Florida
Florida lawmakers agree to fully fund advanced education programs
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – In a major breakthrough after months of debate, the U.S. House and Senate have reached an agreement to fully fund advanced education programs, including Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and AICE courses.
The decision comes as a relief to students and educators across Florida, where more than 90 schools offer IB and similar programs to approximately 16,000 students each year.
But at Cypress Creek High School in Orange County, uncertainty remains. Despite the federal funding agreement, the IB program at Cypress Creek may not be offered next school year. The district cites a lack of interest as the reason for phasing out IB and replacing it with the AICE curriculum. However, students say they were left out of the decision-making process and dispute the district’s claims.
“Pre-IB was taken out of our school before IB was taken out, which means that students were not put in classes that are meant to prepare them for the IB program,” said Zoey Salah, a current Cypress Creek student. “This decision was already made before this, before we found out in May and before we could do anything about it.”
Students, staff and alumni, who organized a protest at the Ronald Blocker Educational Leadership Center, urged district officials to reconsider during a public comment of a Orange County Commision Board Meeting on Tuesday.
“I’m advocating for IB at Cypress Creek High School. Especially because of the opportunity you get to connect with other like-minded individuals academically. It really pushes you to do your best,” said Andres Rodriguez, a Cypress Creek IB alumnus.
If the IB program is eliminated, the nearest high school offering it is 20 miles away, a distance that could put the program out of reach for many Cypress Creek families.
While both IB and AICE are recognized by colleges nationwide, IB is often seen as offering more opportunities, especially for students aiming to study abroad for higher education.
“Especially those who are seeking higher education, like out of state or internationally, that is a huge loss of opportunity for them,” Rodriguez said. “Not just like, oh, this class is a college-level class, or you get college credit from it, you truly do some college-level research—it’s true prep in my opinion.”
As the district weighs its options, Cypress Creek students and supporters say they will continue to fight for a program they believe changes lives.
Copyright 2025 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.
ICE shooting: After Renee Nicole Good was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, millions of Americans are protesting — including in Trump’s home state.
A week ago, President Donald Trump rang in the new year like a king — in grandeur and opulence at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
Following this week’s deadly shooting by a federal immigration officer in Minnesota, millions of Americans frustrated with his administration are protesting — including in his home state.
Groups in Orlando, Tallahassee and Miami have held vigils and peaceful protests after Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot in the head while attempting to use a vehicle to flee authorities. The incident was captured on camera, and multiple videos posted on social media have gotten millions of views.
The nationwide protests are the latest in a year of Trump’s second term, which is coming up on a one-year anniversary later this month. Most cite Trump’s:
- immigration crackdowns
- ICE and National Guard deployments
- on-again-off-again tariffs
- his perceived control over all three branches of the U.S. government
More than 25 Trump protests and vigils for Renee Nicole Good were scheduled Wednesday, Jan. 7, to Sunday, Jan. 11, in his home state of Florida, and at least one was scheduled in Palm Beach County − about 30 miles down the road from his private club.
Last week, Donald and Melania Trump hosted their annual New Year’s Eve gala at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. He returns there Friday, Jan. 9, amid the ICE protests and vigils for Renee Good in Minneapolis.
USA TODAY and the USA TODAY Network will provide live coverage of the anti-Trump administration protests.
Below are photos of the ICE protests in Florida, which occurred as Trump returned home to his private club, Mar-a-Lago.
Photos of ICE protest in Gainesville, Florida
Photos of ICE protest in Palm Coast, Florida
Photos of ICE protest in Stuart, Florida
Photos of ICE protest in Tallahassee, Florida
US protests after Renee Nicole Good is shot dead by an ICE agent
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the free Florida TODAY newsletter.
Hate driving in Florida traffic? A flying taxi can elevate that problem. Electric aircrafts could used in Florida’s skies in 2026.
Tired of the constant traffic and congestion clogging Florida’s roads?
In the words of the great Dr. Emmett Brown (Back to the Future fame), “Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads.”
Florida is on its way to be the nation’s first state to offer commercial Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Essentially, that means state officials are paving the (air)way for passengers to take flight taxis, including electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL), from one city to another in record time.
