State lawmakers agree on new Bernie McCabe Courthouse in Pinellas County
The location led to an unusual clash between two powerful Republican lawmakers.
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Updated 1 hour ago
TALLAHASSEE â State lawmakers agreed Friday night to spend $50 million on a new courthouse in Pinellas County named after former State Attorney Bernie McCabe.
The new site of the 2nd District Court of Appeal would be called the Bernie McCabe Courthouse in honor of the late Pinellas-Pasco state attorney, who died in January after serving as the areaâs top prosecutor for nearly three decades.
Both the location and the name of the courthouse were a top priority of House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, a former prosecutor who worked for McCabe. He spoke in support for a Pinellas courthouse named after his former boss a week after his passing.
âWhatâs right and decentâ: Florida Senate approves higher unemployment benefits
Senators voted 40-0 on Thursday to raise the stateâs unemployment benefits by $100, defying Gov. Ron DeSantis and setting up a showdown with the Florida House.
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Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby speaks during Opening Day at the Capitol Tuesday, March 2, 2021 in Tallahassee. [ PHIL SEARS | AP ]
Updated 5 hours ago
TALLAHASSEE â When millions of Floridians were desperate to receive unemployment benefits from the stateâs broken jobless agency last year, they turned to their lawmakers for help.
Legislators and their staff both parties fielded tens of thousands of calls from frustrated, scared and sometimes suicidal constituents who lost their jobs from the pandemic, leading to what is likely the greatest constituent outreach effort in the Legislatureâs history.
Florida lawmakers shift more public money to private schools
After months of negotiations, House and Senate leaders agreed on legislation that would pave the way for about 61,000 new students to qualify for taxpayer-funded vouchers for private schools.
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Updated 5 hours ago
TALLAHASSEE â Florida lawmakers on Thursday reached a deal on a sweeping $200 million proposal that would combine and significantly expand the stateâs voucher programs that help families pay for private schooling.
After months of negotiations, House and Senate leaders agreed on legislation that would pave the way for about 61,000 new students to qualify for taxpayer-funded vouchers, a push
that Democrats fought as they advocated for more oversight and accountability for private schools that will be getting state-funded vouchers.
Legislators pass bill to shield sugar farmers from lawsuits
For decades burning occurs from October through May each year and has been widely accepted as a necessary evil.
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Acres of sugar cane burn behind homes in Belle Glade. This is part of what is called pre-harvest burning to remove the outer leaves of cane stalks before harvesting.
Updated 1 hour ago
TALLAHASSEE â Persuaded by testimony from the leaders in the Glades agriculture community that sugar burning is not harming their residents, the Florida House on Thursday sent to the governor a bill that gives the agriculture industry protection from lawsuits related to long-term health damage.
Florida lawmakers pass school moment of silence
Under the measure, school principals would be required to direct first-period teachers to institute a one- to two-minute moment of silence at the beginning of each day.
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Updated 4 hours ago
TALLAHASSEE â Florida public-school students might soon have a required moment of silence at the start of each day, under a measure passed Thursday by the Florida Senate and headed to Gov. Ron DeSantisâ desk.
The Senate voted 32-6 to pass the bill (HB 529), which was approved by the House last month in a 94-24 vote.
Under the measure, school principals would be required to direct first-period teachers to institute a one- to two-minute moment of silence at the beginning of each day.