Florida News – Highlights from around the state – January 28th
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the some of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you in South Florida.
- FPL has installed solar panels in Bayfront Park to create a “Solar Amphitheater” during the Super Bowl festivities this week. The panels installed are sufficient to power the park throughout the upcoming concert season according to FPL.
- Florida’s House and Senate began discussions on a potential deal with Governor DeSantis to potentially enable sports gaming in Florida. This after the Seminole Tribe stopped payments to the state last spring due to a lack of enforcement of the Seminole Combat by the state.
- A Senate bill allowing for a moment of silence at the start of school days advanced Monday. The bill calls for at least a minute of silence, not to exceed two minutes, to begin each school day. It’s opposed by the American Anti-Defamation League and National Organization of Women.
- A bill that’d require warning labels to “Play Responsibly” on Florida Lottery tickets advanced in the House. Similar legislation passed the state legislature last year but was vetoed by Governor DeSantis.
- Governor’s DeSantis’s proposed legislation to curb wastewater abuse passed its first Senate Committee unanimously. The proposal would increase penalties on violators by an average of 50%
- The bill to enable Florida Fish and Wildlife and the Florida Forest Service to fly drones to combat invasive species passed in its Senate committee unanimously and appears to be on track for passage in the session.
- Florida’s Republican Party passed a resolution in support of E-Verify in support of Governor DeSantis’s push on the issue. Republican leadership in the Florida legislature – including Senate President Galvano and House Speaker Oliva have opposed mandating E-Verify statewide.