Articles by Brendan Farrington

Appeals Court: Florida Public School Can’t Punish Student for Gender Nonconformity

xA Florida school district was wrong when it forced a transgender high school student to either use the girls bathroom or a single-stall gender neutral bathroom, a federal appeals court ruled. The ruling issued Aug. 7 sides with Drew Adams, …

New Florida Laws Address Climate Issues, Require Sea Level Study for Construction

Republican Florida Ron DeSantis signed a slew of environmental bills in less than 24 hours that address issues ranging from sea level rise to blue-green algae blooms – and even given the state authority to use drones to fight invasive …

As Florida Virus Cases Spike, Officials Shut Down Bars

The state of Florida set on Saturday another record in daily confirmed coronavirus cases. Florida health officials reported more than 9,500 new COVID-19 cases, surpassing the previous day’s total by more than 600 confirmed cases. The figures come as officials …

Florida Rethinks Hurricane Plans in Midst of Coronavirus

Florida’s emergency manager is expressing complete confidence that the state is prepared for a hurricane during the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic, but some local directors aren’t sharing the same level of certainty. The state has massive stockpiles of personal protection equipment …

Florida Makes Plans for Dealing with Pandemic During Hurricane Season

As Florida slowly reopens, officials are now contemplating what they should do if the coronavirus outbreak lingers into hurricane season, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday. Hurricane season begins June 1 and usually peaks from late August through September. Florida …

Florida to Allow Limited Reopening for Restaurants, Retail Stores

Florida’s restaurants and retail stores will be allowed to reopen Monday at 25% capacity, if the local government allows it, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday, as the state begins the slow climb from the economic abyss caused by the coronavirus. …

Florida Declared Federal Disaster Due to Virus

President Donald Trump declared Florida a disaster area Wednesday because of the new coronavirus outbreak, while another of the state’s largest metropolitan areas moved toward a near-shutdown. The president acted a day after Gov. Ron DeSantis requested the declaration, becoming …

Florida Passes Bill to Combat Blue-Green Algae Blooms

The Florida Legislature is attempting to rein in the blue-green algae blooms that have hurt tourism and wildlife, sending Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis a bill that seeks to reduce nutrients reaching the state’s waterways and groundwater. The bill is a …

Feds Say Florida Officials Bilked FEMA Out of Hurricane Money

Two former officials of a Florida city are charged with conspiring with two businesses to bilk the federal government out of $5 million in Hurricane Michael cleanup money, the U.S. attorney’s office announced Tuesday. U.S. Attorney Lawrence Keefe said the …

Tropical Storm Nestor Spawns Tornadoes in Florida Gulf but Spares Panhandle

Tropical Storm Nestor was downgraded Saturday after it spawned a tornado that damaged homes and a school in central Florida but spared an area of the Panhandle devastated one year ago by Hurricane Michael. The storm, however, spun off at …