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1 week ago | 
ocalagazette.com | Jim Saunders |Caroline Brauchler
TALLAHASSEE — Pointing to ongoing threats to manatees, a U.S. district judge Friday said the state has violated the federal Endangered Species Act in its regulation of wastewater discharges into the Indian River Lagoon. Orlando-based Judge Carlos Mendoza issued a 21-page decision that sided with the environmental group Bear Warriors United, which argued discharges into the waterway along the East Coast led to the demise of seagrass and, as a result, deaths and other harm to manatees.
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1 month ago | 
ocalagazette.com | Jim Saunders |Caroline Brauchler
TALLAHASSEE — A Florida Senate committee Tuesday approved a bill that would prevent insurers from using artificial intelligence as the sole basis for denying claims, with the proposal saying decisions should be made by a “qualified human professional,” The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee unanimously backed the proposal (SB 794), which comes as other states […] To access this entire article, you must Become an Ocala Gazette Member or . Already a member?
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1 month ago | 
ocalagazette.com | Jim Saunders |Caroline Brauchler
TALLAHASSEE — Florida House members Friday began digging into questions about property-insurance companies sending money to affiliated firms and shareholders while arguing the industry was losing money. During a three-hour hearing, the House Insurance & Banking Subcommittee grilled state Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky and former Commissioner David Altmaier about a 2022 report that, in part, detailed money going to affiliated firms.
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1 month ago | 
yoursun.com | Jim Saunders |Tom Urban
TALLAHASSEE — Florida House Republicans on Wednesday backed a proposal that would repeal part of a law passed after the 2018 mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and allow people under age 21 to buy rifles and shotguns. The GOP-controlled House Criminal Justice Subcommittee voted 13-5 along straight party lines to approve the proposal (HB 759). kAm%96 w@FD6 A2DD65 DF49 3:==D :?
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1 month ago | 
ocalagazette.com | Jim Saunders |Caroline Brauchler
TALLAHASSEE — After fierce — and expensive — political battles last year about abortion rights and recreational marijuana, Florida lawmakers Thursday began moving forward with a proposal that would place additional restrictions on the ballot-initiative process. Gov. Ron DeSantis has made the issue a priority after he led efforts that in November defeated initiatives aimed […] To access this entire article, you must Become an Ocala Gazette Member or .
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1 month ago | 
ocalagazette.com | Jim Saunders |Caroline Brauchler
TALLAHASSEE — While saying Florida has been a leader on issues such as cracking down on illegal immigration, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday helped launch the 2025 legislative session by calling for revamping the ballot-initiative process, curbing property taxes and revisiting gun laws. DeSantis largely stuck to broad ideas, rather than detailed plans, during his annual State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature in the House chamber.
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1 month ago | 
ocalagazette.com | Jim Saunders |Caroline Brauchler
TALLAHASSEE — With school districts across the state expressing support, Florida senators Monday started moving forward with a bill that would repeal requirements aimed at later daily start times in many high schools. Lawmakers in 2023 approved the requirements, citing a need for older students to get more sleep. The requirements are slated to take […] To access this entire article, you must Become an Ocala Gazette Member or . Already a member?
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2 months ago | 
ocalagazette.com | Jim Saunders |Caroline Brauchler
TALLHASSEE — Three days into his job, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Thursday announced a class-action lawsuit that alleges Target Corp. did not properly disclose to investors the risks of a 2023 LGBTQ Pride campaign that drew a consumer backlash and caused a drop in the retailer’s stock price. Uthmeier and private attorneys filed […] To access this entire article, you must Become an Ocala Gazette Member or . Already a member? Click here to log in.
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2 months ago | 
ocalagazette.com | Jim Saunders |Caroline Brauchler
TALLAHASSEE — After a bipartisan uproar last year about a proposal dubbed the “Great Outdoors Initiative,” the Florida Senate on Tuesday began moving forward with a bill that would prevent building such things as golf courses, pickleball courts and hotel-style lodges in state parks. The Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee unanimously approved the bill […] To access this entire article, you must Become an Ocala Gazette Member or . Already a member?
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2 months ago | 
ocalagazette.com | Jim Saunders |Caroline Brauchler
TALLAHASSEE — Florida regulators have approved new rates for the state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp., with premiums for the most-common type of homeowners policy increasing by a statewide average of 6.6 percent. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation trimmed proposed rate increases that Citizens submitted last year. Also, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that many […] To access this entire article, you must Become an Ocala Gazette Member or .
