DeSantis vetoes in-state tuition for Florida prisoners
The big story: As it made its way through the Florida Legislature, a bill to ensure imprisoned Floridians keep their resident status for purposes of qualifying for in-state tuition encountered little opposition.
SB 62, sponsored by Sen. Rosalind Osgood, a Broward County Democrat, won unanimous approval at all its committee stops and on the floor. In the House, only five members voted against the measure, which Osgood said was intended to give former inmates a path to rehabilitation.
Gov. Ron DeSantis didn’t see things that way. In his veto message, he wrote that Florida has a top ranking for its university system because of the state’s investment into it. “We should not reward criminal activity by providing inmates with the same benefits as law-abiding citizens.”
Of the nearly 300 bills landing on the governor’s desk this year, he so far has vetoed eight, including one other (SB 494) relating to higher education. Read more from Florida Politics.
Hot topics
School leadership: Three more Pinellas County schools are getting new principals. One came as a surprise.
School closures: A growing number of Florida school districts are looking at closing schools as they lose students to voucher, charter and other education options, Florida Phoenix reports.
Safety: Leon County law enforcement is increasing enforcement in school speed zones, after families complain that speeding appears to be getting worse, WTXL reports.
Exceptional student education: An independent review found staffing and training deficiencies in the Bay County school district’s special education programs, WMBB reports. District leaders have committed to making improvements.
Contract talks: Leon County teachers are seeking improved working conditions as they begin a new round of negotiations, WCTV reports.
Construction projects: An outside review found no fault in the Marion County school district’s procurement procedures, despite allegations of tampering in the selection process of a construction firm, Ocala Gazette reports. The review firm did recommend policy improvements.
Campus protests: University of Central Florida trustees approved new rules that ban camping on campus and limit the duration of student demonstrations, WMFE reports.
Budgets: The Bay County school district is planning to give a larger percentage of local tax revenue to charter schools, WMBB reports.
Armed employees: Some Brevard County residents criticized the school district for implementing the state guardian program that allows certain trained school employees to carry weapons on campus without being identified, Florida Today reports. More from WOFL.
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Before you go ... Who says a concrete canoe can’t float? Not these UF student engineers, who just won a national competition — again — proving it can.