/politifact-florida SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ä± has partnered with PolitiFact to fact-check Florida politicians. The Pulitzer Prize-winning team seeks to present the true facts, unaffected by agenda or biases. en-US SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ä± Thu, 02 Jul 2026 19:00:00 GMT /government-politics/2026-07-02/america-250-why-do-florida-officials-call-the-state-the-14th-colony Florida, and other British territories outside the 13 colonies that rebelled against Britain, have used the "14th colony" nickname to describe themselves, historians told us. Thu, 02 Jul 2026 19:00:00 GMT /government-politics/2026-07-02/america-250-why-do-florida-officials-call-the-state-the-14th-colony Samantha Putterman | PolitiFact /government-politics/2026-06-29/politifact-fl-fact-checking-florida-republicans-sunshine-state-showdown Florida Republicans billed their party’s June 27 gathering in South Florida as the "Sunshine State Showdown." But for U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, the event’s headliner and GOP frontrunner for governor, it was less of a confrontation and more like a friendly chat. Here, we fact-checked some of the speakers’ remarks. Mon, 29 Jun 2026 20:29:00 GMT /government-politics/2026-06-29/politifact-fl-fact-checking-florida-republicans-sunshine-state-showdown Samantha Putterman and Amy Sherman | Politifact /sports/2026-06-15/trump-called-the-2026-world-cup-historys-most-successful-problems-cloud-ticket-sales "Most successful World Cup they've ever had," Trump said June 10 at the White House. "They've never sold tickets at that level. They've never sold that many tickets so quickly." Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:44:52 GMT /sports/2026-06-15/trump-called-the-2026-world-cup-historys-most-successful-problems-cloud-ticket-sales Maria Briceño | PolitiFact, Alex Min | PolitiFact /environment/2026-06-15/sometimes-fighting-dangerous-pests-like-screwworms-and-mosquitoes-means-sterilizing-bugs Screwworm — a harmful parasite once largely eradicated with the help of a successful sterile insect program — is back. Multiple reported U.S. cases have drawn news coverage, as has a request from researchers with Google’s Debug project asking to release millions of mosquitoes in Florida and California. Mon, 15 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT /environment/2026-06-15/sometimes-fighting-dangerous-pests-like-screwworms-and-mosquitoes-means-sterilizing-bugs Madison Czopek | PolitiFact /government-politics/2026-06-05/fact-checking-claims-that-floridas-property-tax-amendment-will-defund-essential-public-services On June 2, the Republican-controlled Legislature voted in favor of putting Gov. Ron DeSantis’ property tax amendment on the ballot for voters to consider in the November election. Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT /government-politics/2026-06-05/fact-checking-claims-that-floridas-property-tax-amendment-will-defund-essential-public-services Samantha Putterman | PolitiFact /government-politics/2026-06-01/fact-checking-desantis-would-his-plan-exempt-60-of-florida-homeowners-from-paying-property-taxes A September 2025 state analysis found that 28% of Florida’s primary residences have a market value of $250,000 or below, and 76% are valued at $500,000 or below. Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT /government-politics/2026-06-01/fact-checking-desantis-would-his-plan-exempt-60-of-florida-homeowners-from-paying-property-taxes Samantha Putterman | PolitiFact /health/2026-05-29/do-you-need-spf-30-50-or-100-we-answer-your-burning-sunscreen-questions Sun protection factor — better known as SPF — tells you how well a sunscreen protects your skin against ultraviolet B radiation, the type of UV rays that are most responsible for causing sunburns. Fri, 29 May 2026 18:40:00 GMT /health/2026-05-29/do-you-need-spf-30-50-or-100-we-answer-your-burning-sunscreen-questions Madison Czopek | PolitiFact /business/2026-05-28/did-trumps-faa-slash-the-staffing-target-for-air-traffic-control The Federal Aviation Administration released a new air traffic controller staffing plan that showed a reduced target of 12,563 controllers, down from its previous forecast of 14,633. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association disagrees with the staffing model. Thu, 28 May 2026 16:40:00 GMT /business/2026-05-28/did-trumps-faa-slash-the-staffing-target-for-air-traffic-control Loreben Tuquero | PolitiFact /americas/2026-05-26/are-cubas-22-hour-blackouts-and-a-us-oil-blockade-unrelated-as-marco-rubio-said Blackouts in Cuba have been common for years because the Cuba government has mismanaged and neglected its energy system, historians and foreign policy experts said. Tue, 26 May 2026 17:13:00 GMT /americas/2026-05-26/are-cubas-22-hour-blackouts-and-a-us-oil-blockade-unrelated-as-marco-rubio-said Maria Briceño | PolitiFact, Samantha Putterman | PolitiFact /americas/2026-05-21/politifact-raul-castro-indictment-brothers-to-the-rescue-what-happened-in-1996 U.S. officials announced federal charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro for the 1996 shootdown of two civilian planes that killed four people, including three Americans. Thu, 21 May 2026 16:40:00 GMT /americas/2026-05-21/politifact-raul-castro-indictment-brothers-to-the-rescue-what-happened-in-1996 Maria Briceño | PolitiFact, Samantha Putterman | PolitiFact /government-politics/2026-05-19/floridas-alligator-alcatraz-may-close-trump-desantis-statements-about-center-clash-with-facts With the facility’s future in flux, PolitiFact rounded up fact-checks of statements by DeSantis and Trump that miscast its detainees, environmental effects and funding. Tue, 19 May 2026 18:36:00 GMT /government-politics/2026-05-19/floridas-alligator-alcatraz-may-close-trump-desantis-statements-about-center-clash-with-facts Samantha Putterman | PolitiFact /health/2026-05-15/florida-is-the-only-state-in-the-nation-removing-children-from-low-cost-health-insurance Florida is the only state in the nation removing children from its low-cost health insurance program, KidCare, because of missed payments. It removed about 43,000 children from December 2024 to November 2025. Fri, 15 May 2026 11:00:00 GMT /health/2026-05-15/florida-is-the-only-state-in-the-nation-removing-children-from-low-cost-health-insurance Samantha Putterman | PolitiFact