Florida House

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida would normally be traversing the state this time of year, trumpeting his legislative accomplishments and the fellow Republican lawmakers who had fallen in line to achieve them. This year has been different, mostly because of one man: the Republican speaker of the state House of Representatives Daniel Perez.

The Republican-controlled House Commerce Committee voted 13-5 to approve the plan, as lawmakers entered the next-to-last week of the annual legislative session.

The Republican-controlled House Health & Human Services Committee voted along party lines to allow Chairman Randy Fine, R-Brevard County, to subpoena records from the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Florida Psychiatric Society.

The 2023 Florida Legislative session continues to ramp up with the latest approval of four education bills in House, including those on partisan school board races and expanded sex ed ban

In a high-stakes debate, the Florida House on Friday began moving forward with a controversial plan designed to shield businesses and insurance companies from costly lawsuits.

The bill would address issues that led to a legal challenge after the September flights, including making clear that $1.565 million already spent by the DeSantis administration is “deemed approved.”

The idea of shifting oversight of municipality utilities onto state regulators in the Florida House has flared debate about municipal utilities serving customers in unincorporated areas.

Calling it a move toward “universal choice,” House Speaker Paul Renner on Thursday announced legislation (HB 1), a proposal that would make every student in Florida eligible for school vouchers — a move that Democrats blasted as a Republican attack on public education.

Florida House Democrats chose Rep. Fentrice Driskell, of Tampa, as the caucus’s next leader. She is the first Black woman to hold the position.

Florida lawmakers on Wednesday passed a voting law package that would create a police force dedicated to pursuing election crimes, a proposal pushed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

On Tuesday, Rosalind Osgood won a state Senate seat in Broward, while Jervonte ‘Tae’ Edmonds won a state House seat in Palm Beach County.

Florida House and Senate Republicans could be ready to pass an elections plan that includes creating a new state office to investigate voting irregularities, boosting penalties for wrongdoing, and looking at changes in the vote-by-mail system.