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.”

Tallahassee – A more than year-long legal battle between Florida State University and the Atlantic Coast Conference continued to ratchet up Monday, with the conference turning to the Florida Supreme Court to try to halt a lawsuit filed by FSU.

Tallahassee – Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature will revamp immigration laws this week but issued a sharp rebuke Jan. 27 to Gov. Ron DeSantis that included overriding a budget veto from last year.

Tallahassee – Despite retirees continuing to reduce the size of the labor force and a slight bump in the number of Floridians out of work, the state’s unemployment rate held steady in December.

Tallahassee – After President Donald Trump on Jan. 20 issued an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf America, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis jumped on the idea.

Tallahassee – Former House Majority Leader Adam Hasner is one of three finalists to become president of Florida Atlantic University, after five other ex-lawmakers have been appointed to top state higher-education posts in recent years.