Florida legislature passes bills requiring proof of citizenship for voters
The measure, which the governor is expected to sign, is set to go into effect in January 2027, after the midterm elections.
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The measure, which the governor is expected to sign, is set to go into effect in January 2027, after the midterm elections.
Local officials and residents are voicing strong opposition to the legislation, which they fear will severely impact community life. The bill prohibits counties and municipalities from using funds or taking official action related to DEI.
As part of the move, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles would have to note whether someone is a citizen on any new, replacement, or renewal driver's license or state ID card.
The move comes after the hotel development group had previously deferred its water park request following a large turnout of residents at a Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board meeting in February.
Domestic violence reform is at the forefront of the 2026 legislature session in Florida.
The measure directs each university's board of trustees to "not utilize the H-1B program in its personnel program to hire any new employees through January 5, 2027."
The measure was pushed by the Freedom Foundation, a right-wing think tank funded by billionaires, whose intention is to eliminate public sector unions.
Starting Sunday, the state will cut its subsidies for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), and funds will only be available for people at or below 130% of the federal poverty level, a drop from 400%.
Miami-Dade County Commissioner Vicki Lopez said essential services would remain the top priority, but added that the debate could push governments to reevaluate their responsibilities.
The bill contains wide-ranging changes to the state election code, including new proof-of-citizenship requirements when registering to vote, reductions to the kind of photo identification cards that can be used at polling locations, and requiring an individual's legal citizenship status to be posted on drivers' licenses and ID cards issued by the state.
Despite a contentious debate, the House voted along party lines to pass the bill, making October 14th the "Charlie Kirk Day of Remembrance" and designating a portion of SW 107th Avenue as "Charlie Kirk Memorial Avenue."
Some GOP members of the Senate Appropriations Committee argued that the proposal would put vulnerable children at risk and bring back previously eradicated diseases.
If 60 percent of voters approve the measure, it would take effect in the 2027 tax year, but the Senate has not advanced anything similar yet.
If DeSantis passes the bill, it will attach President Trump's name to the Palm Beach International Airport and give the legislature the authority to name other Florida airports.
The State Board of Immigration Enforcement, comprised of Gov. DeSantis, Attorney General Uthmeier, CFO Ingoglia, had not denied a funding request since it was created last year.
This would change the current Florida High School Athletic Association bylaws that call those actions "impermissible benefits."
The task force will be under the Department of Legal Affairs with each person serving a two-year term and must report to the governor and legislative leaders each year.
The House passed the bill to name the Palm Beach International Airport after Trump, despite arguments about trademarks and his past behavior.
The fund that was set up by lawmakers in 2022, containing $4.77 billion, has been used by DeSantis for immigration enforcement since the governor declared it an emergency in 2023.
The change defines what constitutes "materials harmful to minors" in the controversial 2023 law and why certain material can be banned in the classroom.
The Florida Senate voted unanimously to approve the proposal, which will put the site near St. Augustine as the top choice over Opa-Locka and Eatonville.
The bill will make October 14th the "Charlie Kirk Day of Remembrance," which has sparked outrage due to Kirk's controversial comments towards Black and Muslim people.
The bill would have students from 2nd to 5th grade learn how to write in cursive and then be tested on what they learned at the end of 5th grade.
The bill will also allow name changes for other airports across Florida subject to approval by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The bill, which will go to the Florida House, was passed unanimously by the Senate, giving permission for garage apartments to be built on lots where they were once prohibited.
Residents in Fort Lauderdale's Victoria Park neighborhood say a string of car break-ins and burglaries has left them frustrated and fearful after multiple failed arrests.
A rescue group says the French bulldog mix dubbed "Miracle" may need weeks of treatment after being found severely malnourished behind a local drug store.
A mother says her two young sons are still recovering after the blast that injured 11 people and killed the boat operator.
With inflation hitting its highest point since 2023, Kiana Powell told CBS News, "I cannot let a deal go to waste if it's something that I am using daily."
A new state report shows Florida recorded 694 reportable boating accidents in 2025, with officials pointing to increasingly congested waterways.
Residents in Fort Lauderdale's Victoria Park neighborhood say a string of car break-ins and burglaries has left them frustrated and fearful after multiple failed arrests.
