State lawmakers completed their first week of a special session on the fiscal year 2026-2027 spending plan. Staff and the two budget chiefs will pick up unresolved issues through the weekend.
A 60-year-old civil rights law, effectively gutted. Now, Republicans across the South are racing to redraw congressional maps — and Florida just became the first state to act, passing new lines that could flip four seats. Democrats are promising to fight back. Sean Freeder, a political scientist and analyst, joins News4JAX anchor Bruce Hamilton to discuss the pushback and the legal fights ahead.
A Florida state representative who was in the House chambers when local state representative Angie Nixon used a bullhorn to protest a redistricting vote said she is now dealing with possible ear damage.
The Florida Legislature approved a new congressional map that aims to give Republicans four more seats hours after the Supreme Court narrowed a section of the Voting Rights Act.
Several states already are taking steps to respond to a U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down a majority Black congressional district in Louisiana.
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed the wide-ranging 2026 Florida Farm Bill, which lawmakers say benefits the state’s farmers, ranchers, anglers and rural communities.
Florida lawmakers put forward just under 2,000 bills and resolutions as they entered the 2026 legislative session. They returned home on Friday, having agreed to about 235 measures that await action from Gov. Ron DeSantis. Here is what became of 10 key issues.
Florida voters could be required to prove their citizenship at the ballot box, but not until after the 2026 elections, under a bill headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The Florida Senate unanimously approved legislation March 11 that amends the Jacksonville Aviation Authority charter, articulating the authority’s responsibility to attract business at Cecil Airport and to grow the former U.S. Navy base as an aerospace hub, as reported by our news partners at the Jacksonville Daily Record.
Florida’s political map is back on the chopping block. Gov. Ron DeSantis pushes mid‑decade redistricting that could hand Republicans up to five new House seats and sideline Democrats for years. What’s at stake for 2026 — and for American democracy? Dr. Sam Wang from Princeton University, an expert on election law and gerrymandering, joins us to discuss on Politics & Power.
With a week left in the scheduled regular session, House and Senate leaders aren’t yet into formal budget negotiations.
Unions representing teachers and other public sector workers – but not first responders – would be put under new rules for recertification in a bill passed by the Senate on Friday.
Teachers and union leaders in Northeast Florida are warning that Senate Bill 1296, which is advancing through the Florida Legislature, could jeopardize collective-bargaining rights for public employees.
In Wednesday’s Justice 4 All segment on The Morning Show, local attorney Millicent Daniels joined us to answer your questions as we continue our Keep Them Safe series for parents.
The Florida Department of Health lists drowning as the leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 1-4, and state lawmakers in Tallahassee are considering two bills aimed at reducing those deaths.
In the making since 2023, legislation is now pressing in the Florida Legislature that will lay the foundation for the new Florida Museum of Black History to be built in St. Augustine.
Florida lawmakers have proposed a bill that could set tougher safety requirements for parents and drivers when driving with young children, including raising the age for children to be in booster seats from 5 to 8.
A bill that would expand vaccine exemptions for K-12 schools passed its second committee hurdle in the Senate on Tuesday, but only after some Republican members expressed concern over the proposal.
The coming year will reveal how much risk Floridians are willing to accept for lower property taxes, whether they support replacing lost revenue with higher consumption or targeted taxes, and how they want to balance local autonomy with state oversight.
Legislation moving through the Florida Capitol would create new guardrails for electric bike riders, a move that comes as Wolfson Children’s Hospital reported 19 cases in January alone involving children injured while riding e-bikes.
St. Augustine commissioners will hold a special meeting later this month to discuss the potential impacts of proposed property tax changes that are currently under consideration by the Florida Legislature.
Republicans on a Florida House committee advanced a measure Tuesday to honor murdered conservative activist Charlie Kirk, over objections that such a tribute would come as an insult to Black people, women and others.
Florida State Senator Tom Leek, representing St. Johns, Flagler, Putnam counties and parts of Volusia, shared insights from the ongoing legislative session in Tallahassee. Leek highlighted progress on Senate Bill 482, known as the AI Bill of Rights, which aims to protect vulnerable populations.
A Florida House panel Thursday backed a wide-ranging plan that seeks to trim health-care regulations and carry out federal changes in programs such as food stamps and Medicaid.
The House Budget Committee on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a proposal aimed at lowering prescription drug prices in Florida amid arguments by critics that it would be unworkable and could lead to drug shortages.
State Sen. Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville, wants to expand Florida’s vaccine exemptions to allow parents to request “conscience-based” exemptions to school vaccine mandates.
As the Florida Senate continues to ponder an approach to lowering property taxes, House committees on Thursday advanced two tax-cut proposals that could go before voters.
Florida’s 2026 legislative session kicks off Tuesday, and there are many bills and proposals on the agenda. However, one recurring proposal is the push to lower the age of buying a gun in Florida.
