TALLAHASSEE — After moving the test online because of COVID-19, the Florida Board of Bar Examiners has called off a plan to hold the Bar exam on Wednesday because it was not "technically feasible."The board announced late Sunday that the exam will take place "on a date to be determined in October." Applicants who signed up for the exam, originally slated to be in person in late July, can also wait until February to take the test, the announcement said.The last ..read more

FORT LAUDERDALE — The two shootings dominating the Democratic primary for sheriff in Broward County, Florida, couldn't be more different.The 2018 massacre that pushed former sheriff and current challenger Scott Israel out of office left 14 students and three adults dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, a top-tier school in the wealthy Fort Lauderdale suburb of Parkland. A former student is awaiting trial.The campaign of Sheriff Gregory Tony, appointed by ..read more

TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s revenue picture this year took a $3.42 billion hit Friday as state economists evaluated the damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic.The economists lowered an estimate of general revenue for this fiscal year by $3.42 billion and an estimate for the 2021-2022 fiscal year by nearly $2 billion. General revenue, which includes such money as sales taxes and corporate income taxes, play a vital role in funding schools, health care and prisons ..read more

TALLAHASSEE — Top health care regulators in Gov. Ron DeSantis’s administration on Friday discussed a limited reopening of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities that would not require COVID-19 screening for visitors.Members of the Task Force on the Safe and Limited Re-Opening of Long-Term Care Facilities met for about 90 minutes before agreeing to meet again Tuesday to consider the details of allowing "essential" and "compassionate" visitation at nursing ..read more

TALLAHASSEE — Siding with teachers unions, a Leon County circuit judge on Friday refused to toss out lawsuits challenging Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran’s mandate that school districts reopen classrooms this month.But Judge Charles Dodson said his decision to deny the state’s motion to dismiss the case doesn’t mean that the challenges to Corcoran’s July 6 emergency order will be successful.During an hour-long video hearing, the ..read more

Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels was arrested Thursday on felony and misdemeanor charges following a year-long investigation into a sex scandal where the sheriff ordered his staff to arrest his mistress.Daniels decried the arrest, in a video made by Sheriff's Office employees and emailed by the office, as "dirty politics," and said any issues with the scandal were personal and didn't affect his job as sheriff, even though the scandal included an order he gave to staff ..read more

Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels was arrested Thursday on one felony charge and three misdemeanors following a year-long investigation into a sex scandal.The scandal became public after the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, where Daniels previously worked as the jails director, announced an internal investigation into a corrections officer with whom Daniels had sex.Daniels had instructed his staff to arrest the woman in May 2019 on stalking allegations, and his staff ..read more

TALLAHASSEE — As children throughout Florida return to classrooms amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a Leon County circuit judge on Thursday fast-tracked lawsuits challenging Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran’s mandate that districts reopen brick-and-mortar schools this month.Corcoran’s July 6 emergency order requires schools outside of South Florida to reopen five days a week in August and offer "the full panoply of services" to students and families, unless ..read more

TALLAHASSEE — Angel Sanchez lost his right to vote before he was old enough to even cast a ballot.But after his release from prison in 2011, he did everything he could to turn his life around.Sanchez made monthly payments toward $1,698 in court-ordered fees and costs assessed when he was convicted of felony charges as a 17-year-old. He used money orders to chip away at his debt when he was homeless.He ultimately graduated from the University of Central ..read more

TALLAHASSEE — Dave Galloway, an army veteran and sixth grade science teacher in Jackson County, is used to assessing risk in his life.When COVID-19 swept over Florida this spring, the 64-year-old refrained from going to church and restaurants. He ordered groceries online. And he made sure to wear a face mask and carry hand sanitizer every time he left the house.Then came the notice that Jackson County schools would resume in-person instruction without a ..read more