News Service of Florida

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed a measure that will authorize school districts to allow volunteer school chaplains to provide services to students, amid opposition from the American Civil Liberties Union.Speaking at a high school in Osceola County alongside Republican allies and a local pastor, the governor touted the measure (HB 931) as bolstering existing resources that could help students with their mental health.

In a case closely watched by business and environmental groups, a U.S. district judge Friday finalized his rejection of a 2020 move by the federal government to shift permitting authority to Florida for projects that affect wetlands.Judge Randolph Moss issued a 27-page opinion that, as he acknowledged, likely will set the stage for the case to go to an appeals court. The opinion came after a Feb. 15 ruling in which Moss vacated the transfer of permitting authority because he said federal officials had not followed required steps before making the 2020 decision.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed a controversial bill that will prevent local governments from imposing wage requirements on contractors and requiring heat-exposure protections for workers.DeSantis’ office announced the signing of the bill (HB 433), along with nine other measures passed during this year’s legislative session, in a news release Thursday night.

A controversial bill that would prevent investigations of local law enforcement by civilian review boards was formally sent Wednesday to Gov. Ron DeSantis. The measure (HB 601), which the Legislature passed last month, would affect at least 21 cities with civilian review boards. The Legislature on Wednesday also sent a bill (SB 184) to DeSantis that would make it a crime to “harass” law enforcement officers, correctional probation officers, firefighters or emergency medical-care providers while they're working.

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.

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked Florida education officials from enforcing a law requiring a transgender teacher to use pronouns that align with her sex assigned at birth, saying the law violated her First Amendment rights.The 2023 law restricts educators’ use of personal pronouns and titles in schools. Violations of the law — one of a number of measures backed by the Republican-controlled Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis targeting the LGBTQ community over the past few years — can result in teachers being stripped of certifications and hefty financial penalties for school districts.

A federal judge has rejected a request by Florida and other states for a preliminary injunction to block changes to the National Flood Insurance Program that have led to higher premiums for many property owners — though he ruled that a broader legal battle can continue.U.S. District Judge Darrel James Papillion, who is based in New Orleans, issued a 56-page ruling last week that pointed to potential problems if he issued an injunction against a risk-rating system that began taking effect in 2021 and was fully in place in April 2023.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis suggested the state should have looked again at the prices of three conservation-land deals that totaled $193 million before they were approved Tuesday by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Cabinet members.Patronis said after the Cabinet meeting that a federal judge’s ruling last month in a battle about wetlands permitting has affected the appraised values of the 27,742 acres of agricultural land in Polk, Seminole, Hendry and Collier counties.

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 on Thursday signed a package of bills at a special signing ceremony in Bonita Springs that supporters say will help improve access to health care, boost the number of doctors in Florida and address issues such as mental-health treatment.The ceremony highlighted area Republican legislators who had a hand in the legislation including Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, a Naples Republican.