Florida House Pushing To Cut Taxes On Cellphones & Textbooks
The Florida House is pushing for tax breaks on cellphones, cable television and college textbooks.
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The Florida House is pushing for tax breaks on cellphones, cable television and college textbooks.
House members backed Gov. Rick Scott's push to reduce taxes on cell-phone bills and pay TV on Tuesday. And they bettered the governor, by $17 million, in rolling out a $690 million tax-reduction package that offers a slew of sales-tax holidays and eliminating taxes on gun-club memberships, college textbooks, materials purchased at book fairs and vehicles purchased overseas and brought to Florida by military members.
A measure aimed at making college textbooks more affordable gained unanimous approval from a Senate committee Monday, but only after lawmakers stripped out one provision of the bill and a faculty representative pointed out potential problems with another.
As the House and Senate move forward with their budget plans this week, Gov. Rick Scott is trying to ramp up support for his proposed tax cuts.
As the House and Senate prepare to hammer out a $4.2 billion divide in budget proposals released last week, they have plenty of hometown pork to barter.
Florida NRA leader Marion Hammer is accusing campus police chiefs from Florida's public universities of using tax dollars to lobby because they spoke in Tallahassee against a bill allowing guns on campuses.
An environmental group wants Florida's inspector general to check out reports of an unwritten policy prohibiting state agencies from using the terms "climate change" and "global warming."
The Florida House on Friday released a nearly $76.3 billion dollar spending plan for this year.
The Sunshine State is moving the date of its presidential primary election.
Two previously opposing sides have joined forces for a major overhaul of Florida's alimony laws.
The numbers are in—Florida's unemployment rate is staying flat.
House budget writers unveiled an education spending plan Monday that would provide public schools with almost $47 less per student than Gov. Rick Scott proposed, and a key senator said his chamber was also unlikely to meet the governor's number when a Senate blueprint is released Tuesday.
Lawmakers continued to charge forward Monday with Gov. Rick Scott's ambitious proposal to cut taxes on cable-television and cell-phone services knowing the final savings may be smaller.
If the House and Senate can't find common ground on water policy in the next 50 days, then they'll try again next year, House Speaker Steve Crisafulli said this week.
A trio of agency heads whose necks have been on the governor's chopping block earned a couple of extra months stay on Tuesday.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott has denied allegations from a report that made national headlines this week with claims that his administration banned use of the terms "climate change" and "global warming" in official documents and speeches.
A House panel rejected a proposal to revamp the Medicaid program's system of providing dental services to children.
A bill that would make clear national groups like the Boys and Girls Clubs are exempt from Florida licensing requirements is stalled in a legislative committee, sparking a clash between two state senators.
A House committee that crafted a newly approved water-policy plan is now looking at how a voter-approved increase in conservation dollars should be used for land management.
House and Senate committees this week backed proposals aimed at helping stop potential drug overdoses.
Florida lawmakers are considering proposals that would allow most school districts to start classes earlier in August.
It's been four months since Gov. Rick Scott cruised back into office, but to some it might appear that the campaign isn't over yet.
With backing from Senate President Andy Gardiner and House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, lawmakers are moving quickly to approve a plan that would provide incentives for families to adopt children in the foster-care system.
For at least two decades, drivers found out the hard way where Waldo is.
A National Rifle Association-supported measure that failed to win legislative approval a year ago appears to have a clear shot of advancing now that it has the backing of the Florida Sheriffs Association.
Loved ones of Yahkeim Lollar, a Miami high school football player fatally stabbed in 2024, implored a judge to move forward with the trial of 18-year-old Jahara Malik.
Microsoft services are down for thousands of users, according to tracking service Downdetector.
Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon has announced her candidacy for the Florida U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Ashley Moody in the 2026 election.
As the Florida Senate continues to ponder an approach to lowering property taxes, House committees on Thursday advanced two tax-cut proposals that could go before voters.
The NCAA late Wednesday asked a Florida appeals court to overturn a judge's decision backing a basketball player who challenged the denial of an additional year of eligibility to play at Bethune-Cookman University.
Loved ones of Yahkeim Lollar, a Miami high school football player fatally stabbed in 2024, implored a judge to move forward with the trial of 18-year-old Jahara Malik.
Microsoft services are down for thousands of users, according to tracking service Downdetector.
Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon has announced her candidacy for the Florida U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Ashley Moody in the 2026 election.
