The Latest Breaking News from Tallahassee

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Senate gave final approval Thursday to a bill creating universal school vouchers, and sent it to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his expected approval.

[UPDATE: I've added excerpts from a Slate interview with the school's Board Chair, who ended up commenting on the story after all; his view is that the firing stemmed only from the failure to alert parents to the upcoming material.]

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Citing an increase in public records requests for the governor’s travel schedule, Florida legislators are advancing a bill that would shield from the public any information about how and where Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state officials go.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida middle school and high school teachers would be further restricted from teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity under a proposed rule backed by the DeSantis administration that, if approved, would go beyond what state law currently requires.

ORLANDO, Fla. — The DeSantis administration next month could effectively bar all public school teachers from providing classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity, a move that would expand Florida’s controversial 2022 law and go even further than the legislation Republican lawmakers are pushing in Tallahassee this spring.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Two years ago, Orlando television reporter Mike DeForest requested some routine travel and budget expenses from a state agency that had given him contractor license records within days, but this request took more than three months. He decided to ask why, so he asked for more records.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Republican lawmakers say Florida school employees should not be allowed to call students by pronouns that differ from those given to them at birth — even in cases when a parent is OK with it.

TALLAHASSEE — Echoing recent claims by Alex Jones and other right-wing personalities that the federal government wants to create a Communist-style surveillance system to track the spending habits of Americans, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday said he wants to ban such activities in Florida.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Legislature’s sweeping efforts to protect insurance companies and businesses from lawsuits have drawn a variety of opponents: motorcycle riders, accident victims, doctors and even former President Donald J. Trump.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Former President Donald Trump blasted Gov. Ron DeSantis for wanting to give insurance companies widespread protections from lawsuits, calling it “the worst Insurance Scam in the entire Country!”

TALLAHASSEE Fla. — The families of a murdered Orlando college student and a Parkland shooting victim are among those lining up against legal reforms backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, arguing the changes could deny crime victims civil damages and shield businesses and insurers from liability.