Documents obtained by News 6 showed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ staff intervened in a public records request related to Halsey Beshears, the former head of Florida’s business licensing agency, who is reportedly connected to a federal sex trafficking investigation.

Palm Coast city council members voted to give themselves a raise Tuesday night and were met with jeers from their constituents.

One person died in a Lake County crash Tuesday night that shut down part of State Road 44 in that area, troopers said.

A Port Orange middle school art teacher was arrested Tuesday after blaring music on campus during FSA testing, according to police.

Commissioner Emily Bonilla presented the plan which calls for a rent hike cap of 5% -- or the rate of inflation, whichever is less.

Being in the Sunshine State there are so many hidden gems, including state parks, unique attractions, and of course, beaches.

A 16-year-old boy died after being shot multiple times in Belleview, according to police.

Amazon announced that it had reached agreements for up to 83 launches on rockets from three commercial space companies to sent thousands of Project Kuiper satellites into orbit.

A 25-year-old man is facing an animal cruelty charge after deputies accused him of shooting a dog in the face Saturday at a Palm Coast home, according to the sheriff’s office.

It’s not often that people see a great white shark off Florida’s coast, let alone two in the span of a day.

A woman was rescued by Daytona Beach firefighters “seconds before” her vehicle completely went underwater in a pond.

With an army of volunteers and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for support, an Orlando rescue group evicted almost two dozen rabbits last week from an Azalea Park neighborhood that was overrun with domesticated bunnies.

DeSantis awarded $5.4 million for public infrastructure improvements and to support manufacturing.

The Eastern Florida State College Foundation will be hosting its 6th Annual Backyard BBQ Cook-Off & Family Fest on Saturday.

In a move criticized by advocates of Florida’s open government laws, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ staff intervened in a public records request related to a former appointee who is reportedly connected to a federal sex trafficking investigation, documents obtained by News 6 show.

Florida’s business licensing agency released financial documents Thursday related to its former secretary more than three months after News 6 sought them under a public records request.

Florida’s business licensing agency has failed to produce financial documents related to its former secretary, Halsey Beshears, following a public records request submitted by News 6 nearly three months ago.

Citing health issues, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Halsey Beshears said he will step down from his post this month. Beshears, a former state representative from North Florida who was appointed by Gov. “It is in the best interest of my health, my family, and the department that I focus my full attention on getting well,” Beshears wrote. From ‘Deregathon’ to passing the most comprehensive regulatory reduction bill in recent history, I believe our efforts will have a significant and long-lasting impact on our great state,” Beshears wrote in Friday’s resignation letter. But, departing from ordinary regulations, Beshears did not require that a minimum amount of bar owners’ sales come from food.

Beshears talked about how coronavirus rules will be enforced, the feedback he’s received from bar owners and patrons and his thoughts on avoiding another shutdown. Please note, some questions have been shortened or edited:Lisa Bell: As you know bars across reopened Monday. If you have something that attributes to you not being healthy, please stay home and don’t throw stones about these bar owners being open. We talked to the bar owners about that too, if they have an unruly patron who doesn’t want to cooperate, you need to throw them out. I appreciated all those bar owners and breweries that sat down and they tried to be part of the solution rather than complain about the problem.

The DOH reported 176 new deaths Friday, bringing Florida’s death toll from the pandemic to 12,658. Death data is often delayed and new deaths can take up to two weeks to report, according to the DOH. Recent deaths from COVID-19 across Central Florida made up 25 out of the 176 new fatalities reported across the state. [SEE THURSDAY’S REPORT: Florida reports more than 2,500 new COVID-19 cases, 213 deaths]Here are three things to know about the virus for Sept. 11. Across 10 counties, Central Florida reported 25 deaths on Friday.

ORLANDO, Fla. – After months of being closed to stop the spread of COVID-19, bars across Florida will be allowed to serve alcohol for on-site consumption once again come Monday. The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Halsey Beshears made the announcement Thursday evening on Twitter, hours after he appeared alongside Gov. Starting Monday, all bars will be reopened at 50% occupancy. pic.twitter.com/YqQR2MkJpR — HalseyBeshears (@HalseyBeshears) September 10, 2020Come Monday, bars will be able to operate at 50% capacity. They were ordered to close in late June after multiple outbreaks were linked back to more crowded establishments, including one near the University of Central Florida.

