Cathy Carter

The Gulf Coast of Florida is already feeling impacts of Hurricane Michael with minor coastal flooding due to storm surge and high tide.

Starting next school year, the State College of Florida will no longer offer college-level courses in Sarasota and Manatee county high schools.

Instead, students can only access dual enrollment classes online or at SCF campuses.

The state's newest school voucher program is ramping up.

Beginning Monday Oct. 1, Floridians purchasing a new car will now have the option to designate up to $105 of the vehicle's sales tax to fund what's called Hope Scholarships.  The money generated from the new car sales tax program will help fund scholarships for students who are being bullied at school.

A controversial education amendment will not go to voters in November.

In a 4-3 decision, Florida's Supreme Court has ruled that Amendment 8 should remain off the ballot.

The court upheld the order of a Leon County Judge who decreed the measure's title and summary to be misleading.

Hillsborough County residents will see a new tax referendum on their November ballots.

Voters will decide if they support a half-cent sales tax to help pay for improvements to the county's public schools.

Drinking water at several Polk County Public Schools has tested positive for lead.

Now, the school district says it will test all of its schools for the highly toxic metal.

Sarasota business owners say they've taken a financial hit since the outbreak of red tide.

Throughout the month of August, Visit Sarasota, the official tourism agency for Sarasota County has conducted a survey of 450 businesses. A majority reported a slump in revenue due to the fish kills and odor which has impacted tourism in southwest Florida.

Florida remains the only state that hasn't received approval of a federally mandated education plan.

Now, civil rights groups are weighing in on the delay.

The Every Student Succeeds Act gives states latitude in creating systems for measuring student success, but they still have to be accepted by the U.S. Department of Education.

Florida's ESSA plan was initially rejected for failing to address several provisions including testing for English language learners.

According to the state's largest teacher's union, educators vote at a higher rate than the average Floridian.

Several dozen Pinellas County teachers gathered in downtown St. Petersburg Sunday for a "Get Out The Vote" rally. Like their counterparts across the country, the teachers wore the color red as a sign of solidarity. 

The application process has begun for a new state scholarship designed to help kids who are struggling with reading.

Passed into law this spring as part of a larger education bill, the scholarships will give $500 to students who score below the Level 3 passing grade on the state's third and fourth-grade reading exam.

There has been an arrest in the Clearwater 'stand your ground' case.

The Pinellas Pasco State Attorney's office is charging Micheal Drejka with manslaughter in the death of Markeis McGlockton.

The Reverend Al Sharpton led a rally at a Clearwater church Sunday to protest Florida’s controversial 'stand your ground' law.

And while the civil rights leader spoke in the sanctuary, demonstrators made their feelings heard outside.

Supporters gathered in downtown St. Petersburg Thursday to welcome survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. The voter registration and gun violence awareness event at Williams Park was part of the March For Our Lives "Road to Change" bus tour.   

The Dunedin City Commission has approved a one-year pilot program that will allow round-trip ferry service from Dunedin to Clearwater.

Dunedin Parks and Recreation director Vince Gizzi says the city has been working on logistics for more than a year.

A crowd of 200 filled Selby Library auditorium in Sarasota Wednesday night for a town hall featuring students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Hundreds more were unable to get a seat after the hall reached capacity.

This summer, students involved in the March For Our Lives movement are traveling across the country to energize young people. Local organizers say they want to educate and encourage them to vote.   

18-year-old Kevin Knox was the ninth overall pick in Thursday's NBA draft. He was selected by the New York Knicks.

The Florida Department of Education has released the results for standardized tests students took this spring.

The scores include the Florida Standards Assessments in reading and math.

The Florida Department of Education has released test scores for the state's third grade reading exam and the Florida Standards Assessment results are a mixed bag for Tampa Bay area school districts.

More than 11,000 students will be graduating from Hillsborough County Public Schools over the next two weeks, and five of them have accomplished a notable feat.

Each one has have never missed a day of school since kindergarten.

Just days after a Florida sheriff's deputy was killed in the line of duty, ceremonies were held in the Tampa Bay area Wednesday to remember fallen law enforcement officers.

The Hernando County teachers union has filed a grievance over the district’s announcement it is firing every teacher at a struggling elementary school.

Earlier this month, 47 teachers at Moton Elementary School in Brooksville were told they would be terminated from teaching at Moton at the end of the school year. Moton is on the state's list of Florida's lowest performing schools.