Gov. Ron DeSantis

More than $8 million in project funding was cut from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in the state's budget, signed Monday by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The bills create harsher penalties for some sexual offenders who commit another sexual crime and establish new rules for social media platforms to combat deepfakes.

The laws govern school safety, student health, and curriculum and teacher training, among other areas of education.

The governor is demanding the University of West Florida return a federal grant, deepening tensions with local GOP lawmakers amid scrutiny of higher ed spending.

Amid fierce opposition from Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida House on Wednesday approved revamping laws about leadership of the higher-education system, including opening information about applicants to become college and university presidents.

While promoting First Lady Casey DeSantis’ program, Hope Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis called out Florida House Republicans — including two local representatives — for working against his administration.

Amid an escalating feud between Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled House, the chamber’s budget chairman on Friday sent letters to six state agencies seeking a broad array of documents as part of a probe into government spending.

“For too long, nobody has cared about the taxpayers, much less the next generation, who is ultimately going to have to pay for all of the mismanagement that we have seen over these many, many years,” DeSantis said during an appearance in Tampa.

DeSantis touted his wife as a staunch conservative who would build on his legacy and argued that the state's first lady could pull in even more voters than he did. The comments came days after the president threw his support behind Florida Republican and U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds.

An appeals court Wednesday overturned a circuit judge’s ruling that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration took too long in providing public records about a controversial 2022 decision to fly migrants from Texas to Massachusetts.