Section 28.35 (2)(d), Florida Statutes, requires the Florida Clerks of Courts Operations Corporation to develop a uniform system of performance measures and applicable standards for clerks of court. These performance measures and standards are designed to facilitate an objective determination of the performance of each clerk of court in fiscal management, operational efficiency, and effective collection of fines, fees, service charges, and court costs. The County Fiscal Year 2025-26 third quarter report identifies clerk offices that did not meet established performance standards and summarizes the factors contributing to unmet standards. Key findings include that 50 clerk offices submitted 108 fee collection corrective action plans, while Columbia, Jefferson, and Levy counties did not submit collections reports. Eight clerk offices submitted 14 action plans related to untimely case filing, and 65 counties submitted Output Timeliness reports, with Jefferson and Levy Counties not submitting reports. Three clerk offices submitted three action plans addressing untimely case docketing, and five counties submitted five Juror Timeliness corrective action plans; Union County did not submit a Juror Timeliness Report. Of the 66 counties that issued juror summonses, 65 issued juror payments. Overall, 52 counties submitted 130 corrective action plans, while 15 counties had no action plans recorded.

Televerde Foundation helps currently and formerly incarcerated women transition back into their communities and build meaningful careers through Prepare, Achieve, and Transform for Healthy Success (PATHS), a comprehensive workforce development program implemented in correctional facilities in Arizona and Indiana. PATHS participants earn industry-recognized credentials and college credits, learn personal and professional skills, gain work experience, and receive ongoing support after release through services like job placement and career coaching. This report estimates the potential impacts of expanding PATHS across Florida, where it recently launched at Homestead Correctional Institution, by imputing program outcomes observed in Arizona and Indiana to Florida’s incarcerated female population. Per the authors, Florida's average five-year recidivism rate for women (17.4%) would be reduced to 3.9% among PATHS participants, saving the state approximately $11,919 per participant in avoided incarceration costs. Post-release earnings for PATHS participants would increase by $16,229 relative to pre-incarceration earnings, resulting in additional state and local tax revenue of $1,278 and a reduction in public assistance expenditures of $3,433 per participant per year. Assuming that reduced recidivism, higher earnings, and reduced reliance on public assistance are sustained over a five-year period, PATHS participation would generate an estimated $35,474 in cumulative fiscal benefits per participant over the same period.

The goal of this project, a joint research effort between the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida State University College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, was to build a data-driven understanding of how sheriff deputies manage volatile encounters. This effort focused on what actually happens during deputy–citizen interactions and how those actions influence outcomes, particularly the use of force. Key findings from the report include that (1) most law enforcement encounters are not tenuous and, when they are, they most often conclude without the use of force; (2) the use of de-escalation techniques significantly decrease the likelihood of the use of force; (3) de-escalation training is effective when the right curriculum is used and implemented properly; and (4) certain de-escalation techniques, such as showing empathy and offering assistance, are more effective than others.

The rapid expansion of school choice programs in the U.S. raises questions about the origins of growing public support for school choice. This study examines whether personal experience with school options and exposure to information about existing school choice programs cultivate public support for school choice. Using data from a nationally representative survey (n=1,447), the authors found that individuals with direct or familial experience with vouchers, education savings accounts, charter schools, homeschooling, or open enrollment are significantly more likely to support expanding publicly-funded school choice. Among survey respondents with school choice experience, satisfaction with those experiences is associated with even greater support for school choice policy. The authors also tested whether references to school choice policies that are already implemented in states versus references to hypothetical school choice policies is associated with greater support for school choice. Survey respondents show increased support for policies that are already implemented, particularly respondents who are initially skeptical or ambivalent. The authors conclude that familiarity with school choice policies is associated with positive policy feedback, which has contributed to the momentum behind school choice expansion.

As recently as 2000, more than half of 16-to-19-year-olds worked at least part of the summer. According to a Pew Research Center analysis of federal employment data, however, only 35.5% of U.S. teens ages 16 to 19 have held a paying job for at least part of summer 2026, a slight increase from summer 2025 when 33.8% of teens held summer jobs. This study describes trends in teen summer employment from 1948 to 2026. Findings include that teen summer employment has trended downward over the past 25 years, with the largest declines after the dot-com recession and during the Great Recession. During the summers of 2010 and 2011, for example, only 29.6% of teens worked for pay. White teens and older teens (18-and-19-year-olds) are more likely than teens of other racial and ethnic backgrounds and younger teens (16-and-17-year-olds) to work during the summer. More than half of employed teens work in two sectors of the economy, accommodation and food services, and one-fifth work in retail. The authors suggest that declines in teen employment may be related to decreased availability of lower-skill, entry-level jobs and upward trends in teens taking high school or college classes over the summer.

Eighteen rigorous causal studies have shown that charter schools in Massachusetts, particularly in urban areas, markedly improve student outcomes. However, the most recent evaluations extend only to student cohorts that applied by 2014. This study examines the effects of attending a Massachusetts charter school through 2022, focusing on the evolution of charter effects since 2010. The study also explores potential drivers of performance, including factors that coincide with declines in performance from 2015 to 2019 and post-pandemic improvements. On average, Massachusetts charter schools improved student outcomes from 2002 to 2022, though charter school effectiveness has varied over time. Consistent with prior findings, this study shows that Massachusetts charter schools increased test scores and college-going prior to 2014. Charter school performance then declined from 2015 to 2019 before rebounding. Per the authors, the decline coincided with rising leadership turnover, and the rebound coincided with a greater emphasis on formative assessments.

