TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Dennis “Rick” Dingle and Dell Hoard Sr. and the reappointment of Tina Clary and Tammy “Chereese” Stewart to the Clay County Development Authority.
Attorney General Ashley Moody announced the arrest of Mary Elizabeth Graham for defrauding the Florida Medicaid program. The Leon County Sheriff’s Office apprehended Graham following an investigation by Attorney General Moody’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU).
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is launching the Florida panther Payment for Ecosystem Services pilot program. The initiative aims to benefit private landowners and the panther population by providing per-acre payments for habitat conditions that support panther conservation and landscape connectivity.
FloridaCommerce announced today that the Fort Lauderdale metro area led all metro areas in job gains over the year in several industry sectors for August 2024. The sectors with notable increases include government (+4,500 jobs), other services (+4,400 jobs), and trade, transportation, and utilities (+4,300 jobs). The private sector employment in the Fort Lauderdale area reached 823,000 in August 2024, marking an increase of 20,200 jobs or a growth rate of 2.5% over the previous year.
FloridaCommerce has announced that the state's private sector job growth continues to surpass the national average, with a 2.1% increase over the year since August 2023, compared to the national rate of 1.4%. This achievement is attributed to strategic investments in workforce education and development.
A joint initiative to combat drunk driving in the U.S., called "Decide to Ride" was launched by partners Uber, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and Anheuser-Busch as they address rising alcohol-impaired fatalities.
At its September meeting in Duck Key, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved rule amendments creating a block grant option within the established FWC derelict vessel and public nuisance vessel removal grant program.
FloridaCommerce has approved over $3.2 million in funding through the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program to support small businesses impacted by Hurricane Debby. As of now, 82 businesses have been approved for these funds, with more applications being processed daily.
Tallahassee, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch has released its second economic commentary in a new quarterly series, titled "Florida Economic Forecast: 2023-2028 / Q2 2024." The data for these forecasts is provided through a partnership with the Regional Economic Consulting Group (REC Group), which conducts economic studies to guide business leaders and policymakers.
PINELLAS PARK, Fla.—Today, Governor Ron DeSantis held another roundtable discussion with condo owners and association leaders to discuss solutions for condominium building safety and address concerns about the cost and implementation of new legislation. Last week, Governor DeSantis conducted a similar roundtable in Miami Lakes.
On Tuesday, the Federal Reserve announced a 0.50 percentage point interest rate cut, its first reduction since March 2020. This cut aligns with the Florida Chamber Foundation’s 2024 economic forecast, which projected a rate cut in the second half of 2024. This larger-than-expected cut, surpassing the 0.25 percentage point drop forecasted by many economists, reflects the Fed’s determination to prevent the U.S. economy from slowing down amid rising concerns over a softening job market. The cut is expected to lead to lower borrowing costs for both businesses and consumers,...
Florida Realtors Chief Economist Dr. Brad O’Connor stated, “In August, Florida’s single-family home market was fairly calm. Closed sales declined by 1.1% year-over-year, and as has been the case for most of the year, they have tracked pretty close to last year’s totals. Year to date through August, closed sales of single-family homes are down 1.7%.”
At its September meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved changes to the marine fisheries trip ticket reporting requirements.
Today, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and partners celebrated a successful 2024 Florida Python Challenge™ by announcing the final results and winners of the 10-day competition. This year, 857 participants from 33 states and Canada helped support Everglades conservation by collectively removing 195 invasive Burmese pythons from South Florida as part of the competition, with the Ultimate Grand Prize winner removing a total of 20 pythons. The aim of the Florida Python Challenge™ is to increase awareness about invasive species and the threats they...
At its September meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) proposed changes to improve the Marine Special Activity License (SAL) program licensing process, accommodate additional requested activities, and update provisions to several license types.
At its September meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved classifying the oceanic whitetip shark as a prohibited species within Florida state waters.
One might as well use cash to light fires as to ignore potential regulations, which can be extremely expensive, both directly and indirectly. Regulations yield duties that must be discharged. Failure to discharge them triggers investigations, fines, litigation, class actions, and other consequences.
Today, Senator Rand Paul and Representative Kat Cammack reintroduced the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act in the 118th United States Congress.