Bloggytown

Banned magazine takes First Amendment fight against Florida prison system to US Supreme Court

by Jim Saunders, News Service of Florida on September 20, 2018 at 3:25PM

Arguing that corrections officials should not receive “blind deference,” attorneys for a monthly magazine blocked from distribution to Florida prison inmates have taken a long-running First Amendment fight to the U.S. Supreme Court. Prison Legal News filed a petition last week asking the Supreme Court to take up a challenge to Florida Department of Corrections decisions that have prevented inmates from receiving the publication since 2009.

Florida more likely to reject mail ballots from young voters, people of color, ACLU finds

by Monivette Cordeiro on September 20, 2018 at 3:14PM

ballots and the cure process nearly impossible," Smith wrote. During the 2016 election, voters under 30 made up about 9.2 percent of all mail-ballot voters but accounted for almost 31 percent of all rejected mail ballot.

Florida Panthers set for preseason match against Tampa Bay Lightning in Orlando

by Xander Peters on September 20, 2018 at 2:36PM

Florida's two professional hockey clubs – the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning – will face off in the clubs' second 2018-2019 preseason game at the Amway Center next week. The match is set for Thursday, Sept. 27, and will be the second stop in the franchises' preseason tour, following a contest at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay earlier in the week.

Orlando's new pro football team will be called the 'Orlando Apollos'

by Xander Peters on September 20, 2018 at 11:28AM

The Alliance of American Football – the spring season professional football league set to debut in late February – announced the names and colors of four of its eight teams this morning, including the Orlando Apollos, who will be clad in navy blue, dark orange and bright orange come kickoff next year. In the east division, the Apollos will join the Birmingham Iron, the Memphis Express and the Atlanta Legends.

Gillum, DeSantis offer vastly different plans to improve Florida schools

by Lloyd Dunkelberger, News Service of Florida on September 20, 2018 at 11:12AM

The Democratic and Republican candidates for governor on Tuesday launched competing plans to improve Florida’s schools. In a news conference in Tallahassee, Democrat Andrew Gillum defended his proposal, first announced in January, to provide a minimum $50,000 starting salary for teachers by increasing the state corporate-income tax by $1 billion.

Florida lawmaker clashes with NRA over political contribution from gun control group

by Jim Turner, the News Service of Florida on September 20, 2018 at 11:12AM

Incoming Senate President Bill Galvano is not backing down after finding himself in the crosshairs of the National Rifle Association for receiving a sizable political contribution from a group that backs gun restrictions and has ties to former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Galvano, a Bradenton Republican who is slated to become Senate president after the November elections, pointed Monday to the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 people.

Michelle Visage named grand marshal of Come Out With Pride Orlando

by Monivette Cordeiro on September 19, 2018 at 4:38PM

Nancy Rosado has also been selected as the community grand marshal of Come Out With Pride. Rosado, a former sergeant with the New York Police Department, was at the forefront of NYPD's mental health care response for first responders after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and currently works as a consultant at the University Central Florida’s RESTORES program.

Ron DeSantis reportedly says he'll fix Orlando's traffic problems

by Colin Wolf on September 19, 2018 at 1:58PM

Since the private-public I-4 Ultimate Improvement Project won't be finished until at least 2021, and is currently eight months behind schedule and $100 million over budget, we can only wonder what kind of magic DeSantis is referring to here. If he's not going to say the words "corporate-backed free public mass transit," then try again.

New 50,000-square-foot soccer complex coming to Lake Nona

by Paola Peralta on September 19, 2018 at 1:29PM

“As a Lake Nona resident and parent, I am so excited to bring our first-class facilities to our active community and to better serve south Orlando,” said XL Soccer World CEO Ciaran McArdle. “Our fully air-conditioned fields are ideal for year-round play away from the heat and rain.

Florida boater somehow gets canoe stuck on alligator's back

by Colin Wolf on September 19, 2018 at 1:12PM

That's what we call a murder log. A Florida canoe company recently posted an extremely clench-worthy video with the caption, "That moment you realize your canoe is stuck on an alligator's back."

