Tag Archives: Florida

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis believes that toll roads in New York City are really just an elaborate grift, with money collected not going to repairs at all. During remarks in Clinton, Iowa, the 2024 Republican presidential candidate fumed about the cash collection and contended the money really is just enriching the Democratic “machine.” “I don’t know if you …

The Tampa Bay Times reports: A proposed regulation aimed at restricting diversity programs and social activism at Florida’s public universities has stirred confusion, with some saying its broadly worded passages could limit free speech. A draft version being circulated for feedback says in part that universities may not spend public money on activities that “advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion” …

Orlando’s ABC affiliate reports: Thousands of people packed downtown Orlando Saturday for the “Come Out With Pride” festival and parade. Two hundred thousand attendees came together to celebrate LGBTQ+ life and culture. Throughout the day, festival grounds at Lake Eola were filled with multiple vendors, live entertainment and family-friendly activities. A sea of people lined the streets around the lake …

Tampa’s NBC affiliate reports: Florida has the highest property insurance premiums in the country, but the state’s insurance commissioner says he does not support capping rate increases. Over the last couple weeks, Commissioner Michael Yaworsky talked about the cost of insurance with lawmakers in Tallahassee. On average, Floridians pay $6,000 a year for property insurance, according to the Insurance Information …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Nearly two dozen Americans fleeing Israel with the help of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration were stranded for days in Cyprus before they finally got to Florida on Wednesday, according to the head of an international rescue organization who blamed contractors that state officials hired to run the operation. Their rush to help DeSantis score political points …

Florida Politics reports: After U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan lost three votes for Speaker, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds is running to be the Republican conference nominee. Aides for the Naples Republican confirmed to Florida Politics he will seek the support in a closed-door GOP conference vote. Notably, Donalds supported Jordan on all three ballots this week. In January, he had initially …

The Meidas Touch reports: Desperately seeking traction for his failing campaign, Desantis offered up state funds to pay for an effort already underway by a private organization to bring Americans home from Israel. It was obvious that Desantis was doing what he always does – using taxpayer money to augment his going-broke presidential campaign while pretending he actually cares about …

Click Orlando reports: A former Florida state representative was sentenced to four months in federal prison Thursday after he pleaded guilty to fraudulently collecting about $150,000 in COVID-19 relief funds intended to help small businesses. Joseph Harding, who once represented Florida’s 22nd District – which includes parts of Marion County, resigned from the Florida House of Representatives in December after …

Politico reports: Ron DeSantis spent virtually as much as he raised over the past three months, a new campaign finance filing reveals — a burn rate he tried to reverse amid mounting skepticism about his operation. The Florida governor, whose team implored political donors not to give to rival Nikki Haley during a summit last week, took in a little …

Boca News Now reports: The man who shot his wife twice — then turned the gun on himself in the West Delray Beach BurgerFi parking lot earlier this week — is identified by sources as political activist Steven Alembik. Alembik, Monday night, allegedly shot his wife in the back and arm. While she ran into BurgerFi while bleeding profusely, he …

Gainesville’s CBS affiliate reports: Federal prosecutors say former state Rep. Joe Harding betrayed the “public’s trust” and should be sent to prison. Harding’s employers and one of his brothers paint a picture of a hard-working family man who regrets fraudulently applying for business loans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor is poised to decide Harding’s punishment …

“If you look at how they behave, not all of them are Hamas, but they are all anti-Semitic. None of them believe in Israel’s right to exist.  You don’t fly people and import them into the United States of America, so we’re going to be very strong on that. And I think about our country, you see these demonstrations supporting …

Florida Politics reports: An incredulous Ron DeSantis is yet again addressing the former President’s contention that the 2020 election was “stolen,” saying that’s an “untenable position.” Speaking at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics’ “Politics and Eggs” event, the Florida Governor didn’t hold back when asked to evaluate Donald Trump’s ongoing contention that he didn’t lose fairly to Joe Biden. …

Florida Politics reports: During an event in Berlin, New Hampshire, hosted by the Never Back Down super PAC, the Florida Governor and Harvard Law School graduate called the university “woke central” and suggested that if he needed medical care, he wouldn’t want a Harvard doctor to provide it. “I used to think to myself, like, you know, if anything ever …

The Street reports: Disney’s battle against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis just got a little more interesting after the theme park operator’s rival Universal Orlando Resort was awarded a special benefit that was taken away from Disney World. The House of Mouse may have obtained some ammunition in its battle against DeSantis as the theme park operator’s rival Comcast’s Universal Orlando …

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to claim he would carry out mass deportations if elected President, contending his “big program” would hearken back to a President seven decades ago. “If you let people come illegally without a sanction, you’re going to continue to have this problem. The sanction is you get deported. So we’re going to do it,” …

“You know, I said that President Xi of China — 1.4 billion people, he controls it with an iron fist — I said he’s a very smart man. They killed me the next day [for saying it]. I said he was smart! What am I gonna say? But Hezbollah, they’re very smart and they [Israel] have a national defense minister …

Florida Politics reports: Jacksonville’s Mayor is taking heat from the Republican Party for her decision to participate in this weekend’s Pride Parade. Democrat Donna Deegan, the first Mayor to attend Pride, was the Grand Marshal of the event. However, Duval GOP Chairman Dean Black, a current state legislator, is objecting to Deegan’s participation — and is suggesting that “legislation” might …

Fort Myers’ PBS affiliate reports: After winning a decisive appellate court battle that required the Florida Department of Health to turn over COVID-19 data withheld from the public during the height of the pandemic, the legal battle over the records has ended with a settlement agreement. A media release from the Florida Center for Government Accountability said the group and …

Florida Politics reports: Florida’s First Lady is happy to be compared to the most recent former American First Lady. That’s the takeaway from Casey DeSantis’ comments Saturday in Iowa. “They call you, like, Walmart Melania, which by the way, if I’m in the same sentence with Melania, that’s a win for me,” she said, referring to Melania Trump. The First …