Ballard Partners founder and lead strategist Brian Ballard and his wife, Kathryn, have donated $1 million to Florida State University (FSU) for its Food for Thought Pantry. It’s the largest single investment to the school’s Division of Student Affairs in its history.

“This extraordinary gift from Kathryn and Brian Ballard embodies the true spirit of the Florida State University community,” FSU President Richard McCullough said. “Their generosity will make a lasting impact, helping us address the issue of student food insecurity and ensuring that our students have the resources they need to thrive academically and personally. We are deeply grateful for their commitment to our mission and for supporting our students’ success.”

Kathryn Ballard is an FSU alumna and a member of the university’s board of trustees.

The funding will benefit efforts to reduce food insecurity on college campuses, which data shows is on the rise, according to the American College Health Association. That group found nearly a third of college students nationwide experience food insecurity.

FSU’s Food for Thought Pantry has served students since 2009, providing immediate support to those at risk of going hungry. As of December 8, the Pantry had served more than 3,000 students more than 22,000 times, collectively, in 2025. That was a nearly 58% increase in student usage over the previous year.

The Pantry also operates mobile distribution events, dining hall meal swipe donation distributions and Supplemental Nutrition Access Program (SNAP) workshops. Both undergraduate and graduate students across all colleges access the Pantry — and their needs continue to grow.

“Our vision is to champion support for a state-of-the-art market where Florida State University students can confidently collect provisions as they pursue their degrees,” the Ballard said.

The Ballards’ gift will help the Pantry with its expansion efforts, including long-term plans to increase its square-footage and storage capacity and expand its services to more students.

“We are extremely grateful to the Ballards for their generous gift and longstanding support to FSU and our students,” FSU Vice President for Student Affairs Amy Hecht said. “Their commitment and compassion will enable students to focus on their academics and help ensure their path to graduation is unimpeded.”

Kathryn Ballard graduated from FSU in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science degree from what was then called the College of Human Sciences. In addition to her service on the FSU Board of Trustees, she has a long history of charitable and community work including service on the FSU College of Health and Human Sciences Board, the Board of Directors of the Florida Special Olympics and the Board of Trustees of the Maclay School of Tallahassee.

It’s Brian Ballard’s role in philanthropic efforts at FSU that makes a little less sense — He’s a two-time graduate of FSU rival, the University of Florida.

And this isn’t the first time the couple has made a major contribution to FSU.

Brian Ballard’s firm, Ballard Partners, also previously launched an FSU scholarship fund in 2020 to honor Gregory Turbeville, who passed away that year at just 49 years old. The scholarship supports students who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement and have financial need.

And the Ballards in 2016 gifted FSU a building valued at $1.1 million to serve as the home of the Him Moran School of Entrepreneurship and the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship. The 19,000 square-foot building is located at 111 S. Monroe St. in Tallahassee and was the final piece needed after securing a $100 million donation to establishing the school from the Jim Moran Foundation.

Rep. Marie Woodson is entering the 2026 Legislative Session on a mission to pass meaningful legislation, from ensuring Floridians have access to safe medical treatment to safeguarding children during police interactions.

Those aims, Woodson said, are consistent with the promise she made before and after her election to the House; her 2020 platform was full of people-first policies she continues to pursue today.

“When I took the vow of office, I vowed to protect the people of the state of Florida,” she told Florida Politics.

“That’s what I do every day. I look out for them, protect them and make sure they have a better quality of life, a way to become more self-sufficient and successful.”

Several of the bills that Woodson, a Hollywood Democrat, is carrying this year center on health care safety and continuity.

There’s HB 93, which is meant to protect patients from airborne contaminants during surgeries. The measure, to which Jacksonville Democratic Sen. Tracie Davis is carrying an identical companion (SB 162), would require hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers to mandate the use of smoke evacuation systems during procedures likely to generate surgical smoke.

