Jay Waagmeester

Albritton's priorities — rural spending and school voucher fixes – seem dead • Florida Phoenix Rural Renaissance appears to have been put out to pasture for a second consecutive session. House Speaker Daniel Perez told reporters Wednesday that the House won’t consider in the last eight days of ...

Albritton’s priorities — rural spending and school voucher fixes – seem dead floridaphoenix.com/2026/03/05/a...

House Speaker: 'Fast is not on the menu this session' • Florida Phoenix With just nine days left in the regularly 2026 legislative session, it appears unlikely the Legislature will accomplish the one thing it’s mandated to do: Pass a budget. In an availability with report...

House Speaker: ‘Fast is not on the menu this session’ floridaphoenix.com/2026/03/04/h...

Farm bill, stripped of food libel language, is headed to the governor • Florida Phoenix The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services package, amended and defended, is on its way to Gov. Ron DeSantis. The House passed it, 94-10, Tuesday; the Senate approved it unanimously l...

Farm bill, stripped of food libel language, is headed to the governor floridaphoenix.com/2026/03/03/f...

Feds block millions for 'Alligator Alcatraz,' 'Deportation Depot' over pending environmental review • Florida Phoenix The federal government is withholding a $608 million grant to help pay for Florida's migrant lockups because a required environmental review still hasn't been completed, newly released records show.

Feds block millions for ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ ‘Deportation Depot’ over pending environmental review, ICYMI from @livcaputo.bsky.social yesterday floridaphoenix.com/2026/03/02/f...

CDC: Florida has 107 confirmed measles cases • Florida Phoenix Florida ranks third in the number of confirmed measles cases across the country, new data published the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show. The CDC data, updated Friday, show 107 con...

DOH data, which include cases reported to the state health department through Feb. 21, show 104 confirmed measles cases in 11 counties: Alachua, Broward, Collier, Duval, Escambia, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Pinellas, and St. Johns. floridaphoenix.com/2026/02/27/c...

Post-FSU shooting package clears House, floor-ready in Senate • Florida Phoenix Less than a year after a gunman opened fire on Florida State University’s campus, killing two and injuring more, the Florida House has passed a bill intended to prevent another shooting. Members voted...

"The average duration of an active shooter incident in a school is three to five minutes. The average law enforcement response time after a 911 call is seven to 10 minutes. The outcome ... is almost entirely determined before the first patrol car arrives." floridaphoenix.com/2026/02/26/p...

Post-FSU shooting package clears House, floor-ready in Senate • Florida Phoenix Less than a year after a gunman opened fire on Florida State University’s campus, killing two and injuring more, the Florida House has passed a bill intended to prevent another shooting. Members voted...

Post-FSU shooting package clears House, floor-ready in Senate. Read how Parkland families feel: floridaphoenix.com/2026/02/26/p...

FSU votes to keep president amid turnover at other universities • Florida Phoenix Florida State University trustees want another three years of President Richard McCullough. The board voted Wednesday to extend McCullough’s contract until 2029, adding to his initial five-year contra...

FSU votes to keep president amid turnover at other universities floridaphoenix.com/briefs/fsu-v...

History in the making: State adds Maduro overthrow to anti-communist curriculum • Florida Phoenix The overthrow of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela is one for the history books in Florida.  In November, the Florida Board of Education adopted standards for teaching middle and high school students about ...

History in the making: State adds Maduro overthrow to anti-communist curriculum floridaphoenix.com/2026/02/20/h...

State responds to Schools of Hope outcry, tightens rules • Florida Phoenix State education officials amended the rules governing Schools of Hope, a program that was expanded at the end of the last legislative session and caused a stir in public schools around the state ever ...

State responds to Schools of Hope outcry, tightens rules floridaphoenix.com/2026/02/20/s...

Freeze dropped agricultural production by $3 billion, ag commissioner estimates • Florida Phoenix Early data following the unusually cold weather that blanketed Florida this month and last show that producers lost more than $3 billion. A report from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consum...

Freeze dropped agricultural production by $3 billion, ag commissioner estimates floridaphoenix.com/2026/02/20/f...

Leafblowers, door-to-door salesmen, and surplus land addressed in Senate-passed ag bill • Florida Phoenix Florida senators gave unanimous approval Thursday to an omnibus agricultural bill that would turn over state-owned land to agriculture. A similar bill, but carrying a controversial provision about agr...

Leafblowers, door-to-door salesmen, and surplus land addressed in Senate-passed ag bill floridaphoenix.com/2026/02/19/l...

Veterans Day measure seeks uniformity in observing the holiday in schools • Florida Phoenix Public school students statewide would get the day off from classes to honor veterans next year, if the Florida Senate and the governor agree with the House.  On the most recent Veterans Day, 19 schoo...

Veterans Day measure seeks uniformity in observing the holiday in schools floridaphoenix.com/2026/02/17/v...

House contemplates shifting USF land to New College, following DeSantis' lead • Florida Phoenix This year’s budget negotiations will entail negotiating the future of University of South Florida’s Sarasota-Manatee campus. The Florida House Higher Education Budget Subcommittee Monday approved tran...

House contemplates shifting USF land to New College, following DeSantis’ lead floridaphoenix.com/2026/02/16/h...

Florida emergency agency ran up $405 million immigration tab in six months • Florida Phoenix Florida’s emergency managers spent more than $405 million in taxpayer dollars in six months to fight illegal immigration, but that doesn't just include law enforcement, state spending records show: It...

