The Rotunda
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Gov. Ron DeSantis says Florida will use nearly $1 billion in federal CARES Act funds to help schools reopen at full capacity in August, as educators say every penny counts in order to do so safely. Special-needs teacher Peggy Sue Sternad, president of Gilchrist Employees United, says schools will need additional personnel and supplies beyond papers, books and pencils.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - LGBTQ people in the southern U.S. are living under the "most hostile policy landscape" in the country, according to a new report that says Florida may be the exception.
The report by the Movement Advancement Project examined 14 southern states and found unfriendly policies for the one in three individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning - and who call the South home.
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 It would force the lake to be managed at higher water levels that critics say are outdated.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.
