Politics

Florida military installations to divvy up nearly $1B in federal funding act

Published

18 hours ago

December 17, 2025

10 military installations in the Sunshine State will get a cut of the funding approved by Congress.

U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody is touting approval by Congress of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which will bring nearly a billion dollars in funding for several military installations in Florida.

The measure passed along bipartisan lines in the Senate and covers defense funding for the next fiscal year. It authorizes about $900 billion in total for defense spending across the U.S. The House signed off on the measure last week.

The act earmarks about $851 million for Florida installations. It will also fund expanded shipbuilding and prioritize development of the “Golden Dome” missile defense system.

“The passage of this year’s NDAA is a victory for the strengthening of our national security and Florida’s military bases. It is vital for the protection of our great nation that our military has the resources needed to deter evil and stay mission ready. Sadly, just this week we lost two National Guardsmen and an interpreter far too soon at the hands of an apparent ISIS attack in Syria. My heart breaks for their families’ unimaginable loss. It is a stark reminder that we must continue our efforts to secure peace through a robust national defense,” Moody said in a news release Wednesday.

“Florida is proud to be the home of three combatant commands, including SOUTHCOM, CENTCOM and SOCOM, as well as 21 military installations which all play a highly important role in the United States’ military strategy. I will always fight for their interests, because a strong military is essential for a strong nation.”

Ten different military installations in Florida will get a partial cut of the funding including, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Eglin Air Force Base, Homestead Air Reserve Base, Hurlburt Field, MacDill Air Force Base, Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island, Naval Air Station Key West, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Naval Air Station Whiting Field and Tyndall Air Force Base.

Florida is home to more than 90,000 active military personnel in the state, and about 1.5 million military veterans reside here.

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Politics

Blaise Ingoglia calls for more stipulations to proposed local government spending legislation

Published

7 minutes ago

December 18, 2025

May Greene

Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia rolled out additional stipulations Thursday in his proposed legislation to tighten spending plans for local governments in Florida.

On the heels of his initial announcement on Wednesday, Ingoglia held another news conference in Winter Park to outline additional elements of legislative proposals he wants state lawmakers to consider during the Florida Legislative Session, which begins Jan. 13.

Ingoglia announced that the proposed measures would require local governments to post all proposed budgets in easily accessible online formats at least two weeks before annual budget hearings begin at the regional level. Any budget amendments should be posted online seven days before hearings.

“Too often local budgets are being passed that local taxpayers cannot follow,” Ingoglia said during his Central Florida appearance.

Ingoglia added that he wants to “mandate” that all municipal governments review all proposed annual budgets and identify at least 10% of their spending plans that could be eliminated. He said that would exclude spending on police, fire and public safety departments.

Ingoglia said the proposed legislation would also eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) awards by local governments to contractors for municipal projects. Sometimes, there are incentives for letting contracts to companies that engage in DEI considerations, a move Ingoglia called “division, exclusion and indoctrination.”

He said awarding contracts should be based only on merit and price.

Thursday’s announcements were additions to Ingoglia’s initial announcement the day before on proposed legislation. He’s been visiting several counties since the Summer and has ripped at least 11 local governments for what he calls overspending and overtaxation. He concluded his tour of different counties and cities on Dec. 4 in Palm Beach County, where he blasted the government for “wasteful and excessive” spending.

To bring some of that municipal spending under control, Ingoglia’s proposed legislation would establish what he calls the Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight (FAFO) as a permanent initiative and agency. And there are several other elements to the legislation.

Ingoglia said he already has several members of the Florida House of Representatives and Senate who are willing to sponsor the bills. He added that Gov. Ron DeSantis is encouraged by the proposals as well.

Rep. Yvette Benarroch, a Naples Republican, was at Thursday’s event and said she’s thrilled to back Ingoglia’s proposed legislation.

“It’s about trust, respect and most of all the taxpayers who pay the bills,” Benarroch said.

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Politics

Gov. DeSantis gives state employees the gift of extra paid time off

Published

38 minutes ago

December 18, 2025

May Greene

Gov. Ron DeSantis is playing Santa and giving state employees some extra holiday time off.

State offices will officially be closed on Dec. 26 and Jan. 2, per DeSantis. That’s on top of the normal days off for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The Governor also already gave employees off an extra day on Nov. 26.

“Our state employees have worked hard throughout the year,” DeSantis said in a press release. “I hope they enjoy additional time off with loved ones and friends this holiday season. The First Lady and I are thankful for their continued dedication to the people of Florida.”

Times have been good in the state of Florida this year: There have been no hurricanes, with the season officially ending this month, and surpluses in the budget have been used to pay off the state’s debt early.

DeSantis — and a long line of Florida Governors — have given state employees extended holiday weekends. (Private sector bosses, take note!)

For instance, for this year’s July 4 holiday, DeSantis also shut down state offices on July 3 for the 100,000 people in the State Personnel System.

Former Govs. Rick Scott and Charlie Crist also gave more time off during the holidays.

Florida employees normally get nine holidays off throughout the year: New Year’s, the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans’ Day, Thanksgiving and the Friday after, and Christmas.

However, not everyone benefits when the state offices shut down.

According to media reports, OPS, or the “part-time employees hired to fill temporary staff shortages,” won’t get the extra paid time off and are essentially furloughed.

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Politics

Florida’s initial unemployment claims fall nearly 16% in second week of December

Published

1 hour ago

December 18, 2025

May Greene

The number of people filing first-time unemployment claims declined in the Sunshine State for the week ending Dec. 13, according to new numbers provided by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).

There were 5,214 people who submitted new jobless filings for unemployment benefits in Florida last week, according to the latest DOL report. That’s down by 975 from the 6,189 claims reported for the week ending Dec. 6, or a 15.75% decline.

It’s another sign that holiday hiring at businesses and retailers is robust to prepare for shoppers buying gifts for Christmas Day.

It’s also another indicator that Florida has remained fairly stable in the employment picture since the Summer months. There have been only a few weeks where the number of weekly unemployment filings have increased in the past half-year, though there’s still about a month of weekly claim reports missing due to the federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1 and lasted into early November.

The general unemployment figure remains at 3.8% last reported for August. But that figure also hasn’t had any updates from FloridaCommerce due to the government shutdown. FloridaCommerce is the state agency that handles the general unemployment rate reports.

As for the latest report on first-time claims, Florida’s decline reflected the national employment picture. But the number of new claims across the country decreased at a greater percentage than the figure in Florida.

There were a total of 255,012 initial claims in the U.S. for the week ending Dec. 13. That’s a substantial 19% decrease of 59,903 filings from the previous week. That figure outpaced the projected decrease that was forecast by DOL economists, who expected a 14.2% drop. That would have amounted to a decline of 44,785 claims.

While the week-to-week decrease is notable, the year-over-year comparison remains stubborn. DOL officials said there were 252,071 filings for the same comparable week in December 2024. That means the latest unemployment claims report signals about a 1.2% increase in the annual comparison, according to the DOL figures.

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