Attorney General James Uthmeier sent out a memo on Monday instructing law enforcement to no longer enforce a ban on openly carrying firearms, after a court ruling declared the prohibition unconstitutional.
The 1st District Court of Appeal issued its ruling in a case stemming from the July 4, 2022, arrest of a man who stood at a major intersection in downtown Pensacola carrying a visible, holstered pistol and a copy of the U.S. Constitution.
Researchers are proposing a new hurricane rating system to better communicate the storm's potential impact.
“We know that wind only accounts for less than 10% of fatalities in general, but yet our current category system is based on wind alone. Storm surge accounts for closer to 50% and rainfall accounts for closer to 30%,” said Jennifer Collins, a hurricane researcher at the University of South Florida.
The new scale is called the Tropical Cyclone Severity Scale and it provides a different category for each hazard such as wind, storm surge, and rainfall, along with a combined final category. …
On Wednesday, Florida's 1st District Court of Appeal ruled that the 1987 statewide open-carry ban on firearms is no longer constitutionally enforceable, requiring gun laws to be rooted in historical tradition.
The case stemmed from the July 4, 2022, arrest of a man in downtown Pensacola carrying a visible, holstered pistol and a copy of the U.S. Constitution. The three-judge panel in Escambia County vacated the man's sentence.
Attorney General James Uthmeier announced he will not appeal to the state Supreme Court, making Florida an open-carry state. Gov. Ron DeSantis praised the decision and said the Second Amendment "says what …
The Florida Department of Health announced details about a plan to drop school vaccine mandates announced by Florida's surgeon general last week. The plan includes a 90-day delay before changes take effect and a list of vaccines for which requirements will be lifted.
Mandates for vaccines for hepatitis B, chickenpox, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), and pneumococcal diseases, such as meningitis, are scheduled to be lifted.
Officials said that vaccine mandates for measles, polio, mumps, diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus will remain in place unless updated through legislation.
Florida is now one of the most financially stressed states in the country, ranking second only to Texas, according to WalletHub.
Louisiana, Nevada, and South Carolina rounded out the top five most distressed states.
The data set included factors like the average credit score, the change in the number of bankruptcy filings between March 2024 and March 2025, and the share of people with accounts in distress.
Florida topped the list for the share of people with accounts in distress and having one of the nation’s worst average credit scores.
A University of Florida survey assessing consumer confidence in the state’s economy measured a decline in August, falling 3.5 points to 80.6.
"August’s decline reflects growing pessimism about both current and future personal financial conditions, along with a pullback in spending intentions," said Hector H. Sandoval, director of the Economic Analysis Program at the University of Florida.
More Floridians are expressing hesitation about making big purchases like appliances or cars, with confidence falling 3.5 points from 78.5 in July to 75 in August.
At a press conference in Valrico on Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo announced the state is establishing its own Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission.
The initiative mirrors that of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the federal level.
Dr. Ladapo announced that the Florida Department of Health will work with DeSantis to end all vaccine mandates in the state—"every last one of them," Ladapo repeated several times.
First Lady Casey DeSantis and Lt. Gov. Jay Collins will chair the Florida MAHA Commission. Dr. Ladapo and a list …
Attorney General James Uthmeier is investigating a camera maker with Chinese ties that watchdogs warn could put footage from U.S. baby monitors, nanny cams, and doorbells in the hands of Beijing spies.
Uthmeier said he has issued a subpoena to Lorex, which was previously owned by China's Dahua Technology, as part of an investigation into consumer protection and data breaches.
Available at retailers like Target and Home Depot, Uthmeier expressed concern that Lorex misled Floridians about the privacy and security of its cameras and apps.
"The Chinese Communist Party cannot be allowed to spy on American children. Florida will …
As the west coast of Florida continues to recover from last year's back-to-back hurricanes, a movement to "Love Bomb the Locals" is helping small beach town businesses.
Gayle Guyardo, host of Tampa's Bloom TV, is spotlighting local entrepreneurs weathering the decline in tourism and helping to rally residents and visitors to lift up local businesses with intentional support.
Tamás and Christina Kiss, the duo behind Pineapple Cove Vacation Rentals, came up with the idea. Small businesses don't pay for the media coverage, which includes interviews, photos, and footage that can be used for marketing and …
A Florida lawmaker wants to ban homeowners associations, asking for discussion on social media and calling them a "failed experiment."
"We should not have authoritarian boards dictate your day-to-day life with no accountability,” state Rep. Juan Porras (R-Miami) said on social media last week.
Nearly half of Florida’s population—about 9.5 million people—live in neighborhoods governed by homeowners associations.
Last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 1203, which imposed limits on homeowners associations throughout the state.
Florida's Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo is urging dentists and patients to avoid dental amalgam fillings, citing concerns over mercury poisoning.
While not calling for a ban, Ladapo highlights the risk of mercury exposure, aligning with the European Union rather than the American Dental Association, which finds amalgams safe and affordable.
Consistent with FDA guidance, Floridians are advised against removing existing fillings, as the greatest danger occurs during installation or removal.
On Monday, Attorney General James Uthmeier held a press conference in Live Oak to announce that truck weigh stations around the state will also serve as ICE checkpoints as part of a new immigration enforcement initiative.
The new partnership with federal agencies will check for English proficiency while continuing agricultural inspections along major interstate highways. It follows the arrests of two truck drivers found to be in the country illegally with licenses from other states.
Officials said that the 23 interdiction stations "will serve as critical enforcement points to stop human smuggling, fraudulent documents, and unsafe commercial vehicles."
Illegal immigrants …
The Florida Public Service Commission will hold a hearing in October on a proposed base-rate increase settlement for Florida Power & Light (FPL).
Under the agreement, FPL reduced its 2026 base rate revenue request from the $1.55 billion it had presented in February by 39%, to $945 million. The base rate revenue request for 2027 was reduced by 17%, from $927 million to $766 million.
The settlement would cap the typical residential bill increase at 13 cents a day—or $3.79 a month—starting in 2026. Under the plan, a 1,000-kWh bill would rise from $134.14 today to $137.93 in January 2026, reaching $148 by the end of 2029.
The settlement drew sharp criticism from opponents. AARP Florida blasted it as a "closed-door deal" that leaves residential customers—especially seniors on fixed incomes—with little voice.
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