Florida lawmakers return to Tallahassee on Tuesday to begin this year’s legislative session. Among the many bills on the docket are several focused on school attendance.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday that he will issue a proclamation to convene a special session of the Florida Legislature to redistrict Florida’s congressional map.
A bill filed last week in Florida aims to dissolve HOAs across the state — but that’s only if it even makes any headway.
This week, four proposed constitutional amendments aimed at property tax reform in Florida took another step toward becoming law.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday he will be proposing to the Florida Legislature a bill of rights to protect Floridians from the dangers of artificial intelligence.
The Florida House could be ready after the 2026 legislative session starts in January to take up a bill that would lower the minimum age from 21 to 18 to buy rifles and other long guns.
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has fired back at a lawsuit filed by Democratic lawmakers seeking access to a controversial immigrant-detention center in the Everglades, saying they don’t have a legal right to enter the facility “at their pleasure.”
Should people as young as 18 years old in Florida be legally allowed to own or purchase firearms? Lawmakers in the Florida House seem to think so.
Gov. Ron DeSantis told an interviewer that the Florida Legislature will take up the task of revising the congressional map in the spring of 2025. He said the new map could include the current 28 seats or possibly 29 seats if Florida is awarded an additional congressional seat.
Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez said Thursday he is setting up a select committee to look into redrawing congressional districts, as Republicans seek to keep control of Congress in 2026.
State Senators Tracie Davis and Jennifer Bradley joined us on This Week In Jacksonville to share the inside story on what made the cut, what didn’t, and how the veto process works behind the scenes.
Starting July 1, Florida teenagers will have some new requirements to earn their learner’s permit thanks to a new state law. One big change is that they will have to take a driver’s education course beforehand.
After weeks of gridlock and a missed deadline, Florida lawmakers finally voted on this year’s state budget on Monday, just two weeks before the fiscal year begins on July 1.
Months after lawmakers proposed slashing bonuses for acceleration programs in half, full funding to pay for advanced placement programs in Florida public schools is expected to stay in place in the final version of the budget.
Needing to finish a budget for the July 1 start of the 2025-2026 fiscal year, the House and Senate on Tuesday began slowly rolling out proposals to resolve spending and policy differences.
As budget talks remain stalled, House Speaker Daniel Perez said Tuesday the House has offered possibilities including a “lean, critical-needs budget with minimal spending and no tax cuts.”
Duval County students continued their fight on Tuesday to keep funding for accelerated programs, including advanced placement, International Baccalaureate, dual enrollment and career and technical education.
For six years, Gov. Ron DeSantis had a firm grasp on Florida’s legislature. In his second-to-last legislative session, that is not the case.
Florida lawmakers are still nowhere close to agreeing on a budget for the next fiscal year. That means the legislative session that was supposed to wrap up Friday will not end on time.
A newly filed amendment in the Florida Legislature could reshape the state’s approach to honoring Black history.
The Florida House on Friday approved a $5.008 billion tax package after making a change to a controversial proposal about shifting money collected for tourism marketing.
Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature is moving forward with a series of proposals that would help charter schools, while Democrats argue the measures would chip away at traditional public schools.
Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, said philosophical differences are stalling progress with the state budget, specifically over tax relief plans.
A week after a bill sparked by controversy at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts passed unanimously in the Senate, the school confirmed yet another employee has been removed over reports of “inappropriate conduct.”
Days after a mass shooting at nearby Florida State University, the state Senate appears poised to scuttle a controversial proposal that would allow people under age 21 to buy rifles and other long guns.
Amid fierce opposition from Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida House on Wednesday approved revamping laws about leadership of the higher-education system, including opening information about applicants to become college and university presidents.
As cities and counties across the state debate the issue, the Florida Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would prevent local governments from adding fluoride to water supplies.
An effort to keep students off cell phones throughout the school day passed the Florida House on Wednesday, though differences remain with a Senate proposal.
Development such as golf courses, pickleball courts and luxury lodges would be prohibited at Florida state parks under legislation passed Wednesday by the state House following a public outcry against such projects that were pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration.
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed two bills aimed at carrying out President Donald Trump’s directive to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, according to the Florida Senate.
With the Florida Legislature finally in the swing of things, one proposed bill could have a big impact on households with a tree in their yard.
A proposed Florida bill aimed at enhancing the efficiency of DNA testing by law enforcement is moving through the Florida Legislature.
A bill moving through the Florida Capitol could have significant implications for victims of deepfakes, with its roots firmly planted in Jacksonville.
A bill aimed at preventing a return of efforts to build golf courses, pickleball courts and resorts in state parks is ready to go to the full Florida House.
Erasing the Gulf of Mexico from state laws and educational materials won Florida House approval Thursday. The Republican-controlled House passed two bills along party lines to carry out President Donald Trump’s directive to rename the gulf as the Gulf of America.
