Florida News
Index of Stories
2020-2019
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Florida News 2020
(scroll down)
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Posted February 23, 2020 04:39 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, N. FL – The RiverFest 2020 10th
Anniversary celebration, hosted by Our Santa Fe
River, begins on March 21 with the popular
RiverFest plant hike and river walk, guided by
Collette Jacono, PhD: botanist, plant ecologist,
and defender of the environment.
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Posted
February 22, 2020 02:30 pm
TALLAHASSEE, FL –
A sweeping Clean Waterways Act, which
incorporates many of Gov. Ron DeSantis’
water quality initiatives, will be
introduced onto the Senate floor, perhaps
next week.
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Posted
February 17, 2020 07:15 pm
TALLAHASSEE, FL –
It took the Florida Legislature seven years
to adopt a 2019 property insurance reform bill
eliminating the “one-way” attorney fee provision
in the state’s assignment-of-benefits (AOB) law.
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Posted
February 13, 2020 10:05 am
TALLAHASSEE, FL –
After sifting through its proposed $92.8
billion fiscal year 2021 budget Wednesday,
the Senate plans to tentatively adopt it
Thursday and formally send it to the House
next week.
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Posted
February 7, 2019 06:12 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Last night, the Columbia
County Commission (County 5 or The 5) brought
out about 35 people to speak or observe the
discussion and debate (there was no debate) on
its resolution calling for Columbia County to
become a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary County.
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Posted
January 30, 2020 06:35 am
TALLAHASSEE, FL –
The House Agriculture & Natural Resources
Subcommittee unanimously endorsed a massive
water improvements bill that would create a
wastewater grant program that utility
districts can tap into to upgrade
infrastructure and finance sewer
installation.
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Posted
January 28, 2020 06:05 am
TALLAHASSEE, FL –
The San Francisco 49ers’ vaunted defense
will be tested by the Kansas City Chiefs'
dynamic quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, in
Sunday’s Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium in
Miami Gardens.
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Posted
January 24, 2020 09:55 am
TALLAHASSEE, FL –
A ‘Florida Parents’ Bill of Rights’ bill was
overwhelmingly endorsed by the House Education
Committee Thursday, securing its first advance
of the 2020 session.
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Posted
January 23, 2020 10:30 am
TALLAHASSEE, FL –
On Tuesday, the Senate Education Committee
endorsed a massive bill that clarifies
requirements for the state’s armed school
“guardian” program and imposes standardized
compliance measures on school boards, districts
and administrators.
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Posted
January 22, 2020 06:05 am
TALLAHASSEE, FL
– A proposal to impose a first-in-the-nation
excise tax on companies extracting water from
Florida aquifers was postponed Tuesday to
resolve constitutionality questions and address
industry objections.
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Posted
January 18, 2020 09:20 pm
TALLAHASSEE, FL –
In the waning minutes of the 2019 legislative
session, Rep. Jamie Grant, R-Tampa, grafted a
raft of amendments imposing restrictions on
petition-gatherers onto an unrelated bill.
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Posted
January 17, 2020 05:55 am
TALLAHASSEE, FL – In a 3-2 partisan vote
after more than two hours of testimony and
debate, the Senate Judiciary Committee
Wednesday advanced a bill requiring parental
consent before minors can have abortions.
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Posted
January 15, 2020 11:59 pm
TALLAHASSEE, FL –
In a 3-2 partisan vote after more than two hours
of testimony and debate, the Senate Judiciary
Committee Wednesday advanced a bill requiring
parental consent before minors can have
abortions.
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Part II: Valdosta,
Georgia
Posted January 12, 2020 03:00 pm
VALDOSTA, GA – For the second time in one
day the 7.5 mil gallon Valdosta sewage spill
was addressed by North Florida's River
Taskforce, this time in Valdosta with the
Valdosta City Council. Many folks from
Florida made the trip.
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Part I: Florida
Posted January 11, 2020 10:15 am
MADISON, FL – On Wednesday, January 8,
2020, leaders of N FL gathered in Madison
County, Florida, to discuss the 7.5 million
gallons of raw sewage winding its way into
North Florida from Valdosta, GA. This was
the biggest sewage spill in decades of
spills emanating from Valdosta's aging
infrastructure. This spill was caused by
multiple humans making errors.
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Posted January 10, 2020 04:45 am
TAMPA, FL - Conservation groups filed a
lawsuit yesterday against state and federal
agencies over road-widening projects in the
middle of Florida's critical panther habitats.
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Florida News 2019
(scroll down)
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Posted
December 31, 2019 08:35 am
The top ten
cities that experienced economic prosperity and
robust development in 2019 – boomtowns – were in
Colorado, Texas and South Carolina, according to
an analysis by personal finance website
SmartAsset. Miami claimed the number 4 spot.
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Posted
December 30, 2019 09:15 am
TALLAHASSEE, FL – The $1.4 trillion
federal spending package signed by President
Donald Trump last week included a $200
million surprise in the back of the
proverbial Christmas tree for the South
Florida Ecosystem Restoration project.
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Posted December 27, 2019 08:15 am
TALLAHASSEE,
FL – Faced with strong bipartisan opposition to offshore
drilling, some oil companies are finding success
by tapping deeper into Florida's little-known
onshore oil-drilling industry.
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Posted
December 24, 2019 06:15 am
TALLAHASSEE, FL – The Florida
Supreme Court unanimously advanced onto the
November 2020 ballot a proposed
constitutional amendment raising the state’s
minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026.
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Posted
December 20, 2019 08:45 am
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Legal
notices on back pages or in the classified ad
sections of newspapers have never made for
scintillating reading, but even before the
United States was a nation, they’ve served an
important function in informing Americans what
their government was up to.