More Florida breweries have been able to open in the past month by obtaining food licenses but others are weeks away from closing, craft beer makers told Gov. Several brewery owners at the event explained that the craft beer making process and operating a tap room makes their business already safe, clean spaces for customers. We really, really understand, again, how to instill confidence. While craft breweries with multiple locations and distribution have more resources, Govoni said he is concerned for those who dont have anything to fall back on. We built this brewery to connect with our community to add something different to our community.

ORLANDO, Fla. The Florida Department of Health reported 8,892 new coronavirus cases Monday as the deadline for Central Florida parents to select a learning model for their students quickly approaches ahead of the school start. Mondays positive cases bring the states total of all confirmed coronavirus cases since the disease was first detected in the state on March 1 to 432,747. The positivity rate for new cases compared to those tested on Sunday was 11.39%, according to the DOH. The FDOH also reported a total of 6,049 deaths, 5,931 resident fatalities and 118 non-resident deaths. The state reported 77 new COVID-19 fatalities on Monday.

Floridas bars remain closed, but the states top business regulator hinted that they could reopen after revamping guidelines. But while bars were allowed to start serving drinks again, the state limited indoor customer occupancy to 50% and allowed only table service. John SanFelippo, owner of the Beacham and other establishments in downtown Orlando, told News 6 he is reopening The Social. Several bar owners have filed lawsuits against the state over a June 26 order that reimposed a prohibition on serving drinks for on-site consumption. The state issued the order because non-compliance with coronavirus safety guidelines was considered too widespread to enforce in the bar industry.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida’s bars will stay closed until there is a massive reversal in the number of new positive coronavirus cases, according to the state’s top business regulator. Ekas said his bar has been closed more than 100 days, this year, and keeping it afloat is getting harder. The forced closures forced another bar owner to rethink his business model. Lambert said he doesn’t think the closure of the bars impacted the number of coronavirus cases. The state issued the order because non-compliance with coronavirus safety guidelines was considered too widespread to enforce in the bar industry.

ORLANDO, Fla. With coronavirus numbers climbing and cases trending younger, Florida has made the decision to immediately prohibit the consumption of alcohol at bars statewide. The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which oversees alcohol licenses, made the announcement Friday morning on Twitter. Effective immediately, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation is suspending on premises consumption of alcohol at bars statewide. Even before that, a bar near the University of Central Florida had its liquor license suspended after 13 employees and 28 patrons tested positive for COVID-19. The director of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, Dr. Raul Pino, also said earlier this week that 152 cases have been linked to an unnamed bar near campus.

Ron DeSantis Phase 2 guidelines conducting both routine and complaint-based inspections, according to a department spokesperson. The only businesses to have its license suspended during the pandemic, according to the department. We have pulled their liquor license last night, Beshears said Tuesday. DBPR sworn agents are generally in plain clothes but display and/or provide their credentials when performing inspections. plan for Floridas Recovery on our website at: DBPR Compliance Concerns Form.

ORLANDO, Fla. While theres no plans to shut down businesses as coronavirus cases continue to increase daily by the thousands, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday the state will be focusing its efforts on cracking down on bars and restaurants that refuse to abide by safety protocols designed to stop the spread of COVID-19. As weve moved forward here, the guidelines are in place for a reason, youre not doing it just to do it. In Florida, the median age of patients has trended younger and younger in recent weeks as college-aged residents resume social activities. Theyre going to be a little bit more likely to have cases in that age, in that cohort, DeSantis said.

With that green light, SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica and Discovery Cove will open June 11; Disneys Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom will open July 11, followed by Epcot and Hollywood Studios on July 15. I am pleased to announce that I have received word from Halsey Beshears, Secretary of @FloridaDBPR, that @WaltDisneyWorld Resort and @SeaWorld have received approval of their re-opening plans. Interim SeaWorld CEO Marc Swanson said guests will notice signs in the park reminding them to physical distance. So it will be a very contactless entry process into the park, Swanson said Wednesday. Smaller attractions have started to open across Central Florida and Disney Springs and Universals CityWalk began accepting guests again earlier this month.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange and Volusia counties received the green light from Florida’s business regulation agency Friday to begin allowing vacation rentals again during the coronavirus pandemic. According to the DBPR website, Volusia County’s rental plan was also approved Friday. On Friday, Beshears wrote back to Orange County approving the operation of vacation rentals. Under Orange County’s plan to reopen vacation rentals, vacation rentals will need to follow a set of guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The restart of vacation rentals will help Orange County’s fund for tourism-related improvements, which received a hit due to coronavirus closures.