Florida Legislature

The House and Senate began putting together budget proposals to address such issues as Everglades restoration and land acquisition.

A recent report detailing problems with Florida’s patchwork mental health system had reached conclusions nearly identical to those of a similar report from more than 20 years ago. The echoes between the findings are unmistakable.

The groups filing briefs include Floridians for Reproductive Freedom, LatinoJustice, the National Council of Jewish Women, current and former local and state elected officials and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

The center, a joint venture of the two institutions, will provide about 130,000-square-feet of medical and research-related space.

The proposal would create a pilot program in Miami-Dade that would provide “comprehensive services” to Medicaid beneficiaries with developmental disabilities.

The Senate's incoming president has said she would like to see Florida's ban on abortions after 15 weeks reduced to 12 weeks and anti-abortion activists are pushing for even tighter restrictions.

They include toll credits for frequent drivers and measures to combat the rising cost of property insurance.

A new law that requires boat renters to carry insurance could put the industry in jeopardy.

The law bars instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-3. Senate President Kathleen Passidomo suggests extending the law to include additional grades.

The AM Best report focused, in part, on reinsurance, which is backup coverage that insurers buy to help pay claims for such things as hurricanes. Florida-based carriers rely heavily on reinsurance, but prices have soared and coverage has become harder to find.

New House Speaker Paul Renner said there’s a "pro-life" majority in the legislature now but, he added, "I can guarantee you that members on both sides have very different opinions about what it means to be pro-life.”

The Florida Legislature has crowned the new Republican leaders of the House and Senate, as the GOP supermajority in the statehouse appears poised to deliver on the conservative agenda of Gov. Ron DeSantis.