Tallahassee – Undocumented immigrants convicted of first-degree murder or raping children would face mandatory death sentences, under bills advanced Feb. 12 by key House and Senate committees.

Tallahassee – After a bipartisan uproar last year about a proposal dubbed the “Great Outdoors Initiative,” the Florida Senate on Feb. 11 began moving forward with a bill that would prevent building such things as golf courses, pickleball courts and hotel-style lodges in state parks.

Tallahassee – A Senate Republican on Feb. 11 filed a bill that combs through state laws and would replace references to the “Gulf of Mexico” with the “Gulf of America” after President Donald Trump issued an executive order to rename the gulf.

Tallahassee – After losing at the Florida Supreme Court, attorneys for convicted murderer James Ford this weekend quickly asked the U.S. Supreme Court to halt his scheduled execution Feb. 6.

Tallahassee – The Florida International University Board of Trustees on Friday approved appointing Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez as the school’s interim president, setting the stage for Gov. Ron DeSantis to choose a new lieutenant governor.

Tallahassee – Arguing that elections officials overstepped their authority, state Rep. Debbie Mayfield on Thursday filed an emergency petition at the Florida Supreme Court after being blocked from running in a special election for a Senate seat.

Tallahassee – Nearly seven years after the law passed, the National Rifle Association contends that a new court ruling bolsters its constitutional challenge to a Florida measure that bars people under age 21 from buying rifles and shotguns.

Tallahassee – Florida higher-education leaders want to quickly hear how universities need to address a pending national legal settlement that is expected to lead to schools facing at least $22.5 million a year in new athletic-department costs.

Tallahassee – Gov. Ron DeSantis on Jan. 29 pledged to veto an immigration bill passed during a special legislative session Jan. 28, triggering a potential showdown with Republican House and Senate leaders in a tug-of-war over efforts to carry out President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Tallahassee – Saying they are trying to help President Donald Trump crack down on illegal immigration, Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature late Jan. 28 passed a plan that includes boosting criminal penalties for undocumented immigrants, ending in-state tuition rates for undocumented-immigrant students and creating a state “chief immigration officer.”