Florida's Latest News

Ron DeSantis highlight’s Florida Pavilion at Great American State Fair in D.C.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is helping to mark Florida’s history by promoting the state’s display at the Great American State Fair in the nation’s capital.

DeSantis marked the opening of the Florida Pavilion, which offers displays that explain the “Free State of Florida” and details the Sunshine State historical hallmarks over several centuries.

All 50 states and six U.S. territories are taking part in the Great American State Fair running from June 25 through July 10 at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The fair was organized by Freedom 250 to mark the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

“As our nation celebrates 250 years of independence, Florida is proud to showcase the culture and history that has helped shape America and continues to define our state’s success,” DeSantis said in a news release Wednesday.

“From our unmatched natural beauty to our thriving agriculture and world-class attractions, Florida’s pavilion will give visitors from across the country a taste of everything that makes the Free State of Florida exceptional.”

Florida Chamber backs Byron Donalds for Governor

The Florida Chamber of Commerce has formally endorsed Byron Donalds for Governor, throwing the state’s most influential business organization behind the Republican front-runner.

During a news conference held alongside the 2026 Florida Learners to Earners Workforce Solutions Summit, Florida Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson said the endorsement reflects Donalds’ record on issues the business community considers critical to the state’s continued growth, including workforce development, affordability, infrastructure and regulatory reform.

“Byron Donalds has spent a career in business. He understands local business issues,” Wilson said. “He clearly understands what it means to sign the front of a paycheck, and he’s clearly spent a career championing local businesses throughout Florida.”

Wilson noted that Donalds earned a 96% voting record with the Chamber during his service in the Florida House and holds a lifetime “A” rating from the organization.

Accepting the endorsement, Donalds cast Florida as the nation’s economic model and pledged to focus on issues ranging from taxes and insurance to housing, education, energy and healthcare if elected.

Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance sees policy count drop to all-time low

Efforts to shrink Citizens Property Insurance have brought the policy count for the state-run insurer to what officials herald as a record low.

But they also caution that an upturn is bound to occur, though it shouldn’t be as dramatic as ones in the past due to new laws approved in 2022 and 2023.

Citizens Property Insurance President and CEO Tim Cerio told board members Tuesday in a conference call that depopulation strategies over the past couple of years put the policy count under Citizens at 278,662 as of last Friday.

“It seems that we are really at an all-time low for probable maximum loss for Citizens policy insurance, which is great news, and again attributable to the reforms,” Cerio said.

The policy count, and any potential exposure risk, is down from 1.41 million in October 2023 as financial problems in the private market caused homeowners to fall into Citizens, which became the state’s largest property insurer.

FSU Health creates grant program for projects on healthcare challenges

From figuring out how stroke survivors can regain language abilities to using music to help with chronic pain management, Florida State University is giving researchers and professionals financial support to accept the healthcare challenges. 

Through FSU Health, the university has recently awarded $250,000 to a group of inaugural recipients for its Clinical Catalyst Grant Program. The initiative has FSU researchers collaborating with local clinical providers.

For FSU School of Communication Science and Disorders Assistant Professor Sladjana Lukic − who will work on a project that addresses stroke survivors − the program is an opportunity to help improve the quality of life for patients.

“I work with people with stroke aphasia – a language disorder – and we know that communication is really fundamental for them,” Lukic told the Tallahassee Democrat in a June 23 interview. “We’re hoping that if our techniques work and are paired with speech therapy, maybe they can regain the language. This award is just the beginning."