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The Florida House on Friday passed two COVID-19 bills that Republican leaders made a priority for the 2021 legislative session, as they seek to protect businesses from lawsuits and crackdown on vaccination scams.
House members voted 83-31 to approve a bill (HB 7), sponsored by Rep. Lawrence McClure, R-Dover, that would shield businesses from lawsuits related to COVID-19. Republicans touted the legislation as a must-pass bill to protect Florida’s economy and return people to work, but many Democrats decried it as being overly broad and eliminating the public’s access to courts.
An appeals court has upheld the conviction of a former college professor who was released on bond while he appealed his case, a release that sparked outrage from Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood and the family of the young victim. Mark Fugler, 63, was convicted on June 6, 2019, of three counts each of lewd and lascivious exhibition; lewd and lascivious conduct; and showing obscene materials to a minor. Senior Judge R. Michael Hutcheson sentenced Fugler to 15 years in prison, but later released him on a $200,000 bond while he appealed his conviction. Hutcheson revoked bond and sent Fug...
Conservationists, though, oppose the legislation, which they believe will severely impact sea turtle nesting. Florida’s state Legislature began meeting in session Tuesday. In an attempt to protect properties from steadily rising sea levels, state Sen. Tom Wright, R-New Smyrna Beach, and Rep. Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, filed identical bills, State Bill 1504 and House Bill 1133. Both are titled "Coastal Construction and Preservation." According to the bills, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection would be required, rather than authorized, to issue permits for "rigid ...
Volusia and Flagler counties have sent seven men and women — all Republicans — to Tallahassee to represent their interests. Collectively, they have filed 97 bills addressing broad subjects of the day, such as COVID-19, education and health care, and many more narrow slices of life, such as sexual predators seeking custody of children in divorce proceedings, transporting police K-9 dogs in emergency situations and making it easier for made-at-home cookie and bread businesses to operate. They will likely be voting on proposals backed by DeSantis to get tougher on protesters, bolster ele...