Gov. Scott pitches $87.4 billion election-year budget for Florida

Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday called for a record-high state budget of $87.4 billion for next year, an election year that offers him one last chance to recast spending priorities before leaving office.  It is by far the largest budget Scott has proposed since the Republican governor took office seven years ago, and it’s a…

Tampa Bay Area Schools Open Doors To Puerto Rican Students

More than 5,000 students from Puerto Rico have enrolled in Florida public schools since Hurricane Maria.  In the seven weeks since the storm made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, the majority of schools in Puerto Rico still don’t have electricity or running water.  While most students have settled in Central and South Florida, school…

FSBA Session Spotlight — October 30, 2017

The Legislature held the second round of Interim Committee Meetings last week. Please click on the file below to access our report on the bills and presentations that were considered.  In addition, please click on the files below for information and updates on this week’s Constitution Revision Commission Committee meetings, recent action in Washington on…

FSBA Session Spotlight — October 16, 2017

The Legislature held the first round of Interim Committee Meetings last week in preparation of the upcoming 2018 Legislative Session.  Please click on the file below to access our report on the bills and presentations that were considered.  In addition, please click on the other files listed below for a few quick updates on items of interest.…

FSBA Session Spotlight — October 9-13, 2017

This issue of the FSBA Session Spotlight provides information and updates on a variety of issues including hurricane preparedness and response, Legislative Interim Committee Meetings,  legislative special elections and changes to key legislative committees and subcommittees, state budget development, the ongoing work by the Constitution Revision Commission, and federal issues. [toggle title=”Hurricane Preparedness and Response Resources“]…

Florida lawmakers seek $27 billion for hurricane recovery

A coalition of nearly all Florida lawmakers is pushing for nearly $27 billion in additional hurricane relief money, underscoring the tremendous financial toll this year’s storms have had.  The request covers the gamut, from money for citrus and livestock losses to funds for the Herbert Hoover Dike to the need for schools that could see…

Florida schools will take in hundreds from Puerto Rico. But who will pay for them?

Families from Puerto Rico who were displaced by Hurricane Maria won’t have to worry about having transcripts or immunization records if they enroll their children in Florida’s public schools this month, state education officials announced Friday.  But for county school districts taking in the new arrivals, there is no guarantee the state will provide financial…