Florida was ill-prepared for a major hurricane, audit warned

Long before Florida entered the deadliest hurricane season in a decade, auditors at the state’s Division of Emergency Management sent out a warning: the state was ill-prepared for a major disaster.  A 23-page annual audit completed in December 2016 by the agency’s inspector general detailed a lengthy list of deficiencies needed to prepare and respond…

Miami-Dade school district agrees to join suit over controversial state education law

Miami-Dade joined a growing number of school districts challenging the constitutionality of Florida’s sweeping new education law.  At a School Board meeting on Wednesday, board members voted 8 to 1 to join litigation seeking to overturn portions of a bill some critics say was designed to boost the fortunes of the politically powerful charter school…

Text messages reveal behind-the-scenes battle over charter school bill

A new education law that has inspired lawsuits from school districts and derision from teachers’ unions nearly fell victim to an intra-party feud in the Republican-led state Senate, as detailed in a series of text messages exchanged by legislators and their staff during the hectic final days of the 2017 legislative session. Read More

Lots of questions but few answers on how to make state’s new education policy work

Every year, new state laws hit the books that have to be implemented once they take effect. But House Bill 7069 isn’t your average new law.  The sweeping, 274-page, $419 million measure that reforms Florida’s public K-12 schools spans dozens of changes in statute — some of which are complex and take effect at different…

Broward takes lead in challenging state law that benefits charter schools

The Broward County School Board voted Wednesday to sue the state over a new law that requires public school districts to share property tax revenue with charter schools and relinquishes their authority to approve charter applications. Broward was the first to take action, but other districts are holding similar meetings within the next two weeks,…

Both sides pressure Scott on schools bill

With a controversial and wide-ranging education bill now on his desk, Gov. Rick Scott faces intense pressure from both sides as he weighs whether to sign or veto the legislation.  Rumors have begun floating that Scott will sign HB 7069 later this week, but officially the governor maintains that he hasn’t made a final decision. …

VIDEO: FSBA Session Wrap-up

Tallahassee, FL – After a three day extension, Florida’s Legislative Session has come to an end. Watch this FSBA Legislative Weekly Update for highlights, and be sure visit the FSBA Session Spotlight Blog and 2017 Legislative Session page for in-depth summaries, resources, and analyses. Also, be on the lookout for FSBA’s online and face-to-face Legislative Summary events.

FSBA Session Spotlight — May 7, 2017

The Legislature will return to work tomorrow — Monday — for the last day of the extended 2017 Legislative Session.  The only items that are scheduled to be considered are a bill outlining the state tax cut package (HB 7109) and the Conference Reports on the budget, budget implementing bill, and the related conforming bills. …