WFSU State News
English, Local-Regional News, 1 season, 20 episodes, 54 minutes
WFSU State News
English, Local-Regional News, 1 season, 20 episodes, 54 minutes
A Florida House panel okays a bill making it easier to sue journalists
A Florida House committee has advanced a bill that would make it easier for journalists and their media outlets to be sued.
3/14/2023 • 0
Florida Republicans are prepping changes to local election laws and school board races
Florida Republicans have been trying for years to make local school board races partisan, but it may finally happen this time, if Florida voters agree. The move comes after a contentious election where Gov. Ron DeSantis targeted several local school board members as part of his ongoing effort to counter so-called “wokeness” in public schools.
3/9/2023 • 3 minutes, 49 seconds
Florida senators await estimates from state economists on a voucher expansion as cost concerns grow
The proposal lets all K-12 students in Florida become eligible for either a private school scholarship or an education savings account but hesitation about the cost is growing as other states with similar programs face big problems.
3/8/2023 • 3 minutes, 18 seconds
Florida Republicans are taking on the media. Reporters and bloggers, alike
Florida lawmakers will consider a proposal to re-write rules around who is considered a public figure, and what circumstances would constitute a defamation claim against media outlets. The proposals are raising concerns about their constitutionality and whether they violate free speech rights.
3/3/2023 • 0
State economists say a school choice expansion will cost $210 million. Not everyone buys it
The state puts the cost of a planned "universal choice" program at $210 million. That’s far below the number put out by an independent group. Why the difference?
2/24/2023 • 5 minutes, 6 seconds
A state letter to College Board shows Florida expressed concerns about an AP Black studies course months before it became public
The College Board and the Florida Department of Education are accusing each other of misleading the public over a disputed Advanced Placement African American Studies course.
2/9/2023 • 1 minute, 29 seconds
DeSantis' office confirms a plan is brewing to shield local taxpayers from Disney fight fallout
Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration says he doesn’t make “U-Turns." The administration released a statement Friday after the Financial Times reported a plan is in the works to reverse a law that eliminated Disney’s special tax district status.
12/2/2022 • 1 minute, 23 seconds
Some observers say Gov. DeSantis is being smart by staying quiet on a 2024 presidential bid
Former President Donald Trump wants his old job, back. But the path to the GOP presidential nomination runs through Gov. Ron DeSantis who is being encouraged to pursue his bid for the job.
11/24/2022 • 5 minutes, 30 seconds
A plan to use the state-backed property insurer to save Florida's industry from meltdown gets its first taker
A day after getting hit with a financial-rating downgrade, on Tuesday United Property & Casualty Insurance Co. became the first Florida property insurer to take part in a stopgap state program aimed at maintaining coverage for homeowners.
8/3/2022 • 55 seconds
Takeaways from the Democratic gubernatorial debate between Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and Congressman Charlie Crist held their first, and possibly only, debate in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. Tom Flanigan speaks with Sun Sentinel editorial head Steve Bousquet on whether the debate moved the needle with Democratic primary voters.
7/23/2022 • 4 minutes, 32 seconds
A hearing on banning Florida Medicaid payments for gender-affirming care pits religion against science
More than a hundred people attended an Agency for Healthcare Administration hearing in Tallahassee on a proposed rule prohibiting the state’s Medicaid program from covering gender-affirming treatments.
7/11/2022 • 0
Florida's new laws on property insurance and condo safety may not give homeowners relief and calm troubled markets
Gov. Ron DeSantis has approved new laws the state hopes will calm a chaotic property insurance market, and eventually lead to rate decreases for homeowners. But some lawmakers and industry analysts say they worry the packages don’t deliver relief fast enough and don’t go far enough for property owners to see a difference.
5/28/2022 • 3 minutes, 48 seconds
Mass shootings in a Buffalo supermarket and Texas school lead Florida Democratic lawmakers to blame Republicans
Florida Democrats want the state’s Republican leaders to do more to address gun violence. The most recent mass shooting at a Texas elementary school coupled with a racially-motivated killing at a Buffalo supermarket is reigniting a long-simmering battle over how ad whether to limit gun possession.
5/25/2022 • 2 minutes, 14 seconds
If Roe v. Wade is overturned abortion decisions go to the state. Advocates say they're ready to fight
Advocates for abortion access rallied outside the Florida Supreme Court in Tallahassee Tuesday. The crowd gathered in response to a leaked draft ruling that shows the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe V. Wade. Advocates say that doesn’t mean access to abortion would immediately end. Instead, the move would return abortion decisions to the states. In Florida, that could pit a new state law against a state supreme court finding.
5/4/2022 • 0
Diaz says he wants to change the tone around what it means to be a teacher amid statewide shortages
Soon-to-be Education Commissioner Manny Diaz has worn many hats in his career, starting with teaching geography, history, social studies and psychology at public high schools in Miami. Today, he’s a Republican state Senator from Hialeah and works as the Vice President of Finance for Doral College. Diaz is also a staunch supporter of school choice which he says is falsely equated as being against public schools.
4/26/2022 • 4 minutes, 51 seconds
With a flick of a pen, DeSantis ups the stakes in fight over new LGBTQ, parents rights law
LGBTQ students, parents and teachers say they’re already feeling the chill from legislation they call the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and civil rights groups filed a lawsuit against the new law this week.
4/1/2022 • 3 minutes, 43 seconds
Cabinet meets over Florida's dysfunctional insurance market and lingering Russian investments
Roofing claims, property insurance, and Russian disinvestment: On Tuesday, for the first time in more than six months, the Florida Cabinet actually met in Tallahassee to tackle business on a variety of fronts.
3/30/2022 • 2 minutes, 57 seconds
Florida's involuntary commitment laws get some long-needed updates
For years, mental health advocates have been trying to get the state to re-examine its laws around involuntary psychiatric commitment—and while the legislature has, in the past—taken some incremental steps—this year marks the biggest change yet.
3/11/2022 • 3 minutes, 42 seconds
Senate Democrats are under fire for failing to block some controversial Republican bills
Tensions are flaring again between Democrats in the Florida Senate, as some of them vote to support highly controversial Republican bills. This trend outrages an outspoken Republican senator, too.
3/9/2022 • 4 minutes, 23 seconds
DeSantis' spokeswoman takes heat over LGBTQ comments as protestors rally at the Capitol
Gov. Ron DeSantis' press secretary is facing fierce backlash after she made comments linking LBGTQ people to pedophiles. Spokeswoman Christina Pushaw’s statements on Twitter came as the Florida Senate prepared to take up legislation banning certain discussions about gender identity and sexual orientation in schools.
3/8/2022 • 2 minutes, 51 seconds