Coalition calls on Legislature to address $759M backlog of state park repairs

A coalition of 32 groups and businesses is urging Florida state lawmakers to step up funding for repairs to the Florida State Parks system

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix March 9, 2026March 10, 2026

News

Florida Senate votes to ban local governments from spending on DEI

If enacted, officials could be removed from office for violating the bill

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix March 6, 2026March 6, 2026

News

Bill allowing Florida to designate domestic terrorist organizations passes in House

Orlando Rep. Rita Harris said the bill places “an extraordinary concentration of power” in the hands of just a few government officials

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix March 4, 2026March 4, 2026

News

Bill requiring U.S. citizenship to register to vote passed by Florida House

The bill also removes student IDs as an acceptable form of identification when voting at the polls

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix February 26, 2026February 26, 2026

News

Florida GOP voters say a DeSantis endorsement for governor means more than Trump’s

DeSantis has not endorsed any candidate to succeed him as governor so far

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix February 24, 2026February 24, 2026

News

Orange County among potential sites for proposed $127M prison, report says

The House proposed $127 million for planning and design of a new 4,800-prisoner facility and adjoining 600-bed hospital unit

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix February 18, 2026February 18, 2026

News

Florida House passes $5M plan to rename an airport after Trump

Trump lost Palm Beach County, the location of the proposed airport, to Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix February 18, 2026February 18, 2026

News

New bill would ban cites, counties from enacting climate change policies

The bill says that it is Florida state policy to prohibit the adoption or implementation of “net-zero policies” by government entities

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix February 13, 2026February 13, 2026

News

Florida bill to brand certain groups as domestic terrorists advances

The bill includes a provision that would ban schools with affiliations to designated foreign or domestic terrorist organizations from receiving school voucher funds

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix February 11, 2026February 11, 2026

News

DeSantis’ $374M request for correction officer pay raises gets a boost

Florida Lieutenant Gov. Jay Collins — candidate for the Republican nomination for governor — is promoting DeSantis’ budget request

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix February 9, 2026February 9, 2026

News

Reps. Maxwell Frost, Darren Soto tell Kristi Noem not to open ICE facility in Orlando

Reports of ICE opening a processing center in Orlando have emerged in recent weeks, with a reported cost of nearly $100M

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix February 7, 2026February 7, 2026

Cannabis

Bill banning open containers of cannabis while driving advances

The bill would work the same way Florida law does now in banning driving with open containers of alcohol

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix February 5, 2026February 5, 2026

News

Public-sector workers don’t need to use people’s preferred pronouns, bill says

A measure to impose state regulations on pronoun use was approved in its first committee stops in both the Florida Senate and House this week

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix February 5, 2026February 5, 2026

News

Proposal to clarify if ex-felons are eligible to vote advances in Senate – but not House

The proposal has been pushed by voting rights advocates for years

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix February 5, 2026February 5, 2026

News

CAIR Florida comes to the Capitol, despite ‘terrorist’ claims from DeSantis

CAIR Florida is speaking out against several bills filed this legislative session, none bigger for them than HB 1471

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix February 3, 2026February 3, 2026

Florida News

Gun-safety advocates push to preserve Florida’s red-flag law

Risk-protection orders can authorize confiscation of firearms from individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix January 30, 2026January 30, 2026

News

Youth climate-change activists redirect focus to opposing AI data centers

Activists are backing legislation that would protect Floridians from being taken advantage of by corporations’ AI data centers

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix January 30, 2026January 30, 2026

News

Bills to clarify whether ex-felons can legally vote advance in Senate

Floridians years ago approved a constitutional amendment to restore the voting rights of felons who had completed their sentences

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix January 27, 2026January 27, 2026

News

Black Democrats blast AG Uthmeier’s attack on affirmative action

Uthmeier disparaged what he described as race-based quotas in Florida hiring practices and stipulations for minority representation on different boards, councils, and other panels

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix January 23, 2026January 26, 2026