Latest news with #JoeGruters
Arabian Post
06-05-2025
- Business
- Arabian Post
Florida Legislature Shelves Bitcoin Investment Proposals Amid Mounting Concerns
Florida's legislative session concluded on May 2 without advancing two significant cryptocurrency investment bills, HB 487 and SB 550, effectively halting the state's consideration of allocating public funds into Bitcoin. Both measures were indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from further deliberation, marking a notable pause in Florida's exploration of digital asset integration into state financial strategies. The proposed legislation aimed to authorize the state's Chief Financial Officer to invest up to 10% of select public funds, including the General Revenue Fund and the Florida Retirement System, into Bitcoin and other digital assets. Proponents, such as Senator Joe Gruters and Representative Webster Barnaby, argued that such investments could serve as a hedge against inflation and diversify the state's portfolio. They cited the growing institutional acceptance of Bitcoin by firms like BlackRock and Fidelity as indicative of its potential stability and value. However, the bills faced substantial opposition from financial experts and lawmakers concerned about the volatility and regulatory uncertainties surrounding cryptocurrencies. Critics highlighted the risks of exposing public funds to an asset class known for significant price fluctuations and potential security vulnerabilities. They emphasized the responsibility of safeguarding taxpayer money through more traditional and proven investment avenues. The failure of HB 487 and SB 550 reflects a broader hesitancy among U.S. states to embrace cryptocurrency investments for public funds. While some states have explored similar proposals, many have encountered resistance due to the inherent risks and lack of comprehensive regulatory frameworks governing digital assets. Florida's decision underscores the challenges policymakers face in balancing innovation with fiscal responsibility. See also Mastercard Advances Stablecoin Payments with New Global System Arabian Post – Crypto News Network
CBS News
23-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Florida Senate to take up bill that prevents development of golf courses, pickleball courts in state parks
A proposal designed to prevent golf courses, pickleball courts and luxury resorts in state parks is ready to go to the full Senate. The Senate Fiscal Policy on Tuesday backed the bill (SB 80) after rejecting a proposed change by Republican Chairman Sen. Joe Gruters that some parks supporters and lawmakers said would have kept the door open for sports facilities. Republican Sen. Gayle Harrell filed the bill after a controversy last year about the state Department of Environmental Protection's "Great Outdoors Initiative," a plan that called for adding golf courses, resort-style lodges and pickleball courts at state parks. Original plan pulled back after a public outcry. "This last summer was really a lesson in civics. It says the public does have a voice that counts," Harrell said. "The overwhelming rejection of the attempt to do what was being done was across the state of Florida." A focus of last year's plan was adding golf courses in the 11,500-acre Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County. It also included building lodges with up to 350 rooms at Anastasia State Park in St. Johns County and Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Walton County. Pickleball courts and disc golf were outlined for other parks. Proposal to create loophole shut down Under the bill, construction in parks could not harm natural resources, native habitats or historical sites. Gruters' proposed change might have allowed facilities such as golf courses, tennis courts, ball fields and pickleball courts if they were found not to cause "substantial harm" to natural resources or native habitats. Gruters said the proposed change would have required public hearings, and his goal was to provide more recreational activities for people who can't afford theme parks. "The question is, do we trust ourselves, do we?" Gruters asked. "Do we trust the state government to make the right decisions?" he continued, which drew immediate responses of "no" from several lawmakers. Travis Moore, a lobbyist for Friends of the Everglades, said the Gruters proposal addressed lodging issues, but the "substantial harm" provision remained subject to interpretation. "I don't think the public this (past) summer was interested in setting a high hurdle, I think they were interested, as it came to golf courses, slamming the door," Moore said. Beth Alvi, Audubon Florida's senior director of policy, said Harrel's bill would draw a clear line between allowed and prohibited uses of state parks. "The (Gruters) amendment, however, makes it muddy, leaving an ambiguous standard for what's allowed and of course creates loopholes for bad ideas to be exploited," Alvi said. Republican Sen. Don Gaetz encouraged Gruters to recraft the proposed change to allow "soft" maintenance needs at state parks, but to eliminate any "commercialization." After the amendment was rejected, Republican Sen. Keith Truenow said more work is needed on the parks issue. "I think there are some lands that we own today that probably shouldn't be state parks, they don't lend a real point to the mission," Truenow said. "And there's lands out in the state of Florida that need to be in the state parks." The House unanimously supported its version of the bill (HB 209) last Wednesday. The House and Senate would have to work out any differences before the scheduled May 2 end of the legislative session.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida Senate may take up sweeping E-Verify bill before May 2
