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Danny Burgess looks to expand school cellphone ban

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Sen. Danny Burgess wants to see if keeping cellphones out of schools is helping students learn.

The Zephyrhills Republican has filed legislation (SB 1296) that would, if enacted, create a pilot program in six Florida school districts that currently have, or will have, policies in place prohibiting the use of cellphones by students throughout the school day.

“Florida became a model for the rest of the nation when we first passed legislation in 2023 to remove cell phones from classrooms,” Burgess said of HB 379 that year, which was the House companion to his SB 52.

“I was proud to help spearhead that policy change, which has helped to remove distractions, improve focus during class time and increase student interaction. Now, I believe there is more we can do to further promote ideal learning environments to increase student achievement. By establishing phone-free school campuses, we can encourage students to connect more personally with each other and their teachers and better support their academic efforts.”

The 2023 legislation bans cellphone use during instructional time. The pilot program that would be established under Burgess’ measure this year would expand that restriction further to include the entire school day, school activities on-campus regardless of the time, and off-campus school activities during the school day.

The Foundation for Florida’s Future is supporting the measure.

“Schools should be places where students and teachers are free to focus on learning,” said Nathan Hoffman, senior legislative director for the Foundation for Florida’s Future.

“Data continue to show that eliminating the cell phone distraction, not only in the classroom as Florida has in place now, but throughout the entire school day produces better outcomes — both from a school climate perspective as well as academic. This is important legislation that will keep the Sunshine State moving forward.”

Burgess’ bill would require the Florida Commissioner of Education to coordinate with six school districts selected by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) that represent two small, two medium, and two large counties that currently, or will in the 2025-26 school year, implement the more robust cellphone restrictions.

FDOE would be tasked with providing a report to the Senate President and the House Speaker before Dec. 1, 2026. The report would summarize the effect of each district policy on student achievement and behavior. The report would also include a model policy that school districts and charter schools may adopt. It would also outline exceptions for health emergencies, disasters, students with disabilities and English Language Learners.

Exemptions would also be in place on school buses, or during activities outside of the school day. Additionally, the report would include student code of conduct provisions for violations of the policy that facilitate bullying or cheating, constitute illegal behavior, or capture pictures or video of another student during a medical episode.

Burgess filed the legislation Wednesday. It has not yet been referred to committee and there is no House companion. If approved and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the law would take effect July 1, in time for the 2025-26 school year.


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Baby Boomers favor Florida for relocation over all other states

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Florida is not losing any popularity among retirees. In fact, it’s tops in the U.S. for annual migration among the Baby Boomer generation and near the top for several other generations.

A new study using 2023 data by StorageCafe, a self-storage company, shows the Sunshine State’s “silver tsunami” net migration among Baby Boomers amounted to 50,615.

The StorageCafe analysis looked at the number of people moving to different states, ranking states based on net migration, both overall and relative to each state’s population. The study also factored in the reasons people are moving, as well as age, income, education level, employment status and home prices, among other factors.

Florida was not only first among migration for Baby Boomers, it had more than double the amount of relocations over North Carolina, which came in second. North Carolina’s net migration among Baby Boomers sat at 20,349 in 2023. That was followed by South Carolina in third, Arizona in fourth and Georgia in fifth.

Florida was plus-136,700 in net migration in 2023. That’s the 10th straight year Florida has seen a net of at least 100,000, amounting to a net gain of 1.5 million people in that time.

While Baby Boomers account for the largest portion of retirees moving to Florida, the next generation in line for retirement, Generation X, appears warm to Florida as well. But the Sunshine state is not at the top of the list for Gen Xers, though it’s close. Florida finished second, only behind Texas. Florida saw a net migration of 23,261 Gen Xers two years ago.

Millennials nearly matched that number, with a net migration of 25,189. That put Florida third behind Texas at No. 1 and North Carolina at No. 2.

But even for a generation that isn’t considering retirement yet, Florida did well. Among Generation Z, Florida saw a net migration of 14,098 in 2023. That was fifth in the nation behind South Carolina, Arizona, North Carolina and the District of Columbia.


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Pam Bondi presses Kash Patel on disclosing Jeffrey Epstein docs

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Less than 24 hours after Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the imminent release of documents related to the late Jeffrey Epstein, she says there is more information that her Office hasn’t seen.

And she wants it by Friday morning with no exceptions or omissions.

“I repeatedly questioned whether this was the full set of documents responsive to my request and was repeatedly assured by the FBI that we had received the full set of documents,” Bondi wrote FBI head Kash Patel, as reported by Fox News. “Late yesterday, I learned from a source that the FBI Field Office in New York was in possession of thousands of pages of documents related to the investigation and indictment of Epstein.”

