Manatee County Commissioner Carol Ann Felts, 68, died Tuesday; county officials called the passing sudden. The Board will honor her at a March 3 meeting and the sheriff's office is investigating.

Senators advanced "Meg’s Law," a bill to limit where flavored nitrous‑oxide canisters can be sold and to impose felony penalties on retailers who sell them. The measure now heads to final floor votes in both chambers.

SB 1756 cleared a Senate committee in Tallahassee, creating a conscience exemption for school vaccines and authorizing behind‑the‑counter ivermectin while narrowing emergency vaccine powers.

A sweeping Florida education bill would require HD fetal‑development videos in grades 6–12, let parents opt out and fold math, attendance and curriculum rules into one package.

Florida's public counsel says FPL customers are already paying into a multiyear settlement and that his office is appealing the commission's approval.

New bills in Tallahassee would send bail refunds back to defendants, critics say, starving nonprofit bail funds and increasing pretrial jail time and taxpayer costs.

Florida’s Board of Education added U.S. actions against Nicolás Maduro — from 2020 indictments to a January military operation — to high‑school anti‑communism standards that will reach classrooms this fall.

Preliminary VISIT FLORIDA estimates show 143.3 million visitors in 2025, driven by domestic travel and a record fourth quarter. The tally could reshape spring travel across Orlando, Miami and the Gulf Coast.

Photos show deputies training on new body cameras and the sheriff’s office says the devices will be used beginning the next shift. The move follows months of debate over costs and transparency.

The Florida Senate unanimously passed SB 52 to let unpaid volunteers serve as armed security at houses of worship under sheriff‑approved plans. The move has prompted debate over training and liability.

A coalition of seven Florida private schools says Step Up For Students failed to deliver millions in scholarship dollars, straining small and special‑needs programs and spawning a Duval County lawsuit.

A quick guide to Plant City9s April 7, 2026 municipal election: key dates, early voting at City Hall, mail-ballot deadlines and who9s running.

The Bernie McCabe Second DCA courthouse opened in downtown St. Petersburg — a $59M, three‑story building with a single high‑tech courtroom and suites for 15 judges.