The News Service of Florida

Pointing to a “hierarchy” that requires school districts to follow state laws and rules, the Florida Department of Health is asking a judge to toss out a challenge by six school boards to a rule that seeks to prevent student mask mandates during the pandemic.

The State Board of Education on Thursday ratcheted up discipline against eight county school boards that have maintained student mask mandates to try to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Some school districts that have imposed student mask requirements aren’t backing down, despite state threats of financial penalties and a revamped Florida Department of Health rule aimed at bolstering parental choice on masks.

As Congress looks to craft legislation governing college athletes’ ability to cash in on their names, images and likenesses, Florida’s system could come under fire because it allows universities to set their own rules on the types of companies that can sign contracts with athletes.

Trulieve, the state’s largest medical marijuana operator, is now the nation’s biggest cannabis retailer, after closing on a $2.1 billion deal to acquire former competitor Harvest Health & Recreation Inc. The transaction marks a major development in Florida, where Harvest held one of 22 licenses to cultivate, process and sell medical marijuana to a growing patient population.

The chairman of a commission created to investigate Florida’s deadliest school shooting raised concerns this week that a key state office tasked with helping districts maintain safety on campuses may be understaffed.

A physician who orders medical marijuana for patients is accusing state health officials of breaking the law to create fake records in a sting operation involving an investigator falsely posing as a military veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder.

About 50 educators were unable to cash $1,000 bonus checks they received from the state, Florida Department of Education officials acknowledged Friday. The agency says the state is working to correct the mistake.

The Florida Department of Health is trying to scuttle a public-records lawsuit seeking information about COVID-19, arguing that requested reports don’t exist and that the underlying data is confidential.

A top corrections official offered a stark picture of Florida’s prison system Wednesday, warning that lawmakers must boost salaries of corrections workers to avert a looming disaster as the system grapples with high turnover rates, dangerously low staffing levels and fatigued employees.