In the News

Republican Sen. Danny Burgess — a member of the Army Reserve — and Democratic Rep. Ben Diamond are the bill sponsors.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Following the toxic wastewater leak at Piney Point that made national headlines, Florida lawmakers are launching a bipartisan effort to improve the emergency response to imminent hazards involving phosphogypsum stacks. Rep. Ben Diamond (D-St. Pete) and Sen. Jeff Brandes (R-St. Pete) say the Piney Point saga paved the way for the substantial

Protecting affordable housing, voting rights and Florida elders while fighting corporate “handouts” funded by taxpayers are among the top priorities of Florida Democrats as they head into another legislative session as the underdog minority party in both chambers. In a 2022 legislative online kick-off rally Monday, Democratic legislators pledged to support people-centered policies in the

The Governor’s power to set Special Election dates would get clipped according to a bill proposed Thursday from lawmakers spurred to action after an unprecedented delay in getting current vacancies filled. After U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings died last April, Gov. Ron DeSantis did not moved to set election dates until lawsuits asked a judge to force him to act. The result:

Democratic state lawmakers have introduced legislation that would guarantee an individual’s right to an abortion as the U.S. Supreme Court weighs cases that would allow states to eliminate access to the procedure almost completely. Sen. Lori Berman of Lantana and Rep. Ben Diamond of St. Petersburg filed bills last week (HB 709/SB 1036) that would bar any individual, state

State Rep. Ben Diamond came out on top as the highest fundraiser among the six candidates campaigning for Florida’s 13th Congressional District. That’s according to the latest campaign finance data, which candidates submitted Friday to the Federal Elections Commission. The latest reports cover Quarter 3, which spans from July 1 through Sept. 30. Diamond reported the highest amount

As he runs for Congress in 2022, the Democratic representative from Pinellas County promises to “create an economy that gives every working Floridian a fair shot at the American Dream.” This is why and how he plans to deliver on that promise. If Florida Rep. Ben Diamond has an overriding message, it is this: “Invest in people,

Florida officials say they have distributed more than $108 million in emergency rental assistance funds as of August 27, a significant increase from the $18.3 million disbursed at the end of July. The new figures, sent in an email Friday evening from the Florida Department of Children and Families, represent around 12 percent of the

CHARLOTTE COUNTY — Joe Chung has a lot of admiration for the man who rents the other side of his duplex south of Sarasota. William Schleman, 80, served in the Air Force in the 60s in a medical unit. Chung described him as a “hero.” When the pandemic cut into both of their incomes, they

Rep. Ben Diamond is urging the Florida Department of Children and Families to expedite the distribution of federal rental assistance. In a letter sent Thursday to DCF Secretary Shevaun Harris, Diamond pleads for the department to address issues with the state’s federally funded emergency rental assistance program, known as OUR Florida. “Hundreds of thousands of Floridians face the terrifying