Florida Republicans want to ban private businesses from requiring masks or COVID-19 tests

Rep. Griff Griffitts, a Panama City Republican who sponsored the bill, argued that the proposal is designed to fight discrimination.

by Ryan Dailey and News Service of Florida April 11, 2023August 3, 2023

Rep. Griff Griffitts, a Panama City Republican who sponsored the bill, argued that the proposal is designed to fight discrimination.

News & Views

Florida Republicans want to make it harder to declare public-health emergencies

The bill comes after a statewide public-health emergency that lasted for more than a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic

by Jim Saunders and News Service of Florida April 4, 2023January 30, 2025

News & Views

University of Florida says it has ‘no standing’ to review surgeon general’s COVID guidance

Joseph Ladapo holds a faculty position in UF’s College of Medicine.

by News Service of Florida January 5, 2023August 3, 2023

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Florida Surgeon General used ‘seriously flawed’ science to warn against vaccines, UF faculty peers say

A UF task force determined that the information Ladapo used to warn against vaccines has ‘serious shortcomings’ of which he was made aware.

by Jesse Scheckner and Florida Politics January 4, 2023July 25, 2025

News & Views

Florida Supreme Court approves DeSantis’ request for COVID-19 vaccine grand jury

DeSantis’ request focused on statements by drug companies and federal officials that the vaccines would prevent transmission of COVID-19.

by Jim Saunders and News Service of Florida December 23, 2022April 9, 2025

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Florida Gov. DeSantis calls for grand jury to investigate COVID-19 vaccine ‘wrongdoing’

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement would serve as the primary investigator for the grand jury.

by Ryan Dailey and News Service of Florida December 14, 2022August 3, 2023

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USF urges Florida Supreme Court to hear case about pandemic shutdown fees

Similar lawsuits have been filed against colleges and universities in Florida and across the country after campuses were shut down in 2020.

by News Service of Florida November 1, 2022October 23, 2023

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NewsRadio WFLA spread COVID-19 falsehoods, but Tampa Bay Lightning says that’s not why its contract wasn’t renewed

The new flagship for Bolts games is now 102.5 The Bone, which boasts a much more powerful signal.

by Colin Wolf September 14, 2022August 2, 2025

News & Views

Appeals court refuses to toss out lawsuit against USF over pandemic shutdowns

Campuses in Florida and across the country shut down in 2020 to try to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

by Jim Saunders and News Service of Florida June 1, 2022August 30, 2023

News & Views

Florida COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to climb

The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive-care units, however, remained stable.

by News Service of Florida May 10, 2022September 17, 2024

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Florida’s COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to drop

The new data also showed that 562 COVID-19 patients were in intensive-care units, down from 686 on Monday.

by News Service of Florida February 25, 2022August 3, 2023

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Florida’s controversial State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo set for confirmation hearing

The surgeon general doubles as secretary of the Florida Department of Health.

by News Service of Florida February 7, 2022March 28, 2025

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Tampa rally calls for release of Leonard Peltier after he caught COVID-19 in prison

Peltier is an Indigenous activist wrongfully imprisoned and incarcerated in Coleman Correctional Institution about an hour north of Tampa.

by Justin Garcia January 31, 2022February 18, 2025

News & Views

Florida Republicans file bill to keep churches open during pandemics

“Basically, if Target and Publix are open, so too should be the religious institution.”

by Jim Turner and News Service of Florida January 13, 2022August 3, 2023

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Everyone’s roasting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over his insanely dumb ‘think about it’ tweet

by Colin Wolf January 10, 2022

News & Views

Florida’s COVID-19 hospitalizations spike to 8,406

The number of patients with COVID-19 has surged as the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus has raced through the state.

by News Service of Florida January 7, 2022August 3, 2023

News & Views

Despite skyrocketing COVID cases, Florida tourism officials predict ‘bright’ future

Almost 90 percent of visitors in 2021 had come from other states.

by Jim Turner and News Service of Florida January 5, 2022August 3, 2023

News & Views

Savage Love: Is my partner an asshole for asking me to isolate during the holidays after testing positive for COVID?

Vaxxed and confused.

by Dan Savage January 4, 2022January 6, 2024

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St. Pete Mayor-elect Ken Welch cancels inauguration ceremony after positive COVID test

Welch is vaccinated, including with a booster shot, the announcement said.

by News Service of Florida January 4, 2022November 1, 2023

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Florida bill would make it illegal for businesses to punish employees for quarantining after testing positive for COVID-19

Retaliatory actions, such as dismissals or demotions, would be barred.

by News Service of Florida January 3, 2022August 3, 2023