News Service of Florida

President-elect Donald Trump vowed to undo a directive Monday by President Joe Biden that would ban oil and natural gas drilling off Florida’s coasts. During an appearance with radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump called Biden’s directive “ridiculous” and said he had the right to “unban” drilling immediately.

Amid a long-running legal battle about the issue, a Republican state senator Tuesday proposed repealing a law that prevents people under age 21 from buying rifles and other long guns. Sen. Randy Fine, a Brevard County Republican who is running in a special election for a congressional seat, filed the proposal (SB 94) for consideration during the 2025 legislative session, which will start March 4. The bill is similar to a measure that passed the House during the 2024 session but failed in the Senate.

Nearly 11 million Floridians cast ballots in Tuesday’s elections. See how 10 counties showed up.

In the presidential race in Florida, former President Donald Trump topped Vice President Kamala Harris by more than 13 percentage points in unofficial results as of about 9:30 p.m. Scott was defeating Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell by more than 12 percentage points.

A $150 million-plus effort to allow recreational use of marijuana in Florida fizzled out Tuesday, falling short of the needed 60 percent voter approval and delivering a major victory for Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday he intends to respond “relatively soon” to a request by elections officials to make some changes in 10 counties that sustained heavy damage in Hurricane Helene. “I think we will be doing something.

Some of the nation’s largest book publishers joined authors and parents of high school students in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday challenging a 2023 law that increased scrutiny of school library books, arguing that the law unconstitutionally violates speech rights. Penguin Random House LLC; Hachette Book Group, Inc.; HarperCollins Publishers LLC; Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC; Simon & Schuster, LLC; and Sourcebooks LLC alleged in the lawsuit that their books “have been targeted for removal or removed from school libraries” throughout the state following last year’s passage of the law (HB 1069).

Saying it opposes “any form of academic censorship,” the United Faculty of Florida on Monday objected to a directive issued this month by university system Chancellor Ray Rodrigues about reviewing textbooks and other materials for “antisemitic material” or “anti-Israeli” bias.

The Florida Department of Transportation has been able to get permits from the federal government, including for projects in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “Moving Florida Forward” initiative, as a major legal battle continues over permitting for projects that affect wetlands, a department official said Thursday. Siding with environmental groups, U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss in February vacated a 2020 decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that shifted permitting authority from federal officials to the state.