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DeSantis signs $200 million expansion in Florida for private school vouchers
The measure is a continuation of a decades-long push to expand school choice in Florida, a move Republicans support and most Democrats have fought as they advocate for more oversight and accountability for private schools that get state-funded vouchers.
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Surrounded by lawmakers, Florida Gov.Ron DeSantis speaks at the end of a legislative session, Friday, April 30, 2021, at the Capitol in Tallahassee. [ WILFREDO LEE | AP ]
Published May 11
Updated May 11
MIAMI â Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed into law a $200 million school choice plan that will pave the way for some 61,000 new students to become eligible for taxpayer-funded vouchers that will help families pay for private tuition and other education expenses.
DeSantis broadens ban on local governments for gun regulations
Florida since 1987 has barred cities and counties from passing regulations that are stricter than state firearms laws. DeSantis signed a bill that makes local governments pay up to $100,000 if they are sued for imposing gun regulations.
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By Jim Saunders
Updated May 13
TALLAHASSEE â Amid a legal battle that could be decided by the Florida Supreme Court, Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a measure that will ratchet up a ban on local gun regulations.
DeSantis signed the bill (SB 1884) on Friday after the Republican-controlled Legislature passed it in party-line votes late last month. The bill, which will take effect July 1, will broaden a 2011 law that can make local governments pay as much as $100,000 in damages if they are sued for imposing gun regulations.
Which Tampa Bay projects will survive a Ron DeSantis veto?
At least $245 million in local projects have been approved by the Legislature. Their fate lies with DeSantis.
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Aerial photo of the construction site of the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis and Wellness Center. Courtesy of the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis and Wellness Center [ [ Sarah Vande Berg Tennis and Wellness Center ] ]
Updated May 10
TALLAHASSEE â When ZooTampa at Lowry Park had a $500,000 budget request denied by Gov. Ron DeSantis last year, executives were not surprised.
Just a few months into the coronavirus outbreak, Floridaâs financial picture looked grim. In the face of a devastating pandemic, investing six figures on the zooâs panther habitat was not at the top of DeSantisâ priority list. He vetoed the zooâs project â along with more than $1 billion in total budget vetoes.
DeSantis fields calls for vetoes: Which ones are loudest?
Last year, DeSantis vetoed five bills and slashed $1 billion from the budget as he braced against economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Florida awaits his first veto this year.
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Ron DeSantis holds a news conference at the Polk County Sheriff s Office, on Monday, April 19, 2021.
By Jim Turner
Updated Earlier today
TALLAHASSEE â Veto season, or at least the annual rite of asking Gov. Ron DeSantis to reject bills, has arrived after the 2021 legislative session.
Groups and individuals are sending emails to the governorâs office urging DeSantis to veto or sign bills, regardless of whether the measures were overwhelmingly backed by the Legislature or eked through.