Dara Kam, News Service of Florida

Seeking to “restore confidence” in its mission, directors of an embattled foundation affiliated with First Lady Casey DeSantis’ signature Hope Florida welfare-assistance program on Thursday agreed to strengthen the nonprofit’s structure amid widening scrutiny by the Florida House.

Amid ongoing scrutiny of First Lady Casey DeSantis’ signature welfare-assistance program and an affiliated foundation, the executive director of the Hope Florida program is poised to step down.

The chairman of a foundation tied to Hope Florida aid under oath Tuesday that “mistakes were made” with the foundation’s record keeping, as a skirmish over the group’s finances continued to escalate.

Amid an escalating feud between Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled House, the chamber’s budget chairman on Friday sent letters to six state agencies seeking a broad array of documents as part of a probe into government spending.

Building on a years-long effort to make it harder to change the state Constitution, the Florida House on Thursday approved a controversial measure that would impose new requirements on the ballot initiative process and increase penalties for wrongdoing.

A year after lawmakers relaxed the state’s child labor laws, a divided Florida Senate panel on Tuesday gave initial approval to a measure that would further roll back work restrictions for kids as young as 14.

Saying the restriction is “consistent with our historical tradition of firearm regulation,” a federal appeals court upheld the constitutionality of a Florida law that raised the minimum age to purchase rifles and other long guns from 18 to 21.

A House panel on Tuesday unanimously signed off on a proposal that would make further changes to condominium safety laws requiring inspections of older buildings and adequate reserves for repairs.

A 2024 Florida law aimed at keeping children off of social-media platforms came under scrutiny Friday, as lawyers for the state told a federal judge the measure is addressing a “mental-health crisis” and attorneys for industry groups argued the restrictions violate First Amendment rights.

Special Florida House panels are teed up next week to scrutinize Gov. Ron DeSantis’ line-item budget vetoes, setting up possible overrides amid a dispute between the governor and Republican legislative leaders over immigration-enforcement plans.

Republican state Rep. Debbie Mayfield of Melbourne lashed out Wednesday against Gov. Ron DeSantis after his administration blocked her from qualifying to run in a special election to replace outgoing Sen. Randy Fine.

Two months after a similar measure failed to garner enough voter support to pass, a political committee bankrolled by the state’s largest medical-marijuana company has launched a new effort to allow recreational pot in Florida.