Free Eye Exams and Glasses Available for Escambia County Students

Escambia County, FL (Newsradio 92.3) -- A new program is helping Escambia County students see the board more clearly. The Florida Heiken Children's Vision Program is offering free eye exams and glasses to low-income students from pre-K through 12th grade. Seven schools are participating so far. In December alone, 165 students were examined and more than 75 percent needed glasses. The program costs families and the school district nothing. Exams return in February if enough parents sign up.

Senate Approves School Choice Reforms

Tallahassee, FL -- The Florida Senate has unanimously approved changes to the state's universal school choice program after a scathing audit found problems tracking students and money. The bill would separate voucher funding in the state budget to make it easier to see where dollars are going. It would also assign student I-D numbers to scholarship recipients, helping track kids who move between public schools, private schools and homeschooling. Republican Senator Don Gaetz says the state will now make sure it knows where a student is before paying out scholarship money. The House hasn't filed a similar bill yet.

DeSantis Announces Supreme Court Appointment

(Tallahassee, FL) -- Florida's newest Supreme Court judge will be bold and fearless. That's what Governor Ron DeSantis said yesterday about Adam Tanenbaum. DeSantis appointed Tanenbaum to fill a vacancy on the Florida Supreme Court. That vacancy was created when Charles Canady resigned to take a job at the University of Florida. Tanenbaum has served on the First District Court of Appeal since 2019. There are seven judges on the high court, and DeSantis has appointed six of them.