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Posted December 19, 2019 06:30 am
WASHINGTON, DC – For just the third time in the nation's
243-year history and with no Republican
support, the U.S. House of Representatives
voted Wednesday night to impeach the
president of the United States.
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Part II: Koberlein Law
Firm Confuses the Issue
FORT WHITE, FL – After hearing from those
concerned: Seven Springs, Nestle, and the
environmentalists, the Town Council got down
to the business it was elected to do –
decision making. The question: whether or
not to resolve in opposition to the renewal
of the Seven Springs water permit.
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Part I: The speakers
Posted December 13, 2019 05:15 pm
FORT WHITE, FL – On Monday, December 9,
2019, The Town Council of Ft. White
(population 717) was asked to tackle a big
question: should the Council recommend not
renewing the Seven Springs water permit
which will allow it pump over 1 million
gallons of water per day from the springs.
Seven Springs sells its water to Nestle for
bottled water.
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Posted
December 7, 2019 07:30 am
TALAHASSEE, FL – The
M-CORES (Multi-Use
Corridors of Regional Economic Significance)
has opposition coalescing as a new coalition of
fifty-five organizations and businesses, the 'No
Roads to Ruin' met at the State Capital on
Thursday to begin a statewide campaign devoted
to stopping Senate President Bill Galvano’s
unneeded and costly plan for 300 plus miles of
new toll roads.
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Posted
December 3, 2019 07:45 am
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida
Rep. Javier Fernández, D-Miami, has filed a 2020
bill that would require applicants to complete
firearms training and safety courses before
being granted conceal-carry permits and the 2
million state residents already authorized to
carry also do so to renew their permits.
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Posted
November 29, 2019 09:15 am
TALLAHASSEE, FL – According
to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual
inflation index analysis of the average cost of
a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, Floridians
paid more this year than last for their big bird
and all the fixings: one cent more, that is.
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Posted
November 19, 2019 09:15 am
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Posted November 19, 2019 06:00 am
TALLAHASSEE,
FL – A new study shows the federal government charged
with protecting endangered species doesn't have
enough protections in place for those at
greatest risk from climate change.
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Posted November 12, 2019 08:45 am
TALLAHASSEE,
FL – Conservation groups say Florida's newly updated
energy-saving goals are still too low and should be
raised. The Florida Public Service Commission recently
voted to maintain the state's current energy
conservation goals through 2025 instead of following
power companies' requests to lower or even eliminate
those goals.
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Posted
November 6, 2019 05:30 am
ST. LEO, FL –
Military Times ranked Saint Leo University as
the No. 1 university in the country for
educating veterans. Saint Leo ranked first in
the nation in the Military Times Best for Vets:
Colleges 2020 in the Online & Nontraditional
Schools category.
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Posted October 31, 2019 12:23 am
TALLAHASSEE,
FL – After almost a decade of steady improvement, the
number of children without health insurance in
Florida and the nation is on the rise again.
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Posted
October 31, 2019 12:10 am
TALLAHASSEE, FL – The Florida Division
of Elections has confirmed sponsors of a
proposed constitutional amendment to raise
the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by
2026 have secured enough validated voter
signatures to qualify for the November 2020
ballot.
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Posted October 28, 2019 11:50 am
TALLAHASSEE, FL – The legal fight to restore the
voting rights of some 1.4 million Florida
felons, who have served their sentences, will
carry on as the 2020 election approaches.
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Posted
October 25, 2019 09:35 am
TALLAHASSEE – With
two prospective marijuana legalization measures
vying for space on the November 2020 ballot,
another poll of likely voters has confirmed
there is strong bipartisan support for allowing
adult recreational use in Florida.
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Posted
October 23, 2019 06:50 am
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Last week at the FSU
Law School Rotunda, at an event honoring
outgoing First Amendment Foundation
President Barbara Peterson, standing quietly
off to the side was Pamela Marsh, the
incoming President of the Foundation.
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Posted
October 23, 2019 04:15 am
TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Senate
will conclude a “precedent-setting” special
session with a full floor vote Wednesday on
whether former Broward County Sheriff Scott
Israel should be reinstated over Gov. Ron
DeSantis’ objections and against Parkland
shooting victims’ families wishes.
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Posted
October 19, 2019 05:45 pm
Madison, FL – The October meeting of the
Middle and Lower Suwannee River Task Force
(Task Force) was held with the participation
of Valdosta City Manager Mark Barber and
Valdosta's Director of Utilities Darryl Muse
and chaired by Madison County's Rick Davis.
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Posted
October 16, 2019 09:45 am
TALLAHASSEE – The
pre-filing period before any legislative session
is a good time to float trial balloons in the
form of proposed legislation unlikely to get
adopted during the session, but likely to draw
some attention as a statement at introduction.
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Posted
October 2, 2019 07:20 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Senator Rob Bradley represents
all or part of 11 Florida Counties.
Representative Chuck Brannan represents all or part of
5 Florida counties. For an hour and thirty-nine
minutes both representatives listened to the
County's elected officials, appointed officials
and citizens.
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Posted
September 28, 2019 06:45 pm
LAKE CITY, FL – The present Chairman of the
North Central Florida Regional Planning Council,
Alachua City Commissioner Robert Wilford,
recently ended a long tradition of allowing
questions from the public or the press of the
Planning Council's guest speakers.
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Posted
September 25, 2019 11:45 am
SUWANNEE COUNTY, FL – The Suwannee River Water
Management District Board and staff were left
holding the bag after Governor DeSantis's
appointment to the District's Board was a day
late, leaving the Water Management Board a
commissioner short, without a quorum, for its
September 10 Board meeting and 1st Budget
Hearing.
