Florida

Florida lawmakers move again to ban delta-8, restrict hemp marketplace

Published

9 months ago

March 18, 2025

Florida lawmakers move again to ban delta-8, restrict hemp marketplace

TALLAHASSEE — Less than a year after Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed legislation that would overhaul Florida’s hemp marketplace, Florida senators are trying again.

On Monday, a bill that would reform the hemp marketplace moved through its first committee meeting in the Senate. The House hasn’t heard any companion legislation yet.

Some of the ideas in the package senators moved forward are the same as what was in the bill that DeSantis vetoed last year. Others are new.

When DeSantis vetoed last year‘s bill, he said it would impose too harsh a burden on small businesses.

But the sponsor of both this year’s legislation and the vetoed bill said lawmakers also need to weigh concerns about the health and safety of hemp products.

Here’s what to know about what the proposal, SB 438, would mean for hemp businesses and users.

Banning delta-8

Many of the products currently lining smoke shops around the state would become illegal under Sen. Colleen Burton’s proposed bill, including any delta-8 products.

The cannabis plant contains more than 100 cannabinoids. Delta-9 is what users typically think of as THC, and is a compound that creates a high sensation.

While delta-8 can also create a psychoactive effect, it is thought to be less potent and occurs in lower quantities naturally than delta-9. But producers can use a chemical process to convert other cannabinoids into delta-8, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

The bill would change the definition of hemp extract to prohibit it from containing “any quantity of synthetic cannabinoids.” It would also ban delta-8, delta-10, HHC, THC-O-Acetate, THCP and THCV.

Last year, a similar ban was in the bill DeSantis vetoed. Opponents said the ban could affect products with trace amounts of those cannabinoids that aren’t meant to create a “high” sensation, like certain CBD tinctures.

Remaining legal products under the bill would be capped at 5 milligrams of delta-9 THC per serving or 50 milligrams per container.

Requiring alcohol licenses

Under the bill, canned beverages that contain THC could only be sold at shops with a license to sell alcohol.

It would also require a cap on the strength of THC drinks, limiting them to 5 milligrams per unopened can. The bill would also prohibit alcohol from being included in a beverage with THC.

According to a Harvard Medical School blog, the cannabinoids found in beverages are designed to dissolve easily in liquids – which means they lead to a quicker effect as they are absorbed in the body.

Michael and Caitlyn Smith, owners of the St. Petersburg-based non-alcoholic bottle shop Herban Flow, opposed the beverage requirements.

Both said requiring their store, which centers around not selling alcoholic beverages, to have a license for alcohol doesn’t make sense.

Michael Smith said he’s in favor of going after delta-8 and synthetic cannabinoids, which he said is what lawmakers are really seeking.

“They’re trying to take a bill to shut down the smoke shops, and they’re sweeping us along inside of it when our mission is different,” Michael Smith said. “We’re trying to provide an alternative to people looking to stay away from alcohol.”

Limiting hemp shop advertising, locations

If passed, the bill could mean no more strip malls filled with back-to-back smoke shops.

The legislation would limit where a store selling hemp could set up. It would ban a shop selling hemp from setting up within 500 feet of a school or daycare, a gas station or another retail shop with a permit to sell hemp.

When DeSantis suggested how the Legislature could reform the hemp marketplace in his veto letter of last year’s bill, he said lawmakers should “consider measures to prevent the ubiquity and concentration of these retail locations in communities across the State.”

The bill would also restrict what hemp shops look like to visitors. Current shops can have products that are easily accessible. The proposal would require that all hemp products, aside from beverages, be kept out of reach in either a locked display or in an area accessible to only employees.

Advertising would also significantly change. Businesses would no longer be able to advertise using the words “THC,” “medical card” or any other similar term.

Businesses would also no longer be able to advertise in a way that’s visible to members of the public from the sidewalk or street, which would make hemp shops operate like medical marijuana facilities.

Testing regulations

Hemp in Florida would be tested in the same labs where medical marijuana is tested under the bill, and two lab employees would need to verify it meets potency requirements and is free from contaminants.

The bill would also create an avenue for state officials to randomly test products from the shelves of hemp shops.

