Florida Legislature

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a wide-ranging bill in Nobember that said refusing to comply with vaccination mandates isn’t considered “misconduct” for the purpose of receiving unemployment benefits.

Florida House Minority Co-Leader Evan Jenne says the state is at a disadvantage due to new laws passed last month during a special legislative session.

The state Senate Judiciary Committee backed a proposal that would help shield Florida health providers from lawsuits until June 1, 2023.

The measure would direct money toward technology geared toward reducing the nitrates that fuel the blooms.

In a joint motion, attorneys for the parents and the DeSantis administration said the case was moot because of a law passed during a special session this month.

The Legislature voted to add a string of opt out provisions to any COVID-19 mandates that have created confusion and uncertainty for facilities that must abide by federal rules.

The Democrat sponsors say even if the proposals do not get hearings in the Legislature, they can start conversations with Republicans that abortion is health care.

A law that provides protections for providers from lawsuits related to issues such as transmission of COVID and treatment of people with COVID is scheduled to expire March 29,

Focusing on mandates pursued by the White House, Gov. Ron DeSantis touted the “strongest piece of legislation that's been enacted anywhere in the country” and said Florida is “respecting people’s individual freedoms.”

The surgeon general has not used the power since it was put in state law in 2002. But the Republican-controlled Legislature moved forward this week with repealing it during a special session that focused on pushing back against vaccination and mask mandates.