It’s a change Woodson and Davis have sought for years and came close to getting across the proverbial finish line last year. And the risks are real; according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, repeated exposure to surgical smoke has been known since 1996 to cause, among other things, respiratory irritation, visual problems and potential cancer-causing gene mutation.

As of last year, 18 states had laws to prevent the health hazard. Woodson wants Florida to join them. But she said there’s been some industry pushback — an assertion backed by dozens of lobbyist registrations on the bill.

“Some people are against it. I don’t see why,” she said. “Hospitals are supposed to use small equipment to capture that smoke, and some aren’t using it. They might be thinking they could get sued. I don’t care about that. By 2035, we’re expected to have a nursing shortage in Florida. We have a shortage of doctors. Let’s do right by those people.”

Another health care-focused proposal (SB 114, HB 577) that Woodson is running with Miami Gardens Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones would ensure people aren’t left without coverage or care due to corporate disagreements outside their control.

The legislation is a response to difficulties tens of thousands of Broward County patients encountered late last year after Florida Blue removed Memorial Healthcare System from its in-network provider list.

At the time, Jones had just been released from a Memorial hospital following treatment for a serious health condition and found himself suddenly without coverage.

“I’m in limbo,” Jones told Florida Politics. “I have to find another doctor, and I’m paying out-of-pocket right now.”

Woodson and Jones’ proposal, which already cleared one House committee with uniform support, would require insurers and health care providers to give affected patients at least 60 days’ advance notice.

The notice would have to explain, in plain language, each patient’s rights, transition timeline and where to direct questions or complaints, with regulators authorized to impose fines for violations. The bill would allow patients already in active treatment to continue seeing their current provider under the same contract terms for up to six months or through postpartum care, whichever applies.

“I’ve been getting a lot of calls from people about this,” Woodson said. “I want to put certain things in place to make sure people are covered, that there’s a grace period before they can tell you, ‘Hey, your insurance is not taking this.’ Because by the time they do the negotiations, you don’t even have time to look for a different hospital or doctor; you’re just being dropped.”

Woodson is also sponsoring a bill (HB 83) to better protect children whose parents are being taken into custody by law enforcement.

In some arrest situations, she said, a mother or father may not inform police that they have kids in the house who will be left alone. And even though the Department of Children and Families will ultimately intervene to pick up and care for those children if no other suitable option exists, there is still a span of time between those actions that can prove dangerous for a child.

HB 83, which awaits a Senate analog, would require law enforcement officers to ask standardized questions about minor children when arresting a person and to verify that any children are safe and in the care of a responsible guardian.

If an officer determines that a child may be unsafe or unaccounted for, the bill would authorize contact with the state’s central abuse hotline and, if necessary, protective intervention. It also directs the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission to develop statewide policies and training on handling the special needs of children present during a parent’s arrest.

“This bill is extremely important to me,” she said, adding that she is working with several organizations and agencies to improve the bill before it hopefully passes.

Lastly, Woodson is working on a cross-aisle measure (SB 562, HB 533) with Miami Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia to help people with disabilities interact with government entities and staff in the way they best can.

The measure would create a new bill of rights for such individuals, guaranteeing that they can communicate using their preferred alternative communication methods in educational, health care and public settings.

It would prohibit state agencies, schools and health care providers from restricting those methods, mandate statewide training for relevant staff and establish a temporary advisory board to oversee implementation and compliance.

Violations could result in administrative action and civil penalties.

Woodson said a woman and her mother brought her the issue on the last day of the 2025 Session, imploring her to file legislation to help them.

“They were in tears,” she said. “People with disabilities like autism, sometimes others act like they are not even there. I want to make sure that whatever they use to speak is allowed either in school or through the state of Florida, that they have the right to communicate in whatever preferred manner they have.”

The 2026 Legislative Session begins Tuesday.

As lawmakers prepare for what could be a complex 2026 Legislative Session, Pinellas County Republican Sen. Nick DiCeglie is championing storm recovery policy, infrastructure, affordability and efforts to tighten government processes.

