With a week left in the scheduled regular session, House and Senate leaders aren’t yet into formal budget negotiations.

New laws in Florida mandate stiffer criminal penalties for immigrants in the U.S. illegally than for everyone else.

Florida already has an official state pie — key lime — but might soon designate strawberry shortcake as the official state dessert.

Bill sponsor Lawrence McClure, R-Dover, said “fewer than 10” lawsuits have been filed against business owners related to COVID-19. The other proposed amendments were offered by Rep. Ben Diamond, a St. Petersburg Democrat who is an attorney. “I think that idea, candidly, jeopardizes the bill,” Diamond said. The committee shot down the two amendments by Diamond, including one that would have deleted the provision from the bill. Diamond called the withdrawn amendment “a first attempt at this issue” of providing greater protections to employees.