News Service of Florida

House and Senate leaders plan to use “rainy day reserve” money to keep afloat about 200 jobs after Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed more than $56 million from part of the state budget that pays for “legislative support services.”The vetoes wiped out funding for joint legislative offices used to pay for such things as the Office of Economic & Demographic Research, the Old Capitol Museum, the Office of Program Policy Analysis & Demographic Research, joint legislative committees, the Florida Channel, and lobbyist registration services.

The state has appealed a Leon County circuit judge’s decision requiring changes to a “financial impact statement” that will appear on the November ballot with a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at ensuring abortion rights.After announcing his decision during a hearing last week, Circuit Judge John Cooper on Monday issued a written ruling that said outdated information in the financial impact statement “renders it inaccurate, ambiguous, misleading, unclear and confusing.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis — who’s come out swinging against a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow recreational marijuana — on Friday delivered a victory to potential pot competitors by vetoing a measure that would have severely restricted the sales and production of euphoria-inducing hemp-based products.Lawmakers passed the bill (SB 1698) in March, with supporters arguing it would address safety concerns as the use of THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, has boomed.

Three parents on Thursday filed a federal lawsuit challenging a controversial 2023 Florida law that increased scrutiny of school-library books and instructional materials, alleging the process for removing books unconstitutionally discriminates against parents who disagree with “the state’s favored viewpoint.”The law (SB 1069), in part, made the process of objecting to books and instructional materials easier — and came amid legal and political fights in Florida and other states about removing books from school shelves.

Florida announced record tourism numbers for the first quarter of 2024, as totals for international visitors continue to move closer to pre-pandemic levels.Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office said Thursday an estimated 40.6 million people traveled to Florida during the first three months of the year, a 1.2 percent increase from the same period in 2023. The state also issued revisions that increased totals for all of 2023.

Florida has expanded rules blocking importation of some cattle because of the spread of a type of avian influenza in dairy herds in other states. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson on Monday issued an emergency rule that requires most dairy cattle being imported into Florida to meet federal testing and movement requirements for Bovine Associated Influenza A Syndrome.

aying the country is at a “deeply, deeply disturbing” juncture, Bacardi Jackson — a veteran litigator whose civil-rights advocacy is literally in her genes — is taking the mantle as executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.

Bruises continue to be inflicted on Florida’s citrus industry, as the forecast for the nearly concluded growing season dropped further Friday.The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued an updated production forecast that was 5.6 percent below projections released in April. Meanwhile, a decades-old citrus association shut its doors this week, and a major grower told investors its groves might need at least one more season to recover from 2022’s Hurricane Ian.

Estimated insured losses from 2022’s Hurricane Ian have neared $21.4 billion, with about 6 percent of claims remaining open, according to data posted this week on the state Office of insurance Regulation website.

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.