On Wednesday, Bondi promised Jesse Watters “a lot of flight logs, a lot of names, a lot of information” about the activities that expect to ensnare and implicate some of the most powerful and prominent people in the U.S.

She attributed delays to the need to redact identifying information about more than 250 victims during that prime-time interview.

Now she’s giving Patel a short window to release all relevant materials about the dead sex trafficker.

“By 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, February 28, the FBI will deliver the full and complete Epstein files to my office, including all records, documents, audio and video recordings, and materials related to Jeffrey Epstein and his clients, regardless of how such information was obtained,” Bondi wrote. “There will be no withholdings or limitations to my or your access.”

The report surfaced after U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna blasted the incomplete release based on a story by New York Post reporter Steven Nelson that said Epstein’s personal address book, a 100-page document, would be published without context.

“I nor the task force were given or reviewed the Epstein documents being released today,” Luna posted on X. “A NY Post story just revealed that the documents will simply be Epstein’s phonebook. THIS IS NOT WHAT WE OR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ASKED FOR. GET US THE INFORMATION WE ASKED FOR instead of leaking old info to press.”

Epstein ultimately pleaded guilty in 2008 to charges of soliciting and trafficking underage girls, serving just 13 months on work release in a private wing of a Palm Beach jail.

New reporting on Epstein’s case in 2018 helped authorities reopen it.

Epstein died of an apparent suicide in his jail cell while awaiting trial in 2019. His accomplice and sometimes girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite, was later charged and convicted of sex trafficking in 2020.

The state of Florida unsealed records from his 2008 state investigation and case against Epstein.

The transcripts have long been shielded from public perusal due to state limitations on exposing grand jury evidence. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation in February that created a narrow exemption to those limits to unseal Epstein’s records on July 1.

The transcripts can be viewed here.

___

A.G. Gancarski, Jacob Ogles and Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics contributed to this report.


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Taylor Yarkosky files bill to compensate child who overdosed

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Clermont Republican Rep. Taylor Yarkosky has filed a claims bill (HB 6541) that would compensate a child for permanent injuries he sustained due to what his attorney says was a result of negligence by the Department of Children and Families (DCF).

Yarkosky’s bill follows efforts by Doral Republican Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez last year (SB 2) and in 2023 seeking $20 million for the child, known as “C.C.” Yarkosky’s measure also adopts that $20 million figure.

The now-10-year-old C.C. was left permanently injured, suffering an anoxic brain injury, seizures, strokes and other neurological impairments.

C.C.’s lawyer Stacie Schmerling told Florida Politics at the time SB 2 was filed that DCF had done nothing about the multiple abuse reports they had received, despite knowing that his mother — Fort Myers resident Anna Highland — was addicted to opioids and had been taking methadone while pregnant.

“DCF’s responsibility is to take action to protect the child, to make sure the child does not suffer any further harm at the hands of a drug addict parent, whether it’s abuse or neglect, and certainly there were multiple opportunities for intervention. DCF got a report to protect this child the day he was born, and their obligation was to that. And they didn’t,” Schmerling said.

At the time C.C.’s birth, Highland was licensed as a foster parent by DCF and had a significant amount of involvement with the Department going back to 2012. Highland’s drug abuse during pregnancy caused C.C. to experience severe withdrawal symptoms, necessitating almost a month of hospitalization and morphine treatment.

Despite receiving six separate child abuse allegations related to Highland’s drug use within a seven-month period, DCF allowed C.C. to be released back into Highland’s care and eventually closed the investigation, deeming the substance abuse claims unsubstantiated and her methadone use non-threatening to child safety.

In 2015, DCF received two child abuse reports alleging that Highland was abusing a foster child, but both were closed without investigation. On Sept. 12, 2015, 13-month-old C.C. overdosed on Highland’s methadone, leading to a coma and a one-month hospitalization.

DCF’s investigation revealed that Highland and her mother delayed seeking medical help for approximately five hours. Consequently, C.C. was removed from Highland’s care and placed with his father.

The bill claims DCF failed in its duty to protect C.C. by allowing him to remain in his mother’s care without proper safety measures and seeks a $20 million settlement to be paid into a trust for C.C.’s exclusive use. Attorneys fees and costs, as well as lobbying fees and similar expenses, would be restricted to 25% of the amount awarded.

If passed, the bill would take effect upon becoming law.


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