Florida's Latest News

DeSantis vetoes vaping bill, calls the practice less dangerous than cigarettes

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday night vetoed a controversial bill that would have raised the age to buy tobacco to 21 and imposed new regulations on vape shops and e-cigarette manufacturers.

Senate Bill 810 was opposed by vape shop owners and people in the e-cigarette industry but had the backing of some state Republicans, including Attorney General Ashley Moody, who was concerned about the rise in underage vaping.

In his veto letter, DeSantis said he was concerned that the bill banned tobacco-free vaping as an alternative to adults using cigarettes, which he called more dangerous than vaping. He called the part of the bill that would have raised the smoking age to 21 “superfluous given this is already mandated by federal law.”

Challenge to amendment that restructures Florida primaries is tossed out

A state appeals court has cleared the way for a cost estimate to be placed on the November ballot about a controversial constitutional amendment that would revamp Florida’s primary-election system.

A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal on Friday tossed out a Leon County circuit judge’s ruling that ordered a state panel to revise an estimate of the cost of carrying out the amendment. Circuit Judge Charles Dodson ruled that the estimate, which will be presented to voters in the Nov. 3 general election, is “not clear.”

But the appeals court, pointing to a deadline in state law, overturned Dodson’s ruling Friday and ordered that he dismiss the case as “moot.” The three-page decision by Judges Brad Thomas, Harvey Jay and Adam Tanenbaum indicated the Tallahassee-based appeals court will issue a more-detailed opinion later about its reasoning.

Rob Bradley, Nick Patronis appointed to Water Management District boards

Sen. Rob Bradley and Nick Patronis are among five people Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Tuesday morning to three North Florida water management district governing boards.

Bradley, a Fleming Island lawyer, has been a Republican Senator for Senate District 5 since 2012 but is term limited and not seeking reelection. He will serve on the St. Johns River Water Management District Governing Board, which oversees ground water and surface water resources from Nassau County to Okeechobee County.

The past two years, Bradley has been the lead Senate budget negotiator. As the Appropriations Committee Chairman, he helped secure more than $1.25 billion for Florida’s environment and water resources.

Florida Supreme Court clears way for challenge to DeSantis pick

Striking a blow to Gov. Ron DeSantis, a unanimous Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed a state representative to move ahead with a revised challenge to the governor’s appointment of Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Renatha Francis to the state’s high court.

Rep. Geraldine Thompson, D-Windermere, last week asked the Supreme Court to reconsider her challenge to Francis' appointment, which the Republican governor announced in May.

Thompson’s request came days after justices ruled that DeSantis overstepped his authority when he appointed Francis because she did not meet a legal requirement of being a member of The Florida Bar for 10 years.