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Posted
September 20, 2019 11:55 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – The M-CORES (Multi-Use
Corridors of Regional Economic Significance)
found its way onto the Tourist Development
Council (TDC) agenda Tuesday afternoon. Chamber
Director Theresa Pinto, with a little help from
hotel mogul and TDC member Nick Patel, came to
the TDC looking for money for a study of the
proposed Suncoast Extension, which is one of the
three proposed toll roads in the M-CORES
project.
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Posted Sept. 13, 2019 10:05 am | Public News
Service
TALLAHASSEE,
FL – Despite a White House threat to veto legislation
that would permanently ban drilling off Florida's Gulf
Coast, Gov. Ron DeSantis says he's confident President
Donald Trump will still protect the Sunshine State.
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Posted
September 6, 2019 06:15 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Last night, the Columbia County 5 honored the
memory of Florida State Trooper George A. Brown,
III, a 33 year veteran of FHP, who in 2004, died
in the line of duty while overtaking a traffic
violator in Columbia County.
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Posted
August 28, 2019 05:30 pm
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Posted
August 18, 2019 03:00 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – On August 1, 2019,
Florida's Surgeon General elevated the 2018
Hepatitis A Public Health Advisory to a Public
Health Emergency. On Thursday evening, Columbia
County Dept. of Health Administrator Tom Moffses
came to the County 5 to get them up to speed.
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Posted
August 7, 2019 01:25 pm
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Posted
August 1, 2019 09:15 am
TALLAHASSEE – The
DeSantis administration wants the state’s
Supreme Court to disqualify a proposed
constitutional amendment banning “assault
weapons” from being presented to voters on the
November 2020 ballot.
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Posted July
29, 2019 11:30 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – On July 10 two of
Florida Gateway College's brass appeared before
the County's Economic Development Advisory Board
to discuss workforce development. They appeared
with a flashy PowerPoint and not much else other
than an apparent guarantee that they would not
be asked questions from the press or the public.
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Posted
July 25, 2019 09:00 am
St. Leo, FL –
It is the most wonderful time of the year – for
parents. School begins in a few short weeks for
most students and some children may be
experiencing the “summer slump.”
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Posted July 23, 2019 07:30 pm
TALLAHASSEE,
FL – Congress is considering a bill that would direct
nearly $1.4 billion to fish and wildlife
agencies.
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Posted July
17, 2019 07:00 pm
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – During the June gathering of
the North Central Florida Regional Planning
Council (NCFRPC), the Executive Committee
agreed to keep the discussion of the
controversial proposed extension of the
Suncoast Toll Road away from the council's
general membership.
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Posted July
7, 2019 02:15 am
TALLAHASSEE, FL – With the 2019 Hurricane
Season underway, Attorney General Ashley
Moody launched an app called NO SCAM to help
consumers quickly and effectively report
price gouging during a declared state of
emergency.
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Posted July
1, 2019 08:00 am
TAPMA, FL –
Law enforcement officers can now pull over
Florida drivers and ticket them for texting
while driving. It is now a primary offense to
text from a moving vehicle; this includes
emailing and other forms of typing on a mobile
device.
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Posted June
27, 2019 02:55 pm
TALLAHASSEE – Residents of
Florida’s Panhandle often refer to their
region as “The Forgotten Coast.” Turns out, a significant number of their
fellow Floridians think of it that way, too.
That is, when they think of it at all.
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Posted June
25, 2019 07:45 pm
LAKE CITY, FL –
Monday morning the Lake City City Council met in
an unposted, unnoticed special meeting to
approve the payment of a 42 Bitcoin ransom
(Monday value approximately $462k) so the City
could attempt to get its locked down and
encrypted data back.
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Posted June 23, 2019 01:00 pm
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Almost a decade after the 2010
Deepwater Horizon oil spill, government agencies
are still spending millions of dollars to
restore the Gulf of Mexico.
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Posted June
19, 2019 08:30 am
TALLAHASSEE –
Foreclosures are down nationwide since last
spring but not in Florida, where foreclosure
filings increased by 23 percent this May
compared to May 2018, according to ATTOM Data
Solutions' May 2019 U.S. Foreclosure Market
Report (FMR).
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Posted June
17, 2019 04:15 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
While some of its workers don't make a
living wage, the Governor's Florida Gateway
College (FGC) board decided to give an
across the board 4% pay increase to its
educational staff and 5% to the FGC
Foundation head. When your reporter brought
this up, nobody flinched and the college
president tried to get your reporter thrown
out of the meeting.
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Posted June
14, 2019 06:00 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Florida Gateway College President, Lawrence
Barrett was reported to be leaving for an
Alaskan cruise. With recent confusion
regarding the chain of command at the
college, the Observer asked the President,
"When you are in Alaska, who is in charge of
the College?"
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Posted June
13, 2019 08:25 am
TALLAHASSEE – The
summer’s first blue-green algae blooms on Lake
Okeechobee were documented by the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection [DEP]
last week, including a June 5 manifestation that
contained 17.6 micrograms a liter of Microcystin
toxins.
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Posted June
10, 2019 06:16 am
TALLAHASSEE – Gov.
Ron DeSantis has received a controversial bill
adopted by lawmakers that will impose stricter
regulations on groups sponsoring petitions to
place constitutional amendments before voters.
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Posted June
7, 2019 04:30 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Tuesday evening, before the Governor's
Florida Gateway College board settled down
to the evening's business, a few visitors
and college staff members were treated to
science presentations from two of the
regions champions of science, Austin Bagby
of Gilchrist County and Donovan Preedom of
Columbia County.
