Politics

Four exuberant football fans who rushed the field after the University of Florida's upset win over Texas are facing first-of-their-kind, felony trespass charges under a new law a Republican senator said was intended to punish protesters of President Donald Trump during his appearances in the state. Lawmakers in Tallahassee said they never intended the new law to be used against fans storming football fields after a huge victory. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it in May.

An in-person movie club focused on independent and documentary films is making a stop in Southwest Florida. The goal? To support local theaters and discuss current events.

The federal shutdown will affect people across the United States. NPR's network of member stations explains what will be impacted and where.

Is Florida going to wade into the fray?

In the aftermath of the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, The State of Florida is taking new measures to stop political violence.

Less than three weeks after taking over University of West Florida in Pensacola as interim president, Manny Diaz Jr. abruptly dismissed the school’s top legal officer after she objected to hiring one of his longtime allies: a politically connected law firm that earned millions in contracts when Diaz ran the Education Department under Gov. Ron DeSantis.The same Tallahassee-based firm, Lawson Huck Gonzalez, is now helping steer that university’s search for a permanent president – a post Diaz has said he intends to pursue. Trustees last week approved an annual compensation range for the next president between $800,000 and $1.2 million.

A new poll shows Republicans' outlook on the direction of the country has soured dramatically. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll was conducted shortly after last week's assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah. The poll shows the share of Republicans who see the country headed in the right direction has fallen sharply in recent months. Today, only about half in the GOP see the nation on the right course, down from 70% in June. Overall, about one-quarter of Americans say things in the country are headed in the right direction, down from about 4 in 10 in June. Democrats and independents didn't shift meaningfully.

Hundreds turned out at Estero Community Park Monday night to honor the memory of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.

Back in 2022 we talked to the author of a new book about gerrymandering in America called “One Person One Vote: A Surprising History of Gerrymandering in America.” Dr. Nicholas Seabrook is Professor and Interim Chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at University of North Florida in Jacksonville. Today we’re revisiting that conversation to provide some historical context on the recent burst of partisan redistricting that’s happening in the U.S. right now.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has tapped Republican state Sen. Jay Collins to be his lieutenant governor. It's a closely watched appointment by the two-term governor, who can't run for reelection in 2026. The seat has been vacant since February, when then-lieutenant governor Jeanette Nuñez was appointed to lead one of the state's public universities. If Collins decides to launch a bid to succeed DeSantis, the move could tee up another proxy fight between the popular GOP governor and President Donald Trump, who has already endorsed Republican Congressman Byron Donalds for the job.