Florida concealed carry goes permitless

Florida Senate OKs 6-week abortion ban; bald eagle's nest goes missing in Pasco; Jeff Vinik buys $5 million home

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View on the web Go to our homepage Subscribe to the Times Tuesday, April 4, 2023 Forward this to a friend Subscribe to more newsletters Hey there. Look out for a cloudy start to the day followed by sunshine this afternoon (high of 91, low of 69).    The state’s Senate passed a proposal Monday aimed at restricting abortions after six weeks of pregnancy; here's what happened when an eagle nest went missing in Pasco County; and Lightning owner Jeff Vinik bought this $5 million home in Tampa. [JEFFEREE WOO | Times] Gov. DeSantis signed the permitless carry gun bill into law. Now, gun instructors hope for safety. Floridians have since 1987 needed a license to lawfully carry a concealed firearm in public. The state requires, essentially, three things: a background check, $97 and a certificate from a class like firearms instructor Brent Adair’s.   That changed on Monday when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law.   The instructors who taught such classes to thousands of Floridians each year mostly support the new law that kills the training requirement — even though they believe that safely carrying a gun requires far more training than was ever even required.   We took a concealed weapons permit class in Hillsborough County to see what Florida loses with permitless carry. Dive deeper into your favorite local subjects 📨 Our free email newsletters bring the best of the Tampa Bay Times to your inbox every week. Explore all of them here. AROUND THE BAY Scientology lawsuit: A Tampa federal judge ruled that abuse claims made in a human trafficking lawsuit brought against the church must be decided by an  an arbitration panel of Scientologists, not the U.S. justice system.    'Ruby Bridges' movie: A panel of teachers, parents and community members met Monday and decided the film was appropriate for students at North Shore Elementary School in St. Petersburg and could be used for classroom instruction.   Sports tourism efforts: To broaden its facilities, Hillsborough Commission chairperson Ken Hagan said the county should consider adding a baseball/softball complex and more in addition to the existing Tournament SportsPlex.    Costliest storm: The National Hurricane Center released its final official report on Hurricane Ian, revealing it as the most expensive storm in Florida history and the third-most expensive in the nation.   Challenges ahead: Tampa-based startup Immertec thought it had two weeks left when it seemed like they lost all their money, as the Silicon Valley Bank was collapsing. Now, they're racing to be profitable as investor cash dries up.   Latest purchase: Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik bought a $5 million house next to the Palma Ceia Golf & Country Club, his third home in the neighborhood. Space for local shops: A new store, featuring more than 30 Tampa Bay women-owned businesses, opened in Hyde Park Village last week.   Newest addition: Michelin Guide added three Tampa restaurants to the Florida selection on Monday.   Reality show incoming: The History Channel hit "Pawn Stars" is coming to film in St. Petersburg this week. Here's how you can apply to get free tickets. "Make the whole place shimmer": As Tampa Swifties gear up for the concert, many fans share their outfits, some of whom have spent weeks preparing. Heads up, though — light-up costumes are not allowed. Greatest moments: Ahead of the big show, we recount some of Taylor Swift's most memorable moments in Tampa Bay over the years. BRIGHT SPOT [Stage Photography of Tampa] It's all about the chemistry at these two Tampa Bay productions Husband and wife. They're likely pairings, though it's not often that they also perform in a production as co-stars. But that is the case in two local shows currently running: "Misery" at Tampa's Jobsite Theater and "Baskerville - A Sherlock Holmes Mystery" at Freefall Theatre in St. Pete. Get the full rundown.  POLITICS Six-week abortion ban approved: The Florida Senate OK'd the bill Monday, but not before the seating gallery was cleared after outbursts from people in the audience.    Arrested at protest: Nikki Fried, the state's Democratic Party chairperson, was reportedly among about a dozen people arrested by Tallahassee police during an abortion rights protest Monday evening.    Investigation into Disney: Gov. DeSantis has asked his chief inspector general to look into recent Disney agreements that undercut the authority of the board DeSantis appointed. Bob Iger, the CEO of The Walt Disney Company, defended his company's actions Monday and called the governor's retaliation "anti-business" and "anti-Florida." Not a "Law & Order" devotee? With the news of former President Donald Trump's indictment, PolitiFact has a quick guide to explain things like what happens at an arraignment and what grand juries are. 📹 Find us on YouTube The Tampa Bay Times video team produces special reports, sports coverage and more. Follow along with their work and subscribe to our YouTube channel. SPORTS New franchise mark: The Rays are 4-0 to start their season for the first time in the organization's history after defeating the Nationals on Monday night.    Salary breakdown: Here's how much money Rays players will make in 2023.   Gone fishing: Lightning coach Jon Cooper's annual "Coop's Catch for Kids" returned to the waters Monday afternoon after a nearly three-year hiatus.  Intense measures: The USF football team's attention to detail under first-year coach Alex Golesh is so extreme that centers aren't simply taught how to snap the ball. They're taught how they should be handed the ball in the first place. Georgia ➡️ Florida: Three Kennesaw State standouts who played pivotal roles in helping coach Amir Abdur-Rahim and the Owls to a breakthrough season this past winter announced that they're transferring to USF.  TODAY'S TALKER [Jill Yelverton] A Pasco County eagle nest went missing. Then came the backlash.  County inspectors raised environmental concerns about the property of a lawmaker's nephew. Now that lawmaker, Rep. Randy Maggard, is proposing a bill that would make it so any future county control over wetlands and pollution laws would be preempted by the state. Today's DayStarter was compiled by Carly Thompson, Anila Lijo, Mari Faiello and Amy Gehrt. Did someone forward this to you? Get DayStarter in your own inbox next time. It's free to subscribe. Sign up here. Contact us Privacy policy Terms, conditions & copyright Standard of accuracy © 2023 • All Rights Reserved Tampa Bay Times • 490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 To ensure this email is delivered to your inbox, add custserv@elist.tampabay.com to your address book. You are receiving this email because you signed up for the "DayStarter" newsletter from the Tampa Bay Times. If you'd prefer not to receive updates, you can unsubscribe from this email.