Latest news with #Floridians'
Miami Herald
15-07-2025
- Miami Herald
From the Keys to Sanibel: Survey says Florida has some of the best islands in the U.S.
Florida's islands are still favorites among tourists. Florida's hotels, not so much. The Sunshine State is home to several of the best islands to visit in the entire continental United States, according to a newly published survey of nearly 200,000 travelers worldwide. That includes two locales hit hard by three hurricanes in four years — a tribute to Floridians' resilience. The bragging rights stem from the results of the publication Travel + Leisure's 2025 World's Best Awards, out in July. The annual issue, in its 30th year, asked readers all over the globe to vote on their favorite top destinations, hotels, and a host of other categories. While several of Florida's islands dominated in that category, cities and hotels across the state didn't perform quite as competitively. The winning islands were: ▪ Amelia Island in second ▪ Marco Island in sixth ▪ Florida Keys in eighth ▪ Sanibel Island in eleventh ▪ Captiva Island in fifteenth Florida dominated that category, providing five of the top 15. That was more than any other state in the continental U.S. It was also one more than it had in the 2024 World's Best Awards — Marco Island joined the other four for the first time this year. Florida's top islands Travel + Leisure had readers rate the islands on natural attractions/beaches, activities/sights, restaurants/food, people/friendliness and value. Amelia Island is known for beaches and horseback rides. In Nassau County, it's about 30 minutes from Jacksonville. It held the same position in last year's rankings. Marco Island is in Collier County and about 20 miles south of Naples. Abundant with wildlife, it's the largest of the Ten Thousand Islands. In the early days of COVID-19, it was an early rebel, even by Florida standards. In late April 2020, Marco Island City Council voted for a limited re-opening of its beaches. At the beginning of that month, Governor Ron De Santis had issued a shelter in place order for the entire state. It limited the public to essential activities or services. The city council later reversed course due to public pressure to keep the beaches closed. The Florida Keys dropped this year to eighth from fifth in 2024, but remains a regular favorite. 'Old Florida at its very best,' one Travel + Leisure reader wrote. 'Locally owned and managed eateries and hotels. Down-home Southern friendliness. Great food,' the magazine said. Sanibel Island, known for seashells on beaches and serving as a weekend getaway for South Floridians, slipped to eleventh from 10th one year ago. That it's ranked at all is remarkable given it was wrecked by Hurricane Ian in 2022. Parts of the Sanibel Causeway were damaged. Hurricane Milton in 2024 with its 120 mile-per-hour winds also hit Sanibel Island but didn't do as much damage. Captiva Island in Lee County, popular for redfish and snook, was hit by Hurricane Ian in 2022 and Helene and Milton, within two weeks of one another in 2024. Iconic waterside restaurant The Mucky Duck was damaged by all three. Even as the island category was where Florida shined, the results also reflected the increasing pull of the world. Amelia Island, second best in the U.S., scored a total of 86.81. The 25th ranked island in the world had a higher score. The big winner was Páros in Greece, chosen as the top island in the world. Mount Desert Island in Maine was the best in the U.S. Hotels, cities absent? The findings however were not all sunshine. Among the best 100 hotels in the world, not a single one was in Florida. The U.S. overall had 16, California leading with four. Massachusetts and New York were also represented. In the best U.S. cities to visit category, not one from Florida cracked the Top 15. New York City, Chicago and Boston all did. Santa Fe, New Mexico, topped the list for the first time in the best U.S. cities to visit. 'Readers raved about the inventive New Mexican cuisine and the destination's natural beauty - sitting at 7,000 feet,' Travel + Leisure wrote. Santa Fe, which gets over 300 days of sunshine per year, also won praise for its markets and art galleries. These results reflect an increasingly competitive tourism market for Florida. Gone are the COVID-19 days when everyone flocked to the Sunshine State. It's now battling Europe, Asia, much of the United States and Latin America, too. While Florida was shut out in the top 100 hotels, Mexico, Chile, Peru and Costa Rica each had two. Argentina and Panama had one a piece. The 2025 results reflect a constantly changing travel landscape, Travel + Leisure Editor-in-Chief Jacqui Gifford said in a statement. 'From a high-desert city in the American Southwest to a quiet Greek island, our readers are seeking depth, character and a strong sense of place.'