The country’s first aerial test site should be operational within the first part of 2026. It’s at Florida Department of Transportation’s SunTrax testing facility in Polk Couty between Tampa and Orlando along the almost-always congested Interstate-4.
“Florida is at the forefront of emerging flight technology, leading the nation in bringing highways to the skies with Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), an entirely new mode of transportation,” according to a press release from the Florida Department of Transportation. “FDOT’s strategic investments in infrastructure to support AAM will help us become the first state with commercial AAM services.”
When will flight taxis be available in Florida?
Sometime in early 2026, the new Florida AAM Headquarters at the SunTrax Campus will be operational. By the end of the year, it will be fully activated and ready to deploy profitable commercial services for passenger travel.
Air taxi company Archer Aviation announced in Dec. 2025 that it will provide flights between Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and Miami international airports possibly as early as this year.
The company also plans to pick up and drop off passengers at the Boca Raton Airport, the Witham Field airport in Stuart, Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport and Miami Executive Airport.
Phase one of Florida air taxis: Four sections of the state
- Part A: I-4 corridor, Orlando to Tampa, Orlando to the Space Coast, Orlando to Suntrax and Tampa to Suntrax.
- Part B: Port St. Lucie to Miami
- Part C: Tampa to Naples/Miami to Key West
- Part D: Pensacola to Tallahassee
Phase two of Florida air taxis: Four more sections
- Part A: Daytona Beach to Jacksonville
- Part B: Sebring out east and west
- Part C: Orlando to Lake City/Tampa to Tallahassee
- Part D: Jacksonville to Tallahassee
What Florida airports are interested in commercial flight taxis
- Boca Raton Airport (BCT)
- Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB)
- Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
- Lakeland Linder International Airport (LAL)
- Miami Executive Airport (TMB)
- Miami International Airport (MIA)
- Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport (OPF)
- Orlando Executive Airport (ORL)
- Orlando International Airport (MCO)
- Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)
- Peter O Knight Airport (TPF)
- Sebring Regional Airport (SEF)
- Tallahassee International Airport (TLH)
- Tampa International Airport (TPA)
- Vero Beach Regional Airport (VRB)
Michelle Spitzeris a journalist for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. As the network’s Rapid Response reporter, she covers Florida’s breaking news. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
Florida
Officials withheld evidence on Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ funding, environmental groups say
ORLANDO, Fla. — Federal and state officials withheld evidence that the Department of Homeland Security had agreed to reimburse Florida for some of the costs of constructing an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” according to environmental groups suing to shut down the facility.
The Everglades facility remains open, still holding detainees, because an appellate court in early September relied on arguments by Florida and the Trump administration that the state hadn’t yet applied for federal reimbursement, and therefore wasn’t required to follow federal environmental law.
The new evidence — emails and documents obtained through a public records request — shows that officials had discussed federal reimbursement in June, and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency confirmed in early August that it had received from state officials a grant application. Florida was notified in late September that FEMA had approved $608 million in federal funding to support the center’s construction and operation.
“We now know that the federal and state government had records confirming that they closely partnered on this facility from the beginning but failed to disclose them to the district court,” said Tania Galloni, one of the attorneys for the environmental groups.
An appellate panel in Atlanta put a temporary hold on a lower court judge’s ruling that would have closed the state-built facility. The new evidence should now be considered as the judges decide the facility’s permanent fate, Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, said in court papers on Wednesday.
A federal judge in Miami in mid-August ordered the facility to wind down operations over two months because officials had failed to do a review of the detention center’s environmental impact according to federal law. That judge concluded that a reimbursement decision already had been made.
The Florida Department of Emergency Management, which led the efforts to build the Everglades facility, didn’t respond to an emailed inquiry on Thursday.
Florida has led other states in constructing facilities to support President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Besides the Everglades facility, which received its first detainees in July, Florida has opened an immigration detention center in northeast Florida and is looking at opening a third facility in the Florida Panhandle.
The environmental lawsuit is one of three federal court challenges to the Everglades facility. In the others, detainees said Florida agencies and private contractors hired by the state have no authority to operate the center under federal law. They’re also seeking a ruling ensuring access to confidential communications with their attorneys.
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Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @mikeysid.bsky.social
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