Florida Legislature

Nursing home staffing problems in Florida date back two decades, and boosting wages is the solution most often agreed upon. A 2022 bill called SB 804, however, is causing concerns among those who watch the industry closely or work in it for its proposal to address staffing shortages.

Gov. DeSantis calls Florida a "free state" in his annual address this week. But one Democrat vying for his job says he’s like a dictator.

Senators have revived a proposal to create a $1 billion fund that Gov. Ron DeSantis could use at his discretion during emergencies he declares.

In the first week of the Florida legislative session, a bipartisan state Senate committee will consider moving a draft U.S House district map and a state Senate map forward to a floor vote.

A plan that would allow local ordinances to get automatically blocked if they’re challenged is moving ahead. The proposal goes hand-in-hand with another measure that would let businesses sue local governments over policies that cause a revenue loss of 15% or more. Local government groups say the bill is better, but they’re still worried about its impact.

The Florida Legislature is making a return trip to vacation rental legislation. For years, lawmakers have tried to determine how much say municipalities should have in regulating such properties.

In his State of the State address Tuesday in the Capitol, Gov. Ron DeSantis laid out a red-meat 2022 legislative agenda on crime and immigration, and he ridiculed COVID-19 restrictions in other states as ineffective and anti-American.

Gov. Ron DeSantis largely stuck to priorities that he has outlined in recent weeks, such as providing a $1 billion gas tax break to motorists, boosting pay and providing bonuses for teachers, revamping elections laws and being a “law and order state.”

Nearly $1 billion in the governor’s budget is earmarked for the Florida environment, including water quality improvements, the Everglades restoration, redirecting rivers and waterways, cleaning up dead fish and decaying foliage after blue-green algae blooms or red tides, or to work to eradicate invasive species like Burmese pythons or kudzu.

Republican lawmakers filed proposals that would prevent doctors from performing abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Gov. Ron DeSantis touched on a variety of topics, including education, water quality improvements, and proposed bonuses for law enforcement officers, during his State of the State address.

The 2022 legislative session begins today, and Northeast Florida lawmakers will play a role on both sides of the aisle.