Piles of trash and other sketchy activity have been going on for years at a house on Seneca Drive in Melbourne, where neighbors say squatters moved in. Florida law says that to kick them off the property, authorities need permission from the homeowner, but in this case, the homeowner’s dead.

News 6 reached out to Gov. DeSantis’s office to see if there was a plan to extend the program.

The proposal would get rid of the Lieutenant Governor position and the Government Efficiency Task Force, instead replacing them with a COGE.

Second Harvest says the federal funding freeze has halted all CCC-funded orders for the USDA’s Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), resulting in the suspension of 28 tractor-trailer loads of food meant for the Central Florida food bank.

The House Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee backs an amendment to HB 567 that would raise the speed limit on limited access highways, like I-4 or I-95.

A year after lawmakers relaxed the state’s child labor laws, a divided Florida Senate panel on Tuesday gave initial approval to a measure that would further roll back work restrictions for kids as young as 14.

The U.S. Postal Service is facing an uncertain future after the resignation this week of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and the suggestion by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk of possibly privatizing the mail service.

Orange County leaders ratified a new agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that would allow county correction officers to assist in immigration enforcement.

A school bus camera program to fine violators is under fire in Miami-Dade County by people claiming they are being accused of "bogus violations" -- including a Volusia County man who got a $225 fine, even though he says he wasn't even in Miami Beach.

President Donald Trump says he will place a 25% tariff on all imports from any country that buys oil or gas from Venezuela.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing people’s private data at the Education Department, the Treasury Department and the Office of Personnel Management.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took to social media, announcing that the state had returned hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding.

Postal workers across the country will rally outside post offices on Sunday, nearly a month after President Donald Trump suggested he may try to take control of the independent agency and put it under the Commerce Department.

Florida regulators this week approved proposals by three insurers to take as many as 135,540 policies in June from the state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp., as some carriers use the process of assuming Citizens policies to help fuel growth.

New requirements that Social Security recipients go online or in person to a field office to access key benefits, instead of just making a phone call, will pose challenges for many people.

A special election has not been set yet to fill the vacancy left in the Florida Senate by Sen. Geraldine Thompson’s death. But on Friday State Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis said she would run to take the job.

The Department of Homeland Security says it will revoke legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, setting them up for potential deportation in about a month.

On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order massively downsizing the U.S. Department of Education.

SB 150 is also known as “Trooper’s Law,” named after the dog that was found tied to a fence along I-4 hours before Hurricane Milton made landfall. If passed, Trooper's Law would make restraining a dog outside during a natural disaster punishable by up to 5 years in prison.

Florida lawmakers have hit snooze on a repeal of later school start times for middle and high schools, revising the House and Senate versions of the bill to keep the new times but adding exemptions for schools that aren’t yet able to comply.

SB 462 is a package of changes to transportation law. Before the bill’s first committee hearing, the sponsor added a new provision: raising the speed limit from 70 mph on a major highway or expressway to 75 mph.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is going after the Fort Myers City Council after it rejected an agreement with ICE — a motion that Uthmeier said makes Fort Myers a “sanctuary city.”

The Florida Association of Counties, which represents county governments in Tallahassee, is tracking more than 50 bills, filed by both Democrats and Republicans, that they say preempt local rules in favor of one statewide regulation.

Measures approved by voters in 2024 to tighten development in rural areas of two Central Florida counties would be banned under a bill currently in the Florida Senate. State Sen. Stan McClain, R-Ocala, is sponsoring SB 1118, which proposes changes to land use and development regulations.

Central Florida federal workers are relieved after judges ordered the Trump administration to temporarily hire back thousands of probationary federal workers.

Florida lawmakers advanced a bill that would, among other things, ban automatic gratuity and service charges for parties of fewer than six guests at restaurants, cafes and other food service establishments.

The Florida House bill would shift property insurance lawsuits to a “loser pays” fee system. If a policyholder sues an insurer, the judge would award attorney fees to whichever side prevails in the case. The 2022 property insurance bill shielded insurers from paying customer attorney fees.

The federal government’s steward of funding for public broadcasting stations has sued the Trump administration over its pause in grant payments for upgrading the nation’s emergency alert system.

Valencia College returned $2.1 million to the Orange County supervisor of elections office Wednesday, a huge development in a budget battle that pitted Orange County government against the former supervisor of elections.

A House panel on Tuesday unanimously signed off on a proposal that would make further changes to condominium safety laws requiring inspections of older buildings and adequate reserves for repairs.

The Education Department plans to lay off more than 1,300 of its employees as part of an effort to halve the organization’s staff -- a prelude to President Donald Trump’s plan to dismantle the agency.

The House has passed legislation to avert a partial government shutdown and fund federal agencies through September.

