Florida
Florida teacher vacancies are down 13%, state says. Teachers union says there are still 5,000 unfilled jobs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) and the state’s largest teachers union are at odds over the framing of teacher vacancies in public schools.
The Florida Department of Education announced Monday that teacher vacancies for the 2024-2025 school year are 13.3% lower than first-day vacancies for the 2023-2024 school year. Schools have reported 1.11 teacher vacancies per school, lower than last year’s average of 1.28 vacancies per school, according to the FDOE. This year’s 13.3% drop in vacancies follows last year’s drop of over 8% in comparison to the previous year.
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“Florida has raised teacher pay, supported teachers in the classroom and created new pathways for qualified individuals to enter the teaching profession,” Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. said in a news release. “While the naysayers use the same tactics year after year to discredit Florida’s success in Education, once again the numbers speak for themselves. I am proud that Florida’s teacher vacancies continue to decline and I am confident that this is a direct result of the forward-thinking policies that Governor Ron DeSantis has championed.”
The Florida Education Association (FEA), the state’s largest association of professional employees with 120,000 union members, has a different take.
Last week, the FEA released its latest data on teacher vacancies and found that at the start of a new school year, nearly every district in the state is advertising unfilled positions in elementary education, ESE and speech language pathology with no significant improvement in the vacancies for education staff professionals (ESPs).
“When Governor DeSantis and Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. pat themselves on the back because they have funded corporate-run schools and micro schools in strip malls, they are doing so at the expense of students in Florida’s public schools by literally siphoning billions each year away from public schools. Make no mistake — this is on purpose,” said Andrew Spar, President of the Florida Education Association.
FEA said its data shows that there are currently 5,007 instructional vacancies, a jump from numbers reported in January of this year, but a decrease from the number reported in August 2023.
“Students across the state are feeling the weight of increased class sizes and not enough teachers or support professionals,” FEA said in a news release.
In an apparent shot at FEA’s teacher data, the FDOE said its vacancy data is reported to the department directly from school districts, “contrary to other sources which have attempted to use inaccurate data to report inflated teacher vacancy data.”
FEA said it counts vacancies posted on district websites twice annually, in August and January. (A county-by-county breakdown of the FEA vacancy numbers can be found here)
Diaz said the decrease in teacher vacancy numbers is a direct result of Gov. DeSantis’ commitment to supporting teachers, with more than $4.6 billion invested in teacher pay increases since 2019.
MORE | $1.25 billion in upcoming state budget will go toward teacher raises, Gov. DeSantis says
But FEA is calling for even more funding — $2.5 billion a year for the next seven years.
FEA said the increase will help address “inadequate salaries so Florida’s teachers are in the top 10 in average pay.”
Copyright 2024 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.
Poll results: Who will be the next Florida governor?
A recent poll from the University of North Florida found Casey DeSantis, the First Lady of Florida, is an early favorite in next year’s governor race.
Fox – 35 Orlando
A Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate has taken his grievances to social media, claiming that Waffle House has banned him from its locations across the state.
James Fishback, who is running to succeed fellow Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis as the next governor, said that the restaurant chain criminally trespassed on him and his team from all of its locations in Florida after he told his followers on the “Tucker Carlson Show” in January that he’d be touring every Waffle House across the state to speak to voters.
At the time of his announcement, Fishback, 31, said Waffle House allowed him to do just that.
However, on March 4, Waffle House “abruptly revoked our permission,” Fishback said, adding, “I am disappointed in Waffle House’s decision, especially since they had given us explicit permission to visit their restaurants just 3 weeks ago.”
Before Waffle House’s decision, Fishback had visited locations in Madison, St. Pete, Bonifay, Marianna and Jacksonville.
In an email to USA TODAY on March 11, Fishback confirmed that his permission was still revoked. USA TODAY emailed Waffle House on Wednesday, but has not received a response.
Fishback said he’d be fighting the decision by launching his own version of a Waffle House called the “Fishback Waffle Home,” a no-cost, pop-up restaurant coming to select cities in Florida to “keep meeting voters over hot coffee and warm waffles.”
“I want to thank the Waffle House staff who greeted me and our supporters, with warmth, kindness and awesome food,” Fishback wrote in the statement.
Florida gubernatorial election
Florida will elect its next governor on Nov. 3. DeSantis cannot run for the office again because the state’s constitution limits governors to serving two consecutive terms.
The primary will be held Aug. 18, in which residents will select their candidates for the general election.
There are 41 candidates in the election, including U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds, Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, Former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, Former U.S. Congressman David Jolly and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, according to a report by Maxon-Dixon Polling and Strategy and the Tallahassee Democrat, part of the USA TODAY Network.
According to the Tallahassee Democrat, Fishback is the second favorite for the Republican nomination. He’s currently behind Republican frontrunner U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds.
Fishback is a former investor and hedge fund manager who was born in Davie, about 28 miles from Miami.
He notably suggested to President Donald Trump and Elon Musk that they should issue “DOGE Dividends,” which would be paid to Americans using funds the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) saved. The agency has since been dissolved.
Contributing: C.A. Bridges, Tallahassee Democrat
Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com
These are the Top 10 most expensive homes sold in Collier County in February.
Data provided by: Royal Shell Real Estate.
