Florida Lawmakers

Environmentalists remain perplexed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' recent veto of a wildly popular bipartisan bill to safeguard the state’s coastlines and protect the health of beachgoers because he believed it gave the Florida Department of Health too much power

A new law that could lead to imposing the death penalty on people who rape children under age 12 will take effect Sunday, along with other laws passed during the 2023 legislative session.Other measures taking effect could lead to putting local governments on the hook for attorney fees when ordinances are deemed “arbitrary or unreasonable;” increase penalties on fans who interfere with sporting events; and require teens to at least have learner’s permits to drive golf carts on public roads.

The Florida Legislature has tried for years to make changes to alimony laws. In the last decade, governors have vetoed alimony bills three times.

State lawmakers will consider legislation on property insurance, property tax relief for hurricane survivors and a statewide toll road credit program when they meet in Tallahassee on Dec. 12 - 16.

The Joint Legislative Budget Commission will hold an emergency meeting next week to release an additional $360 million into the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund, which was established this year with $500 million. Most of the initial funding has already been allocated for Ian recovery efforts.

In this week's health news, Florida doctors will be able to order COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 from the federal government, NCH closes its psychiatric unit, and Florida adds a new color to its Alert System.

En las noticias de salud de esta semana, los médicos de Florida podrán solicitar al gobierno federal vacunas contra el COVID-19 para niños menores de 5 años, NCH cierra su unidad psiquiátrica y Florida agrega un nuevo color a su Sistema de Alerta

En las noticias de hoy, Los demócratas de la Cámara de Florida piden a los legisladores a considerar leyes de reforma de armas después del tiroteo masivo del martes, NCH anuncia que existe una gran necesidad de sangre tipo O, y algunos pozos de Immokalee dieron positivo para E. Coli.

Florida lawmakers adjourned the state’s annual legislative session, Saturday, with an historic $91.1 billion budget for the coming fiscal year. Although…