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Dave Kerner, a Palm Beach County Democrat, backs Republican DeSantis’ re-election. What’s behind it?

Dave Kerner, a Democrat elected four times in heavily Democratic Palm Beach County, delivered an effusive endorsement Tuesday for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ re-election.

And Kerner — a former police officer widely seen as hoping to someday become Palm Beach County sheriff — repeated the Republican allegation that Democratic gubernatorial nominee Charlie Crist favors defunding the police.

Kerner and DeSantis heaped effusive praise on each other at a rally at the Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association, called solely for the purpose of the endorsement announcement.

“We are a state on the rise, and I give a lot of credit to our governor for the trajectory of our state,” Kerner said.

Report targets funding shift to private schools in Florida

Since 2019, when Florida lawmakers created a voucher program called the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program, the “flow of public funds to private education” has dramatically increased, according to a new report by the nonprofit Florida Policy Institute and the Education Law Center.

The report details an increase in money in the Florida Education Finance Program being “re-routed” from public school districts to voucher programs.

The Florida Education Finance Program, commonly known as the FEFP, is the main funding source for public schools. The funding shift went from $326 million in 2020 to an estimated $1.3 billion for the 2022-2023 school year, according to the report.

During a news conference Tuesday about the report, speakers such as Leon County Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna decried the trend of expanding voucher programs.

Florida Gaming Control Commission sets agency vision in mission statement

Spinning up an agency from nothing can be an oddly compelling sight, since it’s been rare that people have the opportunity to see why some foundational decisions are made the way they are. Faced with an agenda light on line items but heavy on details, the Florida Gaming Control Commission decided what its guiding mission statement would be.

Of four options presented, Commissioners opted for the fifth. 

“Preserve and protect the integrity of gaming activities through fair regulation, licensing, effective criminal investigation, and enforcement,” stated Concept 5, the off-menu selection Commissioners unanimously backed.

The fifth choice came from Commissioner Chuck Drago, said Commission Executive Director Lou Trombetta. 

Florida awarded $12.9 million to bolster safety at highway-rail crossings

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced today a $12.9 million grant to the Southern Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) to improve safety at highway-rail crossings across South Florida.

“Safety is the number one priority of the U.S. Department of Transportation, especially as our country faces a crisis of fatalities on our roadways,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Today’s grants, along with additional funds from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will improve safety at highway-rail crossings for travelers, whether they’re riding, driving, biking, or walking.”

The grant is one of five from the FHWA’s Commuter Authority Rail Safety Improvement (CARSI) program aimed at eliminating hazards and addressing safety issues in California, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania. Grants for the five projects, awarded by FHWA in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA), will be used to make highway-rail crossings safer for all parties.