Here's a local and state news update from Florida Today and WFIT. I'm Evan Niemczyk.
A federal judge allows a First Amendment lawsuit from Florida International University students to proceed. WFIT’s Terri Wright shares details.
"A federal judge says four Florida International University students have valid First Amendment arguments in a lawsuit challenging their suspension or expulsion over an off-campus WhatsApp group chat that included racist and violent remarks.
In a September 14 order, Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga acknowledged that universities can regulate student speech that disrupts classes or causes substantial disorder. But she said a school’s authority is more limited when speech occurs off campus, particularly when it involves political or religious expression.
The judge ruled that FIU’s disciplinary process must be completed before the students’ lawsuit can move forward"
Florida school districts reported about 600 books removed, restricted or discontinued during the 2025-26 school year.
The state Department of Education lists removals from 10 counties, most of them rural, including three in Central Florida: Orange, Polk and Sumter.
In most counties, books were challenged by parents or community members and then reviewed under state laws governing what students can access.
William Johnson is with the anti-censorship group PEN America’s Florida office. He says some challenges focus on individual passages rather than the book as a whole.
“When you do that, when you don't understand literary merit, context, you are unfortunately removing books that have real, true literary and cultural value.”
In Sumter and Polk counties, the list includes works by Stephen King, Jeanette McCurdy, and Sarah J. Maas, as well as popular titles like Wicked and a Court of Thorns and Roses.
Sumter County removed 22 books last school year and Polk removed 32. Orange removed one.
Each county's list, added all together, comes to 200 more entries than last year’s total.
Florida’s wildlife agency has proposed new rules to strengthen protection for sloths imported into the state. WFIT’s Rick Glasby has details:
"The move comes after dozens of sloths died at a planned Orlando tourism attraction. The proposed rules require importers to have sloth-specific experience and would require an inspection of the proposed facility. But people could still import wild-caught sloths into the state with a permit, and they would have not have to report animal deaths to Florida Fish & Wildlife."
The Leon School District's half-cent share of the county's sales tax goes before voters in November. Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna kicked off a series of public meetings on the matter last Monday night at Godby High School.
"The renewal of the half-penny sales tax is extremely important to us. It's something that's been in play for the last 25 years now. It's been on the ballot two other times. We're asking our voters to reaffirm for a third time the half-penny sales tax for capital improvement projects, renovations, remodeling and school safety."
But Hanna says any extra pay for teachers and support staff will have to come from local property taxes. The district has put a separate measure on the ballot to raise those taxes by one-mill. The sales tax pitch goes to Leon High Tuesday and Chiles High School Wednesday.
For these stories and more, visit FloridaToday.com and WFIT.org. I'm Evan Niemczyk