Florida's Latest News

House Bill Would Require All Private Employers to Use E-Verify by 2026

Legislation filed Tuesday in the Florida House would require all private employers in the state to use the federal E-Verify system to confirm the work eligibility of new hires beginning in 2026.

House Bill 197 would expand Florida’s existing employment verification law to cover all private businesses, removing the current exemption for those with fewer than 25 employees. The measure amends existing Florida Statutes, which requires E-Verify use by public employers and larger private firms.

Under the proposal, every employer in Florida would be required to confirm a worker’s authorization to work in the United States through the E-Verify database operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration. The expanded mandate would take effect July 1, 2026.

Florida Bill Would Examine Vaccine History in Unexpected Deaths of Young Adults, Infants

A Florida lawmaker is looking to force medical examiners in the state to explore the vaccination history of young adults, children, or infants who die suddenly for unknown reasons. The move comes in part after some cases of Myocarditis, a type of heart inflammation, began to emerge as a complication in young people after the first wave of COVID-19 shots became available in 2021.

Filed by Sen. Ileana Garcia (R-Miami), SB 188 would look into "Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome" related to cardiac arrhythmia mainly in young adults 20 or younger, who otherwise appear healthy, with no known previously diagnosed structural heart disease.

SB 188 also mandates examiners look into the history of sudden expected, or unexpected, deaths of infants under 1 year of age.

"My objective is to improve comprehensive and accurate health data, especially related to recent vaccinations. It's vital for the advancement of successful medical research and improving healthcare quality," Garcia told The Floridian.

EDsmart: Florida Poly top school for return on investment

Florida Polytechnic University is among the 20 best universities in the nation for return on investment, outperforming some of the country’s most prestigious institutions.

That’s according to a new analysis by EDsmart, a data-driven college ratings publisher. EDsmart evaluated 1,755 four-year colleges nationwide and ranked Florida Poly among the schools with the highest-value degrees based on cost, with an ROI of 163%. That’s 15 percentage points higher than the national average ROI at elite universities such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton and MIT.

The Lakeland-based STEM university ranks among longer-tenured universities such as Cal State and the City University of New York.

“Florida Poly continues to prove that students don’t need to attend an Ivy League school to achieve outstanding career success,” said Andy Oguntola, Florida Poly’s assistant vice president for enrollment management. 

Go-ahead sought to resume arbitration for Florida's Citizens Property Insurance

Monday’s petition said a past ruling has “indefinitely” put on hold all pending Citizens arbitration cases. It said 390 Citizens policyholders are awaiting resolution of disputes.

In an unusual move, the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings on Monday asked an appeals court to allow it to resume deciding Citizens Property Insurance Corp. claims disputes after a Hillsborough County circuit judge halted the process.

Lawyers for the Division of Administrative Hearings filed an emergency petition at the 2nd District Court of Appeal, arguing that Circuit Judge Melissa M. Polo overstepped her authority when she issued a temporary injunction. Polo ruled Aug. 1 that the process, which involves arbitrating disputes at the Division of Administrative Hearings, is likely unconstitutional.

Monday’s petition said Polo’s ruling has “indefinitely” put on hold all pending Citizens arbitration cases. It said 390 Citizens policyholders are awaiting resolution of disputes.