Qualifying wrapped up Friday for the August and November elections, and while some state legislature candidates won with no opposition, most voters will find contested races on the ballot for Florida Senate and House.

A memo said that allowing people to change their gender on licenses and ID cards runs afoul of state law because gender “has historically been understood as a synonym for ‘sex,’ which is determined by innate and immutable biological and genetic characteristics.”

Florida will provide COVID-19 data to the public again after a former Democratic state representative settled a lawsuit with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration over the decision two years ago to stop sharing information on the virus’ spread online.

Florida public colleges will be required to update policies on restrooms and changing rooms to have separate facilities “based on biological sex at birth,” under a rule approved Wednesday by the State Board of Education.

Carlos Guillermo Smith joins Justin Warmoth on "The Weekly."

Giffords Florida, an organization aiming to end gun violence in America, held a news conference discussing the new permitless carry gun bill signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this week.

Changes to redistricting in the Florida House mean a popular Democrat is facing a tough challenge from a first-time Republican candidate with a well-known last name.

Changes to redistricting in the Florida House mean a popular Democrat is facing a tough challenge from a first-time Republican candidate with a well-known last name.

The shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, is the latest example of something that's been part of U.S. history since the beginning: targeted racial violence.

Dozens of math textbooks were rejected by the Florida Department of Education after officials said the publishers were attempting to indoctrinate students.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a controversial bill banning sexual identity discussion for children in kindergarten through third grade.

The bill goes before the full Florida House Tuesday.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day events are returning to Orlando in January, but organizers said on Saturday, Jan. 8, that the annual parade through the city’s downtown area will be canceled due to concerns over COVID-19.

The Florida Department of Health is trying to scuttle a public-records lawsuit seeking information about COVID-19, arguing that requested reports don’t exist and that the underlying data is confidential.

The debate over masks in classrooms continues as school districts that are violating the governor's ban on mask mandates without an opt-out option now have to defend themselves.

A new report released by the CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services breaks down COVID-19 deaths by county in the State of Florida, the first time this data has been released to the public since the Florida Department of Health took down the daily COVID-19 dashboard in early June.

A spokesperson for the Orange County Department of Health said staff are looking into the discrepancy.

The lawsuit alleges the Florida Department of Health has violated public-records laws by refusing to provide detailed data about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday slashed $900,000 in funding for programs that serve LGBTQ people in Central Florida, including a program that provides mental-health services to survivors and family members of victims of the Pulse nightclub mass shooting.

Florida Republicans have sent a proposal to Gov. Ron DeSantis that would ban transgender girls and women from playing on public school teams intended for student athletes born as girls.

ORLANDO, Fla. – While many medically vulnerable Florida residents were glad when the state expanded eligibility guidelines for the COVID-19 vaccine, they’ve since encountered confusion and obstacles while trying to get inoculated as doctors charge to fill out the required form. Tracey Johnson is medically vulnerable and said she jumped at the opportunity to get the shot. Our fellowship team called 10 local health clinics asking if they'd sign @RonDeSantisFL's government mandated form for medically vulnerable, uninsured Floridians needing the COVID 💉. “Folks can self-identify as being medically vulnerable,” he said. The push is especially important as reports surface of doctors charging a visitation fee in order to fill out the required form.

LAKELAND, Fla. – Doug Veal, 46, of Lakeland was able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine a day after the Florida Department of Health released the eligibility form for “extremely vulnerable” patients. The Lakeland man said he used a letter he received from his physician to obtain a vaccine from CVS. [RELATED: Florida releases eligibility form for ‘extremely vulnerable’ patients for COVID-19 vaccine]CLICK HERE FOR THE FORMAdThe 46-year-old said he is in the latest priority group for people deemed extremely vulnerable by a doctor. The prioritization requires “medically vulnerable” patients to provide a state-issued form found on the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) homepage. “The state is asking folks to fill out a specific form that was published by the Florida Department of Health.

Some Floridians who are eligible to receive a vaccine have said they can’t secure an appointment. Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith said high-risk individuals under the age of 65 should be able to receive a vaccine outside of a hospital. Ron DeSantis, Smith said people with comorbidities must receive the vaccine in a hospital. Smith said just more than 100,000 Floridians under the age of 65 with comorbidities have been vaccinated. As of Wednesday night, Orlando Health’s website said it did not have any available first dose appointments for a COVID-19 vaccine.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The priest of a church in Azalea Park said his church received 500 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and he wanted to help the Latino community have access. He said this approach provides equal access to everyone, adding that not every person in the Latino community has access to technology. “We know from market research that Latinos in this market are less likely to have a computer at home,” Rodriguez said. The priest said it’s been rewarding to help connect the Latino community with the vaccine. State Rep Carlos Guillermo Smith said the goal was to make sure the Latino community has access to the vaccine but also that there is equity.

A Florida representative said that Walmart had mistakenly allowed people under the age of 65 with comorbidities to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday. Walmart’s online portal allowed for those people to sign up, according to Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith. On Friday, Walmart will join both Winn Dixie and Publix offering the Moderna vaccine as part of the Federal Retails Pharmacy Program. “It’s extremely frustrating and sends a mixed message, but you know we don’t want these people to give up hope. Walmart is working to align our scheduling system with the specific populations the state has asked us to vaccinate under the federal retail pharmacy partnership.

Could Florida be the next state to legalize marijuana in 2022? There are a number of related bills in both the House and Senate taking aim at how Florida handles pot-related crimes. Under House Bill 189 and Senate Bill 712, individuals with certain marijuana-related crimes would be able to petition the court to expunge their criminal history. It's past time to legalize cannabis for responsible adults, let small businesses into the industry AND use the additional revenue to offset unnecessary cuts to our public schools in the budget year!! https://t.co/ovlnsgm6Bh — Rep. Carlos G Smith (@CarlosGSmith) January 22, 2021In 2016, Florida voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment to allow medical marijuana.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida’s director of emergency management said Thursday that a statewide appointment system for COVID-19 vaccinations should be ready within weeks, bringing order to the chaos marking Florida’s rollout of vaccines to its most vulnerable residents. He said a registration system could help alleviate the strain counties are now under as they deliver vaccinations. New claims for jobless benefits tripled last week in Florida as the new coronavirus continued taking its toll on the tourist-dependent state. Although some snowbirds who own homes in Florida say they have gotten vaccines while here in the Sunshine State. At some vaccination sites, seniors have had to be turned away because vaccine allotments had dried up.

(Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando is among one of the stops presidential candidate Joe Biden’s campaign will be making in Florida on Friday to talk about the local economy and the state’s unemployment situation. The first news conference is at 9:45 a.m. in Orlando Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith and Eric Clinton, the president of the labor union Unite Here. Both Biden and President Donald Trump are attempting to win over voters in the crucial battleground state. While Trump had to cancel a recent Central Florida event after his COVID-19 diagnosis, Pence will be in Orlando and The Villages this weekend.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – For years, News 6 has been Driving Change by shining a light on Florida's toothless texting and driving laws and pushing for more commonsense legislation to make our roads safer. It’s called secondary enforcement and it’s a dangerous practice that does little to ensure safety and curtail distracted driving. Year in and year out, our leaders in Tallahassee have made excuses, inevitably killing tougher texting and driving and distracted driving bills silently in committee. “Let the will of the Florida House and the Florida Senate, which was elected by Florida voters, let us have our say,” he said. The House bill had little opposition, but the Senate version died in committee.