Latest news with #NewsServiceofFlorida
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lawmakers move forward on controversial bill that would impact drinking water for millions of people: 'This is about your liberty'
The state of Florida is nearing the signing of a bill that would lead to the removal of fluoride from its water supply. On April 29, the Florida House of Representatives passed SB 700, also known as the Florida Farm Bill, by nearly 60 votes. The legislation is geared toward supporting the state's agriculture industry. This includes protecting farmers from discriminatory lending practices, reducing their financial burden, and promoting consumer protections. Included in the bill is a provision that bars local governments from including "the use of any additive in a public water system which does not meet the definition of a water quality additive." Rep. Danny Alvarez, who co-sponsored the bill, applauded its passing in the Senate. While speaking to the News Service of Florida, Alvarez pointed to the bill's protection of individuals. "This is not about fluoride," Alvarez said. "This is about your liberty." The bill awaits Gov. Ron DeSantis' signature. According to the American Cancer Society, fluoride was introduced to community water supplies in 1945 to improve the dental health of residents. While opponents have questioned the safety of fluoride in water, studies have shown that the additive does not cause cancer. Dr. Bert Hughes, a dentist and former president of the Alachua County Dental Association, noted the adverse effects that the bill will have on impoverished communities in Florida. "Adding fluoride to water is one of the top 10 public health achievements in our country," Hughes told The Gainesville Sun. How often do you worry about the quality of your drinking water? Never Sometimes Often Always Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "We look at different communities around Gainesville like High Springs and Alachua, and I see a lot of children and you can see the difference in the rate of decay and how it presents itself," added Hughes. "What's good about fluoride water is that it actually gets within your system and when teeth are forming, it forms a harder structure that is more resistant to decay versus applying it topically." As the Sun reported, Gainesville Regional Utilities said it would comply with the order. The utility will stop adding fluoride to its drinking water in July. After Utah, Florida is the second state in the United States to ban the addition of fluoride in drinking water. In a May 6 news release, DeSantis signaled his intention to sign SB 700. "The Free State of Florida means freedom from governments or private actors unilaterally applying chemicals or geoengineering to people or public spaces," DeSantis said. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
CBS News
03-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Florida lawmakers approve barring elementary, middle school student cellphone use during school day, testing idea in high schools
Florida lawmakers late Friday approved barring students in elementary and middle schools from using cell phones during the school day — and testing the idea in high schools. Current law prevents students from using cell phones during instructional time, but the change would expand that prohibition to throughout the school day in elementary and middle schools. Rep. Demi Busatta, a Coral Gables Republican who spearheaded the proposal, described it as "bell to bell." Rep. Demi Busatta, R-Coral Gables, led efforts to prevent cell phone use during the school day. News Service of Florida The cell-phone change was included in a broader education bill (HB 1105) that passed in the final hours of the last scheduled night of this year's legislative session. Lawmakers, however, did not finish a budget and are expected to return to the Capitol during the week of May 12 to negotiate a spending plan. While the bill would prohibit cell phone use throughout the day in elementary and middle schools, it would keep the current law about instructional time for high schools. But it also would create a pilot program in six counties that would prevent cell phone use in high schools during the entire school day. Sen. Danny Burgess, a Zephyrhills Republican who led efforts to pass the bill in the Senate, said lawmakers were taking a hybrid approach and cited a "different dynamic" in high schools than in lower grades. The pilot would be in two small counties, two medium-sized counties and two large counties selected by the Department of Education. Rep. Ashley Gantt, D-Miami, raised concerns about how a ban would affect students who take part in such things as field trips during the school day. "If there's a field trip that's out of town and they go to some event and it's out of town, (and) the kids don't have their cell phones, parents won't have the ability (to reach them)," Gantt said. But Busatta pushed back against such arguments. "Just like we did it when we were in school and we didn't have phones and we didn't have smart phones, our parents were able to get a hold of us when they needed to," she said. "They would call the front desk, you go to the front desk, you make a call from the front office." The House voted 85-14 to pass the bill, with the Senate following in a 26-5 vote. The bill is ready to go to Gov. Ron DeSantis. The bill also included changes that would help charter schools. For instance, it would require that charter schools get a cut if school districts receive sales-tax money through what is known as a local-government infrastructure surtax. Charter schools would receive proportionate shares based on school enrollment. Also, the bill would make it easier to convert traditional public schools to charter schools. Currently, such conversions must receive support from a majority of parents and a majority of teachers. The bill would remove the requirement for teacher support.
