Florida News – Highlights from around the state – January 23rd
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the some of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you in South Florida.
- Wednesday’s low temps registered as the coldest statewide since February of 2013. Every county in the state experienced the coldest temps in at least two years.
- According to Florida Election Commission filings, and reported by Florida Politics, former Senator Bill Nelson kept his campaign fund open throughout 2019 paying his treasurer $126,000 – a raise over what she received while he was in office. The campaign fund, which had over $1 million in donations and remains open, also paid over $500 per month in service plans for mobile devices and $6,000 per month for consulting.
- The parental consent bill cleared its final senate committee and will be taken up by the full Florida Senate. Governor DeSantis advocated for its passage in his state of the state speech after it stalled in last year’s session.
- The Sunshine Scholarship Program bill calling for two new scholarships covering tuition and fees for students who pledge to live and work in Florida upon graduation advanced. To be eligible the student’s annual household income must be $50,000 or less and they must maintain at least a 2.5 GPA in school.
- The House voted to end Florida’s Constitution Revision Commission which meets every twenty years and was responsible for the record number of proposed amendments on our 2018 ballots.
- AG Ashley Moody was named to the newly created Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice. The Commission’s goal is to address the needs of local law enforcement including assisting with training, recruitment and community outreach.