Florida
Emotions fly in debate over Florida teacher preparation
The heated story: The education topic that riled emotions in Floridaâs Legislature on Thursday was teacher preparation.
The bill sponsors aimed to remove âidentity politicsâ and âtheories of systemic racismâ from any lessons that colleges and universities provide students learning to become teachers. They said itâs important to teach about history and other important events without distortion.
Several Democratic lawmakers took issue with the proposal, contending it was an effort by the Republican majority to erase the truth about Black history. Tempers flared and some tears were shed during the intense debate over several amendments â none of which passed â aimed at muting the bill.
Speaker pro tempore Rep. Chuck Clemons repeatedly reminded members to turn the heat down and keep things civil. He specifically chastised the use of the word âgarbageâ to describe othersâ viewpoints, suggesting the lawmakers expand their lexicon to become more eloquent.
After rolling the bill to final reading, Clemons had everyone return to their seats, and pointed to the bracelet he received from Democratic Rep. Christine Hunchofsky. It says, âkindness.â Clemons asked everyone to use a little as they continue to the end of session, which comes March 8. He received a round of applause. Read more from News Service of Florida.
More Tallahassee action
Vouchers: State lawmakers are holding firm in their proposal to reduce the permitted uses of education voucher funds, despite familiesâ pleas to keep the expense list broad enough to include art supplies and musical instruments. Hereâs why.
Social media: Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said she expects Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto HB 1 barring minors from social media, Florida Politics reports. Lawmakers are gearing up to revise HB 3 on limits to internet pornography access to take its place, USA Today Florida Network reports.
Deregulation: The House passed a second bill to reduce regulations placed on public schools and sent it back to the Senate. It removed several concepts, including the elimination of some high school graduation testing requirements, that the Senate had proposed, Florida Phoenix reports.
Today in Tallahassee … The House convenes at 9 a.m. HB 1291 on teacher preparation is on the calendar for final consideration. ⢠The Senate convenes at 9 a.m. Bills on the special order calendar include SB 1128 on university carryover funds, SB 994 on student transportation and SB 962 on inhaler availability in schools.
Hot topics
School construction: Hillsborough County school district officials have pledged $70 million to rebuild recently closed Just Elementary School and nearby Stewart Middle. ⢠The St. Johns County school district plans to convert a high school it closed in 1985 into a new campus for its technical college, WTLV reports.
Religion in schools: A Palm Beach County high school math teacher has been reprimanded for giving students pamphlets encouraging them to join in the worship of Jesus Christ, the Palm Beach Post reports.
Parent involvement: The Escambia County school district is encouraging families to get more involved in their childrenâs schools as a way to combat rising absenteeism, WKRG reports.
Open enrollment: The Martin County School Board will make all district schools available for open enrollment, if there is space available, WPTV reports.
New College: The school announced the hiring of a Presidential Scholar who has faced past criticism for his writings in favor of colonialism, the Herald-Tribune reports.
Hazing: The University of Miami chapter of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity is under investigation after videos surfaced that reportedly show hazing activities, the Miami Herald reports.
Election season: Leon County superintendent Rocky Hanna has drawn a second challenger for the post, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.
Eclipse activity: A major solar eclipse is coming on April 8, and Seminole County schools are getting ready for it, WESH reports.
Culture wars: Teachers in Florida schools that follow the International Baccalaureate program say they are not feeling constricted by state laws on the instruction of race, gender and other areas because of the way the program is structured, Education Week reports.
Crossing zones: Recently installed cameras have captured nearly 200 drivers speeding through school crossing zones in the city of Eustis, the Daily Commercial reports.
Charter schools: Residents of an Alachua County town whose students attend schools in nearby Newberry are criticizing Newberryâs proposal to convert the schools into charters, WCJB reports.
From the police blotter … Six people, including a staff member and three students, were arrested after a fight at Hillsborough Countyâs Chamberlain High School. ⢠Two Flagler County teens face charges stemming from a fight at school, Flagler Live reports.
Donât miss a story. Hereâs a link to yesterdayâs roundup.
Before you go … Did you know physicists, scientists and mathematicians were behind some of the biggest ideas in finance? Check out this fascinating explanation.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/4DLXMJBS6JDU3N75Q6AVJCW4H4.jpeg?w=400&resize=400,240&ssl=1 "Rubio, Scott call fast-tracking of Florida state park golf course plan ‘ridiculous’")
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Florida
South Florida leaders take preventative safety measures after the U.S. and Israel’s attack on Iran
South Florida leaders are taking preventative measures to keep residents safe after the U.S. and Israel launched major strikes on Iran early Saturday morning.
Miami-Dade County mayor Daniella-Levine Cava issued a statement reacting to the military operation that President Trump dubbed on Truth Social as “Operation Epic Fury.”
The statement reads: “The escalating conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran poses serious risks to regional stability and international safety.”
She goes on to say that her thoughts are “with the people of Israel and the Jewish community here in South Florida who are watching these events with worry and uncertainty.” She also says the Iranian people “deserve peace, safety, dignity, and the freedom to live without repression.”
Of the Trump administration’s decision to launch the military operation, Levine-Cava writes: “Any military action taken without congressional authorization is a dangerous precedent, and we must learn from our nation’s past challenges. What must come next is a serious effort to restore stability and pursue diplomacy, not further violence.”
As for measures she will be taking, she says she asked her Chief of Public Safety to “ensure public safety agencies are aware and ready to activate plans in case of any disruption.”
The Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz also issued a statement saying that MDSO is “taking immediate security measures by increasing patrols to ensure the safety of our residents.” She said that they have increased security presence around places of worship, cultural centers, and schools.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the servicemen and women protecting our national security interests around the globe,” Cordero-Stutz wrote.
