Praised by retailers, derided as a gimmick by critics, Florida on Friday will start a month-long sales-tax “holiday” for back-to-school shoppers, along with eliminating sales taxes on other types of items.While Florida has held back-to-school tax holidays of varying lengths in most years, lawmakers this spring approved making it an every-August occurrence. Shoppers will be able to avoid paying sales taxes on clothes, shoes and backpacks that cost $100 or less, school supplies that cost $50 or less, learning aids that cost $30 or less and personal computers that cost $1,500 or less.

The Trump administration has frozen more than $6 billion in federal grants for after-school and summer programs, English language instruction, adult literacy and other initiatives as part of a review to ensure the funding aligns with the White House's priorities. States and schools had expected the money to be released on July 1.Summer school and after-school providers are warning that the funding freeze could lead to entire programs shutting down, including summer day camps that are currently running. The freeze could have wide-ranging impacts on students and families, who rely on these programs for child care during the school year and over the summer break, and on staff who rely on these jobs for their incomes. Every state has programs that could be affected.

In Florida, and across America, higher education is facing unprecedented attacks — affecting what subjects can be taught, how university presidents can be ousted, whether various institutions will lose federal funding and if diversity and inclusion offices are even allowed to exist.It’s not just a battle. It’s an all-out war against the traditional norms of academia.President Donald Trump’s crusade against Harvard University and other colleges began in January 2025, but in Florida, where Republicans have long had a monopoly on power in a staunchly red state, that same war has already been underway for several years.

A new Florida law adds driver’s education requirement for teen drivers.

FGCU on Friday received the largest philanthropic gift in its history — $22 million. The donation came from the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Charitable Foundation to the Marieb College Of Health And Human Sciences.

The Quality Life Center of Southwest Florida is opening a private academy — sort of. The organization is converting its current Dunbar location into a private alternative academy. Julian Ramirez, executive director of the center, shared early details about the plan, hinting at what’s to come for the longtime community space.

Santa Ono, who has led the University of Michigan since 2022, is the sole finalist to become president of the University of Florida, UF announced Sunday.A presidential-search committee recommended that the UF Board of Trustees approve Ono after a search that began last year following the abrupt resignation of former President Ben Sasse. Kent Fuchs, a former UF president, has served as interim president.

A hands-on gardening and sustainability event at Florida Gulf Coast University's Food Forest gave students a chance to reconnect with the land and imparted to them essential permaculture practices.Officially titled the FGCU Food Forest Maintenance & Gardening Event, it was sponsored by the FGCU Food Forest and the Environmental Sustainability Office.

The Education Department will begin collection next month on student loans that are in default, including the garnishing of wages for potentially millions of borrowers, officials said Monday.Currently, roughly 5.3 million borrowers are in default on their federal student loans.

A local FTC robotics team called Java the Hutts is heading to Houston next week to compete in the FIRST World Championship. Java the Hutts has been a team for eight years, with students from across Southwest Florida moving through program as some age out. This is the team’s third qualification to Worlds — they brought home the World Champion title once before in 2022. We talk with three of the Java the Hutt team members to learn about their team, the FIRST competitions, and how engaging with robotics is helping them prepare for the world ahead.