Headshot of Florida Phoenix senior reporter Christine Sexton.

Christine Sexton

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Christine Sexton is a senior reporter at the Florida Phoenix. She has spent more than 30 years reporting on Florida health care, insurance policy, and state politics and has covered the state’s last six governors. Before joining the Phoenix, she helped launch the Politico Florida bureau and wrote the weekly health care newsletter, Diagnosis, for Florida Politics. She also worked for the News Service of Florida. Sexton has written articles that have appeared in The New York Times, Bloomberg News, and The Associated Press. She lives in Tallahassee.

Popular DROP program could be dropped for new public employees
Florida

Popular DROP program could be dropped for new public employees

12:44pm ET
Christine Sexton
Put this on the radar for 2027 legislative session: A business-backed advocacy group is recommending sweeping changes to a popular retirement option for Florida state workers that has been used to keep experienced employees on the job longer. Florida TaxWatch...
Amendment 3 rewrite is already underway, Gov. Ron DeSantis says
Florida

Amendment 3 rewrite is already underway, Gov. Ron DeSantis says

Aug 06, 2026
Christine Sexton
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday that the state will not challenge a Leon County Circuit judge’s finding the ballot title and summary for Amendment 3 defective and that the Attorney General James Uthmeier is rewriting the language. At a...
Auditor General: DeSantis administration ‘significantly delayed’ access to Medicaid records
Florida

Auditor General: DeSantis administration ‘significantly delayed’ access to Medicaid records

Aug 05, 2026
Christine Sexton
The DeSantis administration slowed down state auditors reviewing how Florida conducted its Medicaid eligibility determinations following the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, a state Auditor General report found. The report cites “Significant Audit Constraints” and recommends Department of...
Florida Democrats press DeSantis administration for details about AI contract for SNAP
Florida

Florida Democrats press DeSantis administration for details about AI contract for SNAP

Aug 04, 2026
Christine Sexton
Florida Democrats want to know how the state plans to use artificial intelligence to lower its error rate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). To help the state lower its error rate and avoid having to contribute as much...
Florida’s no-children-at-drag shows law upheld by federal appeals court
Florida

Florida’s no-children-at-drag shows law upheld by federal appeals court

Aug 04, 2026
Christine Sexton
A federal appeals court has upheld a Florida law banning children from attending drag shows, a measure put in place with the support of Gov. Ron DeSantis. In an 8-5 opinion handed down Tuesday, the majority ruled the law was...
Amendment 3 ballot title, summary language, don’t pass muster, judge rules
Florida

Amendment 3 ballot title, summary language, don’t pass muster, judge rules

Aug 04, 2026
Christine Sexton
A Florida circuit court judge has ordered Attorney General James Uthmeier to rewrite significant portions of the ballot and summary title of Amendment 3, ruling the words “Save our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes” are “akin to a political slogan”...
Gaetz: Next governor should review KidCare challenge before continuing DeSantis’ fight
Florida

Gaetz: Next governor should review KidCare challenge before continuing DeSantis’ fight

Aug 03, 2026
Christine Sexton
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has spent two years in court arguing with the federal government over a requirement that Florida ensure children enrolled in a Medicaid-funded safety-net healthcare program remain continuously eligible for one year. The policy, the DeSantis camp...
No ruling on Amendment 3 tax initiative challenges as primary inches closer
Florida

No ruling on Amendment 3 tax initiative challenges as primary inches closer

Jul 29, 2026
Christine Sexton
The fate of Amendment 3 — a far-reaching property tax cut proposal that could cost cities and counties as much as $12 billion annually in the coming years — will soon be decided by a circuit court judge in Leon...
Judge won’t order state to implement expanded access to KidCare
Florida

Judge won’t order state to implement expanded access to KidCare

Jul 28, 2026
Christine Sexton
A state judge has refused to order Florida health care officials to implement a 2023 law that would allow as many as 68,000 uninsured children to access subsidized health insurance coverage through the Florida KidCare program. Circuit Court Judge Joshua...
Surgeon General suggests high measles counts could be tied to abortion opposition
Florida

Surgeon General suggests high measles counts could be tied to abortion opposition

Jul 24, 2026
Christine Sexton
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo suggested Friday that opposition to abortion could have helped fuel a measles outbreak in Florida since many cases are tied to a private Roman Catholic college. Federal data show Florida had 141 confirmed measles cases...
Fewer Florida residents are receiving federal food benefits
Florida

Fewer Florida residents are receiving federal food benefits

Jul 23, 2026
Christine Sexton
The number of Florida residents who receive federal food assistance dropped by 23% during the past year, state data published this month show. There were 2,285,099 residents enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in June, down from the...
Economists predict fewer people in temporary cash assistance program but higher grant amounts
Florida

Economists predict fewer people in temporary cash assistance program but higher grant amounts

Jul 20, 2026
Christine Sexton
The number of Florida residents relying on temporary financial assistance to make ends meet is decreasing but the average amount of grants awarded is on the rise. July data released by the state Office of Economic and Demographic Research (EDR)...