Newsweek
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Florida's Beaches to Change Under New Law: What to Know
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Tuesday that promises to reopen Panhandle beaches to the public, repealing a 2018 state law that allowed beachfront property owners to close off miles of local shoreline to residents. "This bill is about restoring local control, cutting red tape and putting our residents first," the Republican governor said on Tuesday during the signing ceremony at Santa Rosa Beach, in Walton County. The legislation only directly affects this county, although it is likely to have a ripple effect on the rest of the Sunshine State, whose economy thrives on the appeal of its sunny beaches. "It is a win for recreation, for tourism and for future generations," DeSantis said. What Is the New Law About? The bill, SB 1622, officially restores local authority to recognize what is known as the "recreational customary use" of Florida's beaches—the public's ability to enjoy the beach without beachfront homeowners trying to keep them off, even when visitors are technically on private property. That includes walking, fishing and swimming on a beach. Legally, the sandy part of a beach below the high tide water mark can be accessed by the public; above that line, beachgoers could find themselves trespassing on private property. But "if the recreational use of the sandy area adjacent to the mean high tide has been ancient, reasonable, without interruption and free from dispute, such use as a matter of custom, should not be interfered with by the owner." File photo of beachgoers enjoying a sunny day in Miami, Florida. File photo of beachgoers enjoying a sunny day in Miami, Florida. Getty Images Under the 2018 law, now repealed by the new bill, city and county authorities in Florida could not approve a customary use ordinance until they notified affected homeowners, held a public hearing, and obtained a judge's ruling on whether a private beach had been historically accessible to the public. This laborious process, which favored beachfront property owners and was signed into law by then-Governor Rick Scott, was introduced after the Walton County Commission ruled in 2016 that the public had recreational use rights to the local 26 miles of dry sand beach along the Gulf of Mexico. The 2018 law effectively nullified Walton County's decision, invalidating its customary use ordinance; however, the county's commission has now been given the power to issue a new ordinance, opening up its beaches to the public, under the new bill. 'Much More Than a Policy' The bill's sponsors have framed the new legislation as restoring Floridians' rights to access the beaches their families have walked on for decades. "Overnight, people who had walked the same stretch of dry beach for generations were being told that they were trespassing," state Senator Jay Trumbull, one of the sponsors of the bill, said during the press conference on Tuesday. "That's not the Walton County I know, and it's not the Florida I believe in. The people here weren't asking for anything unreasonable. They just wanted to keep doing what they've always done—walk the beach, toss a football, build a sandcastle with their families—and instead, they got confused, conflict and courtroom battles all to protect a simple, time-honored way of life." Trumbull said that the bill is "much more than policy, it's about families," as quoted by the Tallahassee Democrat. "It's about tradition and restoring something that never should've been taken away in the first place." Newsweek reached out to Trumbull via email for comment. The bill, which has received the overwhelming support of lawmakers in both the Florida House and the Senate before landing on the governor's desk, also streamlines the process for restoring eroded beaches in Florida's Gulf Coast counties with fewer than 275,000 residents and at least three municipalities. Under the new law, the state will be able to use the mean high-water line as the erosion control line, a move that will hasten beach recovery projects, especially after the devastation caused by frequent natural disasters. The bill took effect immediately after being signed into law. Are you a Florida resident? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the new bill. Let me know by emailing me at
Politico
17-06-2025
- Business
- Politico
Property tax cliffhanger
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING (HOPEFULLY): SINE DIE — 'State legislators finally concluded their lengthy, bumpy and at times bitter session late Monday after passing a new $115 billion budget and signing off on a $1.3 billion tax cut package designed primarily to aid Florida businesses,' reports POLITICO's Gary Fineout. 'The budget bill heads next to Gov. Ron DeSantis with only about two weeks left before the end of the fiscal year.' Good morning and welcome to Tuesday. After 105 days, Florida's 2025 regular session is finally over. But there's a big, lingering, 'to be continued …' that lawmakers and Sunshine State residents have to grapple with: property taxes. Gov. RON DESANTIS didn't get what he wanted, which was an average $1,000 property tax rebate, to be delivered in December, coupled with a constitutional amendment on the 2026 ballot that would ask voters to reduce or outright eliminate property taxes on Floridians' primary residences. Legislative leaders insist they want a property tax cut to happen in some form — eventually. They're going to study the issue and plan to hold meetings about it in the coming months. 