Florida is moving forward with plans to buy and retrofit a massive warehouse in Central Florida as a staging area to respond to hurricanes and other emergencies. Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Cabinet on Wednesday approved buying more than half of the 74-acre Midpoint Florida…
Read More Florida Gov. DeSantis, Cabinet OK New Emergency Facility
Florida Republicans on Thursday quickly attacked the conviction of former President Donald Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records, while Democrats said the verdict showed nobody is above the law. A 12-member jury returned the verdict more than a month after the criminal hush-money…
Read More Trump Verdict Draws Outrage From Florida Republicans, Praise From Democrats
With insurers, utilities, and emergency-management officials bracing for the coming months, experts continue to predict a highly active hurricane season for Florida and other areas of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Echoing earlier predictions about the season that will start June 1, the National Oceanic…
Read More ‘Ingredients Are There’ For Busy Storm Season
ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – A state task force Tuesday backed a St. Johns County location for a Black history museum over competing proposals from Central Florida and South Florida. Now, members of the Florida Museum of Black History Task Force must quickly determine how…
Read More St. Johns County Site Eyed For Black History Museum
Florida announced record tourism numbers for the first quarter of 2024, as totals for international visitors continue to move closer to pre-pandemic levels. Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office said Thursday an estimated 40.6 million people traveled to Florida during the first three months of the year,…
Read More State Of Florida Says First-Quarter Tourism Set Record
Florida’s unemployment rate in April was the highest in more than two years as it inched up for a second consecutive month. The state Department of Commerce on Friday released a report that estimated a 3.3 percent jobless rate, representing 361,000 Floridians qualified as unemployed…
Read More Florida Jobless Rate At 3.3 Percent
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a controversial energy bill that includes repealing parts of state law about greenhouse-gas emissions and another measure that calls for ending state investments in companies linked to the Chinese government and military. DeSantis announced the approvals online, saying…
Read More Florida Gov. DeSantis Signs Energy, China Investments Bills
Bruises continue to be inflicted on Florida’s citrus industry, as the forecast for the nearly concluded growing season dropped further Friday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued an updated production forecast that was 5.6 percent below projections released in April. Meanwhile, a decades-old citrus association…
Read More Florida Citrus Industry Continues To Feel The Squeeze
Free orange juice will continue to flow at Florida interstate welcome centers while state citrus officials adjust to a pending 10 percent legislative budget cut for their promotional efforts. The Florida Citrus Commission on Thursday will be asked to approve a $225,000 contract with Visit…
Read More Tourists To Continue Getting Taste Of Florida
Measures to crack down on participants in “street takeovers” and bolster school safety were among 16 bills Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Monday. DeSantis’ office announced late Monday that he had signed the bills, which passed during the legislative session that ended March 8. One of…
Read More Florida Gov. DeSantis Signs Street Takeover, School Safety Bills