DCPS interim superintendent apologizes for not removing Douglas Anderson teacher immediately after arrest
Just days after a former teacher at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts pleaded guilty to felony charges involving a student, the Duval County Schools Superintendent apologized for leaving another teacher in the classroom for weeks after he was arrested in Orlando.
Lake City-based company looking to revitalize Regency Square Mall as it seeks to buy most of troubled shopping center
News4JAX has learned the company interested in purchasing the Regency Square Mall after its current management of the shopping center put the mall up for sale after nine years of ownership.
Praying for a win: Florida bill would OK it in school sports
The bill would require the Florida High School Athletic Association to give each team an opportunity to address the crowd over a public announcement system for no more than two minutes each. It would apply to public and private schools, and Republican Rep. Webster Barnaby said that could include prayer. “I recall the first day that when all of us sat in that House, we opened the House of Representatives with what?” Barnaby said. AdDemocratic Rep. Susan Valdes, a former Hillsborough County School Board member, said even at graduations, students sometimes veer away from their approved speeches. Under the bill language, the association “may not control, monitor, or review the content of the opening remarks and may not control the school's choice of speaker.”The bill has one more House committee stop.
Dozens protest ‘anti-mob’ bill proposed in Florida
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dozens of people gathered Saturday at the Duval County Courthouse to protest House Bill 1. The proposed bill would increase the penalties for violent protests in Florida. RELATED: Civil rights advocates blast ‘anti-mob’ proposal in FloridaThe Chicago group has been to Florida to protest before, and they say even if this bill is passed, they’ll do it again. We are not going to give them any more power.”AdDozens gathered to protest an 'anti-mob' bill being proposed in Florida. Democratic State Rep. Angie Nixon is developing a house bill to combat House Bill 1, which prohibits the use of military tactics from the police during protests.
Battle builds for Aaron Bean’s Senate seat
With Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, facing term limits next year, a battle is shaping up among Republicans seeking to succeed him in a district that currently covers all of Nassau County and part of Nassau County. The district’s boundaries and potentially the number will change before the 2022 elections because of reapportionment. Byrd is in his third term in House District 11, which also includes Nassau and part of Duval counties. Rep. Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville, and Rep. Jason Fischer, R-Jacksonville, also have opened accounts to try to succeed Bean. Yarborough is in his third term in Duval’s House District 12, while Fischer is in his third term in Duval’s House District 16.
Jacksonville’s Yarborough has eye on Bean’s Florida Senate seat
State Rep. Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville, has taken the first step in running for a Northeast Florida Senate seat in 2022, as Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, faces term limits. Yarborough, who has served in the House since 2016, opened a campaign account this week to run in what is now Senate District 4, according to the state Division of Elections website. Yarborough is the first candidate to open a campaign account for the 2022 race. Also, this week Largo Republican Timothy Lewis opened an account to try to succeed term-limited Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, according to the Division of Elections website. Brandes represents Pinellas County’s Senate District 24.
Jacksonville lawmaker denied third term in Florida House
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. While two Northeast Florida state House members easily won primary challenges Tuesday, Rep. Kimberly Daniels lost handily to community organizer Angie Nixon. Daniels had sometimes split from other Democrats by supporting issues such as abortion restrictions and school vouchers and represents the solidly blue Northeast Jacksonville state House District 14. Nixon, who earned 59% of the vote, will face only a write-in opponent in November. In District 12, Incumbent Rep. Clay Yarborough easily dispatched Republican challenger Colin McArthur his primary race. Rob Bradley of Fleming Island, defeated Jason Holifield in Florida Senate District 5, which includes Clay, Baker, Union, Columbia and other counties stretching to the Gulf of Mexico.