Senate Bill 140 could significantly impact how school districts buy or sell property, prompting reactions from Duval County parents and leaders.
As the Florida House and Senate prepare to negotiate a new state budget, among the big issues they will face is a push by Senate President Ben Albritton, a citrus grower, to help the state’s struggling citrus industry.
A Florida Senate bill that would have allowed concealed carry on college and university campuses was voted down in the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. Senate Bill 814, introduced by Sen. Randy Fine (R-Melbourne Beach), failed in a 3-4 vote.
The Florida House on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a proposal that could lead to more medical-malpractice lawsuits, while a similar bill cleared a major hurdle in the Senate.
A Florida lawmaker’s proposal to crack down on automatic gratuity and service charges at restaurants is now part of a bill going through the State House. HB 535 passed its first committee stop on Wednesday. The bill is meant to make it easier for restaurants or public lodging businesses like hotels to remove someone who is not paying their bill.
The Florida House and Senate on Tuesday continued moving forward with a proposal that would provide an exemption to the state’s voter-approved minimum wage for certain workers in on-the-job training.
The Florida House could move quickly to pass a controversial bill that would lower the minimum age to purchase rifles and other long guns from 21 to 18.
Highway speeds could increase under a bill that has started moving forward in the state Senate. The Republican-controlled Senate Transportation Committee on Wednesday approved a wide-ranging measure (SB 462), filed by Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-Indian Rocks Beach, that includes boosting the maximum speed on interstates and Florida’s Turnpike from 70 mph to 75 mph.
A new bill in the Florida legislature has groups in Fernandina Beach concerned it could open the door again for a bioethanol plant in the city.
A key Senate panel on Monday approved a measure that would place a number of new restrictions on people and groups seeking to make changes to the state Constitution, the latest move in the Legislature’s years-long effort to curtail the ballot-initiative process.
While Florida homeowners anxiously await property insurance relief, legislators are considering more than a dozen bills that would revive the My Safe Florida Home Program, which provides financial assistance for storm readiness work.
House and Senate Republicans are proposing a constitutional amendment about eight-year term limits for county commissioners and school board members.
After fierce — and expensive — political battles last year about abortion rights and recreational marijuana, Florida lawmakers Thursday began moving forward with a proposal that would place additional restrictions on the ballot-initiative process.
After fierce — and expensive — political battles last year about abortion rights and recreational marijuana, Florida lawmakers Thursday began moving forward with a proposal that would place additional restrictions on the ballot-initiative process.
As the Florida Legislative session enters its third day, developments are unfolding with the introduction of bills targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies at the local government level.
Senator Randy Fine has introduced a bill for the 2025 Florida legislative session that would permit individuals under 21 to purchase firearms. Senate Bill 94, aims to repeal a law that currently prohibits licensed firearms dealers from selling or transferring firearms to those younger than 21.
A newly filed bill in the Florida Legislature, House Joint Resolution 1325, proposes eliminating the office of lieutenant governor and replacing it with a new Cabinet-level position: the commissioner of government efficiency.
Senate minority leader Tracie Davis, who represents Jacksonville, and House minority leader Fentrice Driskell of Tampa filed a bill on Tuesday to repeal Florida’s six-week ban on abortion.
State Sen. Tom Wright filed Senate Bill 572 after an 8-year-old boy was mauled to death last month in Volusia County, which Wright represents.
Florida lawmakers are gaveling in another special legislative session on immigration, aimed at leveraging state and local resources to carry out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday continued to blast an immigration bill passed by the Florida Legislature and expressed frustration over politicians' inaction and the need for strong border policies.
As the Florida Legislature holds a special session this week tackling only one issue -- immigration -- Gov. Ron DeSantis hosted a roundtable on Wednesday in Titusville signaling a possible veto of the bill that lawmakers passed on Tuesday night.
Florida lawmakers gaveled in the special session Gov. DeSantis asked for on Monday, then quickly gaveled out of it and started their own, News4JAX sister station WKMG reported.
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday morning announced plans to reform Florida’s petition and amendment process, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability.
Two Florida House Representatives, Hillary Cassel and Susan Valdés, recently announced they were leaving the Democratic Party to join the GOP.
Rep. Fentrice Driskell, Democratic Leader of the Florida House of Representatives, is urging action on the expansion of the Florida KidCare program.
State senators are off to a quick start filing bills as they gear up for the 2025 legislative session, which begins March 4.
Florida Rep. Debbie Mayfield has announced her candidacy for Florida Senate District 19, a seat she previously held before reaching the state’s term limits.
State laws that allow motorcyclists not to wear helmets are costing lives every year, according to a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
With a federal appeals court poised next week to hear a challenge to a Florida law that bars people under age 21 from buying rifles and other long guns, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday at least temporarily allowed a Pennsylvania gun restriction on young adults.