'The property tax discussion, let me just say this: It is alive and well,' state Senate President BEN ALBRITTON told reporters. 'Just because we didn't find a way to be able to get that put into place this year does not mean that discussion is over.' Asked about whether it would make the ballot in 2026, House Speaker DANNY PEREZ said 'that's our plan,' adding: 'Me personally, I hope that we are able to abolish them, at a bare minimum, reduce them for certain people.' The governor is on a trade mission in France and didn't post about the budget overnight. But what was clear after last night's debate was how much the negotiations wound up as somewhat of a peace offering; every major player gave something up that they really wanted. Albritton had to put off a Rural Renaissance package until next year. And Perez didn't get a permanent sales tax cut. As the French would say, c'est la vie. But will it be enough to assuage DeSantis? The governor has the power to bring lawmakers back to Tallahassee for a special session to try to pressure them to address the issue earlier, should he so choose. They could of course gavel in and gavel out like they did during the immigration debate (before then clocking in their own special session), but they've already spent a lot more time in Tallahassee this year than they'd planned. Even Perez acknowledged Monday evening that he was glad to see the session 'finally' near its end. Either way, the issue is sure to ignite plenty of debate during an election year, including among Democrats. Gubernatorial candidate DAVID JOLLY recently said property tax reform is needed, once carefully studied. On Monday, state House Democratic Leader FENTRICE DRISKELL told reporters she thought DeSantis should drop the issue because of how much it risked hurting local governments. 'It's a bad idea,' she said. 'And even if it resurrects itself, I think that the Legislature has a responsibility … to put responsible choices before the people.' State Sen. BLAISE INGOGLIA (R-Spring Hill), who'd pushed the topic in his chamber and is interested in becoming the state's next chief financial officer, called the issue No. 1 for homeowners. 'This issue is not going away and neither am I,' he told Playbook. 'I will not rest until we get it done.' Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@ ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... WHAT'S IN THE BUDGET — 'On their final night, legislators also signed off a bill (HB 5017) that requires the state to permanently set aside $250 million to reduce the total of the state's debt,' reports POLITICO's Gary Fineout. 'They also approved a proposed constitutional amendment (HJR 5019) that will ask voters to dramatically increase the size of one of the state's main budget reserves — a move that will require the state to set aside $750 million each year.' TUCKED INSIDE — 'Florida is opening the door for certain charter schools to operate inside of existing traditional public schools as part of the state's latest school choice expansions,' reports POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury. 'The policy allows 'Schools of Hope' charters to 'co-locate' with local campuses where enrollment is lagging, a move GOP lawmakers see as a win-win as many schools struggle to cope with losing students. The idea was originally part of a bill that failed to pass during session, but its language was revived and reappeared in legislation accompanying the state education budget [that passed] Monday night.' POT PIECE — 'The budget proposed by the Legislature for next year extends rulemaking authority for the Office of Medical Marijuana Use, but only until the end of this year,' reports POLITICO's Arek Sarkissian. 'The language was added by House Health Care Budget Subcommittee Chair Alex Andrade (R-Pensacola), who said the OMMU no longer requires such authority, which allows the bureau to circumvent laws governing non-emergency rule making. The language … would also direct the Office of Medical Marijuana Use to complete non-emergency rulemaking on those rules made under emergency terms over the years by Sept. 1.' DEMOCRATS WHO RAISED OBJECTIONS — 'They took issue with provisions to allow Gov. Ron DeSantis' office to probe spending by local governments, to allow charter school operators to set up shop within an existing public school and to reverse a decision made last year to dedicate funding from the Seminole Gaming Compact to environmental and land conservation programs,' reports Gray Rohrer of USA Today Network — Florida. WHAT DIDN'T MAKE THE BUDGET — A bill that would have freed up tourist tax revenue so it could be spent on local projects like mass transit was scrapped after a push from the tourism industry, reports Jeffrey Schweers and Stephen Hudak of the Orlando Sentinel. Under current law, the money gets spent on marketing campaigns and recreational projects such as stadiums. REJECTED — 'The Florida Department of Environmental Protection on Monday denied a permit to drill for oil near the Apalachicola River, upholding recommendations of an administrative law judge and giving a victory to environmentalists and Northwest Florida residents who rallied against the proposal,' reports Jim Saunders of News Service of Florida. 