A Senate panel on Thursday moved Florida one step closer to allowing people to carry concealed firearms without licenses, as critics on opposite sides took aim at the proposal.

Small towns and big cities alike are struggling to recruit and retain law enforcement officers amid national controversy over the police profession. Many veteran officers are retiring, leaving agencies in a bidding war for qualified candidates — as they try to hire the next generation to protect and serve.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill that gives him control of Walt Disney World’s self-governing district.

The costs of protecting Gov. Ron DeSantis, his family, the governor’s mansion and visiting dignitaries were up more than 25% during the past year, according to a new state report.

News4JAX looks back at how Florida governors have handled sheriff appointments in the recent past.

The Clay County Agricultural Fair is back after the event was canceled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ron DeSantis to mobilize the National Guard to help distribute the COVID-19 vaccine. In a letter to DeSantis, Fried said distribution has been characterized in media reports as “very chaotic” and that there is a lack of “clear direction” for health-care professionals on vaccination procedures. “Instead of efficient, centralized distribution management by the state of Florida, distribution has been left to hospitals and county health departments,” Fried, the only statewide elected Democrat, wrote. Fried asked that health and emergency-management officials be present at a Feb. 2 state Cabinet meeting to answer questions about vaccine distribution. “The COVID vaccine supply is limited,” DeSantis said Wednesday while at a senior complex in Delray Beach where 300 residents were being inoculated.