Florida

Florida Becomes Twenty-First State With Universal Licensure

Published

2 years ago

July 17, 2024

Florida Becomes Twenty-First State With Universal Licensure

Recently enacted legislation will allow licensed professionals who relocate to Florida to get to … [+] work more quickly in the state.

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During the nearly six years that Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) has been in office, Florida has moved from a battleground state to a solidly red state. Unlike counterparts such as Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (R-Iowa) — who has had to overhaul an uncompetitive tax code and fight for a number of other reforms to make her state more economically competitive — Governor DeSantis had the fortune of taking the helm of a state that, thanks to efforts and achievements of predecessors like Jeb Bush, already had one of the nation’s most attractive tax and regulatory climates.

The legislative session that recently concluded in Tallahassee demonstrated once again that, despite assuming leadership in a state that already boasted many policy advantages, Governor DeSantis and state lawmakers have not let that be an excuse for complacency. In fact, since Governor DeSantis took office, every year he and state lawmakers have pursued reforms to provide more tax relief, further expand school choice in a state that has long been a leader in education choice, and enact regulatory reform that makes Florida a less costly place to do business. The 2024 session was no different.

In signing Senate Bill 1600 on June 28, for example, Governor DeSantis made Florida the latest state to reduce barriers to employment by recognizing occupational licenses from other states. Twenty states have already enacted similar legislation, commonly referred to as Universal License Recognition (ULR), but as the nation’s fastest growing state, Florida needed this reform more than any.

Arizona lawmakers enacted the nation’s first ULR bill in 2019 and the benefits are already evident. In the five years since then-Governor Doug Ducey (R) signed the first ULR bill into law, more than 10,000 licensed professionals across a host of industries and trades have begun working in Arizona thanks to this reform.

In an opinion piece published in the June 14 edition of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Skylar Zander of Americans for Prosperity noted how SB 1600 builds upon licensing reform enacted four years ago, when Governor DeSantis signed the “‘Occupational Freedom and Opportunity Act.” That reform, Zander explained, “removed barriers of entry to certain professions licensed by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation,” adding that SB 1600 “will do even more to get people to work and reform our occupational licensing system, so we can continue to flourish here in the Sunshine State.”

This easing of regulatory barriers to employment in a way that will make it easier for new residents to get to work, note SB 1600 proponents, will benefit more than the doctors, nurses, physician assistants, dentists, dental hygienists, and other licensed professionals who will now be able to get to work in Florida more quickly. SB 1600 is also helpful to the millions of people who already live in Florida, both longtime residents and recent transplants, who will be benefit from an increased supply of health care providers.

SB 1600 will help rectify the shortage of care providers afflicting many parts of the state. More than 5.5 million Floridians, for example, currently live in places that have been designated as Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Enactment of SB 1600 will help rectify shortages of such crucial care providers.

With this action in Florida, nearly half of the country now has a ULR law in place. And for dentists and dental assistants specifically, this expanded access rises even further thanks to legislative action in nine states to join the Dental and Dental Hygienists Licensure Compact, a national agreement that enables dental professionals to practice in other states participating in the Compact if they are already licensed in a signatory state. At the current pace, most of the country will have either ULR or the DDH Licensure Compact by the end of this decade.

In addition, enactment of SB 1600 in Florida further solidifies ULR — along with the expansion of school choice and movement to flat income tax rates — as one of the top state policy trends of the past decade.

It took five years to go from zero to more than 20 states with a universal licensure law. Expect this trend to continue and for lawmakers in Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, and other states that have grown nearly as rapidly as Florida to be most inclined to consider this reform in 2025.

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Florida

Louisville Defeats Florida State 88-65

Published

1 hour ago

February 16, 2026

Press Room

The signature of this team is a balanced attack and that is exactly what the Cards used to wear down Florida State tonight. The end of the first quarter Louisville held a 19-12 lead but they subsequently took control of the game. Coach Walz said, “The first half I thought we defended extremely well. Offensively we weren’t as efficient. I thought we played a little too rushed.”

