Five of today’s top Florida political stories at your fingertips:

Senate approves in-state tuition for undocumented students: The Florida Senate voted Thursday to let undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities. The 26-13 vote came as no surprise. The sponsor, Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, was confident he had the votes for week. But that didn’t stop him from getting emotional in debate on Thursday. “The eyes of America are on us,” Latvala said moments before the vote. “I think we’re setting an example. I think we’re doing the right thing.” Read more

House passes non-euphoric medical marijuana bill: The Florida House passed a plan Thursday to legalize a non-euphoric version of marijuana under the auspices of helping cancer patients and families with children suffering from degenerative epilepsy. The bill, SB 1030, would create a legal system for producing, dispensing and studying the drug in Florida for patients who are permanent residents of the state with cancer or the conditions leading to seizures. Both the House and Senate have advanced different plans to legalize the version of cannabis nicknamed “Charlotte’s Web” after a Colorado child… Read more

Under federal investigation, ex-Rep. David Rivera announces he’ll run for congress again: David Rivera, the former Miami congressman under investigation in a complicated campaign-financing case, announced on Wednesday night that he intends to run again for the United States House of Representatives. Rivera made his announcement on Spanish-language Mega TV, where he brushed aside talk of the federal investigation as lies propagated by The Miami Herald for its investigative work that has resulted in one federal conviction and the federal indictment of his close gal pal, Ana Alliegro. Read more

Florida Legislature passes school textbook bill: Parents would have a chance to object to textbooks used at public schools under a bill passed Thursday by the Florida Legislature. The bill was inspired both by ongoing criticisms about the state’s transition to new school standards as well as a dispute in Volusia County over a textbook that some parents wanted pulled over complaints that it offered a pro-Islamic worldview. But the legislation will not eliminate state review of textbooks as originally sought by sponsors of the bill. Instead, school boards will continue to decide whether to review textbooks locally, or continue to rely on the state-approved list. Read more

Blaise Ingoglia Says He Won’t Run for RPOF Chair: Republican Party of Florida Vice Chair Blaise Ingoglia announced Thursday evening he will not be seeking the chairman position within the party, crossing another name off the list of potential candidates to replace chairman Lenny Curry. “I would personally like to thank Chairman Lenny Curry for his service to our state party and his dedication to grassroots Republicans across Florida,” wrote Ingoglia in a statement. Read More

For more Florida political news, visit BPR’s FLORIDA NEWS page

• Author
• Recent Posts

Tom Tillison

Senior Staff Writer
[email protected]

The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.

Latest posts by Tom Tillison (see all)

• Tucker releases part 2 of Devon Archer’s riveting interview - August 4, 2023
• Biden handlers forced to ‘adjust for age,’ roll out shorter Air Force One staircase - July 21, 2023
• Woman claims self-defense after allegedly shooting neighbor following altercation with playing children - June 7, 2023

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.