The Florida House and Senate have started moving forward with measures that would allow people with concealed-weapons licenses to carry guns on the grounds of churches and other religious institutions that include schools.
Florida Legislature
Hazing Death at Florida State Fraternity Prompts “Culture Change”
Andrew Coffey, 20, died from alcohol poisoning during an off-campus fraternity initiation on Nov. 3. Fraternity members were arrested.
Measure to Restore Voting Rights to 1.5 Million Florida Felons Goes on November Ballot
Voting rights of felons who have served their sentences, completed parole or probation and paid restitution would be automatically restored. Murderers and sex offenders would be excluded.
Address Florida’s Deadly Rail Crossings Now, During 2018 Session
Between 2011 and 2017, there were a total of 105 deaths on more than 350 miles of Florida East Coast Railway tracks, which also run through Bunnell. A rail safety bill needs legislative support.
Doctors Join Chorus Against Limits on Painkiller Prescriptions, But Lawmakers Push On
The proposal to set legal limits on prescribing for pain medication continued moving forward when it was unanimously approved by the House Appropriations Committee.
Ballot Measure Would Give Voters, Not Legislature, Final Say On Gambling’s Legality
The proposed constitutional amendment pits the state’s gambling industry against anti-gambling advocates in what is expected to be a high-dollar campaign before the fall election.
Florida House Readies to Pass “Sanctuary City” Ban as Election Year Winds Up
House Speaker Richard Corcoran, who is mulling a run for governor, is pushing the sanctuary-city ban that would impose stiff penalties on local governments that don;t enforce immigration laws.
Limiting Pain Pills Prescriptions To 7 Days? Florida Surgeons Say No.
Lawmakers’ proposal would have patients get additional prescriptions for pain medications from their doctors. Phoning-in refills would not work.
Anitere Flores-Oscar Braynon Affair and Other Scandals Cloud Session’s Start
A sex scandal involving the chamber’s highest-ranking Democrat and a powerful Republican, both married, and sexual harassment allegations that forced an influential Republican senator out overshadowed the session’s opening.
Proposal To Toughen Penalties For Texting While Driving Gains on 1st Day
With support from the House speaker, a proposal to make texting while driving a “primary” offense in Florida received unanimous support Tuesday from a House panel as the 2018 legislative session opened.
Gov. Rick Scott’s State of the State: Full Text
Gov. Rick Scott’s State of the State address, his last, as prepared for delivery today at the Florida Capitol, before a joint session of the House and Senate.
From Opioids to Taxes to Vacation Rentals: 11 Issues To Watch In Legislative Session Starting Tuesday
The House and Senate will negotiate a state budget and consider hundreds of bills including on health care, taxes, the environment, short-term rentals and hurricanes, among others. Here’s a preview.
Vacation Rentals Would Be Protected Class in Residential Neighborhoods In Bill Flagler Calls “Extreme”
One proposed bill would eliminate local regulation of vacation rentals and make it difficult for home-owner associations and towns like Flagler Beach to prevent short-term rentals anywhere.
Collateral Damage of Florida’s Opioid Crisis: Children
Contending with tales of children discovered in the backseats of cars with their parents passed out from drug overdoses in the front, or toddlers left alone in fetid apartments for days while drug-addled mothers or fathers scour the streets for a fix.
New Laws Kick In on Prescription Refills, Rideshare Regulations, Child Time-Sharing, Minimum Wage Up to $8.25/hr
A half-dozen new laws kick in today, easing regulations over ridesharing systems like Uber and a more consumer-friendly way to enable prescription refills, while Florida’s minimum wage gets its annual inflation adjustment.
Florida’s Year of Turbulence
Scandal, storms and sniping were the hallmarks of 2017 in Florida, where political squalls and natural disasters created havoc in the Capitol and sent tremors through the Sunshine State.
Among Slew of Legislative Rules, A Proposal To Limit Local Authority on Environment
From fracking to tree-trimming to using close to $900 million from a voter-approved conservation fund, Florida lawmakers are lining up their wishes ahead of the 2018 session.