If a tested product fails, it would need to be recalled.

A Times/Herald analysis showed that many hemp products have a THC level high enough to classify as marijuana, and some contained contaminants unsafe for human consumption.

Burton said testing would make sure that “products are indeed hemp products and not marijuana products dressed in hemp clothing.”

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Florida

Preview: December 23 vs. Florida | Carolina Hurricanes

Published

12 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

Preview: December 23 vs. Florida | Carolina Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. – The Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers square off for the second time in five days on Tuesday, going head-to-head at Lenovo Center.

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When: Tuesday, Dec. 23

Puck Drop: 7:00 p.m. ET

Watch: FanDuel Sports Network South, FanDuel Sports Network App | Learn More

Listen: 99.9 The Fan, Hurricanes App

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Canes Record: 22-10-3 (47 Points, 1st – Metropolitan Division)

Canes Last Game: 6-4 Loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, Dec. 20

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Panthers Record: 19-14-2 (40 Points, T-5th – Atlantic Division)

Panthers Last Game: 6-2 Loss to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, Dec. 20

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Florida

Florida football finalizes hire of Joe Craddock as quarterbacks coach

Published

24 hours ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

Florida football finalizes hire of Joe Craddock as quarterbacks coach

Florida football will be hiring Joe Craddock as its next quarterbacks coach, according to a report by Swamp247.

The move adds a veteran offensive mind with extensive play-calling and quarterback-development experience under Jon Sumrall’s first staff with the Gators.

Craddock comes to Gainesville after spending the past two seasons with Tulane, where he served as the Green Wave’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Prior to that, he held the same role at Troy.

At Troy, Craddock’s offenses consistently ranked near the top of the Sun Belt across multiple statistical categories, combining downfield passing efficiency with a balanced run game.

Before his time at Troy and Tulane, Craddock built a resume that includes offensive coordinator stops at UAB, Arkansas and SMU, along with earlier developmental roles at Clemson.

Craddock’s coaching career began after a playing stint at Middle Tennessee, followed by professional experience overseas before transitioning into coaching at the high school level and quickly rising through the college ranks.

With the Orange and Blue, Craddock is expected to work closely with the Gators’ signal-callers as the program looks to establish consistency and development at the position under Sumrall.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

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Florida

‘Pursuing all leads:’ Search for missing Fort Myers boaters continues into Monday morning

Published

1 day ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

‘Pursuing all leads:’ Search for missing Fort Myers boaters continues into Monday morning

The search for the 57-year-old Fort Myers attorney and his 33-year-old nephew continued late Sunday after the pair was reported missing Dec. 19 after a fishing trip off the coast of Naples.

The U.S. Coast Guard reported it would continue the search overnight.

A new grid search by volunteer searchers was expected to start Monday morning, Dec. 22, 70 miles east of Naples, family members reported on Facebook.

“USCG crews and partner agencies are continuing the search through the night by air and by sea,” the Coast Guard posted on X at 8:34 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21.

The U.S. Coast Guard is leading the search along with partner agencies to find attorney Randall Spivey and his nephew Brandon Billmaier, who were reported missing at about 9 p.m. Friday. The boat they’d been using for their trip had been scheduled to return at about sunset.

The pair went out in a 42-foot Freeman boat named “Unstopp-A-Bull,” according to Luis Garcia, the supervisor on watch for the Coast Guard sector in St. Petersburg. The Coast Guard found the boat floating upright in the Gulf about 70 miles off the coast of Naples, with no signs of the missing boaters.

Now, one of the largest searches in Southwest Florida history is underway, with a large community effort behind it.

Were the missing Florida boaters from Fort Myers found? Boater’s wife provides updates

As of late Sunday, Dec. 21, Spivey and Billmaier, the Florida boaters reported missing Dec. 19 after a fishing trip off the coast of Naples, had not been found, according to Billmaier’s wife, Deborah.

Deborah and other family members of the missing men continued to ask for prayers and for volunteers to help search.

“We are asking for vessels capable of a 225-mile range to assist in a major offshore search,” Deborah Billmaier said in a Facebook post.

