NEW YORK — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is defending an anti-LGBTQ video his campaign shared online that attacks rival Donald Trump for his past support of gay and transgender people, despite some of his fellow Republicans calling it homophobic. DeSantis, in an interview Wednesday on the podcast of conservative commentator Tomi Lahren, did not …
Read More »Group files legal challenge against revamp of Gainesville Regional Utilities
TALLAHASSEE — Arguing that a new Florida law violates First Amendment and other constitutional rights, a non-profit group and Alachua County residents have filed a federal-court challenge to an overhaul of the electric utility in the Gainesville area. The group Gainesville Residents United and six individual plaintiffs filed an 88-page …
Read More »The Point, July 3, 2023: Supreme Court rules against Biden’s student loan forgiveness
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: Doctor urges Fourth of July revelers to practice safety and avoid an ER visit. “Around 10,200 people were treated for fireworks-related injuries in U.S. hospital emergency departments during the 2022 …
Read More »Gov. DeSantis signs “controversial” GRU control bill
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a measure that will overhaul Gainesville Regional Utilities. The utility bill (HB 1645) will create the Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority to replace the longstanding agency. While the authority will be a unit of Gainesville city government, the City Commission will not control or direct …
Read More »DeSantis, appointees to Disney World governing board ask that Disney lawsuit be dismissed
ORLANDO, Fla. — Attorneys for Gov. Ron DeSantis, a state agency and his appointees to a revamped board that governs Disney World are asking a judge to dismiss a federal lawsuit in which Disney claims its free speech rights were violated by the takeover of its governing district. The lawsuit states …
Read More »The Point, June 27, 2023: Susan Lorincz to face manslaughter, not murder, charges
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: White woman who killed Black neighbor will face manslaughter charges, state attorney confirms. “The prosecutor on Monday announced he also dropped charges of misdemeanor assault, misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor culpable …
Read More »Federal judge rejects Florida’s ban on Medicaid coverage on gender-affirming care
TALLAHASSEE — Calling the state’s policy “invidious discrimination” against transgender people, a federal judge ruled that Florida’s prohibition against Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy is unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle’s ruling Wednesday largely echoed a decision he issued earlier this month in …
Read More »The Point, June 22, 2023: Judge blocks Florida’s ban on Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care
U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle made the ruling on Wednesday.
Read More »State seeks to end voter registration lawsuit
TALLAHASSEE — In a dispute rooted in a 2018 constitutional amendment designed to restore voting rights for convicted felons, a judge Tuesday heard arguments in an attempt by the state to end a lawsuit that alleges a voter-registration form violates federal law. Attorneys for Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd …
Read More »The Point, June 16, 2023: DeSantis vetoes Newberry meat facility state funding
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • News Service of Florida: DeSantis vetoes $1.75M in state money for Newberry meat processing facility. “Gov. Ron DeSantis trimmed $510.9 million from a record-high state spending plan signed Thursday, with nearly one-fifth …
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