How to Pay For Hurricane Irma’s Damages: Lawmakers (and Taxpayers) Face Billions in Costs
Irma’s tally: Agriculture: $2.5 billion hit on crops and facilities; insurance: $6.55 billion in property damage claims; utilities: $1 billion to cover the costs of getting power restored.
Facing Harassment Charges and Damaging Reports, Florida Sen. Jack Latvala Resigns, Derisively Blaming “Political Correctness”
Latvala devoted much of his resignation letter to contest the charges against him and went as far as claiming that the drive to oust him was a matter of opportunism even as a special master is recommending a criminal investigation.
In Florida, You Can Lose Your Driver’s License For Jaywalking–Especially If You’re Black
Sen. Jeff Brandes has repeatedly introduced measures that would prohibit driver’s license suspensions for non-driving offenses. But Clerks of court stand to lose $40 million annually if the law is modified.
Senate Leader Eyes Constitutional Amendment Requiring Two-Thirds Majority For Any Tax Increase
The Florida Constitution Revision Commission, which meets every 20 years, has the power to place constitutional amendments on the November 2018 ballot.
$50 Million for St. Johns River Protection, $100 Million for Florida Forever: Measures Advance
Measures doubling Gov. Scott’s request for the Florida Forever conservation program and earmark money to improve the St. Johns River moved easily through the Senate Thursday.
Joint Legislative Committee Unanimously Votes To Audit East Flagler Mosquito Control
Sen. Travis Hutson and Rep. Paul Renner, who represent Flagler, had asked the committee for an audit after that the tax-supported district incurred a $1.1 million deficit in a budget of $1.8 million.
In Blow to NRA, Florida Legislature Will Holster Open-Carry and Other Gun Bills
With the 2018 legislative session still more than a month away, gun-related measures might have died Tuesday in the Senate.
Renner Again at Odds With Local Officials as His Recovery Centers Bill Gains Momentum
The House version of the bill is co-sponsored by Paul Renner, who represents Flagler, but whose proposal is opposed by Palm Coast government and the local hospital.
On Defensive, Flagler Government Makes Its Case To Lawmakers To Preserve Vacation-Rental Regulations
Flagler’s own lawmakers are cautioning that the law will likely change, diminishing Flagler’s ability to regulate its own vacation-rental properties. In response, property owners’ opinions are divided.
Statue of Mary McLeod Bethune May Replace That of Confederate General in U.S. Capitol
Over the objection of a senator who decried “cultural purging,” a Senate panel approved 18-1 replacing the statue of Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith in the National Statuary Hall in Washington.
School Taxes Would Rise To Pay For Per-Student Increase, But Formula Could Further Hurt Flagler
Flagler is the 6th-highest taxed district in the state, by legislative formula, yet gets back the 65th lowest dollars per student. A governor proposal to increase education funding could make that worse for the district.
Florida Lawmakers Looking To Add Treatment Programs To Fight Opioid Epidemic
A combination of short-term intensive treatment beds, long-term outpatient services and medically assisted treatment could be the blueprint for a solution, a powerful lawmaker says.
Florida State Colleges Seeking Restoration of $30 Million Cut To Address “Employment Gap”
The money would help hire more faculty, provide more counseling services and create more programs aimed at closing the “employment gap” in high-demand jobs.
Flagler Commissioners’ Legislative Priorities Unravel in Messy Amateur Hour
Less than five days from presenting their legislative priorities to lawmakers, Flagler County commissioners’ priority list devolved into a chaotic process that could undermine its goals.
7-Day Limit On Pain-Killer Prescriptions Part of Sweeping Proposal To Crack Down on Opioids
Doctors would be limited to prescribing seven days’ worth of opioids for patients with acute pain and would have to check a statewide database before ordering most prescription pain medications.
In Startling Avowal, Rep. Renner Says State Will Attack Home Rule to Discipline “Rogue,” Leftist Cities
“The reason we think they’re going rogue is because it’s Bernie Sanders in charge of your local city government or county government in some cases,” Rep. Paul Renner, who represents Flagler, says.
