Ryan Dailey/News Service of Florida

Among the budget spending vetoed by DeSantis was $11.6 million for renovations to Florida Gulf Coast University’s Reed Hall classroom building.Also among the vetoes was $80 million for the Florida College System to participate in the state group insurance program, which provides health insurance to state workers.Among big-ticket items approved by the governor, the budget includes $14.5 billion for the state transportation work program and $232 million for cancer-research funding, including $127.5 million for the Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program.Also included in the state budget is $15.547 million for Fort Myers Beach for a new Town Hall site and revenue replacement.

The Florida High School Athletic Association on Tuesday opened the door for student-athletes to earn money from business agreements such as endorsement deals, with the organization’s president calling the move a “good starting point.”The FHSAA’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to approve a seismic change in the organization’s bylaws to allow athletes to be compensated for their name, image and likeness, or NIL. The changes will be in effect for the upcoming school year.

The State Board of Education on Wednesday approved changes in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s bylaws that include replacing mentions of the word “gender” with the word “sex,” amid a larger dispute between federal and state officials.The changes came as Florida and other Republican-led states are challenging a Biden administration rule that would help carry out Title IX, a decades-old law that bars discrimination in education programs based on sex.

A state voucher program that began in the 2023-2024 school year is on pace to double in size — at least — as applications roll in from families who educate children at home and are seeking funds to make a range of purchases.What’s known as the Personalized Education Program provides voucher funds to students who are not enrolled full-time at public or private schools. The program was established through a 2023 law (HB 1) that massively expanded the state’s voucher programs.

Some Florida state universities have ramped up security and issued advisories for graduation ceremonies, amid an already heightened police presence on campuses because of a wave of student protests.Florida Gulf Coast University, on a webpage including advisories for people who will attend commencement ceremonies over the weekend, has a general reminder that guests should “be respectful and courteous of others” and lists items such as signs that are prohibited.

Flanked by veterans who served in the Bay of Pigs invasion, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a measure that will lead to the history of communism being taught in grades as low as kindergarten.The governor, standing behind a placard that read “anti-communism education,” touted lessons that will be required under the bill.

After more than 1,200 objections were filed to school-library books and other materials last school year, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed a bill that will limit challenges by some people.The wide-ranging bill (HB 1285) also includes making changes designed to ease the process of charter schools taking over operations at traditional public schools that lag in performance.

A proposal designed in part to keep “identity politics” out of teacher-preparation courses began moving forward Monday in the Senate, with opponents arguing it could drive teachers away from Florida.The Republican-controlled Senate Education Postsecondary Committee voted 5-3 along party lines to approve the bill (SB 1372).

Carrying out parts of a controversial 2023 law, the State Board of Education on Wednesday approved rules that will prevent colleges from spending money on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and remove a sociology class from a list of “core” courses.The rules stem from a law (SB 266) approved in May by the Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis. The governor, who has been traveling the country for months in his presidential campaign, has made fighting against diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives a pillar of his education agenda.

The 2024 legislative session kicked off this week, as Gov. Ron DeSantis urged lawmakers to “stay the course” and House and Senate leaders agreed to use gambling money to fund the further expansion of a state wildlife corridor.DeSantis, who has spent much of his time in Iowa trying to sway voters in his campaign for president, made a pitstop in the Florida Capitol to deliver his annual State of the State address. The governor’s speech in the state House chamber formally launching the 60-day session came six days before the crucial Iowa caucuses.