The Rotunda
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - About 30 Florida conservation groups are telling Congress to reject a proposal that could lead to more water being kept in Lake Okeechobee during the dry season. Sugarcane and other farmer companies are pushing for what's known as the "Savings Clause" to be included in this year's Water Resources Development Act. It would force the lake to be managed at higher water levels that critics say are outdated.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A federal judge has signaled he'll find part of a Florida law restricting the voting rights of people with felony records unconstitutional. At the end of the trial Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle made it clear he intends to rule that Florida cannot force a person convicted of a felony to pay outstanding court debts in order to be eligible to vote.
Episode 172: Reopening Florida Featured
THE ROTUNDA – On this episode, Governor Ron DeSantis outlines his plan for reopening Florida this week. Gomes talks with Debra Bennett, Florida state organizer for the National Council of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, who highlights the growing number of COVID-19 cases at the Department of Corrections.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The first two deaths in Florida's prison system related to the coronavirus comes as the system is seeing a spike in both staff and people serving time testing positive for COVID-19. Just over a week ago, the Florida Department of Corrections said 12 staff members and no inmates had tested positive. As of Tuesday, that grew to 56 staff members and 35 inmates, with a majority of the case explosion happening at the Blackwater River Correctional Facility in Florida's Panhandle, where two individuals reportedly died.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- In the quest to restore voting rights to the nearly 1.4 million Floridians with prior felony convictions, there is new hope that a class action designation will make that possible. Last week, a federal appeals court rejected a request by Gov. Ron DeSantis to review a prior decision which blocked a state law requiring former felons to pay back all legal financial obligations before they vote.
