Capital Report: March 17, 2025

Published March 17, 2025 at 5:35 PM EDT

Orlando Democratic Congressman Maxwell Frost held press conferences at the Florida Capitol today (Monday.) Tristan Wood reports the Congressman had harsh words for the Trump administration and Florida Republicans.

Florida lawmakers are considering legislation to help address the state’s affordable housing problem. Committees in the House and Senate have approved bills that would require municipalities to allow the addition of accessory dwelling units to single-family homes. Gina Jordan reports.

Florida’s jobless rate edged up one-tenth-of-one-percent in January to 3.5%

Florida lawmakers are proposing legislation to help military veterans, and their families launch their own businesses. Adrian Andrews reports.

Capital Report

Capital Report: March 14, 2025

On tonight's program: There are Republicans in the Florida Legislature who admit there’s a very good reason why they’re following the lead of the guy who’s the current president of the United States; It’s not only lawmakers in Tallahassee that are under the gun to bend to the president’s wishes; Florida lawmakers are tackling big issues sooner than usual in this year’s session. We’ll get analysis from Capital Reporter Tristan Wood; The Florida Senate gets serious about autism, passing a bill that boosts resources for early detection, intervention and research; And Florida is still wrestling with the matter of name, image and likeness money in college spots.
Capital Report: March 13, 2025

On tonight’s program: A bill to help grow rural communities is heading to the Senate Floor; A panel of Florida lawmakers agreed today (Thursday) officials should consider whether a child’s injuries are really the result of abuse, or if they could stem from a rare medical condition; An effort to impose stricter penalties on reckless boaters keeps moving ahead in the Florida Legislature; And Republican Florida lawmakers want to fast track President Donald Trump’s Presidential Library in the state as soon as he terms out.
Capital Report: March 12, 2025

On Tonight's program: Second Amendment supporters are rooting for a bill now heading through the Florida Legislature that would repeal an existing law that bans the sale of guns and ammo during locally declared emergencies; There are now 5 members on the Florida Public Service Commission. A proposal advancing in Tallahassee would expand that number to 7; And some libel protections for media outlets would vanish under a new defamation bill under consideration.
Capital Report: March 11, 2025

On tonight’s program: The office of Florida Lieutenant Governor may be replaced by a newly created “commissioner of government efficiency” under a constitutional amendment that lawmakers could place on the 2026 ballot; Victims of dating violence could receive the same protections as victims of domestic violence under a bill now moving through the Florida Legislature; State lawmakers seem poised to repeal the later school start times for high school kids that the legislature passed just 2 years ago; And today was National Guard Appreciation Day at the Capitol and members of the State and National Guard may get more benefits under a bill now receiving significant legislative support.
Capital Report: March 10, 2025

On tonight’s program: A carve out for some lower-level workers to be exempt from Florida’s minimum wage is still moving in the legislature, although there are worries the measure could be unconstitutional; A railroad revival could be coming to a portion of Polk County as the governor signs a million-dollar award for increased train access; Although it was delayed in a key Senate committee, a proposed constitutional amendment limiting school board and country commission members to 8 years in office is still alive; And lawmakers are naming a bill against dog abandonment after the plucky bull terrier who was rescued by a Highway Patrol Trooper during Hurricane Milton.
Capital Report: March 7, 2025

On tonight’s program: The Florida Legislature is moving to make it a lot tougher for citizens to put proposed changes to the state constitution on the ballot. Even though opponents say such proposals are often very popular; Lawmakers struggle to craft a plan that saves the state’s condominium owners in the midst of a multi-faceted crisis; It appears things haven’t been quite as bad for Florida property insurers as first thought; Online scammers consider Florida’s older residents a prime target. But a bill working its way through the state senate could nab more of the bad actors; It seems there’s a good reason the Florida National Guard has been doing double-duty as corrections officers during the past few years; Governor DeSantis has turned thumbs down on a new management plan for a critical marine sanctuary, even though many experts say it’s the best they could come up with; And despite all the focus on private space firms like Elon Musk’s, NASA is still the prime driver of America’s space program.
Capital Report: March 6, 2025

On tonight’s program: It seems some lawmakers, as well as the governor, would not only like to do away with property taxes on primary residences, but some other kinds of properties, too; After Governor DeSantis voiced approval for looser gun laws during his State of the State address this week, some bills to that effect seem to be picking up steam in the legislature; More restrictions on citizen-driven constitutional amendment votes may be in the offing this legislative session; And Florida has long had many deficiencies in its child welfare system, but the current Senate president seems determined to address them this year.
Capital Report: March 5, 2025

On tonight’s program: Florida’s rural renaissance initiative to help the state’s rural and fiscally-constrained counties develop economically is working its way through the state legislature; Florida’s pension fund investments will include no companies that support DEI principles, as a result of a resolution by the State Cabinet; State lawmakers are considering tighter controls over the hemp industry; And as the incidence of Alzheimer's disease increases in Florida, state lawmakers are looking at more robust responses to the illness.
Capital Report: March 4, 2025

On tonight’s program: The 1st day of the 2025 Florida Legislative Session included lots of hopeful people advocating for various legislative outcomes; Governor Ron DeSantis kept the tone upbeat during his next-to-last State of the State address; Legislative Democrats find themselves in familiar – and lamentable – territory as Republican supermajorities prepare to work their will at the capitol; And property insurance and budgeting are two of the major issues on the House and Senate calendars.
Capital Report: February 28, 2025

Who are these people and why are they saying these things? In advance of next week’s start of the Florida lawmaking session, we’ll help you figure out what’s going on; Whatever lawmakers do, the governor usually has the last word. Sometimes well in advance; As a citizen, how do you let lawmakers know what you want? We’ll tell you how to go about that; You’ll get a quick primer on how the committee process works; Florida dreamers could find an affordable path to higher education blocked as a result of one bill already filed in the legislature; And we remember Geraldine Thompson, the Orlando lawmaker for whom the preservation of history was a sacred duty.

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