“Thank you to all the local heroes who are working to bring my husband Brandon and uncle Randy home,” her post said. “They have not yet been found, but we are staying positive.”

To volunteer in the offshore seach for the missing boaters:

Deborah Billmore’s Facebook post asked volunteer searchers to text to Paul at 239-634-3400:

Departure location
Vessel name
Captains name and cell number
First mate’s name and cell number
Vessel range

She said vessels will depart from their own location (ranging from Fort Myers to Marco Island) and search grids would be assigned after updated information is received at 8 a.m. Monday, Dec. 22.

‘Still not sure exactly what occurred’

Deborah Billmaier had posted earlier Sunday:

“Updates after speaking with the U.S. Coast Guard this morning,” Deborah Billmaier wrote in a Facebook post Sunday. “The EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) was unfortunately still on the boat. They were bottom fishing when the incident occurred (still not sure exactly what occurred.)”

The post also mentioned that a couple of life jackets were not found on the boat, indicating that Spivey and Billmaier may be wearing them.

Who is involved in the Florida missing boaters search?

The U.S. Coast Guard sector in St. Petersburg posted news of the search on social media Saturday morning, Dec. 20.

According to the Facebook post, air and surface crews from the agency and partner agencies U.S. Coast Guard Station Fort Myers Beach, U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Miami and Lee County Sheriff’s Office are involved in the search.

“The search effort support features an 87-foot boat on water, 45-foot boat, 60-foot helicopter, 144 plane, 6130 Air Force from Patrick Air Force Base and an 144 continuing through the day (not sure if this is a boat or a plane),” Deborah Billmaier wrote in her post the following morning.

An urgent marine broadcast has also been issued to all vessels in the area to help expand the search range, said Billmaier.

Community steps in to help in missing boater search in Florida

The U.S. Coast Guard coordinated one of the largest search parties in Southwest Florida history Sunday morning, Dec. 21, starting at first light, according to Deborah Billmaier.

Florida Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman shared the post on X.

Erin Shaw Harrel of Facebook group SWFL Boaters urged people Saturday to take to the water to search for the missing boaters, providing these coordinates for the search: 25-51.67N 083-12.16W.

Brent Stokes, owner of Stokes Marine, also asked for volunteers to help search.

According to Stokes, anyone willing to help with the search could call Tricia Spivey at 239-896-4099 or the U.S. Coast Guard at 727-322-4180.

Capt. Corrie Sergent of the Coast Guard’s Sector St. Petersburg posted on X Sunday morning, Dec. 21, noting crews were “pursuing all leads and saturating the (search) area.”

“Thank you to this amazing community for their support,’ Sergent said in the tweet.

Who are Randall Spivey, Brandon Billmaier ? Florida attorney and nephew missing off Fort Myers

Attorney Randall Spivey, 57, and his 33-year-old nephew Brandon Billmaier were reported missing at about 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19.

Tricia Spivey reported her husband and nephew missing Friday night, said Luis Garcia, supervisor on watch for the Coast Guard sector in St. Petersburg. “They were going to fish about 102 miles offshore.”

Spivey is a white male, 6’1”, 245lbs, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing khaki pants and a dark in color shirt, according to Lee County Sheriff’s Office. Billmaier is a white male, 6’2”, 250lbs, with strawberry hair and brown eyes.

Where was the boat of the missing fisherman found?

The pair went out in a 42-foot Freeman boat named “Unstopp-A-Bull,” Garcia said. The Coast Guard later found the boat floating upright in the Gulf about 70 miles off the coast of Naples, but no signs of the missing boaters.

Tricia Spivey says GPS coordinates from the boat’s spot tracker led them to that location near Marco Island and Flamingo. That’s where the search has been concentrated.

Where to call with information, help with search for missing Florida boaters

The Coast Coast asked anyone with pertinent information to contact the agency’s St. Petersburg sector at 866-881-1392.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office also requested the public’s help in locating Spivey and Billmaier.

If anyone knows about the pair’s whereabouts, they can call 911, if applicable, or call the sheriff’s office at 477-1000. To remain anonymous, you can also call SWFL Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS.

Contributing: Cindy McCurry-Ross

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