Florida's Latest News

Budget conference: Senate matches House on kicking $5M to Miami soccer stadium road project

Three days after the House upped its offer to $5 million for a roadway project linked to the giant Miami Freedom Park soccer complex, Senate budgeters agreed to match the sum.

It’s the full amount Sen. Jay Trumbull and Rep. James Buchanan sought in matching appropriation requests.

The chambers were previously at odds over the project, for which the House originally proposed $1.5 million before bumping its offer up to $5 million on May 22. The Senate, meanwhile, offered nothing.

That changed Sunday as lawmakers drew close to concurring on a spending plan for Fiscal Year 2026-27. The Senate agreed to the $5 million earmark, which still could be nixed by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ veto pen.

House budget chiefs have dramatically escalated their push to fund a new roadway linked to the sprawling Miami Freedom Park soccer complex, more than tripling the money they’re proposing for the project.

Budget conference documents released Friday evening show the House moved from $1.5 million for the undertaking on Northwest 37th Avenue and 17th Street to $5 million in its latest bump offer.

Most of Florida is experiencing a drought. That could be a bummer on July 4

Floridians could be advised to celebrate the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary without fireworks if heavy, ground-soaking rains don’t soon arrive.

Members of the state Cabinet warned Tuesday they won’t hold back on taking legal action against those responsible for blazes that get out of control and affect residential areas as the peak of an already highly active year for wildfires has yet to arrive.

Attorney General James Uthmeier said his office will hold people accountable if they start “some big bonfire with these drought conditions, and the wind blows, and all of a sudden the neighborhood is on fire, you will be held accountable.”

“Have fun. Have a good time. Enjoy some beers over the holidays this summer. But if you’re in one of these burn ban counties … please take this seriously,” Uthmeier said during a press conference at the Withlacoochee Forestry Training Center in Brooksville. “If you violate these orders, if danger takes place, if people are harmed, we will be there to prosecute.”

Gov. DeSantis signs HAVEN Act, expanding protections for domestic, dating violence

Starting in July, victims of domestic and dating violence will have new tools to stop their cycles of abuse.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation (SB 296) to extend safeguards currently available to domestic violence victims to victims of dating violence and begin the development of a new alert system to notify police of escalating incidents.

The law, dubbed the “Helping Abuse Victims Escape Now” (HAVEN) Act, directs the state to study the feasibility of a discreet, web-based system that could alert police to dangerous abuse situations using a smartphone’s Wi-Fi and GPS.

Under the proposed program, victims would receive an individualized phone number they could call when in fear for their lives, rather than the standard 911 number that can sometimes take longer to process.

The measure, effective July 1, also formally defines “dating violence” in state statute and extends existing domestic violence safeguards — including eligibility for Florida’s Address Confidentiality Program — to dating violence and stalking victims.

What to know about Florida lawmakers’ $114 billion deal for a new state budget

Florida’s legislative leaders, after weeks of negotiations and delays, are ready to give Gov. Ron DeSantis his final budget.

Clocking in at around $114.5 billion, the budget will cover the last months of DeSantis’ tenure as Florida governor and the start of the next administration.

Like last year, lawmakers couldn’t agree on a plan during the regular 60-day legislative session. Late-night meetings between the House and Senate bled into the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.

“I would say in January, we had enormous more differences of opinion than we do today,” Sen. Ed Hooper, the head of the Senate appropriations committee, said Sunday. “This has really been a situation where we have compromised, we have adjusted. If neither of us leave real happy, it’s probably a good deal.”

Lawmakers intend to vote on the budget on Friday after a required 72-hour “cooling off” and review period. Here’s what to know about what the state could soon fund — and what lawmakers chose to leave behind.