During the two-year gap between closing Daily Bread and opening apartments that will be built for homeless people on Apollo Boulevard called Providence Place, the team will serve the community through mobile outreach like food trucks.

A day after the Florida House started moving forward with its version of the plan, the Senate on Friday released a wide-ranging bill that would add restrictions to the state’s ballot initiative process.

The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office has made its first arrest of homeless people after a state law banning sleeping or camping on public property went into full effect this January. The camp was on Raven Park property, at U.S. Highway 17-92 and Raven Avenue in the Longwood area.

The Associated Press has found that the Trump administration has stalled at least $60 million in funding intended largely for affordable housing developments nationwide.

Scrambling to replace their health insurance and to find new work, some fired federal workers are running into another unexpected unpleasantry: Relatives cheering their job loss.

Florida lawmakers have already introduced more than 30 bills related to insurance.

Elon Musk is telling Republican lawmakers that he's not to blame for the firings of thousands of federal workers as he pushes to downsize the government.

Currently, people who are 25 years old or older cannot seek such damages in medical malpractice cases involving deaths of their parents. Also, parents cannot seek such damages in malpractice cases involving the deaths of their children who are 25 or older.

Wednesday afternoon, the city commission gave their approval to a plan put together by Orange County to alleviate flooding around the Piedmont chain of lakes. It’s a job that the city expects will take hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to complete.

Homeowners often feel the stress when their property tax bill arrives in the mail. Removing this burden could be appealing, though it comes with a new set of challenges.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled a new front on his war against vaccine mandates Wednesday, urging lawmakers to ban all mandates for mRNA-related vaccines.

With House Speaker Daniel Perez pointing to an “age of disruption,” Florida Republican legislative leaders opened the 2025 session on Tuesday by voicing support for digging into government spending.

The IRS is drafting plans to try to cut its workforce of roughly 90,000 people in half through a mix of layoffs, attrition and incentivized buyouts, according to two people familiar with the situation and not authorized to speak on the record.

Borrowers trying to get into a student debt repayment plan are in limbo right now after the Trump Administration and Department of Education took down the online application form for several popular student debt repayment plans.

House Speaker Mike Johnson is encouraging Republican lawmakers to skip town halls that have been rife with protesters.

The annual Florida Legislative Session gets underway Tuesday, and our state representatives are looking to pass bills on everything from help for people with disabilities to preventing pool drownings to mental health care for teachers.

The Supreme Court has made it harder for environmental regulators to limit water pollution, ruling for San Francisco in a case about the discharge of raw sewage that sometimes occurs during heavy rains.

We asked Central Florida's 12 state senators (nine Republicans and three Democrats) what bills they hoped to pass this year and what issues they hoped the legislature would prioritize. Here are the responses we got.

Lawmakers in 2023 approved the requirements, citing a need for older students to get more sleep. The requirements are slated to take effect in 2026, but as the deadline has neared, districts have said they are struggling to comply.

Florida’s annual legislative session is set to begin, with elected officials from the House and Senate gathering in Tallahassee.

NOAA's weather data is freely available and critical for meteorologists to create accurate forecasts. But that's not all NOAA does. How its different divisions impact your life.

The Trump administration has approved a major nearly $3 billion arms sale to Israel, bypassing a normal congressional review to provide the country with more of the 2,000-pound bombs that it has used in the war against Hamas in Gaza.

European leaders have pledged to stand by Ukraine in the wake of the contentious Oval Office meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Bills filed for the annual Florida Legislative Session will look to create a funding source for a popular program to help Floridians pay to harden their homes against severe weather, while also offering tax relief to make those home projects more attractive.

State Sen. Geraldine Thompson planned to introduce several bills and budget requests during the annual Florida legislative session, which starts next week. With Thompson’s sudden death earlier this month, her colleagues in the Florida House and Senate are working to make sure those proposals live on.

Elevate Florida is a first-of-its-kind, statewide residential mitigation program led by the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM). It’s designed to not only protect homes from future disasters but also lower insurance premiums and reduce claims for future storms.

President Donald Trump's administration says federal agencies should begin planning to eliminate employee positions.

The state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. last week shed about 100,000 policies, with its number of customers dropping to the lowest total in nearly three years.

A portion of Interstate 75 in Florida will be expanded with more lanes through part of Central Florida, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

More than 1,000 parents, athletes, and coaches are petitioning Winter Springs commissioners to get the lights turned on at Central Winds Park's baseball and soccer fields.

Martha Are, CEO of Homeless Service Network of Central Florida, says they submitted HUD Award applications for federal money used to pay renewals for projects, services, and programs for the homeless community in November.

The Defense Department says it’s cutting 5,400 probationary workers starting next week and will put a hiring freeze in place.

An Orlando attorney has partnered with a Hispanic group to help undocumented immigrants with legal protection.