'The department last year issued a draft permit for Louisiana-based Clearwater Land & Minerals Fla. to drill an exploratory well in an unincorporated part of Calhoun County, which is between Tallahassee and Panama City. But the environmental group Apalachicola Riverkeeper challenged the draft permit at the state Division of Administrative Hearings.' C'EST MAGNIFIQUE — On Monday in Paris, DeSantis announced Otto Aviation was relocating its headquarters to Jacksonville and building a new manufacturing facility at Cecil Airport. The project is expected to bring in 389 new jobs. POO FIGHT — Indian Creek Village — the 'Billionaire Bunker' that's home to JEFF BEZOS, JARED KUSHNER and IVANKA TRUMP, and TOM BRADY — successfully lobbied the Florida Legislature to block the town of Surfside from charging a $10 million fee to move sewer off the island, reports Mike Baker of The New York Times. For years, Indian Creek has relied on septic tanks that are badly polluting Biscayne Bay. PENINSULA AND BEYOND TODAY — Miami commissioners are set to vote this morning on whether the city's police department will partner with ICE for immigration enforcement in what is known as a 287(g) agreement. DeSantis wants all larger agencies to participate and has urged the Legislature to give him the authority to punish those who don't comply. PUSH FOR LAWSUIT DISMISSAL — 'Lawyers for the Pinellas County school district and the Florida Department of Education say a former Pinellas teacher's claims he was forced to resign because of pronoun discrimination are unfounded,' reports the Tampa Bay Times' Jeffrey S. Solochek. 'They've asked a federal court to dismiss Toby Tobin's lawsuit, saying Tobin failed to demonstrate he encountered a hostile work environment. Tobin, who is a transgender male, also failed to prove he was pushed out of his job because of the 2023 law that bars public school employees from asking or requiring students to use pronouns for them other than the ones ascribed to them by their sex at birth.' SCHOOL BOOK REMOVALS — 'Battling on a new front in Florida's ongoing school book disputes, Orange and Osceola school districts have each pulled more than a dozen books that the state's education board called 'pornographic' on a list sent to another school district last month,' reports Steven Walker of the Orlando Sentinel. Some of the books removed: 'Forever' by Judy Blume, 'Last Night at the Telegraph Club' by Malinda Lo, 'Forever for a Year' by B. T. Gottfred, 'And They Lived …' by Steven Salvatore, 'Homegoing' by Yaa Gyasi and 'Red Hood' by Elana K. Arnold. CAMPAIGN MODE AIRWAVES FIGHT BEGINS — 'U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, the first major Republican candidate running for Governor, has come out swinging against the first significant Democrat in the race,' reports Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics. 'An attack ad against former U.S. Rep. David Jolly, who kicked off his own campaign this month, slams the Republican-turned Democrat over the views of his party. The one-minute spot leans heavily on a clip of Jolly in an interview with Hopium Chronicles in May, when he said Democrats in the wake of 2024 losses don't need to revisit party positions.' 2A APPROACH — 'As he runs for Florida governor, David Jolly is pursuing two seemingly incongruous goals on an important, and emotional, issue: guns,' reports Anthony Man of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. 'Like many Democrats, he advocates increasing restrictions on firearms to reduce the carnage of gun violence. Simultaneously, Jolly is advancing a strategy to win by talking to voters Democrats often ignore, specifically including gun owners among the constituencies he plans to engage.' DATELINE D.C. URGING AGAINST DEPORTATION — 'Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) penned a letter for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem raising 'serious concerns' about the detention of Gregory Antonio Sanabria Tarazona, who was jailed for more than three years by Venezuelan authorities and reportedly tortured for his participation in nationwide anti-Maduro protests in 2014,' reports Verónica Egui Brito and Syra Ortiz Blanes of the Miami Herald. TRANSITION TIME — KATIE INMAN joined the public policy and regulation group for Holland & Knight's Tallahassee office. Inman previously worked as general counsel in the Florida attorney general's office. — LORNA MCGEORGE has joined law firm Husch Blackwell as partner in its financial services and capital markets group and as a member of its private wealth team. She previously worked at GrayRobinson. ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN BIRTHDAYS: State Rep. Rachel Plakon ... Brett Doster, president of The Front Line Agency … Vickie Chachere, journalist and communications consultant.
