The House sponsor of a bill to bring three major casinos to South Florida folded his hand Friday. James Call reports the Business and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee voted to table the proposal which would have introduced high-stakes Vegas-style casinos to the state.
Right now local governments are required to let their citizenry know when they’re going to hold a public meeting, but Florida law doesn’t require the agencies to let members of the public speak during those meetings. Regan McCarthy reports lawmakers are looking into a bill that gives Floridians a right to be heard.
The Florida Senate recently approved a bill that would allow students to lead prayer at any school assembly without any monitoring from teachers and school administrators. But, As Sascha Cordner reports, though it received widespread support among Republicans, Senate Democrats say the legislation is a lawsuit waiting to happen.
The shortfall within the trust fund that supports public school construction projects is so great, that Governor Rick Scott has called on school districts, colleges and universities to give back unspent money from previous years. But as Lynn Hatter reports, there’s a plan afoot in the Florida legislature that could help shore up the fund, and create a dedicated funding source for future building plans.
Forty-one states have a full or partial ban on texting while driving. Florida is one of just eight states that have no such laws at all on the books. Tom Flanigan reports it appears that situation is unlikely to change as a result of the 2012 lawmaking session….