Florida's Latest News

Could Gov. DeSantis use $100M reelection money in presidential race?

Few people noticed when the Federal Election Commission deadlocked last month over whether US Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida in 2020 had broken a law intended to keep money raised for a state campaign out of federal elections.

But election lawyer Brett Kappel closely followed the case, and he immediately thought of one person who could benefit greatly from the outcome: Ron DeSantis.

The Florida governor is shattering national fundraising records as he seeks a second term, attracting gobs of money from Republican donors eyeing DeSantis as a potential presidential candidate in 2024. At the end of May, DeSantis was sitting on $111 million -- more money than any candidate has ever needed to win an election in the Sunshine State. More donations come in almost every day.

Kappel believes that the FEC's inaction against Donalds could give DeSantis a blueprint for how to raise money for a prospective presidential campaign while still running for governor.

Half a million more vaccinated for COVID-19 in Florida in 2 weeks

COVID-19 vaccinations in the state jumped by more than 500,000 in the last two weeks, but that now includes children younger than 5, while deaths are up and cases remain steady.

There were 148,314 new coronavirus cases recorded over the last two weeks among Florida residents, bringing the cumulative total to 6,493,977. With 795 more fatalities on record, 75,891 Florida residents have died.

The death total over the last two weeks reflects an increase from the 506 reported in the two weeks prior, but deaths can take several days or weeks to be reported. Many newly reported deaths are of people who died before the last two weeks.

The number of cases over the last two weeks was nearly the same as two weeks prior, which saw 148,758 reported cases. Positivity increased from 17.2% to 19.4%. That’s for new cases only and excludes anyone who previously tested positive.

Florida's national parks bring in $855 million in visitor spending

It's not just Florida's theme parks like Epcot and SeaWorld bringing tourism dollars here. The Sunshine State gets more cash, jobs and visitors from national parks than most other states.

Florida's 11 national parks generated roughly $1.3 billion in economic contributions last year, according to a new report from the National Parks Service. Florida ranks No. 8 in park-related visitor spending — behind California, North Carolina, Utah, Virginia, Wyoming, Arizona and Tennessee.

Last year, some 13.4 million visitors to national parks in Florida spent $855 million in the regions near the parks, known as gateway regions. That spending — on things like lodging, outfitters, and gas — supported 11,900 jobs, $441 million in labor income and $753 million in value added in the Florida economy.

Big Cypress generates some $228 million in visitor spending, the highest in Florida. Locally, De Soto National Memorial generated $14.5 million in gateway spending from some 222,000 park visitors. That spending supported 208 jobs and $7.4 million in labor income around De Soto.

'Success is saving one life': Panic button law named after Parkland victim is adopted in NY

Schools in multiple states are installing panic button systems that allow students and teachers to silently alert law enforcement about an emergency. That’s thanks to family members of a student who was killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.

In late June, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed Alyssa’s Law — named in honor of Alyssa Alhadeff, who was 14 years old when she was murdered in Parkland.

“It's not a mandate, but I stand by here today and ask all school districts to adopt this,” Hochul said at a bill signing event. “Please, please consider this technology to protect your students and your staff and your administrators. It will save lives.”

Alyssa’s Law has already been passed in Florida and New Jersey. Bills have also been introduced in Arizona, Nebraska, Texas and Virginia, as well as in the U.S. Congress, according to Make Our Schools Safe, a nonprofit founded by the Alhadeff family.