State

(The Center Square) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday that Floridians will receive additional funding for toll relief.

Toll relief began April 1 and will save some commuters who frequently drive through toll plazas hundreds of dollars over the course of a year after the state has promised to reimburse 50% of those toll costs back to drivers.

"We were able in 2023 to do the most significant toll relief program in the history of the state, we were able to rebate 50% of all the tolls from our commuters on a monthly basis," DeSantis said.

St. Lucie, FL – In honor of the late FWC Senior Investigator Kyle Lee Patterson's profound contributions to his community and his enduring legacy, a special dedication ceremony took place on March 29, unveiling the marker designating a portion of State Route 70 as Kyle Lee Patterson Memorial Way. 

(The Center Square) — The Florida Public Service Commission approved a settlement Tuesday that will allow Florida Power & Light to provide its customers with a reimbursement.

FPL will reimburse its customers $5 million after they were charged "replacement" power costs when the Turkey Point and St. Lucie nuclear plants experienced outages between 2020 and 2022.

Spring has arrived and wildlife is becoming more active, including our state’s black bears.

The spawning season closure for permit inside the Special Permit Zone in south Florida starts April 1. This closure includes all state and federal waters south of Cape Sable on the Gulf coast, and south of Cape Florida on the Atlantic coast including all of the Florida Keys and Biscayne Bay south of Rickenbacker Causeway. 

Permit will reopen inside the Special Permit Zone on Aug. 1. 

MarketBeat.com --

(The Center Square) — A recently released report has shown huge growth in Florida's manufacturing sector, which is responsible for almost half a million jobs in the Sunshine State.

The recreational harvest of greater amberjack in Atlantic state waters will close on April 1 and remain closed through April 30.

Last year, the FWC Commission approved a rule to establish an April recreational spawning season closure consistent with the current commercial closure. The new rule went into effect in late 2023, following the implementation of consistent regulations for adjacent Atlantic federal waters.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is sharing the reminder that sea turtles are starting to nest on our beaches. Residents and visitors can play a big part in helping to protect vulnerable nesting sea turtles this spring and summer while visiting Florida’s coastal habitats.