© 2025 WGCU News
PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Special Legislative Session

  • With a federal change expected to lead to a surge in migrants crossing the country’s southern border, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a controversial bill that targets illegal immigration. The bill (SB 1718), which the Republican-controlled Legislature passed during the session that ended last week, includes stepping up requirements on businesses to check the immigration status of workers, cracking down on people who bring undocumented immigrants into Florida and collecting data about whether hospital patients are in the country legally.
    Immigration
    DeSantis to take fight over immigration to GOP primaries
    Dara Kam/News Service of Florida
    Upping the ante in an increasingly acrimonious feud with House and Senate Republican leaders over immigration issues, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday vowed to channel “huge sums” of money to candidates he backs in next year’s GOP gubernatorial and legislative primary elections.The governor’s message drew condemnation from House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, as bitterness continued to fester about a bill passed by the Legislature this week amid a dispute over plans aimed at carrying out President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
  • Florida House of Representative members clap and cheer after passing an immigration bill that aligns with President Donald Trump's immigration goals during the legislative special session B on Jan. 28, 2025 in the Florida Capitol building in Tallahassee. (Ella Thompson/Fresh Take Florida)
    Government & Politics
    Florida GOP passes immigration bill DeSantis trashes as ‘weak, weak, weak’; Will Trump settle the dispute?
    Ella Thompson/Fresh Take Florida
    Florida's Legislature passed a controversial package of immigration measures late Tuesday that Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized as inadequate, but a procedural maneuver might mean the governor won't be able to veto it immediately until President Donald Trump has a chance to weigh in.The Senate passed its version of the bill 21-16. Six Republicans joined every Democrat in the chamber to oppose it. In the House, it passed 82-30.Ahead of the final vote in the Capitol, DeSantis derided the Legislature’s effort as “weak, weak, weak,” signaling a possible veto.