In the News

St. Petersburg, FL – State Rep. Ben Diamond announced today in a video message to supporters he is suspending his campaign for Congress as a result of the new gerrymandered districts that divide Pinellas County and place his St. Petersburg home outside Congressional District 13. Diamond, widely considered the leading Democrat to succeed incumbent U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, […]

State Rep. Ben Diamond has raised more than $1.2 million as he races for Florida’s 13th Congressional District, his campaign announced Monday. The sum includes more than $240,000 raised in the first quarter of 2022, his campaign said. The latest haul keeps Diamond on top as the leading Democratic fundraiser in the race for CD 13. A

“At every level of government, we have a moral obligation to provide the best quality care to our veterans,” Diamond said after the bill was signed. “The Veteran Suicide Prevention Training Pilot Program will increase local mental health care resources available for the brave men and women who answered the call to serve our nation.”

The Florida Legislature is spending millions to adapt to rising sea levels, but won’t cut greenhouse gases — and won’t let cities do it, either. Despite years of warnings from top scientists around the world, Florida’s plan to address climate change involves only spending money to adapt to rising seas instead of cutting the emissions

NEW ORLEANS — Hurricane Harvey dumped more than 50 inches of rain on parts of the Texas coast in 2017. Then in 2020, ferocious winds from Hurricane Laura destroyed homes across coastal Louisiana. Hurricane Ida hit in 2021, leaving the entire city of New Orleans without power for days. Such extreme weather is becoming more common,

A bill establishing an election crimes investigations unit, banning ranked-choice voting, and requesting a study to look into changes to vote-by-mail forms passed its final House committee Monday. HB 7061, sponsored by Republican Rep. Daniel Perez, passed the House Appropriations Committee along party lines. The legislation, which emergedfrom the House Public Integrity and Elections Committee earlier this month, contains

A panel in the Florida House advanced bipartisan legislation Monday that could address the ongoing problem of veteran suicide, which took the lives of 553 Florida men and women in 2019. CS/HB 1315 cleared the House State Affairs Committee Monday, putting it in posture for consideration by the full House. Democratic Rep. Ben Diamond of St. Petersburg and

“There are all these decisions from our State Supreme Court interpreting our state constitutional provision of privacy. Is it your position that those decisions are wrong as well?,” asked Fla. Democrat Rep. Ben Diamond, St. Petersburg.

Rep. Ben Diamond filed legislation this Session to increase monitoring of gyp stacks and reporting of issues. It also would create a public database of stacks and any incidents or issues. Gov. Ron DeSantis also allotted $100 million to close Piney Point. Work on a 3,300-foot-deep injection well began in December.