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Florida Lawmakers Debate Sanctuary Bills

A pair of bills are inching their way closer to the Florida House and Senate Chambers. Senate Bill 168 and House Bill 527 would prohibit local governments from sanctuary policies.

SWFL Woman Rids Town of Toads

Lee County Schools Host Bus Stop Safety Town Hall

National News

Despite Pressure From Trump, House Democrats See No Urgency To Pass A Border Bill

President Trump is trying to ratchet up public pressure on congressional Democrats to bend to his administration's will on immigration, but the House majority is dismissing new White House proposals to discourage the surge of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. In a Wednesday morning tweet , the president called on Congress to return early from the scheduled two-week April recess to pass a border bill. Administration officials last week told White House reporters that they want Congress to...

North Korea Announces Testing Of New 'Tactical Guided Weapon'

AG Barr Orders Immigration Judges To Stop Releasing Asylum-Seekers On Bail

Bill Allowing Medical Personnel To Carry Guns Clears House

By Associated Press • 5 hours ago

Legislation allowing medical personnel to carry guns when they are involved in tactical law enforcement duties was passed by the Florida House.

AHCA Restricting Access To Public Meetings For ABA Therapy

By Daylina Miller • 5 hours ago

The state Agency for Health Care Administration is limiting how many people can attend a series of public meetings after so many people showed up to a meeting in Tampa earlier this month that AHCA split it into two sessions.

U.S. Restricts Travel, Remittances To Cuba As Part Of A New Policy Under Trump

By Nora Gámez Torres • 5 hours ago

The Trump administration is tightening restrictions on travel and remittances to Cuba, reversing the engagement policies of the Obama era while increasing pressure on the island’s government in response to its support of the Nicolás Maduro regime in Venezuela.

The changes were announced during a speech by National Security Advisor John Bolton at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables Wednesday afternoon.

After Green New Deal Vote, South Florida Lawmakers Work On Other Climate Plans

By John O'Connor • 5 hours ago

The Green New Deal is the most talked-about federal legislation to tackle climate change and sea level rise at the moment.

But its goals of reducing fossil fuel use and creating cleaner energy and jobs is still more an aspiration than an action plan. And in the meantime, South Florida lawmakers in Washington say they’re working on other solutions.

Environmentalists Call On Governor To Ban All Types of Fracking, Not Just Some

By Caitlin Switalski • 5 hours ago

To mark Ron DeSantis's 100th day in the Governor's office, environmentalist groups gathered across several cities in Florida on Wednesday for a day of action to ban all forms of fracking, the controversial oil-drilling technique, in the state.

A small group of about 20 people gathered in front of the state Department of Economic Opportunity in Oakland Park in the early evening to call on the governor to ban all forms of fracking, and not just some.

Lee County Schools Host Bus Stop Safety Town Hall

By Andrea Perdomo • 19 hours ago

About 50 people, including Lee County School District board members and Superintendent Dr. Gregory Adkins, gathered at the Lee County Public Education Center Tuesday evening to talk about school bus stop safety.

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SWFL Woman Rids Town of Toads

By Bruno Halpern • Apr 17, 2019

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A Southwest Florida woman has been ridding cane toads from home yards and communities across the region.

Senate Poised To Take Up School Safety, Toll Roads

By News Service of Florida • Apr 17, 2019

In two of the highest-profile issues of the 2019 legislative session, the Senate on Wednesday is slated to take up proposals designed to bolster school safety and build or expand three toll roads.

Workplace Vaping Ban Headed To DeSantis

By News Service of Florida • Apr 17, 2019

More than five months after Florida voters approved a ban on workplace vaping, the issue is on the way to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The House on Thursday gave unanimous approval to a bill (SB 7012) that would carry out the voter-approved constitutional amendment. The Senate unanimously passed the bill last month.

The constitutional amendment, placed on the November ballot by the Florida Constitution Revision Commission, combined a ban on vaping and the use of electronic cigarettes in indoor workplaces with a ban on offshore oil drilling.

Legislation Raising Smoking Age Requirement Moves Forward

By Blaise Gainey • Apr 17, 2019

According to a study by the Institute of Medicine published in 2015, paid for by the United States Food and Drug Administration, raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco to 21 would reduce the number of lung cancer related deaths by 50,000.

The Florida legislature is now trying to raise the minimum age with hopes of seeing those results.

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