Stet News🤝 Florida legislative leaders said late Friday they have forged a budget deal and lawmakers will start budget conference meetings today. The goal is to pass the budget no later than June 16. (Politico)
🍽️ President Donald Trump pardoned Paul Walczak, the Palm Beach County-based nursing home operator sentenced in April to 18 months in prison, after his mother, GOP donor Elizabeth “Betsy” Fago, attended a $1 million-a-plate Mar-a-Lago fundraiser. Stet wrote about Walczak’s conviction here. (The New York Times free link)
🧑🏽⚖️ Everglades scientist Tom Van Lent will go to jail July 17 to serve a 10-day term imposed over his actions in a lawsuit brought by his former employer, the Everglades Foundation. (WLRN)
🥾 In a code enforcement shakeup, West Palm Beach fired four officers and shut down routine patrols and new inspections for two months. (The Palm Beach Post $$$)
🏛️ An official report outlining potential ethics violations by U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, whose district includes parts of Palm Beach and Broward counties, said there was probable cause to believe that she “accepted campaign contributions linked to an official action.” If proven, the allegation contained in a document released Thursday by the House Ethics Committee, could be a violation of House rules, standards of conduct and federal law. (Sun-Sentinel $$$)
🩺 Florida’s doctors report the state is experiencing a mental health catastrophe, with not enough beds for children in crisis to be admitted into a hospital, advocates said last week at the South Florida Behavioral Health Conference in Fort Lauderdale. The conference featured former congressman and mental health advocate Patrick Kennedy and Randy Scheid, founder and CEO of RGS Partners Consulting in Jupiter. (Sun-Sentinel $$$)
