Robbie Gaffney

Hurricane Michael destroyed about 2.8 million acres of trees, and the leftover debris is creating a serious threat of wildland fire to certain panhandle communities.

Last spring, the coronavirus pandemic forced schools across the state to shut down, and teachers to move their lessons online, which Denise Wilson said was a struggle from the start for her son Brady. He is among the nearly 15% of public school students in Florida who have a disability and receive special education services.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is considering banning people from buying tegus and green iguanas to keep as pets.

The state already has programs like Silver Alert, which cover adults who have dementia and Alzheimer’s, and the Amber Alert for children.

Florida could soon have official state projections for how sea-level rise and flooding could impact the state’s coastline.

Lawmakers are working to repeal a Florida law that bans same sex marriage. State courts can’t stop same sex couples from getting married due to a 2015 federal ruling. But LGBTQ advocates worry if that ruling ever gets repealed, same sex marriages in Florida won’t be protected.

Members of a task force would recommend strategies for identifying, recording, and memorializing neglected and abandoned black cemeteries.

Sen. Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersburg) is eyeing clean energy. He’s filed several proposals aimed at energy innovation.

Last night, Congress passed a COVID-19 relief package. In it, more than $284 billion will go to the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). It gives loans to small businesses who then use that money to pay their employees. The program's goal is to prevent layoffs for businesses impacted by the pandemic. The program stopped accepting applications in early August, but now, if President Trump signs the COVID-19 aid package, business owners could once again apply for PPP loans.