KATE PAYNE

Statehouse reporter

Payne writes about state government and education and is based in Tallahassee, FL. She is a Report for America corps member.

As Trump picks Florida men for top jobs, new political possibilities open up in the Sunshine State

As President-elect Donald Trump names his picks for his new administration from his private club in Palm Beach and prepares to return to the White House, he’s bringing the Sunshine State with him.

Florida education officials report hundreds of books pulled from school libraries

“The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison. “Forever” by Judi Blume. “Slaughterhouse-Five” by Kurt Vonnegut. All have been pulled from the shelves of some Florida schools, according to the latest list compiled by the Florida Department of Education tallying books removed by local school districts.

Another Florida college taps a former state lawmaker to be its next president

A Republican former state lawmaker in northwest Florida is poised to become the latest in a string of conservative politicians taking the helm of public colleges and universities in the state.

In this Florida school district, some parents are pushing back against a cellphone ban

It’s no surprise that students are pushing back on cellphone bans in classrooms. But school administrators in one South Florida county working to pull students’ eyes away from their screens are facing some resistance from another group as well – parents.

Prisoners plead for air conditioning in lawsuit against Florida corrections department

A lawsuit filed this week by the prison reform advocacy group Florida Justice Institute says that extreme heat in unairconditioned cells at a prison near the Florida Everglades has contributed to the deaths of four people and that state officials have failed to take “meaningful action” to mitigate t

A Florida school board candidate lost his race. DeSantis appointed him to the board anyway

A school board candidate who lost his race in a county south of Jacksonville will get a seat on the board anyway, after Florida Gov.

Judge continues to block Florida officials from threatening TV stations over abortion ads

A federal judge has continued to block the head of Florida’s health department from taking any more steps to threaten TV stations that air commercials for an abortion rights measure on next week’s ballot.

Judge blocks further sweeps of homeless camp in New Orleans ahead of Taylor Swift concerts

A judge in Louisiana has temporarily blocked further efforts by state officials to clear homeless encampments in New Orleans.

Florida woman found guilty of murder for leaving her boyfriend to die in a suitcase

A woman accused of leaving her boyfriend to die after he was zipped into a suitcase in their home has been found guilty of second-degree murder by a jury in central Florida.

An AI chatbot pushed a teen to kill himself, a lawsuit against its creator alleges

A Florida mother is suing a tech company over an AI chatbot that she says pushed her son to kill himself.

Florida teachers unions head to trial over anti-union law

Florida’s teachers unions are heading back to court in a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of requirements for certain unions.

Hurricane Milton ravaged one of the most popular areas for ‘snowbirds’ on Florida’s Gulf Coast

Hurricane Milton’s devastating landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast hit one of the most popular areas for temporary residents who spend the winter months living in the Sunshine State.

Jury paves the way for 2 Live Crew to retake control of records that changed hip-hop

A decision by a Florida jury is paving the way for the surviving members of 2 Live Crew to retake control of much of their iconic discography, following a yearslong copyright dispute.

What to know about red tide after Florida’s back-to-back hurricanes

Residents of Florida’s Gulf Coast who weathered back-to-back hurricanes now have something else to keep an eye on: A possible plume of harmful algae in the waters off of the state’s southwest coast.

DeSantis approves changes to election procedures for hurricane affected counties

Florida voters and election supervisors in hurricane affected areas will have extra time and flexibility to ensure they still have the ability to vote in November elections after Gov.

Florida digs out of mountains of sand swept in by back-to-back hurricanes

Residents of Florida’s Gulf Coast are digging out from mountains of sand after Hurricanes Helene and Milton clobbered them with back-to-back hits in less than two weeks.

Although Milton has moved on, at least 8 are dead and millions remain in the dark

Hurricane Milton is barreling into the Atlantic Ocean after hitting Florida as a Category 3 storm.

More than 2 million without power as Hurricane Milton slams Florida, causes deaths and flooding

Hurricane Milton has crashed into Florida as a Category 3 storm, pounding the coast with ferocious winds of over 100 mph, knocking out power to millions and producing a series of tornadoes around the state.

Florida communities hit three times by hurricanes grapple with how and whether to rebuild

Brooke Hiers just a month ago left the state-issued emergency trailer where her family had lived after Hurricane Idalia slammed into her home on Florida’s Gulf Coast in August of 2023.

Historic ship could soon become the world’s largest artificial reef

A historic ocean liner that ferried immigrants, Hollywood stars and heads of state may soon find its final resting place at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.

Florida enacts tough law to get homeless off the streets, leaving cities and counties scrambling

Florida has a tough new law aimed at getting the homeless off the streets. Under a statute that took effect Tuesday, it is now illegal in Florida to sleep on sidewalks, in parks, on beaches or in other public spaces.

Death toll rises from Helene while supplies are rushed to North Carolina and Florida digs out

Authorities are struggling to get supplies to isolated areas across the U.S. Southeast in the wake of Hurricane Helene and the death toll from the storm is rising.

At least 64 dead and millions without power after Helene’s deadly march across the Southeast

Massive rains brought by Hurricane Helene have left many people stranded or homeless as the cleanup begins from the monster tempest that killed at least 64 people.

Hurricane Helene kills at least 44 and cuts a swath of destruction across the Southeast

The death toll from Hurricane Helene has reached at least 44. Helene has left an enormous path of destruction across Florida and the entire southeastern U.S.

Helene makes landfall in northwestern Florida as a Category 4 hurricane

Hurricane Helene has made landfall in northwestern Florida as a Category 4 storm as forecasters warn of “catastrophic” flooding along the Gulf Coast.

Florida officials pressure schools to roll back sex ed lessons on contraception and consent

Some Florida school districts are rolling back a more comprehensive approach to sex education in favor of abstinence-focused lessons.

Days after posting mugshot of a boy accused of school threat, sheriff puts video of 2 teens online

Communities nationwide are being battered by a wave of school shooting threats, with emergency notifications and group chat messages sparking parents’ fears their child’s school could be the next Parkland or Uvalde.

New program will help inmates earn high school diplomas with tablets

A top supplier of digital devices for U.S. prisons is launching a new program to help incarcerated individuals earn a high school diploma by using the company’s tablets.

Florida sheriff fed up with school shooting hoaxes posts boy’s mugshot to social media

A Florida sheriff fed up with a spate of false school shooting threats is taking a new tactic to try get through to students and their parents: he’s posting the mugshot of any offender on social media.

Florida sued for using taxpayer money on website promoting GOP spin on abortion initiative

A political committee behind the campaign to pass a constitutional right to abortion in Florida has filed a lawsuit against a state health care agency that it alleges is carrying out a taxpayer-funded “misinformation” campaign against the November ballot measure.