News Service of Florida

Florida had a wetter winter than last year, but state officials are advising people to prepare for drier conditions that will increase chances of wildfires. The Division of Emergency Management lists the current threat of wildfires across the state as “low,” but Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said Wednesday people should limit debris on their properties as wildfire season begins.

Services have been scheduled April 26 and April 27 for Senate President Kathleen Passidomo’s husband, John, who died last week from injuries suffered in a fall.

With spring break in the rearview mirror, the cost of gasoline in Florida dropped an average of 12 cents a gallon over the past week despite increased global pressure on oil prices.

State regulators Tuesday approved a settlement that will lead to Florida Power & Light providing a $5 million credit to customers in a case involving what are known as “replacement” power costs because of outages at nuclear plants.

State education officials are slated next week to approve a proposed rule that would require Florida’s public colleges to have supplies of emergency opioid antagonists, such as naloxone, in residence halls and dormitories. The proposal stems from a 2023 bill (HB 783) approved by the Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis. Opioid antagonists are used to treat people who overdose by counteracting “the life-threatening depression of the central nervous system and respiratory system that results from an opioid overdose,” a House analysis of the bill said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state Cabinet on Tuesday will consider a $122 million proposal to buy agricultural land in Southwest Florida and allow current owners to lease and manage the property. The purchase, which is tied to a statewide wildlife corridor, is among five proposed conservation deals, at a cost approaching $220 million, that will go before DeSantis and the Cabinet.

A state appeals court Friday rejected requests by environmental groups for a rehearing after it ruled last month that a legal battle about conservation funding was “moot.” The 1st District Court of Appeal, as is common, did not explain its decision for denying motions for rehearing. The long-running legal battle stemmed from a 2014 constitutional amendment that required setting aside a portion of real-estate documentary stamp tax revenues in what is known as the Land Acquisition Trust Fund for conservation efforts.

The 2024 legislative session ended Friday with an annual hanky-drop ceremony in the rotunda between the House and Senate chambers. Take a look at snapshots of 10 big issues from the session.

Under the proposed House bill, voters in three the counties that have 12-year limits on county commissioners --- Broward, Lee and Polk--- would be asked to approve an eight-year limit in November.

A proposal aimed at helping what are known as “food recovery” programs, such as food banks, get discounted prices for fresh foods moved forward Monday in the Florida House, with lawmakers looking at a pilot program to help curb food insecurity in the state. The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee unanimously approved the bill (HB 1159).