As the Florida Senate continues to ponder an approach to lowering property taxes, House committees on Thursday advanced two tax-cut proposals that could go before voters.
The NCAA late Wednesday asked a Florida appeals court to overturn a judge's decision backing a basketball player who challenged the denial of an additional year of eligibility to play at Bethune-Cookman University.
In courtroom testimony, Shandelle Maycock recounted the harrowing night her daughter was abandoned in the Everglades, describing the horrors they endured.
A former prison guard trainee has been sentenced to death for the 2019 execution-style killings of five women inside a Florida bank.
Florida coach Billy Napier is getting a fourth season to try to get the Gators back to their winning ways.
A Florida man has filed a federal lawsuit against Jacksonville sheriff's officers who severely beat him last year after he ran from a traffic stop.
The Marion County Sheriff's deputy told authorities that he accidentally shot and killed his girlfriend while cleaning his gun.
Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon has announced her candidacy for the Florida U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Ashley Moody in the 2026 election.
The failed vote comes a week after the White House peeled off GOP support for a similar measure in the Senate.
President Trump could start flying in a plane donated by Qatar as early as this summer, as the U.S. Air Force confirms it will deliver the refurbished jumbo jet for use as Air Force One within months.
Geraldo Lunas Campos died following an altercation with guards at Camp East Montana, a tent facility on the grounds of Fort Bliss.
Over a dozen college basketball players are accused of taking bribes to tank their performance — the latest in a series of alleged sports gambling schemes, leading one ex-prosecutor to urge professional leagues to hire an internal investigator.
Jim DeFede discusses Governor Ron DeSantis' eighth and final State of the State address with House Speaker Danny Perez.
On Facing South Florida, Jim DeFede spoke with Miami Herald Latin America reporter Antonio Maria Delgado about Delcy Rodríguez's growing control in Venezuela.
On Facing South Florida, Jim DeFede speaks with former interim Venezuelan president Juan Guaidó about Nicolas Maduro's capture.
In a special live episode, Jim DeFede brings us the latest developments and the fallout following the Saturday morning strikes.
Jim Defede's guest this week on Facing South Florida is James Fishback, a Republican candidate for the Florida governor's office.
Roughly 1.4 million fewer Americans have signed up for an Affordable Care Act plan as expiring tax breaks drive up premiums.
The largest nurses strike ever in New York City is underway as thousands of NYSNA members walk off their jobs at major hospitals.
After the ACA tax credit lapsed in December, enrollees are opting for less robust health plans or dropping coverage altogether.
New research recommends against drinking coffee or tea served by airlines, urging travelers to stick to bottled water.
In his new wellness book, "Eat Your Ice Cream," Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel goes beyond the basics of eating, exercise and sleep, to the importance of being happy, social engagement, and recommended behaviors (like "don't be a schmuck") that can benefit longevity.
These gifts from Stanley, Apple, AllTrails and more won't bust your budget.
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Discover the best tech gifts during the 2024 holiday season that your friends and loved ones will absolutely adore.
A lawsuit filed late last month took Chicago-based McDonald's to task over the McRib sandwich, calling its name a form of false advertising.
Florida insurance policyholders could be seeing some form of relief in their wallets thanks to market reforms made statewide, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
The company said Tuesday that 85% of its retail products and "nearly all" of its school offerings are already made without "certified colors."
Less than two days after Delta Air Lines offered $30,000 to each passenger on board the flight that crashed and flipped in Toronto on Monday afternoon, the company is facing its first two lawsuits in the incident — and they likely won't be the last.
Activists are calling for a nationwide boycott of Target stores following the company's decision to roll back its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Among the names missing when the 98th Academy Award nominations were announced were Ariana Grande, George Clooney, Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, and anyone associated with "Wicked: For Good."
The celebrated Sundance Film Festival, opening Thursday in Park City, Utah, includes films starring Natalie Portman, Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen and Charli XCX, plus a wide range of documentaries.
The nominees for the 98th annual Academy Awards were announced Thursday morning, and though "One Battle After Another," "Marty Supreme," "Frankenstein" and "Hamnet" were all nominated for plenty, it was "Sinners" that broke through with a record-smashing 16 nominations.
Prince Harry struck a combative tone as he testified in his lawsuit against the Daily Mail's publisher.
The 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees were revealed on "CBS Mornings" on Wednesday. See the full list.