Florida's Latest News

Rick Scott Pushes Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act to Support Victims of Natural Disasters

Florida Senator Rick Scott unveiled a new bill designed to offer tax breaks to victims of natural disasters.

The Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2025 would allow tax breaks for victims of federally declared disasters, such as hurricanes and wildfires, until the end of 2026. The bill also extends victims’ ability to make tax-deductible payments from wildfire settlements through the end of 2030.

“Whether it’s a hurricane or a wildfire, we’ve all seen the heartbreaking impact natural disasters can have. Proud to lead my Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act with Senator Schiff to ensure victims have the relief they need,” Scott said.

The bill received widespread bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate, with Florida Congressman Greg Steube and California Congressman Mike Thompson championing the bill in the House and Sen. Scott and California Sen. Adam Schiff leading the bill in the Senate.

Ashley Moody co-sponsors Senate bill stipulating detailed information for college students before getting loans

Sen. Ashley Moody has joined a bipartisan effort on Capitol Hill to make would-be college students more aware of the financial obligations they’ll be facing when they arrive for classes on campus with student loans.

Moody announced she, with five other U.S. Senators, is co-sponsoring a bill called the Student Transparency for Understanding Decisions in Education Net Terms (STUDENT) Act. She’s being joined by their fellow Senators, Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar, Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, Maggie Hassan, a New Hampshire Democrat, and Joni Ernst, also an Iowa Republican, who helped draft the proposed legislation.

The bill advocates for more transparency, not only for students but also for their families, before they take out federal student loans. The STUDENT Act aims to provide detailed estimates of the total amount of loans plus interest, and the debt load college students could take on. The measure also would require outlines of the outstanding principal that students would incur when they take out education loans.

Congresswoman Frederica Wilson joins lawmakers urging the Trump administration to protect English learners

Dozens of members of Congress are urging the Trump administration to protect about 5 million English language learners across the country.

In a Sept. 11 letter, the lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami Gardens, want the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Justice Department to fully fund and staff the Office of English Language Acquisition and the Office of Civil Rights.

Wilson and her fellow lawmakers face a difficult time convincing President Donald Trump and his administration to change course.

Earlier this year, Trump declared English the official language of the United States. And administration officials have all but eliminated the Office of English Language Acquisition, part of the U.S. Education Department — a federal agency also being dismantled.

FSU, TMH deal announced: Future of Tallahassee hospital now in city commissioners' hands

After months of confidential negotiations, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and Florida State University have struck a deal: Pending city commission approval, TMH would become a part of FSU Health with the university taking control of all the city-owned assets of the hospital.

The "landmark agreement," first announced in a Sept. 16 informational email to TMH staff that was obtained by the Tallahassee Democrat, could mean the end of community ownership of the hospital in favor of an academic medical center – a step toward developing a clinical enterprise like the sprawling healthcare system its rival University of Florida has been operating for decades.

"Maintaining local control and governance of our hospital was one of our most important tenets, and we believe this partnership accomplishes that goal and will position our organization — and our community — for an even stronger future," CEO Mark O’Bryant wrote in the letter.

A press release and joint statement issued later by FSU President Richard McCullough and O'Bryant stressed that "for both institutions, maintaining the hospital as a locally based, locally governed health care system remained paramount."