Forgot to post this on but: Scoop 🚨

FL's emergency managers spent over $405M in 6 months to fight illegal immigration

That's 70% of FL's immigration dollars in 4 years

Doesn't just include law enforcement: It covers private jet flights and restaurants

floridaphoenix.com/2026/02/10/f...

Senate moves along agriculture bill without provision ‘muzzling MAHA’ • Florida Phoenix Florida senators responded to public outcry Tuesday by approving an agriculture omnibus bill but leaving behind a provision that limited disparaging speech about food products.  Senators approved SB 2...

Senate moves along agriculture bill without provision ‘muzzling MAHA’ floridaphoenix.com/2026/02/10/s...

Florida emergency agency ran up $405 million immigration tab in six months • Florida Phoenix Florida’s emergency managers spent more than $405 million in taxpayer dollars in six months to fight illegal immigration, but that doesn't just include law enforcement, state spending records show: It...

Florida emergency agency ran up $405 million immigration tab in six months floridaphoenix.com/2026/02/10/f...

Uthmeier adds office combating 'foreign adversaries' seeking Floridians' tech data • Florida Phoenix Florida’s attorney general is further focusing his office’s efforts to safeguard Floridians’ data. James Uthmeier announced Thursday his office is using existing staff to create a “Consumer Harm from ...

"This work has reached a level where we realize we need to have people dedicated to it full time." floridaphoenix.com/2026/02/05/u...

Cameras in special education classrooms move ahead • Florida Phoenix Special education rooms could feature cameras watching over students if Florida lawmakers keep up support for a bipartisan bill.  The legislation seeks to provide an objective eye in situations in whi...

Cameras in special education classrooms move ahead floridaphoenix.com/2026/02/04/c...

As school cellphone bans gain in popularity, lawmakers say it’s time to go bell-to-bell • Stateline States that have passed laws requiring some kind of cellphone policy now are considering going further by mandating daylong bans, even for high schoolers.

As school cellphone bans gain in popularity, lawmakers say it’s time to go bell-to-bell, @stateline.org reports stateline.org/2026/02/03/a...

Florida to tap in to Big Beautiful Bill school choice tax credit • Florida Phoenix Florida will expand its school choice program further starting next year, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday. During a news conference celebrating national School Choice Week in Valrico, DeSantis a...

Florida to tap in to Big Beautiful Bill school choice tax credit floridaphoenix.com/2026/01/28/f...

Bad candy: 80% of sweets tested have elevated levels of arsenic • Florida Phoenix Candy for Valentine’s Day? Maybe not. The administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday that it had tested 46 types of candy and that more than 60% of them (28) contained elevated arsenic level...

Bad candy: 80% of sweets tested have elevated levels of arsenic floridaphoenix.com/2026/01/26/b...

‘Bell to bell’ cell phone ban proposed for Georgia high schools Georgia’s teenagers could soon be doing significantly less scrolling, swiping and tapping on weekdays.

Georgia high schoolers could be saying goodbye to their cell phones during school hours starting next year if lawmakers pass a proposal to ban electronic devices in high schools.

via @georgiarecorder.com

Special education teachers in highest demand, state report shows • Florida Phoenix Special education, math, English, science, and English as a Second Language are public school areas most in need of teachers in Florida, in that order, a state report details.  The Florida Board of Ed...

Special education teachers in highest demand, state report shows floridaphoenix.com/briefs/speci...

After Clay County incident, education commissioner wants more 'authority' over school board members • Florida Phoenix Florida’s education commissioner is not happy with the conduct of some locally elected school board members, and he wants to do something about it. Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas made clear Wednesd...

After Clay County incident, education commissioner wants more ‘authority’ over school board members floridaphoenix.com/2026/01/21/a...

Tanenbaum Supreme Court elevation leaves a spot on First District Court of Appeal • Florida Phoenix The First District Court of Appeal is looking to fill a seat — the one vacated by Adam Tanenbaum, who was elevated this week to the Florida Supreme Court by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The First District, loca...

Applicants must live within the jurisdiction of the court and have been a member of the Florida Bar for the preceding 10 years. floridaphoenix.com/briefs/tanen...

DeSantis appoints Adam Tanenbaum to the Florida Supreme Court • Florida Phoenix Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has selected Adam Tanenbaum, now a judge on Florida’s First District Court of Appeal and former general counsel to the Florida House of Representatives, to serve on the Flori...

DeSantis appoints Adam Tanenbaum to the Florida Supreme Court floridaphoenix.com/2026/01/14/d...

With his next pick, DeSantis will have selected every Florida Supreme Court justice bar one • Florida Phoenix Six white men make up the group of finalists to fill the seat on the Florida Supreme Court vacated by Charles Canady. Canady left the court as his wife, Rep. Jennifer Canady, R-Lakeland, is in line to...

With his next pick, DeSantis will have selected every Florida Supreme Court justice bar one floridaphoenix.com/2026/01/10/w...

Urban Meyer appointed to New College of Florida Board of Trustees • Florida Phoenix Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed former University of Florida and Jacksonville Jaguars football coach Urban Meyer to the New College of Florida Board of Trustees. The 61-year-old grew up in Ohio and ma...

Urban Meyer appointed to New College of Florida Board of Trustees floridaphoenix.com/2025/12/31/u...

The year of the university president and lessons learned in accounting • Florida Phoenix Politics around leadership of the state’s higher learning institutions and funding of younger students’ schooling dominated the public education field during 2025. The state’s education budget is the ...

The year of the university president and lessons learned in accounting floridaphoenix.com/2025/12/31/t...