TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Incarcerated women could soon be guaranteed access to basic hygiene products, like pads and tampons, under a bill awaiting Gov. Ron DeSantis's signature. Growing complaints about the treatment of women behind bars has caught state lawmakers' attention and prompted passage of the "Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act." It would require prisons and jails to make feminine-hygiene products available "at no cost to the woman, and in a quantity that is appropriate" for her needs.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The public can weigh in on fishing boats using a device that could save millions of deep-water fish from dying of the bends during catch-and-release. Fishermen often discard fish that aren't their target species, when they exceed catch limits or when the fish are too small. Federal research says of the six reef fish species caught most in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, about 11% that are thrown back die after release.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Legislature is considering bills that would make it easier for people to get some of their healthcare services – possibly including eye care – online.The "telehealth" bills help doctors use technology to provide services to patients remotely. It's a big change that has many industry groups at odds over the regulatory framework. However, supporters say the expansion should include ocular telehealth, or online eye care. They say it can provide affordable and much-needed access to people in hard-to- reach communities.

MIAMI – Exactly one year from Monday, the official count of every resident of the United States begins with the 2020 Census. But Florida has long had problems getting an accurate count of its children. Nearly 1 million children were missed in the last census, according to data from Florida KIDS COUNT. It's a major concern, because the census count determines the federal dollars allocated to communities, as well as how they're represented in Congress. Donovan Lee-Sin, public policy and community engagement officer for The Children's Trust, says at least 200,000 children could go uncounted, simply because their families are hard to reach.

March 4, 2019 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Those who provide comfort and protection for Floridians in crisis say they need more support. March is National Professional Social Work Month, and in Florida, more than 21,000 social workers provide assistance in schools, hospitals, mental health facilities and social service agencies. Jim Akin, executive director of the National Association of Social Workers in Florida, says social workers often are unrecognized and under-compensated for their work, and that people often are surprised when they realize that social workers are everywhere.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Gov. Ron DeSantis says he wants to give teachers a bonus of more than $9,000 in the coming year. It's his second big education announcement, after an executive order last week to eliminate Common Core standards from Florida schools.The proposed bonus is welcome news for cash-strapped teachers who sometimes dip into their own pockets to purchase school supplies. However, some have warned that it might be a massive and costly overhaul to remove elements of academic standards known as Common Core from the Florida Standards.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida's new elections chief was forced to resign on Thursday after just three weeks on the job, when a newspaper published pictures of him appearing in blackface. Secretary of State Michael Ertel resigned just hours after testifying before a state legislative committee about elections lawsuits following Florida's controversial midterms.The Tallahassee Democrat published photos of him at a Halloween party in 2005, dressed in blackface, wearing earrings, a New Orleans Saints bandanna and fake breasts, under a shirt with "Katrina Victim" written on it.