Many states have legalized cannabis for medical or recreational use and allow licensed businesses to grow, manufacture, or sell cannabis products. However, with certain exceptions, cannabis is a controlled substance at the federal level, so banks serving these businesses may face legal repercussions. This report examines (1) the guidance and oversight federal agencies provide to financial institutions on serving state-sanctioned cannabis-related businesses (CRBs); (2) factors that affect financial institutions’ decisions about serving CRBs; and (3) challenges CRBs and their employees face in accessing financial services. Key findings include that obtaining and maintaining financial services remain difficult for CRBs, according to CRB owners and managers. For example, CRBs may experience bank account closures, high fees for bank accounts, and high interest rates for business loans. Further, accepting customer payments is difficult largely because two major credit card companies prohibit cannabis purchases. In addition, CRB owners and managers reported that they and their employees face challenges accessing personal financial services due to their work in the cannabis industry.

Occupational licensing is typically justified as a mechanism for protecting consumers by ensuring minimum standards of service quality and safety. Companies like Uber provide an opportunity to study the relationship between occupational licensing and consumer outcomes, as variation in local and state licensing requirements means that licensed and unlicensed drivers may operate in overlapping markets and be eligible to serve the same riders. This study examines whether occupational licensing improves service quality and safety using Uber data. The authors compare Uber trips served by licensed and unlicensed drivers in two settings: a cross-border comparison between New York City (NYC) and New Jersey (NJ), and a deregulation event in Houston, Texas. The authors found no consistent evidence that licensing improves consumer outcomes. In the NYC/NJ comparison, licensed drivers receive slightly lower star ratings than unlicensed drivers and show no difference on the lowest ratings. In Houston, post-deregulation drivers are indistinguishable from previously licensed drivers on ratings and driving behavior despite differing markedly in experience and age. Per the authors, findings contribute to a body of evidence suggesting that the quality and safety benefits of occupational licensing are limited when alternative mechanisms for quality assurance are present (e.g., consumer ratings systems).

Major U.S. corporations frequently make visible commitments to hiring and supporting veterans, yet limited evidence shows whether those commitments translate into sustained employment, advancement, or financial investment. The authors examine the gap between corporate statements and observable action by comparing public disclosures, philanthropic giving, federal contractor employment reports, and qualitative evidence. Takeaways include that what companies say about veteran support only weakly aligns with how they give and hire. For example, companies with stronger veteran disclosures do not consistently direct more foundation giving to veteran causes or report higher protected veteran hiring rates. Protected veteran hiring at S&P 500 contractors remained below national planning benchmarks in 2025, with S&P contractors’ new-hire share at 2.4% compared with the 5.1% national benchmark. The authors suggest that the broader diversity, equity, and inclusion retreat may have spilled over to veteran programs even though federal protections and obligations for veteran hiring remain. This may have occurred because some firms house veteran programs alongside other activities and drew on the same staff and resources. Recommendations include issuing federal guidance clarifying that veteran hiring and support programs remain lawful and distinct under federal law and veteran preferences occupy a distinct legal position from race- or sex-based employment preferences.

This report describes fatigue symptoms among adults by sociodemographic characteristics, as well as co-occurrence with functioning difficulties and limitations in work and social activities. Fatigue is based on reported frequency of fatigue in the past 3 months, with frequent fatigue defined as experiencing fatigue symptoms most days or every day during the 3-month period. In 2024, 71.5% of adults reported experiencing fatigue at least some days in the past 3 months (54.9% some days, 10.7% most days, and 5.9% every day), with frequent fatigue reported by 16.6% of adults. Frequent fatigue was more common among women (20.0%) than men (13.0%) and among younger adults. American Indian and Alaska Native non-Hispanic adults were the most likely to experience frequent fatigue (25.5%) among all races and Hispanic-origin groups, while Asian non-Hispanic adults were the least likely (9.1%). The prevalence of frequent fatigue decreased with increasing family income, was higher in the South and Midwest, and increased with decreasing urbanization level. Adults with frequent fatigue were more likely to report co-occurring functioning difficulties than other adults. About one-half of adults with frequent fatigue reported difficulties in at least three functioning domains, compared with about 16.9% of adults without frequent fatigue.

As of July 2026, 23 states have approved policies that disallow spending of federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits on sugary drinks. The effects of such restrictions on consumption are unclear, however, since most households can simply switch to buying sugary drinks with non-SNAP funds. Using nationwide grocery purchase panel data, the authors estimate the effect of SNAP sugary drink restrictions on consumption and welfare, finding that SNAP households reduced purchases of sugary drinks by 12.4% over the first half of 2026 in the first ten states to implement restrictions, including Florida. This translates to a consumption reduction of about 34 12-ounce cans per person per year. Surveys administered before and after implementation show that the restrictions significantly increased SNAP recipients’ perceptions of stigma around paying with SNAP benefits and perceptions that SNAP policies in their state are disrespectful or take away personal freedom. The authors combine consumption reduction estimates to model the welfare effects of sugary drink restrictions on public health care spending. They estimate that excluding all sugary drinks from SNAP nationwide would produce benefits of about $1.1 billion per year, of which about 70% is from reduced health care costs.