Florida's elected officials have tried in the past to make E-Verify mandatory for every business in the state, but have failed at every attempt. But maybe not this year. This year, a bill in the House that makes all private businesses submit employee records through the immigration status verification process has gotten through several committees. Senate leadership said it hasn't ruled out considering any House bills in their committees, even as the legislative session enters its sixth week. Will it actually make it to the governor's desk or will it die as in year's past? 'We still have a couple of weeks left. You never know what's going to happen,' said Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota. 'I think the goal is the stopping of illegal immigration, and I think one of the best tools we have is E-Verify.' At a press availability on Wednesday, Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, said the same: 'I would say there's a lot of time left in session.' 'Employment Eligibility' (HB 955) would require all private employers in the state of Florida to use the E-Verify system. E-Verify is a federal database that checks the identities of newly hired employees. If a business runs afoul of the law, it's a $1,000 fine for every day the business is noncompliant. Also, all the businesses' licenses are at risk of being suspended. "I filed HB 955 to ensure that Florida jobs go to American workers and not to those who violate our immigration and labor laws," said Rep. Berny Jacques, R-Seminole, the sponsor, on the bill's website. "For too long, loopholes have allowed businesses to exploit illegal labor at the expense of law-abiding Floridians. This bill strengthens our commitment to fair hiring practices and protects jobs for citizens and legal workers." Jacques' bill builds off of Florida's SB 1718, passed in 2023, which was dubbed one of the toughest immigration laws at the time. That bill originally required E-Verify for all businesses, but the final iteration of the bill set the limit to those with more than 25 employees. At the time, some of Florida's business owners criticized the bill, saying it would raise prices and cause labor shortages, especially in agriculture and construction. During the 2023-24 fiscal year, Florida was the state with the most H-2A visas for agricultural jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. "Florida is a living, breathing state – a home for its people, not merely an economic zone to be exploited," Jacques said. "We are more than just GDP figures or labor statistics. Our communities, families, and future generations deserve policies that protect their livelihoods and uphold the rule of law." Another E-Verify bill was filed this year with stiffer penalties for businesses that don't comply, but it's expected to die. It's a bill by rumored 2026 contender for governor Jason Pizzo, the Florida Senate's Democratic leader, who has been outwardly critical of the state's Republicans and their take on immigration enforcement. During one of the Florida Legislature's special sessions on immigration earlier this year, the lack of a total E-Verify requirement came up after Pizzo argued the stack of immigration reforms wasn't "serious" if they didn't tackle employment. His amendment that would have added E-Verify requirements to SB 2C was ruled "out of order" and didn't get a vote on the Senate floor. Pizzo ended up filing SB 782 for this year's regular session, which includes harsher penalties for businesses who do not use E-verify for all of their employees. lt would revoke the businesses' licenses, instead of just suspend, of those who don't comply. And any employer who runs afoul of Pizzo's version of the law would be out of the running for any public contract in the future with any public agency in the state. But this bill, which even has bipartisan co-sponsorship with Gruters and Sen. Jennifer Bradley, R-Fleming Island, wasn't heard in committee this year. "It isn't moving because state Republicans are not serious about combatting illegal immigration," Pizzo told USA TODAY Network-Florida in a text message. Gruters, who was the main sponsor of all three immigration bills passed during Special Session C, said he believes the state will eventually pass mandatory E-Verify requirements for all employers, but it could be incremental change. He said even going from the current employee limit of 25 to 10, for example, "would be a positive thing." "Only time will tell, but there's plenty of time left to make something like this happen," he said. This year's session is scheduled to end on May 2. Ana Goñi-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network – Florida, can be reached at agonilessan@ This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Can an E-Verify requirement for all Florida businesses pass this year?
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida Lawmakers Don't Want You To Know When a Cop Shoots Someone
A Florida bill that could allow agencies to withhold the names of police officers involved in use-of-force incidents resulting in death or great bodily harm has passed in the state Senate Criminal Justice Committee with little opposition. Companion legislation has also advanced in the state's House of Representatives. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Joe Gruters (R–Sarasota), was introduced in response to a 2023 Florida Supreme Court ruling that the state's constitutional protections for alleged crime victims under the state's current Marsy's Law do not include a right to anonymity. The court's opinion stemmed from a 2020 case involving two fatal police shootings in Tallahassee. Reporters sought the names of the officers involved, whose use of force was deemed justified, to enhance transparency and the public's trust in the department. But under Marsy's Law, these officers were considered victims, and departments were banned from disclosing "information or records that could be used to locate or harass the victim or the victim's family, or which could disclose confidential or privileged information of the victim." The court's seven Republican-appointed justices took a textualist approach and held unanimously that no victim—police officer or otherwise—had the right to remain anonymous under Marsy's Law as written. The court reasoned that the central clause of the ban did not include the concept of identity, which the law's drafters were capable of including. Further, the court was concerned that broadening the interpretation of the clause would introduce inconsistencies within other areas of the state constitution and undermine defendants' right to confront witnesses. However, the court stated that the opinion did not prevent an expansion of the law to exempt more information from disclosure, leaving the door open to future legislative action. Now, Florida legislators are considering Gruters' bill to reverse the court's ruling and expand Marsy's Law protections by exempting the release of alleged crime victims' names in public records. But the bill's language doesn't stop there. The proposal also creates an additional protection within the existing Marsy's Law for law enforcement officers