04-06-2025
- Health
Federal judge blocks Florida from enforcing social media ban for kids while lawsuit continues
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A federal judge has barred state officials from enforcing a Florida law that would ban social media accounts for young children, while a legal challenge against the law plays out. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued the order Tuesday, blocking portions of the law from taking effect. The measure was one of the most restrictive bans in the U.S. on social media use by children when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law in 2024. The law would ban social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental permission for their use by 14- and 15-year-olds. In his order granting the preliminary injunction sought by the groups Computer & Communications Industry Association and NetChoice, Walker wrote that the law is 'likely unconstitutional,' but acknowledged that parents and lawmakers have 'sincere concerns' about social media's effects on kids. Walker wrote that the prohibition on social media platforms from allowing certain age groups to have accounts 'directly burdens those youths' rights to engage in and access speech.' Also Tuesday, a federal judge in Atlanta heard arguments from NetChoice seeking to block a 2024 Georgia law scheduled to take effect July 1 that would require age verification for social media accounts and require children younger than 16 to get parental permission for accounts. Like in Florida and other states where laws have been blocked, the internet trade group NetChoice argues that the Georgia law infringes on free speech rights, is vague, and overly burdensome. While siding with the industry groups' claims that the law limits free speech, Walker allowed a provision of the Florida law to go into effect requiring platforms to shut down accounts for children under 16, if their parent or guardian requests it. Parents — and even some teens themselves — are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media use on young people. Supporters of the laws have said they are needed to help curb the explosive use of social media among young people, and what researchers say is an associated increase in depression and anxiety. Matt Schruers, the president and CEO of the industry association CCIA, praised the judge's order blocking the Florida law. 'This ruling vindicates our argument that Florida's statute violates the First Amendment by blocking and restricting minors — and likely adults as well — from using certain websites to view lawful content," he said in a statement. "We look forward to seeing this statute permanently blocked as a violation of Floridians' constitutional right to engage in lawful speech online." A spokesperson for Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier defended the law and the state's efforts to insulate kids from social media at a time when platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat seem almost impossible to escape. 'Florida parents voted through their elected representatives for a law protecting kids from the harmful and sometimes lifelong tragic impacts of social media. These platforms do not have a constitutional right to addict kids to their products,' Uthmeier's press secretary Jae Williams said in a statement. 'We disagree with the court's order and will immediately seek relief in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.' In Atlanta, NetChoice attorney Jeremy Maltz told U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg that Georgia's law would impermissibly restrict speech by minors, saying that 'before you share your art, before you share your political information, you need to produce your papers, please.' Totenberg did not rule Tuesday. But citing rulings against similar laws in other states, she expressed skepticism about Georgia's case, asking Deputy Attorney General Logan Winkles: 'What makes today different from all other days?" Winkles argued the law's requirement of 'commercially reasonable' attempts to verify age could be quite cheap and likened it to banning minors from bars serving alcohol, not restricting their speech. 'There are things about social media that make it dangerous,' Winkles said. 'It's a place where children are being restricted. It's not about speech.' Associated Press writer Jeff Amy contributed from Atlanta.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Federal judge blocks Florida from enforcing social media ban for kids while lawsuit continues
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge has barred state officials from enforcing a Florida law that would ban social media accounts for young children, while a legal challenge against the law plays out. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued the order Tuesday, blocking portions of the law from taking effect. The measure was one of the most restrictive bans in the U.S. on social media use by children when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law in 2024. The law would ban social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental permission for their use by 14- and 15-year-olds. In his order granting the preliminary injunction sought by the groups Computer & Communications Industry Association and NetChoice, Walker wrote that the law is 'likely unconstitutional,' but acknowledged that parents and lawmakers have 'sincere concerns' about social media's effects on kids. Walker wrote that the prohibition on social media platforms from allowing certain age groups to create accounts 'directly burdens those youths' rights to engage in and access speech.' While siding with the industry groups' claims that the law limits free speech, Walker allowed a provision to go into effect requiring platforms to shut down accounts for children under 16, if their parent or guardian requests it. Parents — and even some teens themselves — are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media use on young people. Supporters of the Florida law have said it's needed to help curb the explosive use of social media among young people, and what researchers say is an associated increase in depression and anxiety. Matt Schruers, the president and CEO of the industry association CCIA, praised the judge's order blocking the law. 'This ruling vindicates our argument that Florida's statute violates the First Amendment by blocking and restricting minors — and likely adults as well — from using certain websites to view lawful content," he said in a statement. "We look forward to seeing this statute permanently blocked as a violation of Floridians' constitutional right to engage in lawful speech online." A spokesperson for Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier defended the law and the state's efforts to insulate kids from social media at a time when platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat seem almost impossible to escape. 'Florida parents voted through their elected representatives for a law protecting kids from the harmful and sometimes lifelong tragic impacts of social media. These platforms do not have a constitutional right to addict kids to their products,' Uthmeier's press secretary Jae Williams said in a statement. 'We disagree with the court's order and will immediately seek relief in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.' ___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
