Legislature

House Speaker Daniel Perez said Wednesday he wants to lower the state’s sales-tax rate, trimming revenue by almost $5 billion a year.Perez, R-Miami, told House members he has directed Ways & Means Chairman Wyman Duggan, R-Jacksonville, to produce a bill next week that would lower the rate from 6 percent to 5.25 percent.

Florida lawmakers returned to Tallahassee for a busy three-day special session last week, ending with new agreements on school spending, tourism and…

The stack of proposed bills awaiting Florida legislators include gun laws, water quality provisions, fracking bans, and negotiating gambling rules.With a…

A state senator filed a bill recently that replaces Florida’s current medical marijuana program.Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, said his bill is a…

Gov. Rick Scott’s Commission on Healthcare and Hospital Funding met at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers on Tuesday.The governor said the…

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is asking for almost $8 million from the state legislature for its crime labs. Half of that money is to keep…

A new institute in Naples wants to tackle identity theft in the state. The Identity Fraud Institute at Hodges University will be used for research and…