Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

DeSantis orders Florida National Guard, State Guard to intervene in port strike

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday he will deploy the Florida National Guard and Florida State Guard to ports affected by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) strike.

In an X/Twitter post, the governor stated that guard members will be deployed to ports affected by the strike “to maintain order and, where possible, resume operations at ports which are otherwise shut down.”

“Disrupting the distribution of food, equipment, and supplies as the Southeast U.S. recovers from Hurricane Helene...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/desantis-orders-florida-national-guard-state-guard-to-intervene-in-port-strike

Ron DeSantis expected to sign truck-towing reforms

Legislation aimed at reducing predatory billing against truckers who need towing services in Florida is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to a source familiar with the reforms.

“We haven’t heard anything to the contrary, so we’re pretty confident the towing bill will be signed into law,” a Florida Senate staff member familiar with the legislation told FreightWaves. If approved by DeSantis, the law will go into effect July 1.

House Bill 179, sponsored by Republicans in...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ron-desantis-expected-to-sign-truck-towing-reforms

War increases Israel’s demand for imports

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Israel will need to import more goods because the war effort makes domestic production more...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/war-increases-israels-demand-for-imports

Will truckers answer the call to boycott Florida on Saturday?

Hundreds of social media posts in recent days have called for truck drivers to boycott picking up and delivering freight in Florida on Saturday — the date the state’s new law targeting undocumented immigrants takes effect. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed SB 1719 into law in May, which targets undocumented immigrants by requiring employers to check that workers are authorized to work in the U.S. The new immigration law expands requirements for businesses with more than 25 employees to use...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/will-truckers-answer-the-call-to-boycott-florida-on-saturday

Jaxport welcomes largest container ship to call

The Jacksonville Port Authority on Tuesday celebrated the largest vessel ever to call the Florida port. 

The container ship, One Stork, has a carrying capacity of 14,000 twenty-foot equivalent units. Previously the largest ship to call Jaxport had a capacity of 11,923 TEUs.

One Stork is the first of nine larger vessels that will call Jaxport through the EC5 container service operated by The Alliance. The container ship is operated by Ocean Network Express (ONE) within The Alliance, a partnership...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/jaxport-welcomes-largest-container-ship-to-call

Florida ports close as Nicole nears

Ports in the Southeast are bracing for what is expected to be a Category 1 hurricane when Nicole makes landfall in Florida late Wednesday night or early Thursday.

Condition Zulu, meaning the gates are closed and no operations are taking place, has gone into effect in Florida at Port Miami, Port Canaveral, Port Everglades and Jaxport. The ports of Savannah and Brunswick in Georgia and Charleston in South Carolina on Wednesday were at condition X-Ray, which means gale-force winds are expected...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/florida-ports-close-as-nicole-nears

FreightWaves CEO Fuller offers advice to truckers hauling FEMA loads

Trucks hauling FEMA loads

Even as city, state and federal officials urge residents to flee ahead of high winds and flooding, truck drivers answer the call to haul emergency supplies to areas where hurricanes are expected to strike. 

However, the way truckers heed that call has a huge impact on when, how and how much they get paid, FreightWaves CEO Craig Fuller points out.

“Hurricane-relief loads offer an opportunity for trucking companies to demonstrate to the public how critical trucking is, regardless of the challenges...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-ceo-fuller-offers-advice-to-truckers-hauling-fema-loads

DeSantis lifts Florida’s trucking restrictions as Hurricane Ian approaches

trucks and FEMA traffic sign

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is waiving hours-of-service, size and weight restrictions for trucks delivering emergency supplies and equipment as the state prepares for Hurricane Ian.

Florida statute allows semitrucks to weigh up to 80,000 pounds.

The emergency order will be in effect for at least the next 60 days and applies to 24 counties: Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lee, Manatee, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/desantis-lifts-floridas-trucking-restrictions-as-ian-approaches

Florida to require e-commerce sellers to collect sales tax

E-commerce companies selling products to Florida residents in the state will have to collect a 6% sales tax starting July 1. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law earlier this week.

The new tax is expected to raise $1 billion in new revenue. Republicans plan to use the revenue generated to support the state’s Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund, preventing a tax hike on businesses that would have been needed to maintain the solvency of the fund.

The Florida Chamber of Commerce said without...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/florida-to-require-e-commerce-sellers-to-collect-sales-tax