Florida Legislature

Floridians could add more sparkle to the Fourth of July and two other holidays, under the latest attempt to water down the state’s prohibition against fireworks.

A long-debated proposal that would allow people with concealed-weapons licenses to carry handguns on Florida college and university campuses was filed Thursday for consideration during the 2020 legislative session.

Declawing cats, unless medically necessary, would be banned under a bill proposed for the 2020 legislative session by Sen. Lauren Book.

Civil rights groups are hoping a federal judge will strike down a new Florida law that they say does not properly carry out a constitutional amendment restoring voting rights to felons who have completed their sentences.

Florida’s record $90.98 billion spending plan for the new fiscal year and more than 100 new laws hit the books Monday. 

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed 15 bills, including health-care priorities of House Speaker Jose Oliva, a plan to kick-start a hemp industry in Florida and an effort to prevent college hazing deaths.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has used his line-item veto power to slash more than $131 million in proposed spending, including $8 million for a Jacksonville housing project and $2 million for a University of North Florida renovation project.

Gov. Ron DeSantis hopes to sign a state budget and issue vetoes next week, with the spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year expected to arrive on his desk Friday.

Florida lawmakers this month approved a controversial bill that is expected to make it harder to put citizens’ initiatives on the ballot.

A long-controversial part of the state’s formula for distributing money to public schools could be headed toward a change.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed legislation that expands the controversial school “guardian” program to allow armed classroom teachers.

A record $91.1 billion spending plan for next fiscal year will soon be formally transmitted to Gov. Ron DeSantis, starting a 15-day clock for him to wield his line-item veto pen and decide what stays and what goes.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign a proposal would allow public and charter schools to carry guns in the classroom, although many school districts are unlikely to arm instructors.

With memories of massive outages after Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Michael and other storms, state lawmakers Thursday gave final approval to a bill that could lead to an expansion of underground power lines.

From rising traffic on Interstate 10 in Jacksonville to falling lake levels in Clay County, the state budget heading to the finish line would put money into tackling problems across Northeast Florida.

Florida lawmakers on Thursday gave final approval to a key portion of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ education agenda, which seeks to boost the state’s workforce by helping students pursue vocational and technical training in high school.

The legislation, which passed unanimously in the House and the Senate, would create a new pathway to high school graduation focused on technical and vocational training and would inject more money into apprenticeship programs in public schools as well as state colleges and universities.

After more than two decades of debate about the issue, the Florida Legislature on Monday approved eliminating the “certificate of need” regulatory program for hospitals and passed a high-profile measure aimed at importing prescription drugs from Canada.

Florida’s tourism-marketing arm will get an extra nine months --- and a $50 million budget --- to prove itself to the governor.

The Senate on Friday passed legislation outlawing so-called sanctuary city policies in Florida, reversing course on a politically charged issue that it has blocked for the past three years.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push to allow the state to import prescription drugs from Canada inched closer to passage Friday in the Senate.

Florida senators on Thursday passed legislation that would allow more students to use taxpayer-funded scholarships to pay for private-school tuition, a major step toward expanding school choice in the state.

Gov. Ron DeSantis favors a House plan to crack down on texting while driving, as the Senate on Wednesday delayed for at least a day a separate measure that would only allow motorists to use hands-free wireless devices while on the road.

After paying billions of dollars to settle lawsuits about the dangers of cigarettes, the tobacco industry is engaged in another public-relations battle, one that is swirling in the Florida Capitol, other state houses throughout the country and in Congress.

Florida’s tourism-marketing agency is closer to having its doors closed this fall as a Senate budget proposal Tuesday matched the House’s stance to eliminate Visit Florida.

In search of a solution that will prevent another school massacre, a sharply divided Florida Senate on Tuesday passed a wide-ranging school safety bill that includes a controversial provision aimed at adding armed teachers to the line of defense.

Motorists could only use hands-free wireless devices while moving on Florida roads, under a Senate proposal that's been approved.