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Romy Ellenbogen - Tallahassee Correspondent
Romy Ellenbogen

Tallahassee Correspondent

As a lifelong Floridian, I know how much this state offers beyond the stereotypes and I’m grateful I get to tell some of its story. I cover our state government, with a focus on criminal justice and health. I’m interested in who gets a voice and who doesn’t, keeping elected leaders accountable and making sure people don’t get lost in the politicking. Tell me what you’re curious about — I bet you’re not the only one wondering. I also welcome conversation about homemade kombucha, yoga and Love Island.

  1. What are the four vaccines Florida plans to no longer require?
    • Florida Politics
    Medical personnel vaccinate students at KIPP Believe Charter School in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. Florida's surgeon general has pushed to end all required vaccinations in Florida. The first step in that plan would remove four currently required immunizations.
  2. Florida moves toward eliminating four vaccine mandates, expanding exemption
    • Florida Politics
    Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, with Gov. Ron DeSantis, right, during a bill signing in 2021 in Brandon. Ladapo has pushed for Florida to eliminate all vaccine mandates.
  3. DeSantis’ final Florida budget proposal pushes for property tax cut
    • Florida Politics
    Gov. Ron DeSantis, pictured here on July 16 in Tampa, on Wednesday released his final budget recommendation as governor.
  5. DeSantis, House differ on when to redistrict Florida maps amid Trump push
    • Florida Politics
    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shakes hands with Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, after delivering his State of the State speech during the first day of the legislative session at the Florida Capitol on March 4, 2025, in Tallahassee.
  6. 5 major Florida court decisions that shaped 2025
    • Florida Politics
    Major Florida court decisions this year have affected immigration law, along with other laws about guns, abortion and more.
  7. In Florida, fending off Trump’s oil drilling plan is a bipartisan cause
    • Environment
    The Gulf of Mexico is seen from Treasure Island Beach in 2023. In the 24 hours since the Trump administration unveiled its new proposal to auction two oil drilling leases in the eastern Gulf about 100 miles from Florida shores, the bipartisan pushback has emerged with haste.
  8. Florida House revives medical malpractice bill that DeSantis vetoed
    • Florida Politics
    Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to guests and reporters during a roundtable conference at the Hillsborough Academy of Math and Science on July 30 in Tampa. DeSantis earlier this year vetoed a bill that would have allowed more families to sue for medical malpractice.
  9. What does the federal hemp ban mean for Florida?
    • Florida Politics
    Tammy Long holds up a hemp product for sale at BattleBuds on March 13, 2024, in Tampa. President Donald Trump this week signed a ban on many hemp products into law.
  10. Florida attorney general sues Planned Parenthood, challenges abortion pills
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    A sign marks the location of a Planned Parenthood clinic on Sept. 25, 2025, in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
  11. Florida proposal to require E-Verify for all employees moves forward
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Gov. Ron DeSantis, pictured here on July 16 in Tampa, has pushed for all employees in the state to use E-Verify, a federal immigration status check.
  12. DeSantis dismisses calls to declare emergency over Florida SNAP benefits
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Gov. DeSantis and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson share a moment following the governor’s introduction during the Governor’s Luncheon on opening day of the Florida State Fair at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. DeSantis said Florida's agriculture department would help the state's SNAP recipients with food aid.
  13. The Hope Florida case is in a grand jury’s hands. How do they work?
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Amy Ronshausen, executive director of Save Our Society From Drugs, is seen with her attorney, Ken Sukhia, Tuesday, Oct. 14, in Tallahassee.
  14. Florida legal pot campaign sues state for trying to remove 200k petitions
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers speaks in support of efforts to expand access to both medical and recreational marijuana during a news conference on Oct. 22, 2024, in Tampa. Smart & Safe Florida is again trying to get a recreational pot amendment on Florida ballots, and the bulk of the group's funding is from Trulieve.
  15. Could Medicaid expansion fill Florida’s gap when Obamacare tax credits expire?
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Millions of Floridians who use the Affordable Care Act for health coverage could be affected when enhanced subsidies expire at the end of the year. Millions of Floridians who use the Affordable Care Act have an income level that would qualify them for Medicaid if Florida chose to expand it.
  16. Former Hope Florida charity leader at courthouse on 2nd day of grand jury
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Former Hope Florida Foundation President Joshua Hay, right, leaves the Leon County Courthouse on Wednesday. Hay’s appearance is another sign that the State Attorney’s Office in Tallahassee’s grand-jury investigation is tied to the DeSantis administration’s diversion of $10 million from a Medicaid settlement through the Hope Florida Foundation for political purposes last year.
  17. Hope Florida grand jury starts with testimony from key witnesses
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Amy Ronshausen of Save Our Society From Drugs is seen with her attorney, Ken Sukhia, on Tuesday after leaving the Leon County Courthouse.
  18. Florida immigration dashboard offers look at law enforcement arrests, stops
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
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  19. Tampa Bay sheriffs get more than $1M from state for immigration enforcement
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Gov. Ron DeSantis, pictured here May 1, and the Florida Cabinet on Tuesday approved $14 million in grants to local sheriff's offices and police departments for immigration enforcement efforts.
  20. Florida Medicaid expansion amendment will try for 2028, not 2026
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    The vote sign with the city of Tampa pictured in the background on the day of the 2023 City of Tampa Municipal Election outside of precincts 160 and 165 at First Baptist Church of Tampa, 302 W Kennedy, on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 in Tampa.
  21. Florida surgeon general echoes feds’ warning about unproven Tylenol-autism link
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Florida Department of Health Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo during a press conference held on Tuesday August 6, 2025, in Miami, Florida.
  22. Florida touts doctor freedom but pushes them to take unvaccinated kids
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Dr. Rana Alissa, the president of the Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said seeing unvaccinated patients requires special precautions and could risk staff and other patients being exposed, including children too young to have received some of the recommended shots.
  23. What to know about what’s going on at Alligator Alcatraz
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Signage outside Alligator Alcatraz on Sunday, August 17, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla.
  24. Open carry is ‘the law of the state,’ Florida attorney general says in new guidance
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    C.J. Fisher, of Largo, inspects the handle of a Beretta APX 9mm pistol on Friday, June 19, 2020, at the Mad Dog Armory guns and ammo store in Largo. A recent court ruling said that Florida's open carry ban is unconstitutional.