Florida News That Impacts You – March 13th, 2026
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you throughout the Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast.
- Among the bills passing the Florida legislature on Thursday... The Election Integrity bill which requires proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. Under the bill the state will use citizenship information on file by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. If one doesn’t have the documentation on file with the DMV the state will require local election supervisors to verify documented proof of citizenship for applicants. The state legislative session is scheduled to end today however the legislature has failed to approve a budget which is mandated under state law. The session will either be extended or will result in a special session.
- Governor DeSantis announced that the state has reached a milestone with law enforcement recruitment into the state. Since the onset of the Florida Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Program in 2022, 10,000 law enforcement professionals have relocated into the state receiving bonus payments of $5,000 under the program.
- Recounts in two elections in Palm Beach County will take place today, following yesterday’s 5 pm deadline for the curing of ballots. In the Boca Raton mayor’s race, only six votes separated Mike Liebelson and Andy Thompson, prior to the curing of ballots. Thompson’s lead is now down to only two votes heading into today’s recounts following the curing of 24 vote-by-mail ballots. Lake Worth Beaches question 5 remains tied heading into today’s recounts. Machine recounts occur when the margin is 0.5% or less, followed by a manual recount if the margin is under 0.25%.
- Cooler weather today with highs in the upper 70’s throughout the Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast as a cool front begins to make its way into the area. Showers and thunderstorms are possible throughout the day. We’ll have similar weather through the weekend.
- Gas prices were flat on Thursday, a first since the onset of the Iran war. The average price for regular unleaded in Florida is currently $3.72 per gallon. In Palm Beach County the average price is $3.86 per gallon, in Martin the average is $3.77, it’s $3.74 in St. Lucie, and in Indian River County the average is $3.76 per gallon.