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FL solar advocates urge Congress to keep tax credits
Public News Service - May 5, 2025
As Congress prepares to vote this week on a budget bill which would repeal solar energy tax credits, Florida solar advocates warned the move would jeopardize the state's economy.
According to industry data, the tax credits have funded more than $12 billion in clean energy projects and supported 175,000 jobs in Florida.
Caleb Quaid, founder of the Tampa-based environmental consulting firm Regenerative Shift, said his company's landmark solar project relies on the funding.
...(Read More)
Florida's immigration crackdown 'tearing families apart'
Public News Service - May 2, 2025
While Gov. Ron DeSantis touts "Operation Tidal Wave" as a success, advocates for Florida's immigrant families say the crackdown is tearing them apart - and ignoring their legal rights.
In a Thursday news conference at Miramar's ICE facility, where immigrants routinely report on their cases, officials celebrated the operation - even as community members now fear detention for keeping appointments.
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FL tomato industry enters new era as U.S.-Mexico trade agreement ends
Public News Service - May 1, 2025
The Florida tomato industry is stepping into uncharted territory following the termination of a decades old trade agreement with Mexico, marking what growers hope will be a turning point in their fight for fair competition.
The U.S. Department of Commerce's decision to end the 2019 Tomato Suspension Agreement has been met with optimism from domestic producers but the path forward remains uncertain as the market adjusts to new trade realities.
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Florida PTA fights charter school expansion, cuts to mental health funding
Public News Service - April 28, 2025
Jude Bruno, president-elect of the Florida Parent Teacher Association, is leading a charge against two controversial education bills which would reshape the state's school system, even as Republican lawmakers tout the measures as expanding parental choice.
The legislative battle comes in what is supposed to be the session's final week, with high stakes for public school funding and governance. His organization opposes House Bill 123, which would permit municipal charter schools to bypass local district oversight, arguing it creates unequal standards for taxpayer-funded institutions.
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South Florida farming program in limbo after federal grant freeze
Public News Service - April 25, 2025
Frozen federal grants have thrown a South Florida farm training program into chaos, leaving a nonprofit scrambling to salvage it after sudden funding cuts and delayed payments.
The nonprofit Urban Oasis Project's $2.5 million federal grant was abruptly frozen in January, then partially restored months later, after a federal judge ordered the immediate release of climate and infrastructure funds.
Art Friedrich, executive director of the project, explained the grant was to reimburse the project for money already spent but said now, with the government as an unreliable partner, there is a lot of uncertainty. ...(Read More)
Students, lawmakers clash over gun violence response after FSU shooting
Public News Service - April 24, 2025
Florida State University students joined survivors of past mass shootings at the state Capitol this week, demanding that Gov. Ron DeSantis veto a bill that would lower the gun purchasing age to 18.
The protest follows last week's shooting at FSU's Student Union, the state's sixth mass shooting this year according to the Gun Violence Archive. ...(Read More)
Report: FL schools face mental-health staffing shortfalls
Public News Service - April 22, 2025
Florida schools still face critical mental health staffing shortages with less than 25% of needed psychologists in place, despite expanding telemental health programs.
A new national School Mental Health Report Card from the advocacy group Inseparable showed the state lags in early intervention and staffing ratios, even as state lawmakers work to address the issue.
Rep. ...(Read More)
Annual wildlife survey documents Florida's changing biodiversity
Public News Service - April 18, 2025
Teams of researchers and volunteers will fan out at dawn Friday with their smartphones and binoculars on the Florida Gulf Coast University campus for a 24-hour biological scavenger hunt, known as "BioBlitz."
The annual event comes as new research shows Florida's natural habitats are disappearing at unprecedented rates, with Southwest Florida among the regions most affected. The fifth annual event builds on last year's discovery of 144 species, including the rare two-striped forktail dragonfly and confirmed river otter activity on campus wetlands.
Mercedes Rasler, a senior biology student at the university, hopes to focus her camera to capture another circling osprey, one of the region's most visible raptors.
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International relief organizations in FL impacted by USAID cuts
Public News Service - April 17, 2025
As global conflicts and natural disasters escalate, groups like the Nonviolent Peaceforce, which works to protect civilians in conflict zones, faces severe funding challenges. The Trump administration's cancellation of nearly 90% of funding for USAID programs has sent shockwaves through the humanitarian sector.
The funding cuts also reverberate in the Sunshine State, home to more than 120 registered international relief organizations - among the highest concentrations in the country - including Miami-based World Relief and Coconut Creek's Food for the Poor. ...(Read More)
Florida health disparities highlight need for advance care planning
Public News Service - April 16, 2025
Wednesday is National Healthcare Decisions Day and advocates are calling attention to Florida's pressing need for advance care planning, particularly among vulnerable groups.
About one in five Floridians is over 65 and the state also struggles with one of America's highest uninsured rates, at 10.7%, significantly above the 8% national average.
Brandi Alexander, chief engagement officer for the national end-of-life advocacy group Compassion & Choices said Latino residents have nearly double the uninsured rate of white Floridians. ...(Read More)
Disparidades en salud resaltan necesidad de una planificación de la atención médica en FL
Public News Service - April 16, 2025
Hoy es el Día Nacional de Decisiones sobre Salud (National Healthcare Decisions Day), y los defensores llaman la atención sobre la urgente necesidad de Florida de una planificación anticipada de la atención médica, especialmente entre los grupos vulnerables. Aproximadamente uno de cada cinco floridanos tiene más de 65 años, y el estado también enfrenta una de las tasas más altas de personas sin seguro médico en Estados Unidos, con un 10,7 %. Esta cifra es significativamente superior al promedio nacional del 8 %. ...(Read More)
Achoo! Coping with allergy season in Florida
Public News Service - April 15, 2025
As yellow pollen dust coats cars and porches, seasonal allergies are plaguing nearly a quarter of adults and one in five children in the U.S., according to health experts.
The surge in Florida of sneezing, itchy eyes, and congestion is driven by wind-pollinated trees like pines and oaks - which dominate north Florida's landscape.
Molly Jameson, a sustainable agriculture specialist with the University of Florida's IFAS Extension, explained the source of the yellow haze, particularly in the northern part of the Sunshine State. ...(Read More)
FEMA grant cancellations spark FL outcry as hurricane season looms
Public News Service - April 11, 2025
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has abruptly ended a key disaster-preparedness program, sparking concerns as another active hurricane season looms for Florida.
The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program (BRIC) had distributed $5 billion nationwide in the last five years for projects ranging from floodplain restoration to storm-resistant infrastructure.
Ryan Ray, Leon County Democratic Party chair, called the decision "reckless" in a state still recovering from recent hurricanes.
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Research: People suffer in solitary confinement as FL reforms sit idle
Public News Service - April 9, 2025
New research showed damage to Florida's 3,000 inmates in solitary confinement extends far beyond psychological trauma.
Solitary, which often lasts for 23 hours a day with no human contact and under artificial light, can extend for months or even years.
Michaela Romero, neural systems and behavior researcher at the University of Washington, is studying the effects using an unlikely subject: bumblebees. ...(Read More)
FL House budget proposal threatens college access for 22,000 students
Public News Service - April 4, 2025
Nearly 22,000 Florida college students could lose critical tuition help under a state House budget proposal.
The plan would cut $3,500 annual grants for students at 15 private schools throughout the state, including three historically Black universities and Embry-Riddle, the nation's top civilian flight school.
House lawmakers tied eligibility for Florida's Effective Access to Student Education (EASE) program to five performance metrics, including a 54% graduation rate and affordability benchmarks.
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