Florida

Driven by the largest donation in the university's history, the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing will focus on the intersection of AI and cybersecurity and meeting workforce needs.

Government Technology magazine’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers for 2025, released this week, highlights the work of former Fort Lauderdale CIO Tamecka McKay.

Government Technology magazine’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers for 2025, released this week, highlights the work of Leon County CIO Michelle Taylor.

Officials at the Florida city have elevated its chief digital officer to acting chief information officer. Tamecka McKay, the now-former CIO and director of the IT Services Department, has stepped down.

In collaboration with the University of Florida and the Concord Consortium, Florida's statewide virtual school system wants to give middle and high school students a head start in core math concepts related to AI.

Legislation active in each state focuses on the functions of IT agencies. One such bill would replace Florida Digital Service, while Alabama representatives may add cybersecurity to the Office of Information Technology’s duties.

The Florida State Appropriations Committee has proposed a bill that would create the Agency for State Systems and Enterprise Technology and replace the existing IT agency, the Florida Digital Service, by June 2026.

Recently proposed legislation from the Senate Appropriations Committee aims to establish the Agency for State Systems and Enterprise Technology, potentially replacing the state’s current IT agency, the Florida Digital Service, by June 2026.

Members of the House of Representatives IT Budget and Policy Subcommittee questioned artificial intelligence’s impact on the state workforce and its open records policy, expressing concern it could replace staffers.

The University of South Florida will put its largest-ever donation to use funding scholarships, hiring faculty and developing a new space for the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing.

A House bill would create a database to track information on the progress of certain individuals with felony convictions. Its aim would be to help those eligible determine whether their voting rights could be restored.

Eric Hayden, the city’s CIO and CTO, is helping oversee a refresh of emergency and fire response via artificial intelligence, which helps guide efforts and increase capabilities in the state’s third most populous city.

The newly minted task force announced by Gov. Ron DeSantis aims to use AI and new technologies to eliminate bureaucratic bloat and identify waste and noncompliance.

Created by gubernatorial executive order, the state’s new Department of Governmental Efficiency team will work to “promote efficiency, maximize productivity and eliminate waste in state and local government.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ fiscal year 2026 proposed budget recommendations include funding for state IT projects across criminal justice. Initiatives include hardening security, replacing infrastructure and a platform upgrade.

Since the manufacturer filed for bankruptcy, only a handful of Miami-Dade County’s 75 electric buses are in service, and none of Broward County’s fleet of 42 electric buses managed to run routes earlier this month.

The system incorporates Florida’s academic standards, course work and individual student data to assist teachers and personalize learning. It uses information on the Internet but is not accessible to the public.

A few notable recommendations include $28 million for child welfare software and enterprise architecture modernization, $10 million for local government cybersecurity grants and $3 million for a data center property exemption to incentivize AI growth.