Aventura Police have also responded to the current situation on X, saying that they are monitoring the “current situation in the Middle East with our local, state, and federal partners.”
They go on to say: “At this time, there are no known or credible threats to the U.S. or Miami-Dade County.” However, they note that in “an abundance of caution,” they will be increasing security in religious facilities and other locations they deem as “sensitive” throughout the city.
The City of Miami Beach also posted its statement to X, saying it is also “closely monitoring the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.” They also note that at this time, there are no known credible threats to the city.
They write: “Out of an abundance of caution, we have increased our uniformed presence at synagogues, schools, and other key locations citywide. We remain in close coordination with our law enforcement partners and leaders within the faith-based community.”
They also urge residents to report any “suspicious or unlawful activity” to call their non-emergency number at 305-673-7901 or, if it is an emergency, call 911.
Other cities’ police departments, such as Bal Harbour, Sunny Isles Beach, and Hallendale Beach, posted on their social media that they will also increase security measures after the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran.
Austin Smotherman will carry a three-stroke lead into the weekend at the Cognizant Classic at The Palm Beaches.
Smotherman followed his opening 62 with a 2-under-par 69 on Friday at PGA National’s Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. That brought him to 11 under, comfortably clear of Taylor Moore, who is in second after his second straight 4-under 67.
Cognizant Classic scoreboard
“Yeah, leading a PGA Tour event, come on, pretty awesome,” Smotherman said.
Smotherman, 31, is in fine position for his first win on the PGA Tour since turning pro a decade ago. He has won three times on the Korn Ferry Tour, including last June.
Afterwards, he credited himself with playing “Austin Smotherman golf.” When asked what that meant, he responded, “as boring and simple as it can be.
“That’s what I want to do out there. I feel like I ball strike it good enough to have that kind of boring golf, a bunch of fairways ideally,” he said.
He suffered three bogeys Friday after a bogey-free opening round, but the key stretch for him after starting on the back nine was between Nos. 17 and 3. He birdied four holes in that stretch, starting with a 54-foot bomb at the par-3 17th hole.
“Anything under par I thought would have been (good) following up a round like yesterday, which was a special one,” he said, “and try not to get too far ahead of myself thinking I’m going to make every long putt I’m looking at, like kind of was the feeling yesterday, and then today I still make a 55-footer on 17.”
Moore overcame a bogey in each half of his round with three birdies on either nine, more than counterbalancing the rough patches to earn his second straight solid score.
“I think very different 67s,” Moore said when comparing his rounds. “I didn’t hit many fairways yesterday, kind of grinded a lot, had a couple chip-ins, which obviously helps. I thought I struck the ball much better today. Drove it in the fairways on the par-5s, I felt like. Yeah, still had a few up-and- downs, obviously, with the tough windy conditions this afternoon, but overall I thought it was solid.”
Canadian A.J. Ewart had the round of the day, a 64 that powered him to 7 under for the week. He’s tied with Colombia’s Nico Echavarria (72), and Joel Dahmen is in fifth at 6 under after a second consecutive 68.
Ewart, who played for nearby Barry University in college, came in with some familiarity.
“We used to come and watch this tournament when I was at school. I think I came up here twice, maybe three times and watched,” Ewart said. “I had never actually played the golf course, but I felt like I knew it just from watching it.”
Irishman Shane Lowry, one of the most recognizable players in the field, is in a large knot for sixth at 5 under after posting a 67. Defending champion Joe Highsmith made the cut on the number at even par.
Notable players who missed the cut included Webb Simpson (1 over), Gary Woodland (2 over), Matt Kuchar (2 over) and Canada’s Adam Hadwin (3 over).
Kim maintains narrow lead in Singapore
Auston Kim maintained a narrow lead over three seasoned competitors with a 3-under-par 69 on Friday at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore.
Kim carded five birdies and a double-bogey at the par-5 16th hole at Sentosa Golf Club to move to 9-under par, one shot ahead of major champions Minjee Lee of Australia (64 on Friday) and Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn (67) and three- time LPGA Tour winner Haeran Ryu of South Korea (68).
Lurking two shots back at 7-under in the no-cut event are Australia’s Hannah Green (66), Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen (68), Sweden’s Linn Grant (69) and England’s Mimi Rhodes (69).
Kim, an LPGA Tour member since 2024, has been knocking on the door of her first tour win. The American has eight finishes in the top 10 and was the runner-up at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship last season.
“I think just sticking to my process. I’m trying to earn each shot and win each shot and win each day,” Kim, 25, said of her strategy heading into the weekend. “I can put a hundred percent of my focus into every single shot and try my best to execute each time, I’ll do well.”
Lee soared into contention with an eagle at the par-4 second hole and six birdies in a bogey-free round.
“I think just I holed a few more putts out there,” Lee said of the difference between Friday’s play and her opening-round of 72. “I holed a few long ones and I also holed out for eagle on the second. That always helps the score.”
Jutanugarn had six birdies, including three straight from holes Nos. 5-7, and one bogey.
Ryu collected four birdies in a round free of bogeys, but not free from pain.
“Today, my neck was so bad and I cannot turn it around, it’s so hard, my neck,” Ryu said. “But yeah, golf is not perfect. I just think about it, just hit the fairway and the green. Yeah, that’s good for me. There’s a lot of birdies, and yeah, I’m so happy.”
Angel Yin matched Lee for the low round of the day with a 64 to move into a tie for ninth at 6-under.
Defending champion Lydia Ko of New Zealand (72) remained a 2-under posting four birdies and four bogeys.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand is tied for 33rd at 1-under after a round of 70.
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