Visitors to Florida last year fell short of 2022’s record numbers, as a post-pandemic rebound in international travelers couldn’t overcome a noticeable drop-off in domestic tourism late in the year. The Visit Florida tourism-marketing agency Friday reported that Florida had an estimated 135.02 million tourists…
Read More Florida Tourism Total Down Slightly For 2023
Members of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday objected to a House proposal that would raise the pay of future governors, state Cabinet members and judges and suggested a study on legislative salaries. The committee voted unanimously to position a House bill (HB 5007) that…
Read More Florida Senators Balk At Higher Pay For State Leaders
The Florida House on Monday continued moving forward with a wide-ranging bill that includes banning sales of lab-grown meat in the state and preventing local governments from regulating electric-vehicle charging stations. The Republican-controlled House Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee voted 9-3 to approve the…
Read More Florida Lawmakers Back Banning Sales Of ‘Cultivated’ Meat
The Florida House on Wednesday rolled out a proposal to divest an estimated $277 million in state pension-fund investments in Chinese state-owned companies. The proposal, approved by the House State Affairs Committee, would require the State Board of Administration to develop a plan for selling…
Read More Florida Lawmakers Could Scrap China-Linked Investments
With legislative leaders saying they expect a tighter budget in the coming year, the House Ways & Means Committee on Wednesday will roll out a package of tax cuts that, if left unchanged, would total $647.3 million. The package (PCB WMC 24-05) would be about…
Read More Florida House Pitches $647.3M Tax Package
Federal officials Thursday reduced a forecast for Florida citrus production this growing season, dealing a setback to a struggling industry that continues to rebuild from Hurricane Ian. The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a forecast that, in part, projected Florida will produce 19.8 million boxes…
Read More Florida Citrus Industry Gets Sour Forecast
With business groups long saying the tax should be scrapped, state lawmakers could look at further reducing a tax on commercial leases. The House Ways & Means Committee on Thursday reviewed tax-cut “concepts,” including a possible reduction in the lease tax, as the House and…
Read More Florida Lawmakers Look At Potential Tax Breaks
A controversial measure that would loosen work restrictions for 16- and 17-year-olds was approved Thursday by the Florida House. The Republican-controlled House voted 80-35 to approve the measure (HB 49), which would eliminate a decades-old restriction on 16- and 17-year-olds working more than eight hours…
Read More Florida House Approves Easing Teen Work Rules
Cargo and cruise traffic hit record highs last year at Florida seaports, which took advantage of global supply-chain issues and a desire by people to travel as COVID-19 pandemic restrictions waned, according to an industry report released Wednesday. The annual Seaport Mission Plan by the…
Read More Florida Ports See Boost In Cargo, Cruise Traffic
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – An administrative law judge Monday ruled that a permit should be denied for a new Interstate 95 interchange in Volusia County because the Florida Department of Transportation did not show it is “clearly in the public interest.” Judge E. Gary Early…
Read More Florida Judge Rules Against I-95 Project