The Senate began moving forward Tuesday with a proposal that would make every Florida student eligible for state-backed vouchers that could be used for private-school tuition and various other expenses, while opponents argued the measure would harm traditional public schools.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida legislators and local education officials are trying to pinpoint what happened to nearly 90,000 “missing” public school students, as public school enrollment estimates have dropped amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “Imagine a school district just closing. Ad“We could have 9-year-old elementary school dropouts out there,” Fine told the News Service. Under Corcoran’s order, school districts aren’t punished financially for students who don’t show up in person. Fine told the News Service that lawmakers have the authority to address the situation.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Millions of dollars in Florida Forever land-conservation funds would be tied to sea-level rise and hurricane recovery under a measure moving forward in the Florida Senate. Another part of the bill would include wildlife crossings as land eligible for purchasing through Florida Forever. The current year’s budget has $33 million for Florida Forever. David Cullen, a lobbyist for Sierra Club Florida, cautioned against opening Florida Forever money for land acquisition tied to three proposed toll-road projects or separately “skewing” the Acquisition and Restoration Council land-selection process. That proposal (SB 7016) also would set up a nine-member Sea-Level Rise Task Force which would have until Jan. 1, 2021 to reach baseline projections on anticipated sea-level rise and flooding impacts along Florida’s coastline.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Schools could soon stock up on naloxone -- an antidote for people who overdose on opioids, such as heroin -- under a proposal unanimously approved by the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday. Under the bill, schools would be allowed to enter into an agreement with a wholesale distributor or manufacturer to ensure they are getting naloxone at a fair price. During Tuesday's committee meeting, Pizzo said he is aware of a number of vendors willing to donate naloxone to schools. The proposal (SB 120) would require school officials to keep the drug in secure locations on school campuses. Before being allowed to administer the drug, school employees would have to be trained to recognize an opioid overdose and follow a protocol developed by a physician.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A proposal backed by environmentalists to ban fracking in Florida eased through a Senate committee Monday. The proposal (SB 200), approved unanimously by the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee, would ban hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking. A separate proposal to ban fracking without addressing matrix acidization may not even return in the Senate for the 2020 session, which begins Jan. 14. Opponents of fracking also argue that banning fracking without targeting matrix acidization would create a loophole for oil companies. A House version to ban fracking without addressing matrix acidization also did not make it through all its assigned committees.

This was a big story of the day for a brief period of time, said Ron Sachs, CEO of Tallahassee-based Sachs Media Group who helped organize Rebuild 850. Rebuild 850 leaders said Thursday they appreciated Grahams work, but they dont want her exit to be a distraction. This is not a partisan organization, said Rebuild 850 Co-Chairman Will Weatherford, a former Republican House speaker from Wesley Chapel. Sachs said he had discussed with Graham in August her use of Twitter and the intent of Rebuild 850 to be non-partisan. Anyone wishing to make a donation to Rebuild 850 can do so at Rebuild850.org.

Yet a number of Republican lawmakers and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran say they want to keep bonuses in teacher-pay discussions during the 2020 session. A few days later, though, the governor told reporters that the framework of the current "Best and Brightest" bonus program is "very complicated," and he may not necessarily want to include the program as part of his teacher-compensation package. The last time lawmakers agreed to an across-the-board teacher pay raise was in 2013, when the Republican-dominated Legislature settled on a $480 million package. He added it would be worthwhile to have discussions with the House and the governor on changing the funding of the bonus program, which has faced legal challenges. A second lawsuit against the bonus program alleges state education officials improperly allowed school districts to deduct employer taxes from teacher bonuses, cutting into the financial awards of tens of thousands of high-performing educators.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida farmers might not be held back from planting hemp next year even if the federal government has not signed off on long-awaited rule changes. State lawmakers this year approved a measure (SB 1020) that created a program to regulate cultivation of hemp, addressing issues such as the licensing of growers. Many farmers view hemp as a potentially lucrative new crop after Congress in 2018 legalized industrial hemp as an agricultural product. Hemp, which hasn't been grown in Florida legally since the 1940s, has already attracted interest from more than 1,000 farmers. State rules will not cap the number of growers or the allowed acreage for hemp, which could replace or be rotated with existing crops, Bell said.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - As state lawmakers return to the Florida Capitol for the first round of committee weeks, one of the most pressing issues is hurricane recovery, especially from Hurricane Michael. Effects of the storm, which hit nearly a year ago, are still being felt in the Panhandle. In many ways, the Panhandle has lived up to its nickname, "The Forgotten Coast." A survey conducted this summer found 1 in 3 Floridians aren't even aware the storm hit in 2018. Legislators also are looking at ways to speed up insurance claims and prevent contractors from overcharging for storm repairs.

Senate Environment and Natural Resources Chairman Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, filed the measure (SB 200) for the 2020 legislative session, which starts in January. Opponents of fracking have argued that banning fracking without also targeting matrix acidization would create a loophole for oil companies. Montford proposed a similar measure in the 2019 session, but it did not pass. A separate measure that would have banned fracking without prohibiting matrix acidization cleared two Senate committees but did not go further. A House version to ban fracking without addressing matrix acidization also did not make it through all of its assigned committees.