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TALHASSEE — Republican lawmakers shocked the political world in Florida last year when they accused Gov. Ron DeSantis of representing Gov. Ron DeSantis of committing federal crimes by diverting $10 million from the Medicaid settlement.No one has been charged, and officials in the DeSantis administration have denied any fraud. However, four former federal prosecutors told The Times/Herald that Rep. Alex Andrade could be on a strong legal basis.They said at least eight different federal charges, from the theft of government funds to money laundering, could be investigated in connection with dollars that have passed the Florida Foundation’s wishes.These laws can…
Tampa and Orlando are 90 miles apart, but the two cities seem to live in completely separate universes.That came to mind last week after an Orlando private group announced that it had set aside $2.5 billion to attract the Tampa Bay Rays or another Major League Baseball team. Orlando Dreamers said it has received “preliminary” written and verbal commitments from qualified investors, and is based on the momentum that brings the franchise to central Florida. Financial supporters include Orlando Super Lawyer John Morgan, acclaimed “for the people.”Is Orlando true? There are no clues. But let’s be our neighbor and assume…
Some items that gained traction before the March session began did not pass. This is a small list of legislative proposals that were not made through the 2025 Legislative Conference.Reduce property taxAt the start of the session, Gov. Ron DeSantis wanted Congress to proceed with measures to eliminate local property taxes in the 2026 Florida vote. The GOP lawmaker said no. The governor then asked to use the $5 billion state surplus to give homeowners a $1,000 tax rebate. State GOP lawmakers also shot down the idea.Deregulation of test requirementsProposal to abolish some test mandates for graduating for public high…
The US military is stepping up Yemen’s Operation Roughrider in its upcoming talks on Tehran’s escalating nuclear program.US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses warned Iran on Wednesday that he faced serious military consequences to support the Housis. The US operation against Yemen’s Houtis is called Operation Raf Rider, and targets terrorists as the Trump administration negotiates with Iran about its nuclear program.In a social media post on April 30th, Heggs wrote:Message to Iran: You can see your fatal support for Houthis. We know exactly what you’re doing. You know well what the US military can do – and you were…
STARK, Fla. (AP) – An Army combat veteran whose Gulf War experience caused serious mental problems is scheduled to be executed in Florida on Thursday due to the shotgun killing of his girlfriend and her three young children in 1998. Except for a last-minute reprieve, Jeffrey Hutchinson is scheduled to receive a fatal injection at the Florida State Jail near Stark from 6pm Thursday. If the execution is done, Florida will be fourth under a death warrant signed by Gov. Ron de Santis this year, with a fifth execution planned for May 15th. Hutchinson, 62, has long claimed he is…
Q: My wife and I bought a condo a few years ago. Last year we purchased an electric vehicle, but the building limited the private charger to 14 and the three shared chargers for nearly 200 parking spaces. The board informed me that the restrictions were due to electrical services to the building. And upgrading services requires special ratings that other residents don’t like. Now I’m charging my car at a nearby mall despite being willing to pay for a charger installed at my assigned location. Is there anything I can do? – Anonymous A: In Florida, where I practice,…
Hurricane Helen and Milton touched on everyone in the Tampa Bay Area last year. Some lost a bit, others lost everything. Water and wind have destroyed thousands of homes and hundreds of businesses. The worst residents returned to the squeeze floor and drifted mold from behind a flooded drywall. Adrenaline quickly scared me. In the next few weeks, some recovered. They fixed the broken one. Life has returned to normal and at least to normal adjacent ones. But many people couldn’t move on. They simmer in the limbo between knowing what they need to do and being allowed to do…
The bill, which forms part of the larger tax policy bill, also includes a $100 registration fee for hybrid drivers. The House Commission on Transport and Infrastructure voted in favor of some of the widespread settlement bills on April 30 to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda.36-30 votes were thrown after nearly seven hours of full committee markup hearing dozens of amendments.The passing law included the introduction of a new annual registration fee for electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids that fund federal highway repairs, along with the current 18-cent tax billed to Americans driving gasoline vehicles.”For too long, EVs have been…
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Legislature signed on Wednesday a proposed change to the Mansion Safety Act that passed after the 2021 collapse of Champlain Towers Southville, Surfside, which killed 98 people. The measure, unanimously approved by the House and Senate (HB 913), heads towards Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has changed this year’s Condoming Act to one of the top priorities of this year’s legislative meeting. The law passed in 2022 and tweaked in 2023 required “milestone inspections” and “preliminary structural integrity investigations” of older buildings, including whether or not they needed to save money for major repairs in the future.…
The current talk in Tallahassee is about tax cuts, but did you know that Florida will soon face a multi-billion dollar budget deficit? I was in the capital recently, and the legislators were reluctant to discuss it. There are no options. Today we are hurting K-12 education and leaving it unchecked to affect criminal justice, public safety, transportation, healthcare and any public service. You need to tackle the problem head-on, but you need to understand it first.Laura Hein (James Western and Wildlife Art Museum)Florida’s Legislative Budget Committee is three years away. They expect surplus for fiscal year 2025-26, but things…