State News – Capital Outlook

House budget chief warns of cuts

January 21, 2021

Appropriations Chairman Jay Trumbull told his committee not to expect federal funds to replace anticipated budget cuts caused by the pandemic.Photo courtesy News Service of Florida By Jim Turner News Service of Florida With the coronavirus pandemic significantly reducing state tax revenues, the House appropriations chairman told his committee to

Some teachers still waiting for raises

January 21, 2021

Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran.Photo submitted by NSF By Ryan Dailey News Service of Florida Teachers in 23 Florida school districts have not seen pay increases promised by the Legislature when it approved spending $500 million last year to raise educator salaries. The state has approved salary-distribution plans for 44 districts,

DeSantis maintains opposition to local COVID rules

January 20, 2021

Wearing a mask isn’t being mandated by Gov. Ron DeSantis, although elected officials like Tallahassee City Commissioner Curtis Richardson wears one regularly.Photo by St. Clair Murraine By Jim Turner News Service of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis strongly reaffirmed his opposition to local government officials’ attempts to impose their own rules

Environmentalists challenge permitting change

January 20, 2021

Noah Valenstein, Department of Environmental Protection Secretary.Photo special to the Outlook By Jim Saunders News Service of Florida A coalition of environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit challenging a potentially far-reaching move by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to shift permitting authority to Florida for projects that affect wetlands. The

Statewide task force sets clear goals

January 20, 2021

Rev. RB Holmes is leading the Statewide Coronavirus Vaccination Community Education and Engagement Task Force. Former Jacksonville mayor Alvin Brown expects the statewide coronavirus task force to “educate, motivate and engage people of color to save lives.” By St. Clair Murraine Outlook staff writer A task force organized several

22 Publix stores to offer COVID-19 vaccinations

January 13, 2021

22 Publix stores to offer COVID-19 vaccinations By Christine Sexton News Service of Florida Seniors living in Citrus, Hernando and Marion counties will be able to get vaccinated for COVID-19 while shopping at Publix, under an agreement Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration reached with the Florida-based supermarket chain. The state is

Court weighs retaliation suit against ex-lawmaker

January 13, 2021

Former Rep. Kimberly Daniels By Jim Saunders News Service of Florida An employment grievance? Or a report about wasted taxpayer money? An appeals court waded into a dispute about whether a former Florida House member should be shielded from a lawsuit filed by a one-time aide who alleges she was

Experts become focus in battle over gun law

January 8, 2021

Pradeep Bhide, a Florida State University College of Medicine professor who has spent nearly four decades as a developmental neuroscientist, is one of the state’s experts in a gun law squabble.Photo special to the Outlook By Dara Kam News Service of Florida A legal battle over a Florida law that

Fried wants National Guard to help with vaccine

January 8, 2021

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried News Service of Florida Staff Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried called on Gov. Ron DeSantis to mobilize the National Guard to help distribute COVID-19 vaccines. In a letter to DeSantis last Wednesday, Fried said distribution has been characterized in media reports as “very chaotic” and that

Hurricane toll suspension fuels battle

January 8, 2021

Damage caused by Sally damaged has forced the shutdown of the Pensacola Bay Bridge.Photo special to the Outlook By Jim Saunders News Service of Florida Bondholders last week asked a circuit judge to quickly order the Florida Department of Transportation to reinstate toll collections on a controversial Panhandle bridge where