After Florida Power & Light said the tab for restoring electricity after Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole was lower than expected, state regulators Thursday approved a proposal that will reduce the amount of storm costs passed along to customers.

Fruit and vegetable growers who say they are combating “unfair foreign trade” from Mexico want support during the 2024 legislative session with issues such as artificial intelligence and mechanization that could reduce labor costs.

Peppering lawyers for the state and the Florida Chamber of Commerce with questions, some Florida Supreme Court justices appeared skeptical Wednesday of arguments that the court should reject a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow recreational use of marijuana by people 21 or older.

The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday said state regulators did not adequately justify approval of a settlement that increased base electric rates for Florida Power & Light and ordered a new explanation. Justices, in a 4-2 opinion, sent a battle about the settlement back to the Florida Public Service Commission, saying regulators in a 2021 decision did not meet a legal requirement of showing why the agreement “is in the public interest and results in rates that are fair, just and reasonable.”

The House on Wednesday gave final approval to a bill aimed at curbing thefts of catalytic converters from vehicles. The House voted 105-2 to pass the bill (SB 306), which the Senate approved unanimously early this month.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a measure that will allow Floridians to carry guns without concealed-weapons licenses. The Republican-controlled Senate gave final approval to the measure (HB 543) on Thursday, about a week after the House passed it.

Tallahassee — With backing from Speaker Paul Renner, a House panel last week approved a bill that would lower the minimum age to buy rifles and other long guns in Florida from 21 to 18. The bill (HB 1543) would reverse part of a 2018 law that set the minimum age at 21 after a gunman killed 17 students and faculty members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Nikolas Cruz, then 19, used a semi-automatic rifle to carry out the attack.

Researchers have put forward a second above-normal forecast for the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season. Colorado State University researchers on Thursday predicted 19 named storms, with nine growing into hurricanes, for the season that runs from June 1 to November 30.

With the Board of County Commissioners and Santa Rosa Tourist Development Council behind the City of Milton’s vision, a new Milton Riverwalk Park may begin.