Online sales tax bill ready for full state Senate vote State Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota (Source: News Service of Florida) By Jim Turner | March 5, 2021 at 12:22 PM EST - Updated March 5 at 12:22 PM
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WWSB) - A proposal is ready to go before the Florida Senate that could cut deeply into the state’s revenue shortfall by requiring many out-of-state online retailers to collect sales taxes on purchases made by Floridians.
The Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously backed a proposal (SB 50) that sponsor Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, maintains isn’t a tax increase while acknowledging work is needed to convince still-skeptical House members.
Once a template for a governor's serious long-range policy agenda, the annual State of the State speech has devolved to red-meat talking points. In his speech, Gov. DeSantis highlighted his divisive, racially charged anti-mob bill, his CPAC-ready crusade against Facebook and other tech giants, and pap about voting integrity that only makes it harder for Democrats to vote by mail in the 2022 election, when DeSantis himself is on the ballot.
Once a template for a governor's serious long-range policy agenda, the annual State of the State speech has devolved to red-meat talking points. In his speech, Gov. DeSantis highlighted his divisive, racially charged anti-mob bill, his CPAC-ready crusade against Facebook and other tech giants, and pap about voting integrity that only makes it harder for Democrats to vote by mail in the 2022 election, when DeSantis himself is on the ballot.
Gov. DeSantisâ unconstitutional attack on social media | Column
The state cannot tell media companies what sort of political speech they must carry.
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Just as newspapers do, Facebook, Google and Twitter have the right to determine what kind of content they want on their platforms. [ AP ]
Published Mar. 3
Updated Mar. 3
Fresh off his second-place finish â behind only former President Donald Trump â in the presidential straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Gov. Ron DeSantisâ top priority heading into this yearâs legislative session is custom-fit to appeal to the CPAC crowd: going after Big Tech social-media companies for their alleged anti-conservative bias.