Government and politics

A leading advocate for abandoned Black cemeteries sharply criticized Florida lawmakers for killing a bill that would have helped identify, protect and restore burial grounds across the state. “I want to know, many of these legislators, where are they from?” asked Gloria Jefferson Anderson, who is leading the cemetery restoration …

WUFT · Alachua County School Board selects Shane Andrew as interim superintendent The Alachua County School Board voted 3-2 in favor of Shane Andrew as the new interim Alachua County Superintendent in Tuesday’s meeting. Chairman Robert Hyatt and board member Tina Certain nominated and voted for Andrew, who previously served …

The Walldogs call themselves a group of hundreds of highly skilled sign painters and mural artists, who for nearly 30 years have helped small towns to boost their tourism by leaving behind beautiful, handcrafted works of art depicting local history.

The Florida Senate on Tuesday gave final passage to a bill that would restrict classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity and the measure now heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to sign it.  The Parental Rights in Education bill – what critics have labeled the “Don’t …

Lee Pinkoson had one last piece of business to finish before retiring from the Alachua County Commission in 2018: the Agriculture and Equestrian Center in Newberry.

A bill with bipartisan support aimed at protecting college students by increasing penalties against those who sexually assault intoxicated victims is dying as Florida’s legislative session comes to a close. The measure would have raised the penalty for raping a woman who had become drunk at a bar while celebrating …

TAMPA, Fla. – Environmental advocates are encouraged that a bill to open Florida’s seagrass beds to development – which could be devastating for the dwindling manatee population – has only a slim chance of passing the Legislature this session. “We would be destroying what little seagrass we have left in …

For the first time, out-of-state applicants to universities across Florida are finding out whether they will be among 350 students who will save tens of thousands of dollars with in-state tuition under a new law rewarding them as grandchildren of residents here. The tuition discounts are the result of a …