Florida Senate

Following an extended Legislative session, Florida’s Senate and House agreed on a budget. Before it became official, Governor Ron DeSantis brought out his red veto pen and made some major changes.

the Florida House and Senate celebrated their version of the state’s budget. The proposal is a reduction from last year’s and is missing some elements that were proposed by Governor Ron DeSantis.

In a top priority of Senate President Ben Albritton, senators this past week unanimously passed a more than $200 million plan to bolster health care, education, transportation and economic development in rural areas.Albritton, a Wauchula Republican who owns a citrus grove, said the bill (SB 110) would provide an array of programs that local governments could use “like a buffet” for their communities. He said the money isn’t “hand out” but a “hand up” to provide a chance for residents to “build a career and build a family” in communities where they were raised.

Florida’s Nov. 5 elections include the race for Senate District 27 between Republican incumbent Ben Albritton and Democratic challenger Phillip Carter. The district includes Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee counties, and portions of Lee and Polk counties.

Services have been scheduled April 26 and April 27 for Senate President Kathleen Passidomo’s husband, John, who died last week from injuries suffered in a fall.

John Passidomo, the husband of Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, died Wednesday after falling and suffering massive head trauma and other injuries, according to a memo distributed by the Florida Senate.

A top Florida ethics expert is sounding the alarm about an ethics bill passed by the state Senate Thursday that would make it easier for corrupt officials to avoid investigation – and much harder for residents to hold them to account.“This bill would be incredibly destructive and corrosive,” said Carolyn Klancke, who heads the non-profit Florida Ethics Institute and is a past deputy executive director and general counsel for the Florida Commission on Ethics.

Senate Republicans on Tuesday will hold a ceremony to formally designate Ben Albritton, 55, as the next Senate president. Currently the Senate majority leader, Albritton will succeed President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, in November 2024.

Senate Bill 90 passed in the Florida Senate and was signed by Governor DeSantis last May. Its provisions amend the state election laws to, according to the Senate website, “improve election security, transparency, and administration.” Here’s what you should know about the bill before the state elections this fall.

Florida lawmakers are reviewing the most controversial environmental bill to arise during the current legislative session. SB 2508 is the latest attempt by lawmakers sympathetic - or beholden - to the sugar industry to give it and the agricultural industry the key to the Everglades’ huge spigot by guaranteeing “existing legal users” continue to receive a huge amount of the water.