By Andrew Powell | The Center Square contributor

(The Center Square) — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis held a news conference in Jacksonville on Monday to propose sweeping changes to education, including a Teacher's Bill of Rights which will empower educators to be leaders in their classrooms.

In the proposed legislation, teachers will have their paychecks protected, while $1 billion will go towards teacher pay increases. School board members will have a maximum term of eight years, instead of twelve.

By Andrew Powell | The Center Square contributor

(The Center Square) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed legislation to make permanent the protections against what the governor calls "the COVID-19 biomedical security state."

The news conference was held in Panama City Beach and DeSantis joined Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo to unveil the governor’s plans to protect the rights of Floridians.

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor

(The Center Square) – Children under age 14 are dying from fentanyl poisoning at a faster rate than any other age group in the U.S., according to a new analysis from Families Against Fentanyl.

In the past two years, synthetic opioid (fentanyl) deaths among children surged.

On Jan. 12, 2023, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Division of Law Enforcement (DLE) filed charges against eight individuals, ranging from second degree misdemeanors to third-degree felonies related to the illegal trafficking of venomous and prohibited snakes.

By Andrew Powell | The Center Square contributor

(The Center Square) — A follow-up audit for the city of Palm Bay by the Florida Auditor General found the city of Palm Bay has corrected all but eight of the 31 issues found in the 2020 report.

Palm Bay City Manager Suzanna Sherman responded to the Auditor General and detailed the findings that needed to be addressed, but had not yet been fully corrected.

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor

(The Center Square) – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday urged President Joe Biden to implement five policies to help secure the U.S. southern border, hand delivering him a letter after the president landed at the El Paso International Airport for his first visit to the border since he took office.