Florida's Latest News

A bill to make Florida electricity more affordable is being endorsed by clean energy advocates

Your electric bill could stop increasing if the Affordable Energy Reform Act — endorsed by clean energy advocates — makes it through the Florida Legislature this session.

State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, wants to change the way electricity rate hikes are determined.

His measure, SB 1532, would require the Florida Public Service Commission, which regulates power companies, ensure utilities don't recover certain costs from ratepayers, while also capping profits.

Brooke Ward, the Florida State Director of Food & Water Watch, has been advocating for these changes for a long time.

"It's really exciting to see this year that we have truly reformative legislation being introduced that will win real improvements in the lives of Florida families," she said.

The legislation could also improve transparency and accountability when it comes to rate hikes.

This comes after the PSC granted Florida Power and Light a $7 billion rate increase spread over four years.

"Fifty cents of every dollar of that rate increase was because of the return on equity. So it was for profit, and the associated taxes with profit," Ward said.

Nick DiCeglie’s fix to an unpopular hurricane recovery law gains steam with Judiciary Committee approval

A bill aimed at dialing back unintended consequences of Florida’s post-hurricane recovery law cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee without opposition.

SB 840, sponsored by Pinellas County Republican Sen. Nick DiCeglie, would revise portions of a bill approved last year (SB 180) that was intended to prevent local governments from delaying rebuilding after major storms.

SB 180 has since drawn criticism from cities and counties statewide for limiting policy decisions not related to storm recovery. DiCeglie said the law largely achieved its emergency preparedness goals, but that SB 840 clears up two provisions that put up roadblocks for local governments making comprehensive plan updates or policy decisions not directly related to storm recovery.

“There were two sections in the bill, Section 18 and 28, that became problematic, especially when it comes to comprehensive plans,” DiCeglie said. “There was a term in the bill, ‘restrictive and burdensome,’ that had, unfortunately, some unintended consequences.”

Under SB 840, temporary land use limitations tied to Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton would expire June 30 instead of remaining in effect through late 2027. The bill also narrows the geographic scope of post-storm restrictions from 100 miles to 50 miles from a storm’s track and limits their application to areas included in a Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster declaration.

Gov. DeSantis announces $20 million for nursing programs

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced additional funding Tuesday for a nursing pipeline program that provides scholarships.

The governor said the $20 million will go toward the Linking Industry to Nursing Education, or LINE, program. LINE provides matching funds to educational institutions to boost nursing education and address Florida's nursing shortage.

The program is a state-funded competitive grant program that offers dollar-for-dollar matching funds for student scholarships, faculty recruitment, equipment and simulation centers to boost nursing program capacity and graduates.

The total amount of LINE funding for this fiscal year, including the $20 million announced Tuesday, is $44.5 million.

Most of the additional money, about $14.5 million, will go to state colleges and private universities providing nursing education. The rest will go to Florida state universities with nursing programs.

Programs based in the Tampa Bay region are St. Pete College, Hillsborough State College, Florida Southern College, Pasco-Hernando State College, Polk State College, State College of Florida, Galen College.

Adam Anderson’s push for more genetic counselors in Florida clears first hurdle

Rep. Adam Anderson has successfully ushered through its first committee stop legislation that would address a shortage of genetic counselors and strengthen the state’s capacity for advanced medical care and genetic research.

Anderson’s bill (HB 1115) cleared the Careers and Workforce Subcommittee. It would establish the Genetic Counseling Education Enhancement Grant Program within Florida’s State University System to support the development of American Board of Genetic Counseling-accredited graduate-level genetic counseling programs to eliminate Florida’s status as a genetic counseling desert.

“The need for health care professionals in the Sunshine State cannot be understated,” Anderson said.

“But specialization is the true hurdle for families praying for the next innovation that will help their child. Genetic counselors guiding difficult diagnoses are in short supply. However, Florida aims to right-set our specialization efforts at the intersection between education and employment. We’re standing by Florida families and those students willing to take the next step.”

With just 179 licensed genetic counselors in the state, patient demand is not being met. Genetic counselors guide families facing complex genetic diagnoses, and they serve as essential partners in research, innovation and precision medicine.