Florida's Latest News

Gov. DeSantis outlines state investigation into attempted assassination of Trump

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed an Executive Order assigning the investigation into an attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump to the Florida Office of Statewide Prosecution.

The move, the governor said, allows the state to take charge of the case and allows the state of Florida to pursue more severe charges than federal prosecutors. The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, is accused of violating state laws across multiple judicial circuits, including Palm Beach and Martin counties, with a possible connection to Broward County. The Office of Statewide Prosecution has jurisdiction over crimes spanning multiple circuits, enabling the state to pursue charges of attempted murder, which could result in a life sentence.

DeSantis also claimed that it “would not be in the state’s or the nation’s best interest” for the same federal agencies prosecuting Trump to lead an investigation into the attempted assassination.

“The state of Florida has jurisdiction over the most serious, straightforward offense, which is attempted murder,” he said. “In my judgment, it’s not in the best interest of our state or our nation at the same federal agencies that are seeking to prosecute Donald Trump leading this investigation, especially when the most serious, straightforward offense constitutes a violation of state law, but not federal law.

When does early voting start in Florida? Dates, times differ county-by-county

The general election is less than two months away, but many Florida voters already know who and what they'll be voting for. When does early voting start?

The important dates are:

• Voter registration deadline: Oct. 7
• Deadline to request vote-by-mail ballots: 5 p.m., Oct. 24
• Early voting mandatory dates: Oct. 26 - Nov. 2
• Each county Supervisor of Elections may choose to offer more early voting days, starting up to five days earlier or lasting one day longer.
• Election Day: Nov. 5

Every Florida county will have a mandatory eight-day early voting period before the election but most counties are opting to start earlier and some will be allowing early voting on the Sunday before the election. Many early voting sites will be open earlier and/or later than they were during early voting for the primary.

Conservationists clash with Sierra Club over the right to hunt and fish in Florida

A proposal to enshrine hunting and fishing rights in the state constitution is pitting some Florida conservationists against one of the country’s largest environmental groups, as sportsmen and anglers who see a threat to their ways of life push for similar language in state constitutions across the country. Supporters in Florida — including most prominently Republican Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, a potential 2026 gubernatorial candidate — say the measure is needed to thwart any future efforts to ban hunting and fishing, and is part of a broader goal to preserve Florida wildlife and residents’ enjoyment of it as a key part of the state’s culture and economy.

“There has been an undertone across the country of states wanting to pass hunting, fishing bans,” Josh Kellam, chair of the Yes on 2 political committee, told POLITICO. “It has been brought to our attention Florida was a potential threat. So we took a very proactive approach.”

But the measure has divided environmental supporters in Florida. Some have dismissed the need for the language in the constitution, arguing that there is no threat in Florida to hunting and fishing, which already are protected in state law.

ACC launches new appeal in FSU fight

In the latest move in a fierce legal battle, the Atlantic Coast Conference has appealed a Leon County circuit judge’s refusal to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Florida State University against the ACC over issues such as sports media rights.

The ACC is challenging at the 1st District Court of Appeal an Aug. 13 order by Circuit Judge John Cooper denying a conference motion to dismiss the case. In seeking dismissal, the ACC contended, in part, that Cooper didn’t have “jurisdiction” over the university’s claims against the North Carolina-based conference.

A notice of appeal, filed last week, does not detail arguments the ACC will make at the Tallahassee-based appeals court.

But in an accompanying motion for a stay of the lawsuit while the appeal plays out, conference attorneys pointed to a separate case that the ACC filed against Florida State in North Carolina over similar issues.

The motion argued that disputes about the media-rights agreements should be resolved in North Carolina and that the ACC is not subject to what is known as a “long-arm” law that would make it subject to Florida courts.