He was more pleased with the second half, “Especially in the 3rd quarter offensively we got things going. I thought we shared the ball extremely well. We had twenty-something assists [19] and 7 turnovers going into the fourth quarter which is really impressive. So overall I thought a really good performance for us but I’m quite aware that it’s going to get tougher.

Laura Ziegler seemed on pace to get a triple-double early but she finished with 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. Imari Berry, Skylar Jones, and Reyna Scott all came off the bench to score 11 points apiece. Grace Mbugua had 10 points and 4 rebounds. Elif Istanbulluoglu played limited minutes. Coach Walz said that she’s a little banged up so he wanted to rest her when he could.

Coach Walz praised Grace’s play. “She’s going to be a really, really good ball player for us… We’ve had some games where we can put her out there but not enough to where I can get her in to get her feet wet. Right now when she’s open and she has the ball she’s shooting it because I’m not sure she knows what else to do with it at this point. I think the game’s going really fast.” However he added, “Her upside is really high.”

Louisville has a bye week before coming back to the Yum next Sunday to take on Virginia. The game is at noon and can be seen on The CW. It is the annual Pink Game.

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Florida

Severe Storms Roll Across The Southeast – Videos from The Weather Channel

Published

14 hours ago

February 15, 2026

Press Room

Severe Storms Roll Across The Southeast – Videos from The Weather Channel

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Florida

Exclusive | Florida couple proves it’s never too late to find love — no matter the age

Published

1 day ago

February 15, 2026

Press Room

Exclusive | Florida couple proves it’s never too late to find love — no matter the age

True love never gets old — especially for 102-year-old WWII vet Harold Terens and his 98-year-old bride, Jeanne Swerlin.

The lovebirds, who tied the knot in 2024 and still gush that they feel like teenagers together, had some Valentine’s Day advice for the lovelorn.

“Never give up.”

“It’s never too late to find love, especially a great love — look at us,” Swerlin, a New York native who lives in Florida, told The Post. “You have to be open — love will find you.”

Terens is among the last of the Greatest Generation, surviving a series of harrowing series of close calls during the war. After enlisting in 1942, he served as a radio repair technician in Great Britain attached to a P-47 Thunderbolt fighter squadron.

He went on to repair planes on D-Day, returning from France to survive a secret mission that led to a robbery that left him naked in the desert of Tehran and fearing death until he was miraculously rescued by an American military police patrol.

The native New Yorker — who lost his first wife of 70 years in 2018 — declared he’s grateful “for every day I’m alive,” and swore he never looked at another woman until he met Swerlin.

The two were set up on a blind date in 2021 and the nonagenarian became instantly smitten.

“It’s the greatest love I’ve ever known, by far,” said a vibrant Terens, who’s written a book, “Tomorrow Will be the Best Day of my Life.”

Life was “beyond remarkable,” even before Terens met his plucky bride.

“My whole life changed. It went in a totally different direction,” he said, adding in French, “I regret nothing.

“All the adjectives in the world can’t describe how I feel about her.”

The feeling is mutual.

“He always tells me, ‘I don’t know how I ever lived without you,’” said the youthful-looking bride.

The canoodling couple, who say they can’t keep their hands off each other, recalled their magical wedding day.

The extraordinary couple said they’ve never experienced so powerful a connection.

“The day of our wedding is the greatest day I’ve ever experienced in 102 years of life,” Terens said of his June 2024 Normandy beach-area wedding that had thousands of well-wishers cheering them on.

Terens, who plans to be bar mitzvahed this year, said finding life-changing love is about sticking to the basics.

“Remember why you fell in love with a person, and don’t try to change them,” said Terens, who still drives and meditates daily.

Yet there’s another secret ingredient to their passionate romance:

“The best secret about a successful love affair and marriage is that we don’t live together,” quipped Terens, who maintains a home 30 minutes from his his sweetheart in south Florida, where they see each other about four days a week. “We live happily ever after.”

As for Valentine’s Day, he surprised his wife with two dozen pink roses with a love letter attached.

“Every day is Valentine’s Day,” said Terens, who plans to make his sixth visit to Normandy to mark the 87th D-Day anniversary in June.

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