Here's a Florida man driving a 'street legal' jet ski on the highway

by Colin Wolf on September 19, 2018 at 12:32PM

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Florida will spend an additional $4 million to address red tide and algae outbreak woes

by The News Service of Florida on September 19, 2018 at 10:52AM

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is pumping another $4 million into efforts to help local communities suffering from red tide and a massive algae outbreak, raising spending to $13 million for the water problems. The agency’s money will be used in Pinellas, Manatee, Collier, Sarasota, Lee and Martin counties.

Tallahassee appeals court keeps Rick Scott's records ruling on hold

by Christine Sexton, News Service of Florida on September 19, 2018 at 10:49AM

Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday received a legal ruling that will at least temporarily allow him to keep from turning over his calendar —- including information about fundraising events and where he will reside at night —- to a health-care organization. A Tallahassee appeals court agreed to extend a hold on a Sept. 5 ruling that mandated Scott provide the requested information to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which has been wrangling with the Scott administration over a canceled Medicaid contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Rick Scott booed again by protesters at Senate campaign stop in Orlando

by Monivette Cordeiro on September 18, 2018 at 8:47PM

Scott's campaign event with Puerto Rico Lt. Gov. Luis G. Rivera Marín and other notable Florida Republicans of Puerto Rican descent focused on the Central Florida diaspora, especially in the aftermath of Hurricane María. Thousands of people from the island fled to the Sunshine State after the catastrophic storm. Scott, noting the resources provided by his administration to evacuees after María, said, "We're going to keep doing everything we can and make sure people here and in Puerto Rico have everything they need."

Florida's Medicaid patients will face changes in healths plans

by Christine Sexton, News Service of Florida on September 18, 2018 at 4:36PM

About 600,000 low-income patients will be assigned to new Medicaid managed-care plans in the coming months after the state ended contracts with their existing plans. Agency for Health Care Administration spokeswoman Mallory McManus told The News Service of Florida that roughly 20 percent of enrollees in the broad Medicaid “managed medical assistance” program and 12 percent of enrollees in managed long-term care are “impacted” by the changes, meaning they are enrolled in health plans that no longer will be offered.

SeaWorld and former CEO fined $5 million after being accused of downplaying 'Blackfish' impact

by Monivette Cordeiro on September 18, 2018 at 2:40PM

SeaWorld Entertainment and its former CEO have agreed to pay more than $5 million in fines to settle federal charges accusing the theme park company of misleading investors by downplaying the impact of the anti-captivity documentary Blackfish. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced Tuesday that SeaWorld and its former CEO Jim Atchison reached settlements with the agency without "admitting or denying the allegations." The SEC complaint charged SeaWorld and Atchison with violating anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws and additionally charged the company with reporting violations. SeaWorld will be paying a $4 million penalty, while Atchison will pay over $1 million in penalties.

Winter Park shooting and manhunt started over suspect stealing $45 worth of merchandise from Goodwill, police say

by Colin Wolf on September 18, 2018 at 2:15PM

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Rick Scott is swinging through Orlando this afternoon

by Xander Peters on September 18, 2018 at 12:05PM

After essentially being booed out of Southwest Florida on account of the red tide calamity, Gov. Rick Scott's U.S. Senate bus tour plans to slide through Orlando today, the campaign announced Tuesday morning. The event will be held at Rigo Tile on Goldenrod Road at 4:15 p.m.

New report says Florida charter schools close too often, rely heavily on for-profit funding

by Lloyd Dunkelberger, News Service of Florida on September 18, 2018 at 11:00AM

A new report from a Tallahassee-based research group raises questions about the growing role of charter schools in Florida, including citing the closure of 373 charter schools since 1998. Ben Wilcox, research director for the group Integrity Florida, said the closure of charter schools has averaged nearly 20 a year “and that comes with a cost to taxpayers.”

The first ballots of Florida's upcoming general election are ready to start going out

by The News Service of Florida on September 18, 2018 at 10:57AM

The first ballots of Florida's Nov. 6 general election will be in the mail by Saturday, according to the state Division of Elections. The Saturday deadline applies to county elections supervisors sending vote-by-mail ballots to uniformed service members who are absent overseas or stateside and to civilian voters who are overseas.

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