Florida students will take the state’s standardized tests this year. We do know that much. But what education leaders will do with the results of those tests is still a work in progress. This school year has seen fewer students taking classes in person. There have also been teachers trying to teach in-person and online at the same time. On top of that, there’s been a revolving door in schools due to quarantine protocols. Lynn Hatter reports on where talks about the state’s school accountability now stand.
A Florida bill related to short-term rental properties is becoming a bit less controversial as it moves through committee. As Valerie Crowder reports, the proposed measure would no longer transfer all licensing and inspection authority from the local level to the state, an apparent effort to placate advocates of home rule.
As former marketing vice president for Visit Florida, followed by a stint as director of Florida’s Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development, Dale Brill knows something about tourism promotion. He tells Tom Flanigan that the legislative move now afoot to repeal Visit Florida’s automatic sunset is a very good thing for the state.
Florida parents can already opt their students out of sex education in schools. But students would need their parents’ consent to receive sex education under a bill moving forward in the Legislature. The measure’s sponsor says the idea is to increase transparency on what’s being taught in the classroom. Robbie Gaffney has the story.
Getting access to mental health care can be difficult...finding the right doctor, the right treatment and making sure it’s all covered under your insurance is a barrier for many. Now, Regan McCarthy reports Florida lawmakers are looking into a better plan to tracking all that in hopes they’ll be able to improve access to care in the future.
State lawmakers in Tallahassee sometimes complain about mandates coming down from Washington. They call it “federal overreach.” But the Florida Legislature has been known to do the same thing. From WLRN Jessica Bakeman looks at how state lawmakers are working to take control from local governments and voters across Florida.