Lawmakers begin a new special session tackling immigration in Tallahassee, and Vice President JD Vance discusses the impact of AI regulation during a visit to Paris. 

Florida Republicans begin new special session to alter immigration legislation

Republicans in Tallahassee announced Monday they would start a new special legislative session aimed at changing the sweeping immigration bill in the Florida Legislature passed in both chambers in January.

Lawmakers gaveled in at noon to begin the special legislative session.

Florida Senate President Ben Albritton and Speaker of the House Daniel Perez announced the session in a joint memorandum issued late Monday proposing the special session to focus exclusively on the topic of immigration. 

"Over the last several weeks, there has been a great deal of productive discussion on how the state of Florida can best assist President Trump’s efforts to crackdown on illegal immigration, with a particular focus on partnerships between local, state, and federal law enforcement to arrest, detain, and deport criminal illegal immigrants," the two wrote in the statement. 

They view the session as a way to alter the immigration package that was passed in January over vehement opposition by the governor. 

Some of the key proposals that would be different included the creation of a State Board of Immigration Enforcement that would be made of up the governor, Commissioner of Agriculture, the state Attorney General, and the Chief Financial Officer. 

Additionally, the board will be tasked with releasing grants to law enforcement to go towards the enforcement of immigration laws.

It will also make a defendant's immigration status available to a judge in a case in a move to, "keep dangerous illegal immigrants behind bars," according to the statement.

DeSantis responded quickly, saying he was happy lawmakers were, "stepping up to the plate." 

Democrats were less supportive, saying that lawmakers needed to focus on other issues that need to be addressed. 

"This is our second special session within 30 days to address, to address a problem that really the federal government should be working on," House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell said. "So that means we have missed opportunities to focus on issues that are important to Floridians, like lowering the cost of health care, auto insurance, property insurance — so yeah, a lot of time has been wasted on this while Republicans in the Legislature and the governor tries to suck up to Donald Trump." 

Lawmakers spent weeks laboring over the details in the package passed in January. The bill’s language divided Tallahassee — even leaving some GOP lawmakers upset.

“If the governor really wanted to play in illegal immigration, he should have appointed himself to the U.S. Senate," State Rep. Juan Porras said at the time. "But this is a Florida House. We get things done and we can bring results for our residents back home.” 

Vance rails against 'excessive regulation' of AI at Paris summit in rebuke to European efforts

U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday warned global leaders and tech industry executives that "excessive regulation" could cripple the rapidly growing artificial intelligence industry in a rebuke to European efforts to curb AI's risks.

The speech underscored a widening, three-way rift over the future of the technology.

The United States, under President Donald Trump, has championed a hands-off approach to fuel innovation, while Europe is tightening the reins with strict regulations to ensure safety and accountability. Meanwhile, China is rapidly expanding AI through state-backed tech giants, vying for dominance in the global race.

The U.S. was noticeably absent from an international document signed by more than 60 nations, including China, making the Trump Administration the glaring outlier in a global pledge to promote responsible AI development.

Florida homeowners get help with hurricane preparation with money from Elevate Florida

Hurricane season may be over, but many Floridians are still recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Milton. 

Elevate Florida is a new program from the Florida Department of Emergency Management that is now being rolled out to help with recovery and mitigation efforts. 

The goal is to enhance community resilience by mitigating the risks private residences face during natural hazards. Residents can now begin the application process.

Residents in Volusia County are doing what they still can to protect their homes, including applying for help.

Life is still not back to normal for Catherine Levinson, but she's doing what she can to make sure her home remains in the best shape possible. 

“I just want reimbursement for what I’ve spent and what I’m going to spend in the future," she said. "It’s not over and it’s already been $40,000 and it’s not over. I have to build a wall to retain the dirt. I’m not building a wall to stop water because that’s not going to work. I’m retaining the sand and the dirt, so when it rains, it doesn’t wash away."

Levinson and other residents believe runoff water from nearby businesses is making matters worse. 

“I’ve spent so much money just trying to save my home and FEMA denied us," Levinson said. "They said because it was a manmade situation, it wasn’t Milton itself."

Levinson said she’s applying for Elevate Florida now that the application window is open.

“I hope they can reimburse me 75% of the money so I can still do the rest of the projects that I need to do,” she said. 

This program is also one Volusia County leaders want people to know about.

“We always encourage out citizens to be thinking ahead and say and be thinking kind of upon the lines of, just because it hasn’t happened before, doesn’t mean it might not happen to me this next time,” said Volusia County Emergency Management Director Clint Mecham.

Project objectives include structure elevation, mitigation reconstruction, acquisition and demolition, and wind mitigation. 

Federal grant funding will cover at least 75% of the project cost. Property owners will only need to invest 25%.

 “Take a look, evaluate it. Is this right for me? Is it a tool I need to have in my toolbox?” Mecham said. 

Levinson said residents are doing what they can to get through these challenging times.

“I don’t know if any of us will receive the money, but we should apply," she said. "You have to fight for your home."

In order to be eligible for the program, residents must be over 18 years old, be a U.S. citizen, be a legal property owner in the state of Florida, and be able to contribute up to 25% of the project’s total cost.