Government

If there's one current issue that likely will make the history books, it may be this: Is the pledge of America as the land of liberty, with freedom and justice for all, surviving our current and wide political divide? Can we keep a republic, as Benjamin Franklin once put it?

As U.S. health insurance costs rise, some companies are paying for all of their workers' premiums. It's a big expense — but they say it pays off.

The federal shutdown will affect people across the United States. NPR's network of member stations explains what will be impacted and where.

A House Republican on Tuesday filed a proposed constitutional amendment that seeks to impose 12-year term limits on county commissioners and school board members. The proposal (HJR 27), which Rep. Jeff Holcomb, R-Spring Hill, filed for consideration during the 2026 legislative session, could refuel a debate about whether to limit terms of local officials.

Less than three weeks after taking over University of West Florida in Pensacola as interim president, Manny Diaz Jr. abruptly dismissed the school’s top legal officer after she objected to hiring one of his longtime allies: a politically connected law firm that earned millions in contracts when Diaz ran the Education Department under Gov. Ron DeSantis.The same Tallahassee-based firm, Lawson Huck Gonzalez, is now helping steer that university’s search for a permanent president – a post Diaz has said he intends to pursue. Trustees last week approved an annual compensation range for the next president between $800,000 and $1.2 million.

Starting Monday and running through the end of the year, Florida will provide a sales-tax exemption on a variety of hunting equipment, the first time a state tax “holiday” includes guns and ammunition.

A deadline last week for Florida’s local leaders to remove all street art has come and gone, but in some cities the rainbows and colored roads haven’t disappeared. It’s unclear what state leaders will do in cities where elected officials have blown past their time limit.Some cities, including Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg and Gainesville, reluctantly agreed to have their streets paved when faced with a decision between art and state funding. Others, however, are using whatever leverage they can to keep their street art.

Trump administration says it's reviewing all 55 million people with US visas for potential deportable violations.

More than $38 million was awarded Thursday to 19 small and rural Florida communities through the Florida Small Cities Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. These strategic investments will fund public infrastructure improvements, neighborhood revitalization, housing rehabilitation, and commercial revitalization projects that strengthen communities across the state.One of the largest awards — $6.4 million— went to the city of Arcadia to upgrade the William Tyson Wastewater Treatment Plant.

A federal judge has denied the Trump administration's request to end a policy protecting immigrant children in federal custody. The Flores agreement limits how long children can be held and requires safe conditions. U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee in California says it was a repetitive attempt and she saw no reason to terminate it. President Donald Trump's administration says the Flores Settlement Agreement hinders its immigration crackdown. In a hearing held last week, Gee questioned why a number of children are held longer than the 72-hour limit when border arrests are low. A government attorney cited logistical challenges and policy changes.