A rescue group says the French bulldog mix dubbed "Miracle" may need weeks of treatment after being found severely malnourished behind a local drug store.
A mother says her two young sons are still recovering after the blast that injured 11 people and killed the boat operator.
With inflation hitting its highest point since 2023, Kiana Powell told CBS News, "I cannot let a deal go to waste if it's something that I am using daily."
A new state report shows Florida recorded 694 reportable boating accidents in 2025, with officials pointing to increasingly congested waterways.
In courtroom testimony, Shandelle Maycock recounted the harrowing night her daughter was abandoned in the Everglades, describing the horrors they endured.
A former prison guard trainee has been sentenced to death for the 2019 execution-style killings of five women inside a Florida bank.
Florida coach Billy Napier is getting a fourth season to try to get the Gators back to their winning ways.
A Florida man has filed a federal lawsuit against Jacksonville sheriff's officers who severely beat him last year after he ran from a traffic stop.
The Marion County Sheriff's deputy told authorities that he accidentally shot and killed his girlfriend while cleaning his gun.
Thirty years ago, a Cuban fighter jet shot down two civilian planes operated by Florida-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue, an incident that inflamed U.S.-Cuba relations.
The Trump administration announced it's restricting people who don't have U.S. passports from entering the country if they have been in Congo, South Sudan or Uganda amid the Ebola outbreak.
The Trump administration has placed intense pressure on Cuba's communist leadership.
At issue in the cases was who can bring lawsuits in federal court to address potential violations of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
President Trump had accused the Treasury Department and IRS of unlawfully allowing a government contractor to leak his tax returns and those of his sons and company.
The only remaining roadblock: Miami Dade County Commission Chairman Anthony Rodriguez, who has so far refused to say when – or even if – he will allow the full commission to vote on it.
A group of Miami residents, including historian Marvin Dunn, filed suit last week in federal court to block the transfer of land for the proposed library.
CBS News Miami has confirmed from multiple sources that the Miami Dade State Attorney's office is investigating A3.
State Senator Rosalind Osgood is urging Wasserman Schultz not to run in Florida's 22nd Congressional district.
Several commissioners have raised questions about how the center would be funded in future years.
The cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak has docked at the Dutch port of Rotterdam for disinfection, wrapping up a troubled journey that put world health authorities on alert.
At least 80 deaths have been reported in a new Ebola disease outbreak in Congo and Uganda, authorities said.
Dr. Tracy Beth Høeg, leader of the Food and Drug Administration division responsible for regulating prescription and over-the-counter drugs, is leaving her post, a senior FDA official confirmed.
A New York native is among 16 American passengers who are quarantining in Nebraska after being on the cruise ship that is at the center of the deadly hantavirus outbreak.
The head of the World Health Organization says "our work is not over" to contain hantavirus after evacuations from a cruise ship hit by a deadly outbreak of the illness.
AARP is sounding the alarm because it is so easy to fall for these schemes, but there are simple things everyone can do to protect themselves.
A lawsuit filed late last month took Chicago-based McDonald's to task over the McRib sandwich, calling its name a form of false advertising.
Florida insurance policyholders could be seeing some form of relief in their wallets thanks to market reforms made statewide, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
The company said Tuesday that 85% of its retail products and "nearly all" of its school offerings are already made without "certified colors."
Less than two days after Delta Air Lines offered $30,000 to each passenger on board the flight that crashed and flipped in Toronto on Monday afternoon, the company is facing its first two lawsuits in the incident — and they likely won't be the last.
"Survivor" 48 and 50 contestant Joe Hunter believes his sister Joanna, whose death was ruled a suicide, was murdered. He and their mother are working to be Joanna's voice and advocate for others who have experienced domestic violence.
The Library of Congress revealed this year's list of 25 recordings to be preserved for future generations on the National Recording Registry.
"The Devil Wears Prada 2" edges out "Mortal Kombat II" at the North American box office this weekend.
A trial in the lawsuit between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni was set to begin later in May.
The performance followed similar shows by Madonna in 2024 and Lady Gaga last year on one of the world's most iconic waterfronts.