Super Tuesday results begin to come in as polls close, and lawmakers in Tallahassee prepare to round out this year's legislative session.
Super Tuesday could clinch nominations for Trump, Biden
More than a third of all delegates in the Republican and Democratic presidential primaries will be up for grabs Tuesday as voters in 15 states and one territory head to the polls for Super Tuesday.
Democratic President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, a Republican, are expected to move to the verge of clinching their parties’ nominations.
Biden faces only long-shot challengers Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota and author and activist Marianne Williamson, who reentered the race last week.
Meanwhile, Trump’s only major competition is former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who has struggled to close the wide gap between her and her former boss.
Contests for both parties are being held in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia.
Alaska is holding its Republican caucuses Tuesday, and American Samoa is holding its Democratic caucuses.
Also Tuesday, the results of Iowa’s Democratic mail-in caucuses, held in January, will be announced.
Lawmakers in Tallahassee advance bill tackling homelessness
With only 72 hours left in session, lawmakers are diving into addressing homelessness.
This bill is a priority for Gov. Ron DeSantis, and he says this will make Florida streets cleaner and safer.
Florida is poised to ban sleeping and camping in public. The Senate Tuesday gearing up for a final vote on House Bill 1365.
“It’s really troublesome when you go to cities that seem to have more and more homeless people living under bridges, on the street, in front of buildings,” Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said.
The bill would ban local governments from allowing the unhoused to sleep in public spaces. It also would allow cities to designate temporary sites to house the homeless. If passed, residents can sue a city if they don’t enforce the law.
“So I think these protections will be very good for Floridians. It’ll ensure that we don’t see any part of our state descend into the madness,” DeSantis said about the proposal.
But there are still concerns. Some say housing sites are too expensive for some cities.
Others, meanwhile, fear this is criminalizing the homeless.
“You create this idea where you want homeless people to be, but how are they going to get there and what’s the face of homelessness? What does it look like? What does the unhoused look like? There are some issues. Some challenges. I don’t know if this gets where it needs to be,” State Sen. Bobby Powell said.
The legislative session is slated to end on Friday.
Among the bills awaiting approval is the social media ban for minors that was rejected by the governor.
Bill cracks down on left-lane campers
Florida House Bill 317 — called Interstate Safety — says that drivers can’t operate in the furthermost left-hand lane of any road, street, or highway with a speed limit of at least 65 mph unless they are passing another vehicle or preparing to exit the road.
There is a left lane law in place now. It says a driver in the far-left lane should move over if they reasonably know they are being overtaken by a fast driver.
Rick Adams, who runs Nations Traffic Safety School in Tampa, said he sees drivers sit in the left all the time.
“Don’t go in the passing lane unless you are actually passing, and once you are done passing a safe distance, come back over to the right-hand lanes,” Adams said.
He said drivers who camp in the left lane can create a dangerous situation.
“People behind them get frustrated and they swing into the other lanes and they pass on the right or off the shoulder,” Adams said. “It just creates a situation where people who are being blocked are frustrated.”
For those caught camping in the left lane, it will be a non-criminal traffic ticket with fines ranging from $60 to $150.
If Gov. Ron DeSantis signs the bill, it will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025.