Katherine Welch

The new law bans data centers from shifting the cost of electricity to the public and instead pay their own costs.

It also allows local water management districts to deny permits to large-scale data centers if the water needs are harmful to the local area or already prohibited by local zoning and planning regulations.

and it keeps land regulations in the hands of local governments.

The new law is part of DeSantis' push to regulate AI in Florida.

The law does allow local governments and tech companies to enter into confidential agreements that keep proposals from the public for 12 months.

For NPR News, I'm Katherine Welch in Orlando.

The Board of Education voted to remove introductory sociology courses from counting toward general education requirements

at Florida's 28 state colleges.

The classes will still be available as electives.

The board's chair said in a statement that general education courses cannot be used as, quote, vehicles for indoctrination.

Sociology has been in the crosshairs since a 2023 Florida law banned courses that include teachings about how racism, sexism, and privilege are inherent in the country's institutions.

The United Faculty of Florida called the state's earlier changes to sociology textbooks sanitizing.

For NPR News, I'm Katherine Welch in Orlando.

The Board of Education voted to remove introductory sociology courses from counting toward general education requirements at Florida's 28 state colleges.

The classes will still be available as electives.

The board's chair said in a statement that general education courses cannot be used as, quote, vehicles for indoctrination.

Sociology has been in the crosshairs since a 2023 Florida law banned courses that include teachings about how racism, sexism, and privilege are inherent in the country's institutions.

The United Faculty of Florida called the state's earlier changes to sociology textbooks sanitizing.

For NPR News, I'm Katherine Welch in Orlando.