involved in "use of force incidents," defined as those where an officer uses deadly force or force that results in great bodily harm. The bill mandates that the names of officers involved in a use-of-force incident cannot be disclosed for a minimum of 72 hours following an incident. Employing agencies would also be granted the ability to extend the confidentiality period indefinitely or until the agency determines that anonymity is no longer necessary. This provision would extend alleged crime victims' anonymity protections advocated for by Marsy's Law proponents to all law enforcement officers, regardless of whether the officer was a victim of a crime when force was used. Marsy's Law amendments, which have been enacted in 12 states (and overturned in two), have been criticized for being, at best, confusing, vague, and duplicative, and at worst, seriously infringing on defendants' constitutional and due process rights. Criminal justice transparency is essential to building public trust, which is why civil rights groups, like the American Civil Liberties Union, have warned that versions of Marsy's Law could be abused by law enforcement to shield officers who use force while on duty from accountability. Gruters' proposed changes to Florida's Marsy's Law not only invite such abuse—they almost guarantee it. The post Florida Lawmakers Don't Want You To Know When a Cop Shoots Someone appeared first on
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Free Florida medical marijuana cards for veterans? Proposed bill would waive fees
Thank you for your service. Veterans could get free medical marijuana cards from the state of Florida if a proposed bill gets through the legislature, Florida Politics reported Thursday. Veterans would still need to qualify for medical marijuana under state law and fees to be certified for a medical marijuana card by a licensed doctor would still remain, but the state's $75 fee would be waived. The bill would also require certifications every two years rather than annually. The bill doesn't technically exist yet, though. It's a proposal for a drastically slimmed-down version of HB 555 from Rep. Alex Andrade, R-Pensacola, which would have been a dramatic overhaul of Florida medical marijuana laws. The original bill would have expanded the list of eligible medical conditions, telehealth appointments for initial and renewal examinations, increased the amount of marijuana in a form for smoking a physician could issue, increased the time between physician evaluations from 30 weeks to 104 weeks, allowed visiting out-of-state medical marijuana patients to register in Florida and receive ID cards to use here and banned marijuana cultivating and processing centers from operating on the same parcel of land as a retail outlet. Extending the time between state certifications and waiving fees for honorably discharged veterans are the only changes remaining. A proposal to change the bill (PCS) has been added to the Health Professions & Programs Subcommittee agenda. A companion bill in the Senate, SB 552 from Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, has not moved since it was introduced on March 4. However, few of the other marijuana bills in the Florida Legislature this year have gone very far. Under this bill, public employers would be prohibited from taking adverse personnel action against an employee or a job applicant for their use of medical marijuana if the employee or job applicant is a qualified patient. Exceptions are made for employees whose use is impairing their ability to do the job. STATUS: HB 83: Received first reading in the Government Operations Subcommittee March 4. SB142: Introduced March 4. Prohibits a court from denying or restricting certain parental rights based solely on a parent's status as a qualified patient for purposes of medical marijuana use and prohibits the presumption of neglect or child endangerment based solely on a parent's status as a qualified patient. STATUS: HB 993: received first reading in Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee on March 4. SB 146: introduced March 4. Brought back again after attempts in previous years, this bill would prohibit all smoking in public places, aside from customs smoking rooms at airports. Smoking or vaping marijuana in public would be banned anywhere. Smoking unfiltered cigars in public would not be prohibited. Coincidentally, Florida has a long history of cigar manufacturing and the cigar lobby has powerful allies in Tallahassee, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. STATUS: Introduced March 4 Amends the state's edible marijuana labeling laws to require certain labeling of products and requiring receptacles to include more information including nutrition facts and allergens. STATUS: Introduced March 4 This bill would allow qualified medical marijuana patients to apply to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for a certificate to cultivate up to two cannabis plants for personal consumption. Restrictions would apply: No more than two plants would be allowed at any residence, no matter how many qualified patients lived there. Replaces a previous bill, SB 334, that also addressed hemp extract sales but was withdrawn before it was introduced. STATUS: Introduced March 4 Adds addiction to or dependence on an opioid drug to the list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana. STATUS: Introduced March 4 This bill calls for the state to create a system allowing people arrested, charged or convicted of possessing 2 ounces or less of cannabis or marijuana paraphernalia to request to have that criminal history record expunged. STATUS: Introduced March 4 The majority of Florida voters approved a recreational marijuana amendment last year but it failed by not reaching the required minimum of 60%. This bill would allow adults 21 and older to buy, possess and use marijuana delivery device and up to 2 ounces of marijuana for personal use, or no more than 5 grams of marijuana in the form of concentrate. It would still need to be bought from licensed marijuana dispensaries. STATUS: Introduced March 4 A similar bill, SB 1390, introduced March 10, would allow personal use of up to 2.5 ounces for smoking or products that contain up to 2,000 mg of THC. Both bills include detailed regulations on medical marijuana dispensaries, licensing, name tags, delivery and more. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida medical marijuana cards could become free for veterans
