Florida
Here's what Amendment 1 would mean for school board elections in Florida
Amendment 1 would make school board races partisan
In November, Floridians will vote on an amendment to make school board election partisan.
TAMPA, Fla. – In November, Floridians will vote on an amendment to make school board elections partisan.
Amendment 1 would make school board elections partisan beginning in the November 2026 general election and for primary elections nominating party candidates for the 2026 election.
Candidates would be nominated for the general election through party primaries, and would have a label of “Democrat” or “Republican” next to their name on the ballot.
“Students are not partisan, and certainly, our children are not partisan,” Hillsborough County school board member Lynn Gray said.
READ: DeSantis-backed school board candidates defeated in several counties in Florida primaries
The amendment has received strong support and opposition from parents, teachers and legislators.
“There’s so much politics in schools already right now being pushed in,” Julie Gebhards, a mother in Tampa Bay said.
Florida is currently one of 41 states with laws allowing non-partisan school board elections.
Florida had partisan school board elections until an amendment was approved in 1998.
READ: Florida Dept. of State re-examining abortion rights amendment signatures
“If you put a stamp on someone, ‘Oh, you’re Republican, so therefore you’re thinking that way’, there’s a huge range of thoughts within the Republican arena. And Democrats, the same,” Gray said.
Some Hillsborough County school board members who are also former teachers believe this would influence what’s being taught in the classroom every day.
“I think the most important information you need to have is what that person is about and what they represent and who they are as a person, and not about politics,” Hillsborough County school board member Nadia Combs said.
However, some parents who are in support of Amendment 1 believe politics are already infiltrating schools on a day-to-day basis.
READ: Former Tampa middle school teacher, assistant principal arrested after student put in chokehold: HCSO
“I think it just provides a baseline for us to go into an election understanding the platform that the candidate is coming from, and knowing that those values are going to align closer with my own,” Gebhards said.
The Florida Education Association says a partisan race would shift the focus of the school board.
“Rather than the focus on, ‘Hey, what do our kids need? Do we have the right music and art programs? Are our career and tech programs being funded appropriately?’” Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar said.
Dr. Joshua Scacco, the Director of the Center for Sustainable Democracy at USF, says the separation of politics and education isn’t necessarily clear, because school boards deal with political issues.
READ: Several cases of ‘sloth fever’ confirmed in Florida: Here’s what to know
“All the issues that come before the school board are, indeed, political,” Scacco saod. “And that’s just because these are public entities. They’re funded by taxpayer dollars. So, inherently, they are political. Whether it’s taxing, whether it’s the content that children receive in schools or young adults receive in schools, it’s political.”
Scacco says a partisan label could encourage more political polarization, which could make the decision-making by a school board a challenge.
“Education is political,” Scacco said. “You can’t necessarily draw this sort of firewall between education being nonpolitical and what that looks like and what that means.”
READ: Hillsborough County student in custody after making school shooting threat: HCSO
Gebhards says this amendment would only help voters make the most educated decision.
“And let people vote according to their values, you know, and whether that’s an ‘R’ or a ‘D’ next to the name, you can choose,” Gebhards said.
Amendment 1 is on the ballot in the general election in November. If it passes, it would go into effect starting in 2026.
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TAMPA, Fla – New SNAP restrictions will start Monday in Florida.
What we know:
These changes will ban the purchase of many sugary sodas, energy drinks, candy and ultra-processed, shelf-stable prepared desserts.
Hunger Free America, an advocacy group, is against these restrictions.
Joel Berg, the CEO, said some regulation is a good thing, but he wants to see it support access to healthy foods as a choice.
“We do support mandates to mandate that healthier food is available in stores that do accept SNAP,” Berg said. “So, it makes a lot more sense to make it easier to get healthier food.”
Berg said these restrictions are unnecessary in achieving a healthier America.
“We should make America healthier again by making healthy food more affordable, convenient and physically available,” Berg said. “We shouldn’t micromanage the eating patterns of adults to try to achieve that goal.”
The other side:
This is part of the Make America Healthy Again initiative.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said, “Under the MAHA initiative, we are taking bold, historic steps to reverse the chronic disease epidemic that has taken root in this country for far too long.”
What they’re saying:
Berg said that these changes, on top of cuts to the program nationwide, will increase hunger.
“It’s not that low-income Americans don’t want healthier food; it’s that they can’t afford healthier food,” Berg said.
This coincides with the announcement that there will be cuts to WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, which supplies food to mothers and young children.
“President Trump’s budget just announced that he’s proposing taking away fruits and vegetables from the WIC program for pregnant women and children under five,” Berg said. “So, they’re taking away healthier food.”
The WIC cuts would take away $1.4 billion in fruit and vegetable benefits from 5.4 million people.
Big picture view:
The SNAP changes come as part of the MAHA movement and include more than 20 other states that will implement changes over the next two years.
The Source: Information in this story comes from WIC, SNAP and interviews done by Fox 13’s Danielle Zulkosky.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The engines are revving for one final day of high-stakes bidding and family fun at the South Florida Fairgrounds.
Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach auction reaches its grand finale today with an action-packed “Super Saturday” lineup, promising to close out the weekend with a full slate of collector car sales, live entertainment, and fan attractions.
“Super Saturday,” presented by Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, officially kicks off at 8 a.m. when gates, food courts, and the exhibitor marketplace open to the public.
What to expect
- 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: The Fantasy Bid presented by Dodge begins early, running in tandem with the automobilia auction in the arena.
- 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Thrill-seekers can catch Dodge thrill rides on the Barrett-Jackson Performance Track.
- 10:00 a.m.: New amenities open to the public, including the Stella Artois, Staging Lanes, and Food Court patios, which offer shaded seating and auction views.
- 10:45 a.m.: The national anthem will be performed in the auction arena, signaling the start of the main collector car auction at 11 a.m.
- Afternoon Entertainment: DJ sets run from noon to 5 p.m. across the various patios, and a detailing clinic by Adam’s Polishes is scheduled for 2 p.m. near the South Showcase.
For those unable to attend, the whole event will be livestreamed throughout the day on the Barrett-Jackson website and the HISTORY channel from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Today’s finale comes on the heels of a high-energy Friday that saw significant sales and notable celebrity interest.
Star power was evident throughout the day, particularly with vehicles tied to the Busch family. A 1957 Ford Thunderbird Convertible owned by Samantha Busch and a 1969 Oldsmobile 442 Custom Coupe were among the day’s heavy hitters, each fetching $159,500. Kyle Busch’s 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Custom Coupe also drew a strong bid, selling for $143,000.
Other Friday highlights included:
- 1968 Ford Mustang Eleanor Replica: $137,500
- 2004 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Mamba Edition: $132,000
- 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazer Custom SUV: $126,500
- 1957 Ford Thunderbird Custom Convertible: $121,000
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With a festival-style atmosphere and high-profile sales driving momentum, organizers expect a busy crowd for the final push at the auction block today.
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A quiet Monday turned into a frantic race against time when a deputy stepped in to save a choking 1-year-old’s life.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a call about a 1-year-old baby choking. Upon arrival, the responding deputy performed life-saving procedures to help the child breathe again.
See also: Two arrested after 6-year-old arrives at Florida school with bruises, deputies say
Body camera video shows a deputy holding the baby, flipping it over on its stomach, and beginning to pat the baby’s back.
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When the baby begins to cry, the deputy is heard saying, “he’s good.”
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