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Posted June
3, 2019 04:20 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
On May 14, 2019, the Florida Gateway College
Governor's appointed board met to discuss the
college budget and other things.
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Posted
May 31, 2019 02:30 am
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Posted May
30, 2019 08:30 am
TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Cabinet’s
first-ever meeting on foreign soil went off
without a hitch Wednesday, but not without a
glitch or two as the live-streamed feed from
the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem left Florida
television viewers occasionally with blank
screens, without sound, and often wondering
who said what when.
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Posted May
28, 2019 03:15 am
TALLAHASSEE – Culture and politics
are certainly on the agenda, but Florida’s
trade mission to Israel will primarily focus
on growing the state’s economic relationship
with Israeli agriculture, aerodynamics,
medical marijuana, drone technology,
military and life sciences industries.
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Posted May
24, 2019 11:05 pm
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Posted May 22, 2019 10:45 am
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Posted May
20, 2019 01:30 pm
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Posted
May 16, 2019 02:00 am
NORTH FL –
Gulf sturgeon have begun their annual migration
back into the Suwannee River, and Florida Fish
and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)
officials want boaters to be aware that these
jumping fish can injure people.
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Posted May
15, 2019 09:am
TALLAHASSEE – Gov.
Ron DeSantis went into Friday’s meeting with the
FBI and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
[DHS] hoping to learn – and publicly divulge –
which Florida county Special Counsel Robert
Mueller was referring to in his report as being
breached by Russian agents before the 2016
election.
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Posted May
14, 2019 03:45 am
TALLAHASSEE – A bill approving a
decade-long, multi-billion dollar plan to
extend three toll roads into rural
“corridors” was formally sent to Gov. Ron
DeSantis Monday as opponents intensified
demands he veto the measure and launched a
week of scheduled protests.
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Posted May 12, 2019 10:00 am
TALLAHASSEE,
FL – Incarcerated women could soon be guaranteed access
to basic hygiene products, like pads and
tampons, under a bill awaiting Gov. Ron
DeSantis's signature.
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Posted
May 10, 2019 05:55 am
TALLAHASSEE – As the Florida State
Legislature adjourned Saturday, Gov. Ron
DeSantis chided House Speaker Jose Oliva
that he would soon issue the first vetoes of
his gubernatorial career.
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Posted May
9, 2019 02:30 pm
LAKE CITY, FL – With over $10 mil in utility projects on the drawing
board and millions in other projects Lake
City and Columbia County are finally
realizing the fruits of their location. Lake
City, the Gateway to Florida, on the
intersection of I-75 and I-10, is looking
for an Assistant City Manager.
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Posted
May 9, 2019 04:15 am
LIVE OAK, FL –
Seas of bright yellows, light purples and deep
pinks can be seen across the Suwannee River
Water Management District with fields, roadways
and yards filled with wildflowers.
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Posted
May 8, 2019 09:40 pm
TALLAHASSEE – Among
the most combative bills adopted during the
Florida legislative session that concluded
Saturday was the controversial new law that bans
“sanctuary cities.”
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Posted
May 5, 2019 10:25 am
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Posted
May 3, 2019 08:40 am
TALLAHASSEE – When it comes to finding a
reliable funding source for 11th-hour
budget-balancing maneuvers, in trusts do
Florida lawmakers trust.
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Posted
May 1, 2019 07:15 am
TALLAHASSEE – When newly-elected Gov. Ron
DeSantis named three justices to the state
Supreme Court in January, he empanelled a
6-1 conservative bloc that inspired
Republicans in the state Legislature to file
“trial balloon” abortion, preemption,
de-regulation and education legislation.
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Posted April 30, 2019 05:30 am | Public News
Service
TALLAHASSEE,
FL – In the final week of Florida's legislative session,
it appears a bill has stalled that would have required
minors to get parental consent before having an
abortion.
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Posted
April 27, 2019 003:35 pm
TALLAHASSEE –
House Republicans say Florida voters are
overwhelmed by proposed constitutional
amendments. On Thursday, they took a step to
reduce this burden by revising the state’s
petition-gathering process.
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Posted
April 26, 2019 05:55 am
TALLAHASSEE – There are no “sanctuary
cities” in Florida but, just in case one
should materialize, they are now one step
closer to being banned in the Sunshine
State.
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Posted
April 24, 2019 07:00 am
TALLAHASSEE –
Florida is going to allow vetted volunteer
teachers with concealed weapons licenses to
carry firearms in classrooms if local school
boards opt into a year-old “guardian” program
and local law enforcement agencies provide
training, certification and supervision.
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Posted
April 18, 2019 09:25 am
Florida has
long been known for “government-in-the-sunshine”
– laws that promote transparency and the
public’s right to know about elected officials,
open meetings and public records. But open
meetings and public records have become
oxymorons as the Florida Legislature this
session has been moving to create more secrecy
than sunshine.
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Posted
April 18, 2019 01:30 pm
TALLAHASSEE – The U.S. Senate last week
confirmed that David Bernhardt would be Ryan
Zinke’s successor as Interior Secretary,
clearing a procedural hurdle in releasing
the department’s proposed five-year
off-shore oil and gas development plan.
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Posted
April 17, 2019 06:15 am
TALLAHASSEE – Raising the minimum wage
from $10 an hour in 2021 by a dollar a year
to $15 an hour in 2026 would increase the
state’s sales tax revenues, but probably not
dramatically reduce the number of state
residents who qualify for public assistance
and Medicaid.
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Posted April 12, 2019 05:00 am | Public News
Service
TAMPA, FL – Florida is making some progress
placing foster kids in family settings, with a
three percentage point improvement over a 10
year period, according to a new report.