DiCeglie is carrying a bill (SB 840) closely watched by local governments across the state. The legislation looks to address unintended consequences created by SB 180, a bill approved last year to prevent local governments from impeding post-storm recovery. SB 180 has been used to block local governments from making comprehensive plan changes or establishing environmental protection policies unrelated to storm response.

SB 180 is currently being challenged in court, but DiCeglie said he hopes to resolve the issue legislatively this year. SB 840 narrows SB 180 to apply only to storm-damaged properties and policies that would delay rebuilding, while allowing local governments to move forward with unrelated planning decisions.

“We’ve had a lot of constructive feedback from local governments, from stakeholders and constituents,” DiCeglie said. “There’s a broad agreement that most of the provisions in SB 180 go far in maintaining our emergency preparedness, but there were a couple of provisions that really just handcuffed local governments. … We want to come in and address that.” 

DiCeglie, who chairs the Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development, said investment in transportation and infrastructure will also be essential as Florida continues to absorb population growth and address long-term vulnerabilities exposed by hurricanes. 

“When those storms came through in 2024, I think it was pretty obvious for many of us, if not all of us, that we’ve got some infrastructure challenges in Pinellas County,” DiCeglie said. “I think just because we had an uneventful hurricane season last year it doesn’t mean we’re not going to continue to focus on the needs of our community.”

Beyond storm policy, DiCeglie has filed a slate of bills that include a proposal to eliminate documentary stamp taxes for first-time homebuyers, changes to how school bus and school zone camera citations are issued and contested, and legislation meant to encourage consolidation of 911 call centers to reduce emergency response delays. 

DiCeglie also pointed to ongoing efforts to streamline permitting processes, which he said are long-term challenges driven by population growth and uneven local procedures, with bills such as SB 1234 and SB 1260. He said proposals this year and during take small steps forward, but he’d like to see more comprehensive reforms during a future Session.

“When it comes to when it comes to permitting in general, I think that in many cases we have jurisdictions that tend to not necessarily do things differently, but they have these different processes that they’re able to, in many cases, slow, slow things down to a crawl — which I just don’t think is good governance,” DiCeglie said. 

“We’ve really just taken small bites of the apple when it comes to taking a look at the permitting process across the state, whether that’s commercial or whether that’s residential,” he added. “I truly think that we need a large comprehensive look at what we’re doing across the state, not prepared to do that yet this year, but looking forward. I think that leaders in the house, certainly in the Senate, whoever the new Governor might be, I think we’re going to have to really come together and identify some significant reforms.” 

Beyond his own proposals, DiCeglie said lawmakers will face major policy questions during the Regular Session, a Special Session on redistricting already scheduled for April, and potentially another Special Session for property tax reform teased by Gov. Ron DeSantis. DiCeglie said property taxes could still be the talk of the town in Tallahassee this week even if a Special Session is indeed scheduled for the near future.

“Everybody is aware that the Legislature is going to have a conversation about property taxes, and the Governor made it very clear that he wants to see a Special Session on the topic,” DiCeglie said. “It’s going to be an incredibly important decision that the voters are going to have to make because this is going to be a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November.”

DiCeglie said strictly eliminating property taxes could create a lot of questions for local governments that will need to make up lost revenue.

“In my district alone, I’ve got a couple of municipalities where a complete elimination of homestead property taxes would equate to 70% to 75% of their annual revenue,” he said. “That’s significant. I’m looking forward to that conversation, whether it’s in Regular Session or Special Session.”

DiCeglie is up for re-election in 2026, but he said his immediate focus remains on the Legislative Session ahead.

“For the past 3 years I’ve been laser-focused on identifying what’s important for our Pinellas County community; I’ve worked day and night to make sure that my constituents are well-represented,” DiCeglie said.

“Once we get through the Legislation Session it’ll be time to get on the campaign trail and speak directly with residents to identify other ways we can be helpful in the Legislature. That seems a long way away, which it’s not, but right now I’m really just gearing up to make sure that I have a successful Legislative Session and that my community is well-represented in Tallahassee.”