USA Today
30-04-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Florida Supreme Court denies appeal for Jeffrey Hutchinson, convicted of quadruple murder
Florida Supreme Court denies appeal for Jeffrey Hutchinson, convicted of quadruple murder Show Caption Hide Caption Florida death penalty: What to know Capital felony convictions are eligible for the death penalty in Florida. Here's what to know about capital punishment in the Sunshine State. Florida Supreme Court denied Jeffrey Hutchinson's appeal, upholding his death sentence for the 1998 murders of his girlfriend and her three children. Hutchinson's execution is scheduled for May 1, 2025, despite claims of Gulf War Illness impacting his mental state. This will be Florida's fourth execution of 2025, following a pause in 2020-2022. The Florida Supreme Court on Monday, April 21, unanimously denied Jeffrey G. Hutchinson's latest appeal, according to an order posted on the state court's website. Pending any other moves in state or federal courts by his attorneys, the war veteran convicted of murdering his girlfriend and her three young children in Crestview nearly three decades ago is scheduled to be put to death at 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 1, 2025. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed his death warrant on March 31. Hutchinson's attorneys argued he had brain damage and cognitive impairment from injuries suffered during the Gulf War, according to Jim Saunders of the News Service of Florida, and that the newly discovered diagnosis of Gulf War Illness would have meant his acquittal on first-degree murder charges or life in prison rather than the death penalty. However, when the state Supreme Court upheld an April 4 ruling against Huchinson from Okaloosa County Circuit Judge Lacey Powell Clark, the court said facts "that he was exposed to sarin gas and numerous explosions while serving in the Middle East as well as his various post-war symptoms" were well-known during or before his trial. 'As for the diagnoses or conditions on which Hutchinson relies, we acknowledge that the scientific understanding of Gulf War Illness has evolved over time,' the opinion said. 'However, the illness was a well-known diagnosable condition at the time of Hutchinson's trial. Indeed, even at that time, experts recognized that the illness encompassed mental-health and cognitive effects.' If the execution goes as planned, Hutchinson will be the fourth execution in Florida this year. A fifth Florida execution, for convicted murderer and serial killer Glen E. Rogers, is scheduled for Thursday, May 15, 2025 The previous executions were James Ford on Feb. 13, Edward James on March 20 and Michael Tanzi on April 8. Florida did not execute any inmates in 2020, 2021 and 2022 but put to death six men in 2023 and one man, Loran K. Cole, in 2024. Here's what to know. Who is Jeffrey Hutchinson? Jeffrey Glenn Hutchinson, now 62, was convicted and sentenced to death for the quadruple murder in 1998 of his girlfriend Renee Flaherty, 32, and her three children, Geoffrey, 9, Amanda, 7, and Logan, 4. A former mechanic and security guard before joining the Army and becoming a paratrooper and Army Ranger, Hutchinson was raised in Florida but was living with Flaherty in Spokane, Washington, before they moved to the Sunshine State. Flaherty was estranged from her husband, who was stationed in Alaska, and Hutchinson was twice-divorced. How were Renee Flaherty and her children killed? According to court records, Hutchinson and Flaherty had been fighting on Sept. 11, 1998, before he packed some clothes and firearms into his truck and went to a nearby bar. As he drank, he told the bartender (an acquaintance) that he was "pissed off." Prosecutors said Hutchinson came back to the house with a Mossberg 12-gauge pistol-grip shotgun and shot and killed the occupants within an hour of leaving the bar. He shot each of the victims once in the head, they said, with the oldest child also shot in the chest. Hutchinson called the police and told a dispatcher, "I just shot my family." Police arrived to find him spattered with blood and lying in a daze on the garage floor, still holding the phone. At times, Hutchinson claimed the murders were carried out by two masked men, that he was heavily intoxicated at the time so it couldn't be first-degree murder, and that he had diminished responsibility due to mental disorders from his service. Hutchinson was diagnosed as suffering from Gulf War Syndrome, but the trial judge ruled him competent to stand trial. He was found guilty and given three death sentences for the children's murders and a life sentence for Flaherty. Multiple appeals over the years have been rejected or dismissed by the Florida Supreme Court, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. When is Jeffrey Hutchinson scheduled to be executed? Hutchinson's execution is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at Florida State Prison in Raiford. How many death row inmates has Florida executed? From 1924 until May 1964, the state of Florida has executed 196 people. There were no executions from May 1964 until May 1976. In 1972, the United States Supreme Court struck down the death penalty, but it was reinstated in 1976. Florida has carried out 107 executions since then. When is the next execution in Florida? Glen Rogers, known as "The Casanova Killer" or "The Cross Country Killer," is scheduled to be executed on Thursday, May 15, 2025. Rogers was convicted and sentenced to death in 1997 for the stabbing murder of Tina Marie Cribbs near Tampa two years previously. In 1999, Rogers was tried in California for raping and strangling Sandra Gallagher and was sentenced to death again. The two women were part of the four Rogers was believed to have killed, all red-haired and in their 30s, as he was driving across the country in 1995. At one point, Rogers claimed he'd killed nearly 70 people, although he later said he was kidding. He also claimed to have been paid by O.J. Simpson to kill Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman in 1994, as explained in the documentary "My Brother the Serial Killer." The News Service of Florida contributed to this story.