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Posted
April 11, 2019 04:05 am
TALLAHASSEE –
Red-light cameras, those never-blinking machine
eyes at intersections, foster ominous Orwellian
chills among many but, for Sen. Jeff Brandes,
R-St. Petersburg, they literally represent evil.
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Posted April 2, 2019 09:55 am | Op-Ed
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Lawmakers latest legislative
attack on a citizen’s right to direct democracy
is moving quickly through the Florida
Legislature. This anti-democratic legislative
effort would make it harder for citizens to
amend the constitution by ballot initiative.
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Posted April 1, 2019 05:00 am | Public News
Service
MIAMI - Exactly
one year from Monday, the official count of
every resident of the United States begins with
the 2020 Census. But Florida has long had
problems getting an accurate count of its
children.
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Posted
March 30, 2019 11:15 am
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Posted
March 27, 2019 07:50 am
TALLAHASSEE –
Amendment 4 could allow an estimated 1.4 million
ex-felons to be eligible to vote, as long as
they've completed their sentence and weren't
convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense.
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Posted
March 25, 2019 05:15 am
TALLAHASSEE – On Friday, House Education
Committee chairwoman Rep. Jennifer Sullivan,
R-Eustis, opened the public hearing on the
pending proposal hoping a moment of clarity
would end the parade of challenges and
criticisms before it began.
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Posted
March 22, 2019 10:45 am
TALLAHASSE – Wednesday afternoon, the
Florida Senate Environment and Natural
Resources Committee had a special workshop
regarding the sewage that has been drifting
down river from Valdosta across the Florida
border into North Florida. Many are calling
this North Florida's "Red Tide."
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Posted
March 20, 2019 09:58 am
TALLAHASSEE – Key components of the House
proposed fiscal year 2020 budget came into
focus Tuesday when two appropriations
subcommittee chairs released their fiscal
year 2020 spending requests.
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Posted
March 20, 2019 06:30 am
MONROE COUNTY, FL – After a two-year
investigation dubbed “Operation Thimblerig,”
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission (FWC) investigators broke up a
criminal conspiracy involving the
exploitation of the spiny lobster commercial
fishery.
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March 19, 2019 10:30 am | updated
March 20 07:10 am
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Unless a giant monkey wrench is
thrown into the mix, Werner Enterprises, one of
the America's largest trucking and logistics
firms is locating to Columbia County. The Werner
Enterprise's trucking facility is scheduled to
be located at the Bell Road economic development
site near I-10 and US 441. For almost a year, this project
has been code named Project 18-6.
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March 18, 2019 07:30 am | Public News
Service
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Posted
March 18, 2019 07:30 am
FLORIDA –
If you think bats may be living in your
building, now is the time to check your
attic, eaves or chimney spaces and take
action to exclude them. Bat maternity season
begins April 15 and runs through August 15.
During this time it’s illegal to block bats
from their roost.
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Posted
March 11, 2019 08:45 am
TALLAHASSEE – The House PreK-12 Quality
Subcommittee on Thursday resoundingly
endorsed a proposal to mandate that public
high school students are offered elective
classes on religion and the Bible, despite
constitutional concerns and fears that
school districts could be embroiled in
lawsuits over “evangelizing.”
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Posted
March 11, 2019 08:45 am
FLORIDA – Hindus are urging Florida
legislators to add Vedas, Upanishads and Bhagavad-Gita to
House Bill 195, the "Study of the Bible." This
would also require Florida public schools to
offer elective courses on these ancient
scriptures.
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Posted
March 9, 2019 11:00 pm
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Thursday, March 7, 2019, Sheriff
Mark Hunter's percent based budgeting deal with
the Columbia County 5 almost faded quietly away. After the motion was made to end the
agreement, the discussion began with some humor.
Commissioner Witt said, "I'm only going to be a
minute. I'm not going to do a Tim Murphy and
make a long speech." Everybody chuckled. There
were no more chuckles.
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Posted
March 7, 2019 08:25 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Commissioner Tim
Murphy has a passion for politics, economic
development, and talking. At yesterday's
Economic Development Advisory Board meeting,
Mr. Murphy demonstrated all three and
announced that he is looking to have a
regional summit to bring Columbia County's
sister counties to the table so they are all
heading in the same direction.
|
Posted
March 6, 2019 05:00 am
Gov. Ron
DeSantis met with the convened Legislature
for his first time Tuesday to spell out his
goals for the coming legislative session,
and if there was any doubt that Tallahassee
is still in a honeymoon swoon over the new
governor, it was evident in the bipartisan
praise he received after his 25-minute
inaugural State-of-The-State address.
|
Posted
March 4, 2019 05:00 am
|
Posted
March 3, 2019 10:30 pm
FLORIDA –
Senator Rob Bradley has been named the first
recipient of the Park Champion of the Year Award
by the Florida State Parks Foundation.
|
Posted
March 3, 2019 09:15 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Each spring, a
nation-wide high school arts competition is
sponsored by the Members of the U.S. House
of Representatives. The Artistic Discovery
Contest is an opportunity to recognize and
encourage the artistic talent in the nation,
as well as Neal Dunn's Congressional
District 2 of Florida.
|
Posted
February 27, 2019 11:pm
LAKE CITY, FL – Tomorrow, February 28,
2018, at 4 pm, the Middle and Lower Suwannee
River and Withlacoochee River Task Force
(the Task Force) will be meeting for its
third meeting. The Task Force has members
from 12 North Central FL counties and while
all counties do not front on the
Withlacoochee and or Suwannee Rivers, the
officials have banded together to help find
a solution to the multi-million gallon raw
sewage spills coming out of Valdosta into N.
