Florida's Latest News

Ron DeSantis, Kim Reynolds take endorsement show on the road in Iowa

In Davenport, Iowa, Gov. Ron DeSantis continued to trumpet arguably the most significant endorsement in Iowa.

Ahead of DeSantis’ remarks, Gov. Kim Reynolds extolled him as the “most effective leader” that she has “ever seen” and a “fighter,” continuing messaging momentum established in recent days as her long-awaited support for the Florida Governor materialized.

From there, DeSantis took over, extolling Reynolds and Iowa for being different than other states nearby with Democratic governance, as part of a speech heavy on messaging rehearsed and honed in recent months.

“You just don’t have to go very far from here to see a much different model of governance. Some of you probably are Illinois residents who came here. Probably not what you want. And I know this personally because in Florida, I get a front seat to what’s going on in this country because people visit Florida and they move to Florida from all across the country,” DeSantis said.

Florida continues to debate Iran, education, and hurricane relief policies in special session

Florida House Rep. Jason Shoaf (R-Dixie) serves Florida’s District 7, which includes a few coastal counties and parts of the Big Bend. Shoaf introduced on Tuesday HB-1C, a disaster relief package, and said if passed, the legislation would bring aid to both business owners and homeowners after Hurricane Idalia destroyed parts of the Big Bend.

It's been reported that Idalia’s category 3 winds caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damages and Shoaf said one way to bring assistance to the victims is by extending funding for the state’s popular wind mitigation program.

“The program is so popular that the waitlist has grown large enough that we did not allocate enough funds," said Shoaf. "We didn't realize how many people would want to take advantage of this, but we’re excited that we did so we want to make sure and fund all the people on the current waitlist.”

Shoaf’s proposal would bring tax exemptions for building material, grants, and recovery programs; as well as add an additional $181 million to the wind mitigation program that will help Floridians install stronger wind resistance windows. That measure passed unanimously 110-0.

Lt. Gov Nuñez Advertises Florida’s Universities and Burgeoning Economy to World CEOs

Coral Gables, Fl- Florida Lt. Governor Jeannette Nuñez boasted about Florida’s booming economy, stellar universities, and low regulation during the second day of the World Strategic Forum. 

Lt. Governor Nuñez gave a keynote address to hundreds of company executives and political leaders gathered for the International Economic Forum of the Americas’ (IEFA) annual Miami event.

Nuñez explained Florida’s economic policies have resulted in the state’s credit rating surpassing those of California, New York, and the US, which have all recently been downgraded. 

“We believe in low taxes, low regulation, creating a positive environment, and then getting out of your way so you can do what you do best,” said Nuñez to the over 750 CEOs present. 

Yesterday, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava encouraged investment into Miami and the South Florida region during her own keynote address. 

EV's may help Florida’s environment, but what about your budget?

If you drive an electric vehicle in Florida, you could end up paying hundreds of dollars additional in registration fees starting next year.

Senator Ed Hooper filed a bill for the 2024 legislative session that would add an extra 200 dollar registration fee for EVs.

Hooper has said the goal is to make up for lost gas tax revenue.

WMFE's Talia Blake caught up with Jim Gregory, Dean of the College of Engineering at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, to find out how electric vehicles impact Florida’s economy.

Jim Gregory: There's a lot of development work that goes into electric vehicles. There's the technology that goes into making them, and new ways of transportation have new infrastructure that needs to be rolled out. It changes how things flow, how the money flows. Instead of going to the local gas station, maybe we're going to a charging station, and that might change the dynamics of where we spend our money, whether we pick up a candy bar along the way or not. So there's a lot of ways, big and small, that we have an impact on our economy.