Florida's Latest News

Florida urges court to uphold ‘executive privilege’ protection for DeSantis

In a case that has drawn attention from media organizations and open-government advocates, state lawyers late Monday urged an appeals court to uphold a ruling that said “executive privilege” shields Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration from releasing records.

Lawyers in DeSantis’ office and Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office filed a brief disputing arguments that the use of executive privilege conflicts with a 1992 constitutional amendment aimed at providing access to public records.

The case stems from a person, identified in court documents as J. Doe, filing a public records request seeking information from DeSantis’ office about people involved in discussions about appointing Florida Supreme Court justices. In a subsequent lawsuit, Leon County Circuit Judge Angela Dempsey rejected the public records request on a series of grounds, including executive privilege.

Cammack's Amendment Passes in Energy and Water Appropriations Bill

 In January, Representative Kat Cammack (R-FL) introduced her Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2023 to the 118^th Congress. The bill would “prohibit funds from being used to finalize any rule or regulation resulting in an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more.” Rep. Cammack’s language was included as an amendment to the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024.

According to Rep. Cammack’s press release, her amendment would curtail funding at the Department of Energy and related agencies, specifically.

"Under this administration, the regulatory environment has never been worse," said Cammack. "For too long, the ever increasing regulatory costs have harmed consumers and businesses across the country. Since President Biden took office, the regulatory landscape has deteriorated by numerous new rules and regulations that impact all aspects of our economy. These are regulations that have added hundreds of billions of dollars more in regulatory costs that are ultimately passed down to consumers."

Uninsured Floridians can now shop for health insurance in federal marketplace

Each year, the federal government sets an enrollment window for people to shop for health insurance coverage that goes into effect the following calendar year.

That signup period begins Nov. 1 and runs through Jan. 15, 2024 for plans on the federal marketplace.

This happens because of the 2010 health care reform law, the Affordable Care Act, signed into law by former President Barack Obama, which is why it has the nickname Obamacare.

Last year, Florida led the nation in the number of Obamacare enrollees through the marketplace. More than 3.2 million Florida residents signed up for plans at healthcare.gov — an increase of more than 500,000 people from 2022, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

To help people understand all the confusing components of health insurance, the federal government funds helpers called navigators. They guide people through the signup process, free of cost to the enrollee.

Seminole Tribe to launch Florida sports betting, casino games in December

Gamblers will be able to place sports, craps and roulette bets at the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s six casinos starting in December, including at its Hard Rock property in Tampa, tribal officials announced Wednesday.

Sports betting has been in limbo for two years in Florida amid a legal battle over the carrying out of a $2.5 billion gambling deal between the Seminole Tribe and the state.

Tribal officials said they are moving forward with expanded gambling after a U.S. Supreme Court decision last week gave them a green light to proceed.

“This is a historic milestone that immediately puts Florida in the same league with the world’s great gaming destinations,” said Jim Allen, CEO of Seminole Gaming and Chairman of Hard Rock International.