A measure that could land more than $60 million in sales tax rebates for the Daytona International speedway was unanimously supported by the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee on Monday, allegedly to keep the speedway “relevant.”
Florida Legislature
Florida’s Early Learning, Once a Strength, Being Revamped to Look More Like Day Care
Specific benchmarks, along with language expressing the importance of readiness programs, are removed from a proposed committee bill that emerged Thursday in Tallahassee, removing an emphasis on learning and readiness for school.
Charter-School Trigger Bill Passes House 68-51; Flagler’s Hutson Among Dissenters
Rep. Travis Hutson was among the Republicans crossing party lines to oppose the bill, favered by the charter-school movement, as it would let parents petition their school district to consider a turnaround option for a school that receives an “F” on the state report card for two consecutive years.
Les Jeux Sont Faits: Gov. Scott Will Sign Internet Cafe Ban
Gov. Rick Scott will sign legislation prohibiting the gaming at Internet cafés, his office said Thursday, following the Senate’s Senate’s 36-4 passage of a bill that flew through the Legislature spurred by an on-going racketeering investigation, and pushed by Sen. John Thrasher, who represents Flagler County.
Sen. Aaron Bean’s “Health Choice Plus” Plan for Florida’s Poor: Flimsier Than a Band-Aid
What kind of health coverage can you buy for $20 to $30 a month? None. That may sum up the real-world prospects for Health Choice Plus, the plan for low-income uninsured Florida adults that State Sen. Aaron Bean’s committee approved Tuesday along party lines.
Texting-While-Driving Ban Picking Up Likes As Legislature Prepares to Approve New Law
In a room full of people texting updates to and otherwise using electronic devices, a long sought measure to ban such behavior while driving was given a green light to the Florida House floor on Wednesday.
Democratic Lawmakers Complain that Gun-Control Proposals Are Being Silenced
No one expects any major gun control legislation to pass in Florida’s GOP-controlled Legislature, but Rep. Cynthia Stafford said there should be at least a discussion of the issue. There hasn’t been much of one.
For Florida’s Poorest 600,000, a Stingy Health Care Proposal that Cuts to the Bone
The latest proposal to provide health care to Florida’s poorest snubs federal money while creating limited health accounts the poor may tap, but for limited services, and with burdensome conditions of employment–and premiums that most may not be able to afford.
Registering Your Car Will Cost $12 Less as Lawmakers Plan End to Insurers’ Tax Credit
The Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved a bill Thursday lowering motor vehicle fees in exchange for repealing an insurance tax credit, turning aside protests from the insurance industry that the measure would hurt a thriving business.
Florida Speaker Weatherford’s Homeschool Blinders to the Poor and Uninsured
Rather than worship his homeschooling past, what Will Weatherford needs to be wondering is what Florida will be like if its 4 million uninsured citizens continue to go without health coverage, argues Rhonda Swan.