The Center Square) – Florida driver’s licenses and other state government documents would have to list a person’s gender at birth under a bill pending in the House of Representatives.
House Bill 1639 was sponsored by Republican Rep. Doug Bankson, who helped found and is a pastor with his wife at Victory Church in Apopka.
The legislation would also require insurance companies that cover sex transitioning surgery to also cover detransitioning surgery.
“I call it the Compassion and Clarity Act,” the legislator told The Center Square.
(The Center Square) — Gov. Ron DeSantis highlighted the state's historic investment in semiconductor manufacturing in the Sunshine State on Friday.
"We have a lot of exciting things going on in the state of Florida if you look at where we are in things like aerospace, aviation, military and defense, transportation logistics, we are really, really leading the way across a lot of different industries," DeSantis said.
(The Center Square) – More chain stores closed in 2023 as a result of high inflationary costs, with the trend continuing in 2024 led by the iconic department store, Macy’s.
In 2023, retail stores, pharmaceutical and fast-food chains continued a trend of previous years: declaring bankruptcy and closing their doors or shutting down some locations to cut costs, citing inflation, higher costs, and profit losses.
(The Center Square) — Ex-offenders in Florida could have an easier time gaining work licenses, permits and other certifications after a new bill passed through committee on Monday.
(The Center Square) – A top health care official in Florida is accusing the Biden administration of "targeting" the state for Medicaid audits as a political jab against Florida Gov. Ron Desantis.
Jason Weida, secretary of Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration, pointed to emails obtained by Wyoming nonprofit Government Accountability & Oversight that he says show the federal government singled out three red states – Florida, Texas, and Missouri – for audits over alleged misuse of Medicaid funds.
(The Center Square) — Florida lawmakers want to alleviate the state's growing affordable housing shortage by fixing some of the shortfalls in the Live Local Act of 2023.
The bill passed unanimously with the Senate Committee on Community Affairs on Jan. 9 and was due before the Senate Committee on Fiscal Policy on Thursday, however, it was temporarily delayed. No new meeting date has been posted on the state Senate's website.
