Tag: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

Florida Algal Blooms Could Get Worse According to State Report

Grant Holcomb

A report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission’s Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Task Force has found that Florida’s algal blooms and red tide could get worse in the coming years. The report recommends more research into determining the causes of such water quality issues.

The task force was appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and found more Floridians could suffer from respiratory illnesses and sea life could die. Algal blooms are increasing amounts of nutrient rich water build-ups found in algae and lead to harmful effects to humans’ breathing and the life of sea animals. Florida’s coastlines and freshwater ecosystems have been enduring intermittent flare ups for years.

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Florida Jobs Report Shows Declining Unemployment, Indicators of Economic Growth

Grant Holcomb
Woman checking out a business

A jobs report from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) shows Florida is continuing to lead the county in job creation and lower unemployment rates. Florida’s unemployment rate fell to 4.4 percent in December 2021 – down 0.1 percent from November 2021.

The report indicates good news for Florida’s economy with Florida gaining 479,300 jobs throughout the entirety of 2021, which is an increase of 5.6 percent. The national jobs creation average during the same time period was 4.5 percent.

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Federal Government Dropping Appeal Around Florida’s Cruise Industry

Grant Holcomb

Attorneys for the federal government announced they are withdrawing an appeal in the State of Florida’s fight against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s conditional sailing order. The back-and-forth fight between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) administration and the CDC ends.

Florida and the federal government have been in a legal battle since last summer when the CDC imposed their conditional sailing order on cruise lines. According to the order, cruise ships were required to complete four phases of certification before returning to operation, including vaccination status.

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DeSantis Proposes His Own Congressional Redistricting Maps, Shocking Florida Lawmakers

Grant Holcomb

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Sunday submitted his own proposals for Florida’s congressional redistricting maps to Florida lawmakers. The Florida legislature is tasked with approving the congressional maps before this legislative session ends in March.

The proposed maps that DeSantis submitted includes 18 seats that Donald Trump would have won in 2020. The existing Florida Senate maps only have 16 Trump-leaning seats.

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University Trustees Meddling Raises Questions About Possible Conflicts

Grant Holcomb
Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University campus

Florida’s public universities have numerous outgoing board of trustee members and there has not yet been any indication of who will be replacing them. In fact, some board members are serving past their term and have been accused of hiring friends.

Ben Wilcox from Common Cause Florida, a government accountability group, said Florida law does not expressly dictate what happens when trustees continue in their post past their allotted term.

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Florida House Panel to Hear Abortion Bill

Grant Holcomb

This week, the Florida House Professions & Public Health Subcommittee will take up a piece of legislation that could ban abortions in Florida after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The bill, HB 5, is sponsored by Florida State. Rep. Erin Grall (R-FL-54).

The bill is similar to a Mississippi abortion law that is currently being heard by the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS). Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has said that he would likely support the legislation.

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Florida Lawmakers File Immigration Enforcement Bill

Grant Holcomb

Florida Republican lawmakers Sen. Aaron Bean (R-FL-4) and Rep. John Snyder (R-FL-82) filed companion bills to enhance Florida’s illegal immigration enforcement. The bill would expand an already existent ban on sanctuary cities, municipalities that protect illegal immigrants from immigration enforcement.

The bill would also prohibit state and local government from contracting with transportation companies that have been transported illegal aliens across state lines into Florida.

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Florida Signals Shift Away from Federal COVID Testing Standards

Grant Holcomb

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo signaled they would be adopting procedures that would shift Florida’s COVID testing protocol away from the federal government’s standard of testing.

Both officials stressed the importance of “high-value testing” rather than blanketed testing like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends.

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