From Mosquito Control to National Guard, Hurricane Costs Taking a Toll on Budgets
Hurricane recovery efforts have already cost the state budget more than $141 million and are likely to increase, with $25 million for the Florida National Guard; $36 million for debris removal and $6 million for mosquito control.
Flagler Again Takes Vacation-Rental Case To Tallahassee as New Battle Lines Are Drawn
Willing to deal and compromise, County Administrator Craig Coffey and County Attorney Al Hadeed addressed a Senate committee workshop today in Tallahassee, ahead of what’s expected to be another fierce battle over vacation-rental regulations.
In Boost To Flagler, Committee Approves Bills Including $50 Million a Year For Beach Repair
If the bills survive the coming legislative hurdles, there may be new money for Flagler County to tap into to repair its severely eroded beaches.
How Florida’s Failing Charter Schools Exploit Voucher Program To Stay Alive on Public Dime
Charter schools that fail two years in a row should close by law. Instead, they reopen as private schools and use publicly funded vouchers to keep operating, with the state’s blessing.
Trump’s Decision To End Dreamers’ Amnesty Creates Dilemma For Florida GOP
Florida is home to at least 30,000 people who could be affected and is the base for exponentially more Hispanic voters who could be critical to next year’s elections.
Florida Lawmakers to Review Law Targeting Injured Undocumented Workers
A top Florida lawmaker and a national insurance fraud group criticized a law used by insurers to turn in injured undocumented workers and avoid paying workers’ comp benefits.
Renner and Hutson Call For State Audit of Free-Spending Flagler Mosquito Control District
It is the first indication that the tax-supported district, which has itself so far refused to conduct an audit in the wake of the crisis, will be examined independently.
Proposal To Replace Statue of Confederate Gen. Smith With One of Mary McLeod Bethune
State Sen. Perry Thurston proposed a resolution to have Bethune replace Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith as one of Florida’s two representatives in the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C.
In Some States, Sales Tax Holidays Lose Luster as Hype Overshadows Cost
Tax holidays don’t increase buying but merely concentrate it around specific dates. They’re regressive. They’re more political than useful: in Florida, the Legislature turned down Gov. Scott’s request for 10 days.
Renewed Push For Tougher Texting While Driving Penalties May Face Resistance in Flagler
A Florida state legislator, Emily Slosberg, who survived a violent car crash caused by distracted driving, is campaigning across the state to make texting and driving a primary offense.
Hutson and Renner Try To Push Back Against Criticism on Home Rule, Taxes and Education
Sen. Travis Hutson and Rep. Paul Renner took credit for–and defended–several controversial bills that passed in the last session of the Legislature as they spoke to Flagler’s political and business leaders this morning.
Florida Must Pay $1.1 Million In Legal Fees After Losing Battle in Glocks v. Docs Fight
A federal court struck down a controversial state law, backed by the NRA, that sought to prevent doctors from asking patients about guns.
Why The Obsession Against Smokable Medical Pot? John Morgan Wants To Know.
Morgan bankrolled the medical-marijuana ballot initiative and repeatedly threatened to sue over smoking, which he says was permitted in the amendment supported by more than 71 percent of Florida voters last fall.
A School Board Will Sue the State Over Charter-Tilted Education Bill Most Districts Opposed
The new law overhauls swaths of state education, dealing with everything from mandatory recess for elementary school students and standardized testing to charter school funding and teacher bonuses.
Palm Coast’s Paul Renner is to be House Speaker in 2022 in Historic Boost for Flagler
Renner will serve in the powerful post for two years, starting in 2022. Local governments anticipate having more pull with state government appropriations.
Education, Tax Cuts, Secrecy, Medical Pot, Therapy Dogs: 125 New Laws Go In Effect
Seventy-eight bills became law upon Scott’s signature, including rules for medical marijuana, 27 additional laws will go into effect on Oct. 1, including tougher penalties for fentanyl possession and distribution.
Flagler School Board Apprehensive of Changes in Law Affecting Charters, Recess and Religion
One law is altering the relationship between the district and its charter schools and imposing new requirements on eligibility for Bright Futures, and other laws will have broad impacts.