USA Today
26-04-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
A new Florida bill would prevent golf courses, pickleball at state parks
A new Florida bill would prevent golf courses, pickleball at state parks Florida's Department of Environmental Protection last year announced a plan that would have allowed developers to turn state parks into more touristy attractions. The 2024-2025 Great Outdoors Initiative outlined plans to construct pickleball courts, golfing and disc golf courses and resort-style lodging in at least eight state parks. Public pushback put a relatively abrupt end to the plans, and now state lawmakers are trying to ensure similar proposals don't happen again. Sen. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, filed SB 80 last year in response the the Great Outdoors Initiative. The bill was backed by the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee on Tuesday after it rejected a change that would have kept the door open for sports facilities, according to the News Service of Florida. More: After distancing himself from golf course plan, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blames 'left wing' narrative Here's what to know about SB 80, known as the State Park Preservation Act and how it plans to protect Florida's state parks. What is the State Park Preservation Act (SB 80)? The State Park Preservation Act is a bill focused on the management and preservation of state lands. It is aimed specifically at conservation and recreational areas. Under the bill's original proposal, it didn't ban the development but instead sought to put in the necessary curtails to protect each park's natural resources, native habitats and historical sites. The state senate took some umbrage to the proposal, however, rejecting a change by Chairman Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, that some parks supporters and lawmakers said would have kept the door open for sports facilities. '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,' said Beth Alvi, Audubon Florida's senior director of policy. Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, encouraged Gruters to recraft the proposed change to allow 'soft' maintenance needs at state parks, but to eliminate any 'commercialization.' While the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee passed the bill, it said more work is needed on the parks issue. What will the State Park Preservation Act do? The State Park Preservation Act, in its current form, is a 15-page bill that is aimed at directing state parks and preserves to be managed for conservation-based outdoor recreational uses, public access and scientific research. In its summary, the Senate Fiscal Committee clarifies that 'conservation-based public outdoor recreational uses' do not include sporting facilities like golf courses, ball fields, pickleball and tennis courts or any other sport requiring such facilities. Instead, the goal is to ensure any development for recreational uses minimizing impacts to undisturbed habitat while using disturbed upland regions to the maximum extend practicable. The bill would allow the installation of certain camping cabins but within certain constraints. Advisory groups and public input are a big part of the bill. Individual management plans for parcels over 160 acres and those located within state parks would require input from an advisory group and mandate public hearings and notices within a certain time frame. How many state parks does Florida have? Florida has one of the biggest park services in the country. It currently manages 175 state parks, which includes over 813,000 acres and 100 miles of beach.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers call for changes to Florida's school voucher funding
The big story: As Florida's voucher program has grown, school district officials have raised concerns about their ability to keep track of students and funding as they move in and out of classrooms. The state Senate has proposed changing the education funding program to streamline the process. Sponsors say the measure also should help improve the reimbursement model that has frustrated many voucher recipients. 'With input from stakeholders across the spectrum of school choice, this bill creates reasonable timeframes and mechanisms to improve both transparency and efficiency in education funding,' Sen. Don Gaetz said in a news release. Here's the bill, which is scheduled to be presented in committee on Wednesday. Read more from News Service of Florida. Today in Tallahassee ... The Senate Appropriations Committee on PreK-12 Education will hear four bills including SB 1470 on security when it meets at 1:30 p.m. • The Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education will consider two bills and appointments to the board of 10 colleges and universities when it meets at 4 p.m. • The House Commerce Committee will take up its version of a rural communities improvement bill (HB 1427) when it meets at 4 p.m. Running the Ringling: Many museum supporters are questioning the ability of New College to handle the complex operations of the Ringling Museum if it were to take over, as Gov. Ron DeSantis has suggested, Suncoast Searchlight reports. Merger proposal: A plan to merge Tallahassee State College and Lively Technical College will not move forward, WFSU reports. Federal programs: South Florida education leaders are exploring the potential impacts of dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, the Miami Herald reports. More reaction from WFSU, Central Florida Public Media, Florida Phoenix. Environmental education: Pinellas County has approved $2.7 million to refurbish the education centers at two nature preserves, Suncoast News reports. Diversity, equity and inclusion: Florida lawmakers are continuing Florida's efforts to remove diversity, equity and inclusion programs from K-12 schools, local and state governments, and health care, Politico Florida reports. Classroom technology: Broward County schools are working on a better way to keep inventory after the disappearance of several computers bought for student use during the pandemic, the Sun-Sentinel reports. Civil rights investigations: Seven other Florida universities offer the same scholarship that the University of South Florida faces a federal investigation over, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Choices: The Santa Rosa County school district has begun offering virtual courses for students who receive vouchers, Navarre Press reports. Campus leadership: Escambia County commissioners are asking the state Senate to reject Scott Yenor as a trustee for the University of West Florida, saying his views on women in the workplace are a threat for their community, WEAR reports. Bus safety: The Polk County Sheriff's Office is paid $84 an hour to review school bus camera footage for possible passing violations, the Ledger reports. From the police blotter ... A St. Lucie County school bus aide was arrested on accusations of aggressively shaking a student with special needs, TC Palm reports. • The Citrus County Sheriff's Office is investigating a complaint that the school district was scammed out of a large amount of money, the Citrus County Chronicle reports. Don't miss a story. Here's a link to Friday's roundup. Before you go ... Baba Yaga has a new release out. Check out their sound.