Florida.
|
Posted
February 26, 2019 06:45 am
TALLAHASSEE – Gov. Ron DeSantis has
rescinded 169 mostly midnight appointments
to 67 state boards and commissions issued by
now-U.S. Sen. Rick Scott in the days before
he left Tallahassee for Washington, D.C.
|
Posted
February 26, 2019 04:30 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – At 10 am yesterday
morning, Florida Power & Light (FPL)
officially unveiled its Columbia County
300,000 solar panel solar farm. The plant
generates enough zero-emissions electricity
to power approximately 15,000 Florida homes.
|
Posted
February 23, 2019 10:15 pm
TALLAHASSEE –
A Senate subcommittee approved a sweeping
state preemption bill that would dissolve
all local business regulations by 2021 and
make it virtually impossible for city and
county governments to reauthorize them or
adopt new ones.
|
Posted
February 18, 2019 11:45 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – On February 12,
2019, the Florida Gateway College Board met
in Baker County for its monthly meeting.
Neither the Olustee Battle Reenactment nor
the Battle Festival was anywhere on the
College's agenda. Columbia County residents
Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson and Jim Tatum
brought the item up, which inspired FGC
Board member and Florid Representative Chuck
Brannon to throw up his arms in exasperation
and tell the Board, "I'm not in agreement to
what I am hearing today. And I am not going
to just sit here and not say anything."
|
Posted February 18, 2019 08:30 am | Public News
Service
MIAMI - The goal for the thousands of children in
Florida's foster care program is to find forever homes.
But a new tracking system developed at the University of
Miami shows the dream for many children is short-lived.
|
Posted
February 14, 2019 05:40 pm
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Yesterday, February 13, 2019,
the Florida Gateway College Campus Activity
Board sponsored a Black History Festival in
the Student Activity Center.
|
Posted
February 13, 2019 06:15 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – As the
January 23, 2019 Tourist Development Council (TDC)
meeting got underway, TDC Director Paula
Vann announced, "At the last TDC meeting I
brought up that the hotel owners were asking
that we do some improvements or ask DOT to
do some improvements at the I-75 and Highway
90 exit." As a result, Ms. Vann invited
Florida Department of Transportation's
(FDOT) landscape team to the TDC. Twenty
minutes after the meeting began, DOTs Marty
Humphreys said, "We have a little issue out
there... We've been working with law
enforcement."
|
Posted
February 2, 2019 10:45 pm
TALLAHASSEE
– Sen. Jeff Brandes on Thursday pre-filed
Senate Bill 642, the "Florida First Step
Act," which incorporates the “best ideas”
from the federal criminal justice reform
measure adopted in December by Congress with
widespread bipartisan support and the
backing of President Donald Trump.
|
Posted
January 31, 2019 10:40 am
ST. LEO, FL – Saint Leo University was named
a Top 10 Gold-level Military Friendly®
School Award recipient for 2019-2020 in the
category of private institutions offering
doctoral degrees. Saint Leo is ranked
seventh in the nation as a Military
Friendly® School.
|
Posted
January 28, 2019 10:55 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – In nineteen days, the
Olustee Battle Festival, the annual
celebration of the February 20, 1864, Baker
County Battle of Olustee, begins. Folks from
all over the world will converge on the area
to fill local hotels, fill up at fast food
emporiums, and visit downtown Lake City for
an "arts and crafts festival." The center
piece of the event is the Olustee Battle
Reenactment. Thousands of white people along
with their children, many waving the
Confederate Battle flag, will be cheering
their Confederate heroes on to victory while
watching Americans blowing each other's
brains out.
|
Posted
January 26, 2019 03:15 pm
LAKE CITY, FL – Late Thursday afternoon,
January 24, 2019, the Middle and Lower
Suwannee River Task Force (the Task Force)
met for its second meeting. The Task Force
has members from 12 N. Central FL counties
and while all counties do not front on the
Withlacoochee and or Suwannee Rivers, the
officials have banded together to help find
a solution to the multi-million gallon raw
sewage spills coming out of Valdosta into N.
Florida.
|
Posted
January 23, 2019 10:25 am
TALLAHASSEE
– Solidifying a conservative majority, Gov.
Ron DeSantis on Tuesday made his third
appointment to the Florida Supreme Court,
selecting a former top legal aide to Gov.
Jeb Bush and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
|
Posted
January 22, 2019 08:35am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – The Lake City Reporter
recently reported on the January 8, 2019,
Florida Gateway College Board meeting, a
meeting in which the board voted unanimously
to end funding for the Olustee Battle
Festival. The College Board is composed of
gubernatorial appointees, six of whom were
present: a banker, three educators, and two
physicians. Three of the six are long time
Columbia County residents.
|
Posted
January 16, 2019 04:20 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – On Monday, January 14,
Senator Rob Bradley, one of the most
powerful people in Tallahassee (chairman of
the Senate Appropriations Committee), and
considered by many to be one of
Tallahassee's sharpest elected officials,
and newly elected Representative Chuck
Brannan, listened to various government
representatives asking for money. However,
along with the bevy of local officials, were
everyday citizens who came to voice their
concerns from climate change to education
and things in between.
|
Posted
January 14, 2019 12:05 am
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Senator Rob Bradley (R-Fleming
Island), Chairman of the Columbia County
Legislative Delegation, will preside at the
annual delegation hearing today, Monday,
January 14th at 1:00 pm. The location of
the hearing is the Florida Gateway College
Administrative Bldg 1, Board Room located at
149 SE College Place, Lake City, Florida.
|
Posted
January 12, 2019 03:15 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – On Friday afternoon,
Melissa Olin was sworn in as a Circuit Court
Judge in the Third Judicial Circuit of
Florida. Ms. Olin, 48, a former Assistant
State Attorney and a UF graduate, continues
the generational shift begun with the
election of Judge Wesley Douglas and
continued with the elections of Judge Mark
Feagle and Dixie County County Court Judge
Jennifer J. Johnson.
