Tag Archives: Florida

The Miami Herald reports: Fabian Basabe had a bone to pick. At an event at the Standard Spa in Miami Beach, he had been seated next to people unfamiliar to him — prompting the former reality TV star and socialite who would later become a Republican state representative to send a scathing email to hotel employees. “Please don’t ever sit …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: A federal judge won’t limit his previous ruling that temporarily blocked a Florida law he has determined violated the constitutional rights of drag performers.  U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell on Wednesday denied a motion asking that his injunction blocking the law apply only to the plaintiff in the case, the Hamburger Mary’s restaurant in downtown Orlando. …

The Washington Post reports: A voting rights group filed a lawsuit against presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) Wednesday morning over the use of so-called election police and other alleged intimidation and voter suppression tactics aimed at citizens with felony criminal records. The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition and several individuals impacted by the state’s policies allege that they …

The Associated Press reports: When Alicia Griggs steps outside her suburban Fort Lauderdale home, Florida’s latest invasive species comes a-hoppin’ down the street: lionhead rabbits. The bunnies, which sport an impressive flowing mane around their heads, want the food Griggs carries. But she also represents their best chance of survival and moving where this domesticated breed belongs: inside homes, away …

Insurance Business Magazine reports: Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis has pledged to hold “Bud Light of insurance” Farmers Insurance accountable following the insurance company’s announcement that it will exit own-branded personal lines business in Florida. “I’ve always said that when big decisions are made on insurance – the policyholder is rarely in the room – and unfortunately Farmers Insurance proved me …

“They’ve spent years and decades to build up that clientele and just walk away. So this is a wake-up call to the state. What you have to do is you have to sit down with the companies. I sat down with State Farm and said, ‘What are your issues?’ It always comes down to fraud. It always comes down to, …

Axios reports: The weeks-long heat wave affecting a vast swath of the U.S. has been particularly noteworthy in one city that was not the subject of many extreme weather headlines this past week: Miami. The city is typically hot in June and July, but this spring and summer has been a different level of South Florida heat. According to meteorologist …

Reuters reports: Tuesday’s hearing in federal court in the city of Fort Pierce, scheduled for 2 p.m. EST (1800 GMT), will be overseen by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed to the bench by Trump during his presidency and is expected to preside over the remainder of the case. Among the logistical issues Trump’s lawyers and prosecutors are …

Florida Politics reports: DeSantis spoke in Tega Cay, South Carolina and led off his remarks with a denunciation of Biden when people in the front of the crowd began to unfurl Pride flags. “Have you heard Biden? He will say when it comes to children, they’re not your children. They’re all of our children,” DeSantis said, as Moms for Liberty …

Florida Today reports: A father and his son, both pastors at a Melbourne church, and an Indian Harbour Beach repairman were found guilty by a federal jury in connection with their roles in the failed Jan. 6 insurrection. The convictions of James Varnell Cusick Jr. and his son Casey Cusick — leaders of the Melbourne-based Global Outreach Ministries Church — …

“We all were able to do some prayers at the Western Wall. And so you write the little note, you put it in the crevice there. And when I got back from doing that, I was asked by the media, what did you pray for? I said, ‘I pray that we don’t have any hurricanes this summer in Florida.’ “Well, …

Politico reports: Several groups sued the DeSantis administration Monday over Florida’s latest anti-immigration law, arguing that it “inflicts enormous harm on people’s ability to go about their daily lives.” Filed in Miami federal court, the lawsuit targets the wide-ranging immigration policies enacted by Florida earlier this year at the behest of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who regularly criticizes how Biden is …

Florida Politics reports: Fresh off rushing humanitarian supplies into war-torn Ukraine, former congressional candidate Phil Ehr is running to take on U.S. Sen. Rick Scott in 2024. Ehr’s campaign released a 140-second video that introduces voters to his 26-year naval career, including rescuing Cubans in the Florida Straits and his Ukrainian humanitarian efforts. The moody ad full of stormy seas …

Semafor reports: The growing sense of crisis around Ron DeSantis’s campaign intensified over the weekend with reports that his campaign side is burning through cash, running out of big donors, and laying off staff. And, in another interesting twist, DeSantis — who in March derided corporate media as “very, very untrustworthy” and urged conservatives not to “play into it” — …

“He promised to drain the swamp, it got worse. He did not drain the swamp. He promised to have Mexico pay for a border wall. They did like, 50 miles of wall. There’s massive, expansive still there. He said he was going to eliminate the national debt. They added almost $8 trillion to the debt in four years. And of …

“I’m excited because 2024 is our opportunity to send Biden to his basement in Delaware where he belongs. Now, we, my wife and I were in Iowa earlier today and so this is the second state on our agenda. Biden, I think has been in two states to today. Confusion and disorientation. But that’s just another day at the office …

West Palm Beach’s CBS affiliate reports: The Brevard County Republican Executive Committee (BREC) has voted on a controversial proposal. Group leaders have written the first draft of a letter they want to send to Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state officials, calling on them to make the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines illegal in Florida. CBS12 News has obtained a copy of …

ABC News reports: Floridians usually flock to the ocean to escape the summer heat. But this week, it may not have been much help as sea surface temperatures soared to the mid-90s, even encroaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit at some points. Some of the highest temperatures are off South Florida, with a NOAA buoy off the tip of the state recording …

CBS News reports: AAA will not renew the auto and home insurance policies for some customers in Florida, joining a growing list of insurers dialing back their presence in the Sunshine State amid a growing risk of natural disasters. “Unfortunately, Florida’s insurance market has become challenging in recent years,” the company said in a statement emailed to CBS MoneyWatch. “Last …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Over 30 days in June, teenagers out of high school and retired military veterans came to Camp Blanding, the National Guard base near Jacksonville. Many were told they would volunteer for a revived State Guard with a nonmilitary mission: help Floridians in times of need or disaster. Instead, the state’s National Guard trained the volunteers for …