2021 Florida Legislature

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the measure live on Fox News. It's the latest Republican-led effort to alter state voting rules following record-breaking turnout during the 2020 election.

Sen. Randolph Bracy of Orlando says a police reform bill on its way to Gov. DeSantis is a good first step.

While COVID-19 passports could be used to show people have been vaccinated, ban supporters say the plan strikes a “delicate balance” between protecting people and civil liberties.

Manatees are getting $8 million under the state budget lawmakers agreed to this week.

Florida could become the latest state to revamp its election laws following the 2020 presidential cycle. The legislation follows disproven claims of voter fraud in other states by former President Donald Trump.

Under the measure on its way to Gov. Ron DeSantis, female students’ eligibility for sports teams would be based on their “biological sex” on birth certificates issued “at or near the time of the student’s birth.”

Lawmakers also doubled to $100 million funding for Florida Forever, which preserves environmentally sensitive lands. They agreed to put $300 million from federal stimulus funding toward land conservation.

Advocates praised lawmakers' decision to beef up funding for the program, which helps developmentally disabled people select needed services, but worry about a shortage of providers unless there are pay increases, which wasn't part of the budget proposal.

Environmental advocates are asking for a veto on one of the bills, but are breathing easier after another preemption bill was gutted.

The proposal is a compromise between the Legislative Black Caucus and Republicans, and comes after high-profile deaths of Black Americans by law enforcement.

The bill would have shielded the identities of anyone applying for a job as a state university or college president.

It's aimed at protecting the state's natural and agricultural lands.