By:  Henry Payne Date:  November 1, 2019 - 6:00am ..read more

By:  JOHN HAUGHEY THE CENTER SQUARE Date:  November 1, 2019 - 6:00am Vacation rental marketing giant Airbnb began the year under a withering attack in Florida from newly seated Gov. Ron DeSantis for its ban on Israeli West Bank rentals. But since rescinding that policy -- and receiving a nod of appreciation from DeSantis in Jerusalem in May -- Airbnb has been on a winning streak in the Sunshine State, especially in court. The leading digital platform in Florida’s $31 billion short-term vacational rental industry, Airbnb won two major court victories this month ..read more

By:  Nancy Smith Date:  November 1, 2019 - 6:00am You probably can't imagine how much fun I've had at Sunshine State News over the last 10 years. I don't think anybody could.  How many 65-year-old legacy journalists, trussed in a straitjacket of newsprint, get a chance to jump into the future overnight? Before Sunshine I was clueless about online news production. Sophisticated search engines and algorithms? A foreign language. The company was taking a massive risk on me. But I'm so grateful they did. I was getting a chance to create something that had no equivalent ..read more

By:  Kevin Derby Date:  November 1, 2019 - 6:00am Situated on the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve and overlooking the St. Johns River, the view from the Ribault Monument is one of Jacksonville’s hidden gems. From that point on St. Johns Bluff, you have a commanding view of the river with a nice panorama of human activity, marshlands, trees and the open sky ..read more

By:  Jeff Stahler Date:  October 31, 2019 - 7:15am ..read more

By:  Jim Saunders News Service of Florida Date:  October 31, 2019 - 6:00am Albuquerque is a long way from Apalachicola. But when a federal judge in the New Mexico city hears arguments next week in a long-running water war between Florida and Georgia, the small Panhandle community will be at the center of the case. Senior U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Paul J. Kelly, appointed as a special master by the U.S. Supreme Court, will weigh whether Georgia uses too much water from a river system that flows into Apalachicola Bay ..read more

By:  JOHN HAUGHEY THE CENTER SQUARE Date:  October 31, 2019 - 6:00am The Florida Division of Elections has confirmed sponsors of a proposed constitutional amendment to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026 have secured enough validated voter signatures to qualify for the November 2020 ballot. According to the DOE, as of Tuesday afternoon, Florida For A Fair Wage had submitted 766,352 signatures, surpassing the 766,200 required to be presented to voters in a statewide election ..read more

By:  Allison Nielsen Date:  October 31, 2019 - 6:00am U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla. has co-sponsored a bill to make Puerto Rico the 51st state. H.R. 4901, the Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Act, would require a "Statehood Yes-No" vote by both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate for the island. This is the same precedent established for the admission process of Alaska and Hawaii. The legislation is sponsored by U.S. Reps. Jenniffer González Colón, R-P.R., and Jose Serrano, D-N.Y ..read more

By:  Kevin Derby Date:  October 31, 2019 - 6:00am U.S. Transportation Sec. Elaine Chao has announced more federal funds to help the disabled, lower-income Americans and seniors with transportation and a congressman from Florida is fully behind her proposal.  This week, Chao announced almost $50 million “to expand access to transportation for people with disabilities, older adults, and individuals of low income ..read more

By:  Henry Payne Date:  October 30, 2019 - 10:00am ..read more