Tallahassee – Though they will have to return to Tallahassee to hammer out a budget, Florida lawmakers Friday night finished most of the business of the 2025 legislative session. Here’s a look at 10 big issues from the session — some that passed, some that didn’t and some that remain up in the air.
Tallahassee – With Democrats calling the changes an “assault on the very spirit of Florida’s democracy,” the Republican-controlled Legislature on May 2 finalized a plan that will impose additional hurdles on the ballot-initiative process and heighten penalties for wrongdoing.
Tallahassee – Saying they are responding to residents’ concerns about rising costs, the Florida Legislature on Wednesday signed off on proposed changes to condominium-safety laws passed after the 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside that killed 98 people.
Tallahassee – An appeals court Apr. 30 backed the Florida Department of Health in a dispute that started after health officials moved to block dogs from being in bars in Tampa and Orlando.
Tallahassee – A special House committee will begin hearings this week to consider possible alternatives for asking Florida voters to cut property taxes.
Tallahassee – Saying the Florida Department of Environmental Protection did not adequately consider the sensitive nature of the area, an administrative law judge Apr. 28 said the state should reject a permit to drill for oil near the Apalachicola River.
Tallahassee – With the Senate and House unable to reach agreement on tax cuts and spending, lawmakers will not finish negotiations on a new state budget in time to end the legislative session as scheduled next week.
Tallahassee – After weeks of investigation, a state House leader said Thursday his panel is halting a probe into a foundation linked to First Lady Casey DeSantis’ signature economic-assistance program, Hope Florida.
Tallahassee – The Florida House on Apr. 23 overwhelmingly approved a plan that aims, in part, to ease financial strains on condominium owners, setting up negotiations with the Senate before next week’s scheduled end of the 2025 legislative session.
Tallahassee – Senate President Ben Albritton, a citrus grower from Hardee County, has made what he calls the “rural renaissance” plan a priority of the 2025 legislative session.
