Florida’s new law increases penalties for drivers caught speeding more than 50 mph over the limit, including possible jail time and mandatory court appearances.

Florida has passed a new law requiring school districts to provide bus transportation for students who live in areas considered too dangerous to walk or bike. The change comes after years of crashes and safety concerns near Liberty Pines Academy and other communities across the state.

Two bills moving through the Florida Legislature aim to block development in nine state parks, including Anastasia State Park, but environmental advocates are concerned the bills lack specific protections. Protests are being held throughout April, urging lawmakers to amend the bills to ensure stronger safeguards against commercial development.

Those who leave their pets behind during natural disasters will now face the consequences of those actions. The Florida Senate passed SB 150, also coined “Trooper’s Law” on Wednesday.

Florida lawmakers will return to Tallahassee to kick off the 2024 legislative session.  They are on track to discuss some hot-button topics. Including one bill that would lower the minimum age to buy rifles and other long guns.

News4JAX talked with drag performers and lawmakers about how the law could impact Jacksonville.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida House on Thursday began debating legislation that aims to crack down on violent protests. Democrats proposed adding five amendments to House Bill 1 in an effort to water down the bill, which critics say will impose on people’s rights to peacefully protest. The legislation was written in response to the burning of buildings in the Tampa Bay area in June and windows smashed in Tallahassee, among violent unrest elsewhere in the state. It protects police officers who are there protecting against violent protests,” House Speaker Chris Sprowls said of the bill. Opponents claim the legislation will stifle peaceful protests, a criticism Sprowls took issue with.

That right is also granted among states, but a group of people say that right is being threatened by a new bill called the “anti-mob” legislation. DeSantis backs ‘anti-mob’ proposal in response to protests“We have the right to protest, we have the right to say how we feel about things. “We’re here to make clear that this proposed legislation is blatantly unconstitutional,” said Ben Frazier, of the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville. This year, there were examples of peaceful protests turned violent, and some agree that the proposed law would help reduce violence. A county that has disproportionately reduced its law enforcement funding is not eligible to receive state funds.”

FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019 file photo, former British Prime Ministers Tony Blair, left and John Major attend the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall in London. One major element of the Brexit withdrawal agreement is the section related to ensuring an open border on the island of Ireland to protect the peace process in Northern Ireland. The issue proved thorny during the more than two years of discussions it took to get a Brexit deal done, as the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland is the only land link between the U.K. and the EU. As a result, the two sides agreed there would be some kind of regulatory border between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland. Major and Blair, who both vociferously opposed Brexit, said the planned legislation puts the 1998 Good Friday agreement that ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland at risk.

Councilman says he’s crafting legislation that could make it law to release JSO body camera footage. If you need help with WJXT’s or WCWJ's FCC public inspection file, call (904) 393-9801.