2023 Florida Legislature

The 60-day legislative session hits the halfway mark this week.

The bill also clarifies that the Florida surgeon general does not have the authority to order people to get vaccinations.

The proposal, passed by the House Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee, comes after a statewide public health emergency lasted for more than a year in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID pandemic.

The Senate bill immediately drew criticism Monday from Rep. Anna Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat who called it “absurd to drop a 98-page elections bill with just a 24-hour notice for its first hearing.”

The vote was mostly along party lines, with two Republicans joining Democrats in opposition.

Opponents of Florida's universal choice plan worry resegregation in public schools will only accelerate.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed into law a measure that allows people to carry concealed weapons without a permit in Florida. The law takes effect July 1.

The event comes as state lawmakers seek to limit what topics can be taught at Florida's public colleges and universities.

The 2023 Florida Legislative session continues to ramp up with the latest approval of four education bills in House.

Under the bill, middle schools would begin the “instructional day” no earlier than 8 a.m., while high schools would be barred from starting the school day before 8:30 a.m.

Historically, school-board candidates ran with partisan labels, but voters in 1998 passed a constitutional amendment to shift to non-partisan races.

The bill would ban discussion on those issues through eighth grade, a year after lawmakers banned those discussions through third grade. It was among several measures approved, including later school start times.