owners to continue using it for such things as agriculture and hunting.

One of the conservation-easement deals involves spending $8.25 million to maintain 4,808 acres north of Tallahassee. The deal with Gem Land Co., in part, would allow the construction of eight single-family homes on the property, along with outbuildings and driveways.

Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Shawn Hamilton said after the meeting that it is a standard practice for conservation easements to include “certain allowances” that include structures and homes.

Gov. DeSantis gives $1,000 bonuses to first responders for third year in a row

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday afternoon at Craig Municipal Airport in Jacksonville that all first responders in the state will receive $1,000 bonuses for the third year in a row.

DeSantis then handed out checks to members of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Jacksonville Fire and Rescue who were in attendance.

Eligible recipients of the first responder recognition bonus payments are police officers, sheriff’s deputies, paramedics, emergency medical technicians and firefighters employed by local governments throughout the state.

DeSantis started to hand out the bonuses in 2020 as a way to recognize first responders working during the pandemic and to show support to police who were receiving criticism following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minnesota police officer.

Florida lawmaker pushes for teacher pay raise, wants $65K starting salary, but educators are skeptical

A Florida lawmaker wants to raise teacher pay to a minimum salary of $65,000.

Rep. Tae Edmonds of West Palm Beach (D) is proposing the “Save Our Teachers Act” to raise teacher pay in Florida closer to the national average.

“This is just a minor step in the right direction to help our teachers,” Edmonds said. “This year is a perfect year, we just found an extra $2 billion in our budget that we can really, really utilize to actually help fund teachers right now.”

Florida ranks 48th in the nation when it comes to average teacher pay. The most recent report from the National Education Association shows the average teacher in the Sunshine State is making about $51,000 a year.

Edmonds is proposing the Florida Education Finance Program foot the bill for the higher minimum base salaries. He said the state’s general revenue can also support the pay increases.