|
Posted
January 9, 2019 10:21 am
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Last night, Florida Gateway College
(FGC) Board Chair Suzanne Norris was the only
board member who exhibited any discomfort with
the support of Lake City's infamous Olustee
Battle Festival, which celebrates the victory of
the South over the North in the 1864 Battle of
Olustee in Baker County. FGC President Larry
Barrett signed a contract in July supporting the
festival.
|
Posted
January 4, 2019 06:35 am
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Last night's meeting of the
County 5 concluded on an upbeat note when
Commissioner Murphy invited Representative
Brannon's District Secretary to the microphone,
"We've got Representative Brannon's associate
here. Step up and introduce yourself."
|
RiverFest
10th Anniversary Celebrates-Educates about the Santa Fe
River & Environment
Florida Clean Waterways Act: Calm Water
Illusive
Extraordinarily High Property Insurance Rate
Hikes On-Tap for Some Florida Homeowners
Florida Senate - House Set to Exchange
Proposed Budgets
Columbia County Joins 2nd
Amdt. Sanctuaries - Sheriff Hunter Silent on
Raising Arms Against Feds
FL Legislature: Proposed Wastewater Grant
Program Addresses Aging Infrastructure
Florida
‘Parents' Bill of Rights’ Bill Breezes Past
First Hearing
Florida’s
Armed School "Guardian" Program Gets
Safeguards In Proposed Senate Bill
Florida's
Proposed First-In-Nation Water Excise Tax
Bottled Up By Legal - Procedural Questions
FL
Constitutional Amendment Process:
Republicans Looking for Restrictions
Bradley's
Bill Allowing Discretion in 'Low-Level' Drug
Offender Sentences Heads to Senate Floor
Parental
Consent Abortion Bill Advances in Florida
Senate Judiciary Committee
Valdosta's 7.5 Million Gallon Raw Sewage Spill:
For 7 days, like an unseen oil spill
7.5 Mil Gal of Raw Sewage Headed Into N. FL From
Valdosta – FL Sen. Bill Montford Wants Answers
FL
Panther Threatened by Deadly Road Projects - Sierra Club
& Envir. Federation of SW Florida Sue
Year-End
Review: Top 2019 Am Boomtowns in CO, Texas,
S. Carolina - Miami, FL Number 4
Everglades Restoration: $200 million
surprise in Trump's $1.4 trillion federal
budget
Florida
DEP Approves More Onshore Oil-Drilling Conservation
Groups & Others Not Happy
Florida Supremes Send 'Fight For $15'
Minimum Wage Amendment to the Ballot
Legislation
Filed: FL Newspaper Legal Notice
Monopoly On the Line - Counties Would Save
U.S. House Votes to Impeach President Trump on
Two Counts
Fort White
Backs Off Vote In Opposition of Seven Springs -
Nestle
Permit Renewal
Seven Springs – Nestle –
Environmentalists: Does Everyone Want the Same
Thing for the Santa Fe?
Bill
Would Require Conceal-Carry Applicants to
Receive Training, Finger Prints Retained
Analysis: Gov's $91.4 Bil Budget Some
Positive Steps, Little to Reverse Long-Term
Inequities
Endangered
Species Sensitive to Climate Change Lack Protection
Florida Groups Urge Utility Regulators to Boost Energy
Efficiency 
FL's
Saint Leo University Ranked No. 1 in U.S.
in Best for Vets Colleges 2020
Without
Medicaid Expansion, Florida Sees Increase in Uninsured
Children
Minimum
Wage Proposal First to Qualify for Florida's
2020 Ballot
Florida
Ex-Felon Voting Rights Remain in Limbo With Amendment 4
Fed. Ct. Ruling
FL
Poll Confirms Support for 2020 Measures
Legalizing Marijuana – But Which One?
First Amendment Foundation Chooses New
President to Succeed Legend Barbara Peterson
Florida Senate To Vote On Removing Sheriff
In Precedent-Setting Special Session
Valdosta Wastewater Spills Floating Into
Florida – Barring an Act of God – A Thing of
the Past
Florida
Senator Lauren Book Withdraws Bill Seeking
to end Religious Exemptions for Vaccines
Columbia Cnty's
Legislative Delegation Hears From Its Elected/Appointed
Officials and Citizens
NCFRPC Chair, Robert
Wilford, Ends Long Tradition of Allowing Public
Questions of Guest Speakers
Governor DeSantis Left SRWMD
Holding the Bag: Dept. of Revenue Ran Cover for
the
Governor
Is Florida Protected from Offshore Drilling?