The Trump administration’s proposal to layoff half of federal workers at the nation’s housing agency is targeting employees who support disaster recovery, rental subsidies, discrimination investigations and first-time homebuyers, according to two documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The National Treasury Employees Union and former IRS employees say around 100 or 1/3 of employees at the Orlando offices received their termination letter on Wednesday or Thursday. Why workers say this could impact you.

On Tuesday night, Eustis commissioners will vote to adjust its current waste services contract with Waste Management. Instead, the trash and recyclables will go to a plant that turns waste into energy.

The Baker Act allows a person to be involuntarily detained and examined if they are believed to be having a mental health crisis and posing a danger to themselves or to others.

A news conference that was planned to follow talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy has been canceled.

During a speech in Miami, President Donald Trump floated a plan to pay out “DOGE Dividend” stimulus checks to taxpayers.

The Senate has narrowly voted to confirm Kash Patel as as President Donald Trump's FBI director.

This month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his latest budget recommendations, which could bring significant changes to some of the state’s biggest highways.

Thousands of federal government employees have been shown the door in the first month of President Donald Trump’s administration.

Rep. Anna Eskamani put in a budget request for $394,321 for the city of Orlando's Pulse Memorial. That's the same amount of money that was returned when the previous group dissolved last year.

The community will get to pay its respects to the late State Sen. Geraldine Thompson later this month in Orlando.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis named his former chief of staff, James Uthmeier, as the state’s attorney general.

City leaders in Longwood could decide Monday night whether to remove fluoride from the city’s water supply. The city commission meeting starts Monday evening at 6 p.m. at the commission chambers.

MCO is the busiest airport in Florida and 7th busiest in the country, yet its radar approach control building and much of the equipment inside is decades old. Rep. Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee, compared MCO’s TRACON to 1980’s Atari video games.

State lawmakers filed new bills focusing on topics like left-lane camping, dangerous dogs, and new specialty license plates.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appeared to put the state’s property tax in his crosshairs this week after voicing his position on social media.

Faced with fast-rising homelessness and a shortage of shelter beds, Orlando officials are eyeing a mobile solution. They’re considering buying two former Greyhound buses, with bunkbeds replacing seats to house up to 20 people in each. The buses go for $175,000 each, with operations expected to cost about $1 million annually.

After Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton pounded Florida’s Gulf Coast last year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is borrowing $2 billion to pay National Flood Insurance Program claims.

Dr. LaVon W. Bracy, a community leader and author, first met State Sen. Geraldine Thompson in 1969 when they became college roommates. Their friendship, which began when they were both 20 years old, lasted a lifetime. Bracy and her daughter, State Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis, talked to News 6 about Thompson and her legacy.

Department of Health and Human Services officials expected most of the agency’s roughly 5,200 probationary employees to be fired.

A Central Florida congressman wants to reopen an office that sought solutions for gun violence that President Donald Trump shuttered last month.

The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday backed Rep. Debbie Mayfield in her bid to run in a special election for a Senate seat, ruling that state elections officials wrongly blocked her from appearing on the ballot.

Geraldine Thompson, who represented Orange County in the Florida House and Senate for almost 20 years, died Thursday, according to several lawmakers who worked with Thompson throughout her career.

A bill signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis Thursday will appropriate $298.8 million for immigration enforcement. A newly created State Board of Immigration Enforcement will get most of the money – approximately $250.7 million.

With the recent passage of some of the most stringent illegal immigration enforcement laws, many undocumented immigrants may choose to stop showing up for work due to fear of being detained, which some say could impact Florida’s economy.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at restricting gender-affirming health care for transgender youth.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed new laws cracking down on illegal immigration Thursday that are believed to be the country’s toughest.

For frequent flyers in the Sunshine State, the deadline is creeping up.

A Florida lawmaker has introduced legislation aimed at strengthening the state’s dangerous-dog laws following the death of an 8-year-old boy who was mauled in Volusia County last month.

After a bipartisan uproar last year about a proposal dubbed the “Great Outdoors Initiative,” the Florida Senate on Tuesday began moving forward with a bill that would prevent building such things as golf courses, pickleball courts and hotel-style lodges in state parks.

A Venezuelan group will host an informational session Saturday for immigrants concerned about recent changes in federal immigration policy.

The latest inflation report shows prices were up in January, pushing the annual inflation rate to 3%. News 6 Anchor Lisa Bell spoke with CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger to dig deeper into the Consumer Price Index.

One of the latest bills filed ahead of the upcoming Florida Legislative session could change state rules regarding how flags are displayed.

Florida lawmakers are set to consider a new bill that would cement “Gulf of America” into Florida law.

The White House blocked an Associated Press reporter from attending an event in the Oval Office after demanding the news agency alter its style on the Gulf of Mexico, which President Donald Trump has ordered renamed to the Gulf of America.