Marta Zherukha/Fresh Take Florida

Cassie Urbenz poses in the Graduate Assistants United office on the University of Florida campus in Gainesville, Fla., on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.

GOP legislation aimed at the heart of teachers’ unions sent to Gov. DeSantis

Twenty hours each week, Cassie Urbenz acts as a therapist, lawyer and customer service representative. As president of the Graduate Assistants United chapter at the University of Florida, Urbenz handles the grievances of over 4,000 fellow union members, helps them fill out paperwork and shows them how to access their benefits.

Orange County recently installed a solar array at one of its water reclamation facilities to reduce energy costs. The county also recently installed solar panels to its convention center.

Government & Politics

Gov. DeSantis signs bill on Earth Day shutting down local climate change efforts

Marta Zherukha/Fresh Take Florida

In Orlando, Carrie Black’s government job is to move Orange County toward renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which she says could save millions in energy costs. In Tallahassee, state lawmakers have moved to block such local efforts. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill in Jacksonville on Thursday, which was celebrated as Earth Day, with a theme focused on renewable energy, accelerating the green energy transition and building a sustainable future.

Caribbean flamingos walk around their enclosure at the Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Jacksonville, Fla., on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. Legislators are considering the flamingo to replace the mockingbird as Florida’s state bird for the third year in a row.

Environment

House votes to make Flamingo Florida’s next state bird

Marta Zherukha/Fresh Take Florida

Florida’s House voted late Wednesday to establish the American flamingo as the new state bird, a step toward knocking the mockingbird off its perch after nearly a century. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the Senate will go along with the plan.