County
5 Honor Florida State Trooper George A. "Andy"
Brown, III: Killed in the Line of Duty
Governor Declares State of Emergency, Urges
Floridians to Prepare for Hurricane Dorian
Hepatitis
A: FL Dept of Health Elevates Hep-A from an
Advisory to Public Health Emergency
Pre-Filed
2020 Florida Legislation Decriminalizes
Possession of Small Amounts of Marijuana
DeSantis Administration Argues to
Block "Assault Weapon Ban" 2020 Const. Amdt
No Questions Allowed:
Commissioner Tim Murphy Suspends Rules for
Florida Gateway College Brass
Tips:
Preparing Youngsters for School
Suncoast Expansion Nixed by the Next
Generation After NCFRPC Executive Com. Nixes
Discussion
FL
Attorney General Launches "No Scam" App –
Price Gougers Can Be Reported in Real Time
Texting
While Driving: Enforcement Begins Today on
Florida's New Law
Florida's
'Forgotten Coast' Really Forgotten
Lake
City Finally Admits to Cyber Ransom, FL League
of Cities to Pay Approx $474,000
Foreclosures
Down Nationwide, But Not In Florida
FGC
$22 mil Budget Presentation a Bust: Staff
Gets Raises - Kitchen Workers Get 'Zero-Zip-Nada'
Florida
Gateway College President Off to Alaska –
Who Is In Charge? Nobody's Talking
Lake
Okeechobee: Toxic Algae Blooming, Feds Sued
Citizen
Initiative Advocates Lobby Governor To Veto
'Anti-Democratic' Citizen Petition Bill
Champions
of Science Add Value to Florida Gateway
College Board Meeting
FGC
Budget Prelude: May 14 Workshop Was In Good
Measure Unintelligible, Budget: $21,805,664
Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday May
31 through June 6: What You Need to Know
FL-Israel: Trade Between Sunshine State
& Jewish State Booming
SB 7068 - Toll Road Bill, A Hot Topic at
Planning Council: Opposition is Out of the
Gate Early
Without Medicaid Expansion Florida Lags in Maternal
Health
Opponents of FL Turnpike Bill Vow 'War on
Toll Roads to Nowhere'
Two
Florida Counties Hacked Before 2016
Election: State Agents Knew It
For Whom the FL Road Bill Tolls: Gov
Pressured to Veto/Sign Turnpike Plan
'Dignity
for Incarcerated Women Act' Awaits Governor's Signature
FL
Elections Officials Puzzled by 11th Hour
Petition Changes in House Bill 5
Lake City Assistant City Manager: City on the
Move, Position to be Advertised Shortly
New
ICE Warrant Program Seeks to Expand Local
Role Enforcing Immigration Policy
FL
Legislature Concludes Session With Sat. Adoption of $91.1 Billion Budget
Florida Legislature Budget Balancing: In
Trusts Do They Trust
Florida's
Parental Consent Abortion Bill Stalls
Florida
House OK's Restrictions on Petition
Gathering for Ballot Measures
FL
House Adopts DeSantis-Sanctioned 'Sanctuary
City' Bill
FL
Senate OK's 'Guardian' Expansion, Likely
Ensuring Adoption of Armed Teachers
More
Secrecy Than Sunshine: Lawmakers Push for
Exemptions to Public Records/Open Meeting
Laws
Federal Off-Shore Drilling Plan May Include
Waters off the Florida Coast
Financial Impact Conference: Proposed FL
minimum-wage hike won’t reduce Medicaid
rolls
Florida Finding a Few More Families for Young Foster
Kids
"Tools
of the Devil," FL Bill Banning Red-Light
Cameras Yellow-Flagged
Census
Prep Begins Targeting Underserved Areas
Florida
Voters Restored Ex-Felon's Voting Rights,
But Did They Mean to Include a 'Poll Tax'?
North FL's "Red Tide" - Sewage Floating
South
From GA into the Suwannee River in N.
Florida
FWC, Office of Statewide Prosecutor Charge 3
for Exploiting S. FL Spiny Lobster:
Multiple Felonies
Econ Dev: Werner Enterprises, a Billion Dollar
Co. Coming to I-10 – US441 with New Facility
FL Exceeds "Million Pollinator Garden Challenge" Goal
Bat Maternity Season Begins April 15
FL House Subcommittee OK's 'Study of Bible'
Bill Despite Fears of Evangelizing
Hindus Urge Florida Legislators to Include 
Sheriff Mark Hunter's
Percent Based Budgeting Deal with the County 5 –
Officially Exterminated
County Economic Development Advisory Board Murphy Looking for Regional
Summit
DeSantis on Education: Senate School Choice
Proposals May End Honeymoon With Democrats
Senator
Rob Bradley: First Florida State Parks
Champion of the Year
2019 Congressional
High School Art Competition Entries
Accepted Through April 29
Middle & Lower Suw River Task Force On
Tap In LC: Fighting Pollution From Valdosta,
GA
DeSantis Rescinds 169 More of Scott’s
Midnight Appointments: Total Nixed - 214
FPL Officially Unveils Columbia County's
First Solar Power Plant
Olustee Battle Festival: Funding Battle
Continued at Florida Gateway College – Next
Action Unclear
Foster-Care Placement Instability
Florida Gateway College Celebrates Black
History Month
Hotel Owners Complain About Homeless
Under the I-75 at U.S. 90 – FDOT to
Step In
Comprehensive 'Florida First Step Act' Could
Supplant Many Already-Filed Justice Reform
Bills
St Leo Univ Named as Top 10
Military Friendly School - Ranked 7th in
Nation
Battle of Olustee Festival:
Revisionist History Where Black Lives Didn't
& Still Don't Matter
North FL Leaders To Reach
Out to Valdosta to Find a Solution to Raw Sewage
Spills Floating Into N FL
Gov DeSantis Tilts FL Supreme Court to the
Right
The Lake City Reporter:
Keeping the Olustee Myth Alive – A New Twist
on Letters to the Editor
Sen Bradley & Rep Brannan Came to Columbia
Cnty, Everyday Citizens Voiced Their Concerns
Columbia
County Legislative Delegation Hearing Today
at 1PM: You can make your voice heard
Melissa Olin: 3d Circuit's Newest
Judge
FL
Gateway Col Bd Unanimously
Votes to End Support for Olustee Battle
Festival
Dist 10's Brannon Sworn In
- Dist Sec Hartley Appears Before the Cnty
5