Florida's Latest News

Gov. DeSantis says lockdowns are not an option for Florida as concerns are raised over omicron variant

Amid a growing national concern over the COVID-19 omicron variant, Florida Governor DeSantis says the state will not be issuing any lockdowns or restrictions.

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, the lockdowns didn't stop COVID...," said DeSantis at a news conference in Orlando Monday.

The governor says the lockdown policies have not worked in the past to help contain the spread of COVID-19 and have had lasting impacts on the economic wellbeing of the state and it's industries.

"In Florida, we will not let them lock you down, we will not let them take your jobs, we will not let them harm your businesses, we will not let them close your schools," he said.

Leon Schools Superintendent set to face mask questions at Tiger Bay luncheon

Leon County Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna could face questions about his district’s decision to stop fighting against Gov. Ron DeSantis’ mask mandate ban during Wednesday’s Capital Tiger Bay Club luncheon.

The club is invite-only and holds events to provide a nonpartisan forum on current political issues. It invited Hanna as this month’s luncheon guest speaker.

There is no set topic for Hanna’s speech, said Tiger Bay President Christina Johnson. However, she said she knows he will touch on the masking debate and Tiger Bay members will bring up masks during the event’s Q&A session.

Hanna’s district previously joined Alachua, Broward, Duval, Miami-Dade and Orange counties in suing the Department of Health over a DeSantis executive order which barred mask mandates. A judge ruled against the districts and in favor of the mask mandate ban earlier this month.

Florida considers teaching risks, benefits of social media

Florida schools would be required to teach students the benefits and risks of social media under a bill unanimously approved Tuesday by the Senate Education Committee.

If passed, a curriculum would be developed and school districts would be required to implement it into existing courses. The curriculum would also be made available to parents. The bill would also define social media in state law for the first time.

“The things that our kids are exposed to is troubling. Kids are losing their innocence more and more every day earlier because of the things you can just see by pulling it up online, even if they’re not looking for it,” said Republican Sen. Danny Burgess, the bill's sponsor.

And while he said that parents should be involved in this discussion at home, many aren't familiar with the variety of social media platforms children have access to.

The Florida Retail Federation says shoppers are buying holiday gifts earlier this year

Florida Retail Federation spokesperson Amanda Bevis says shopping early for holiday gifts has been a growing trend for years. This year, she says retailers are seeing shoppers even earlier than before.

"Part of that may be that people are just ready for the holiday season and want to start marking gifts off their list. Another reason for that may be the supply chain disruptions," Bevis says.

Bevis says extended Black Friday deals could also be spurring the rise in early holiday shopping.

"61% of shoppers surveyed this month said they've already started browsing and buying holiday gifts, and that represents a 10% increase from a decade ago," Bevis says.