1. 4115 Cutlass Lane, Naples
List price: $28,750,000
Sold price: $25,000,000
Neighborhood/Development: Port Royal
Size: 6,291 square feet
Year built: 2022
Days on market: 355
Amenities: Gulf Access, Boat Dock/Lift, Jet Ski Lift, Beach Access, Private Pool/Spa, Outdoor Fireplace/Kitchen/Shower
View: Basin
2. 1365 Spyglass Lane, Naples
List price: $21,500,000
Sold price: $19,950,000
Neighborhood/Development: Port Royal
Size: 6,736 square feet
Year built: 2023
Days on market: 76
Amenities: Bayfront, Boat Dock, Beach Access, Clubhouse, Tennis Court, Private Pool/Spa, Built-In Gas Fire Pit/Grill, Deck, Fence, Outdoor Fireplace/Kitchen
View: Bay
3. 600 Galleon Drive, Naples
List price: $19,995,000
Sold price: $18,100,000
Neighborhood/Development: Port Royal
Size: 7,195 square feet
Year built: 2002
Days on market: 104
Amenities: Bayfront, Boat Dock, Tennis Court, Private Pool, Outdoor Kitchen
View: Bay
4. 1818 6th Street S., Naples
List price: $19,495,000
Sold price: $18,000,000
Neighborhood/Development: Aqualane Shores
Size: 6,305 square feet
Year built: 2025
Days on market: 0
Amenities: Gulf Access, Boat Dock, Private Pool/Spa, Built-In Grill, Deck, Outdoor Kitchen/Shower
View: Canal
5. 1640 Dolphin Court, Naples
List price: $15,995,000
Sold price: $15,150,000
Neighborhood/Development: Royal Harbor
Size: 6,500 square feet
Year built: 2025
Days on market: 65
Amenities: Bayfront, Private Pool/Spa, Built-In Gas Fire Pit/Grill, Deck, Outdoor Fireplace/Kitchen
View: Bay
6. 1040 2nd Street S., Naples
List price: $13,495,000
Sold price: $12,000,000
Neighborhood/Development: Olde Naples
Size: 5,486 square feet
Year built: 2020
Days on market: 20
Amenities: Private Pool/Spa, Built-In Grill
View: Landscaped Area
7. 436 Putter Point Court, Naples
List price: $10,900,000
Sold price: $10,100,000
Neighborhood/Development: The Moorings
Size: 5,156 square feet
Year built: 2025
Days on market: 62
Amenities: Private Pool/Spa, Fence, Outdoor Fireplace/Kitchen
View: Landscaped Area
8. 16961 Sud Cortile Court, Naples
List price: $7,897,000
Sold price: $7,650,000
Neighborhood/Development: Mediterra
Size: 5,128 square feet
Year built: 2015
Days on market: 49
Amenities: Lakefront, Beach Access, Clubhouse, Community Pool, Golf Course, Lap Pool, Private Membership, Putting Green, Tennis Court, Private Pool/Spa, Built-In Grill, Courtyard, Deck, Outdoor Fireplace/Kitchen
View: Golf Course, Lake
9. 2900 Indigobush Way, Naples
List price: $7,750,000
Sold price: $7,625,000
Neighborhood/Development: Grey Oaks
Size: 6,605 square feet
Year built: 2000
Days on market: 93
Amenities: Clubhouse, Community Pool/Spa, Concierge Services, Golf Course, Lap Pool, Private Membership, Putting Green, Sauna, Tennis Court, Private Pool/Spa, Built-In Grill, Outdoor Kitchen
View: Golf Course
10. 424 Spinnaker Drive, Naples
List price: $7,250,000
Sold price: $6,825,000
Neighborhood/Development: The Moorings
Size: 4,724 square feet
Year built: 2025
Days on market: 59
Amenities: Beach Access, Private Pool/Spa, Built-In Grill, Courtyard, Deck, Fence, Outdoor Fireplace/Kitchen
View: Landscaped Area
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A Florida woman confessed to stabbing her 76-year-old roommate to death before covering his body with a tarp, stealing his truck and driving away from the scene, according to authorities.
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as Shannon R. Giblin, 48.
Shannon R. Giblin (Photo: Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office)
In a news release, the sheriff’s office said deputies were dispatched to a home on Sunday after they received a report about a person who was not breathing. When they arrived at the home, they found a man, later identified as Paul De Wayne Bradley, who was dead.
Police said they tracked Giblin down in Bradley’s truck, which was missing from the driveway, in Sarasota County.
“As Charlotte County detectives questioned Giblin, she provided a confession to stabbing Bradley following an argument,” Sheriff Bill Prummell said in the release.
“After realizing that the victim was beyond help, Giblin then covered Bradley with a tarp and left the scene in the victim’s pickup truck,” Prummell added.
Online jail records show Giblin was charged with second-degree murder, as well as grand theft of a motor vehicle.
“I want to recognize my Major Crimes detectives who worked this case through the night and identified the suspect quickly,” Prummell said. “They truly show a dedication to their craft and the results are irrefutable. I also want to thank the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office for their quick actions in locating and detaining her based on the intelligence my team was able to share. As I have always said, Southwest Florida is fortunate to have law enforcement who work together so effectively for the people we serve.”
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Giblin is being held without bond, according to the release.
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