Tag Archives: Florida

The Wall Street Journal reports: Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis have battled in polls for months over who has a better shot at the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. This week, in one of the country’s wealthiest enclaves, they will intensify the fight for campaign cash. Mr. Trump is scheduled to appear Thursday at a fundraiser for the super political-action committee …

Inside Higher Ed reports: An English professor at Palm Beach Atlantic University said his teaching contract has been put on hold after complaints about his instruction on race and racism. The professor, Samuel Joeckel, said in an email that the dean of his department and the university’s provost waited outside the class he was teaching last week to inform him …

Florida Politics reports: Former President Donald Trump is taking a victory lap in the wake of Saturday’s vote for Republican Party of Florida Chair. Commenting on the victory of Christian Ziegler of Sarasota, the former President posted to Truth Social Sunday. “We won a big Chairmanship in Florida over the DeSantis Reps, but actually, it’s a win for ALL. That’s …

“Too much power has accumulated in DC and the result is a detached administrative state that rules over us and imposes its will on us. While there are a host of things that need to be done to re-constitutionalize government, parceling out federal agencies to other parts of the country could help reduce the negative effects of this accumulation of …

The Daily Beast reports: When Florida Governor Ron DeSantis floated the possibility of eliminating Advanced Placement classes from his state’s curriculum, he conveniently left out an important fact. DeSantis was once the “AP US History student of the year,” according to his high school yearbook, pages of which were obtained by The Daily Beast. Before turning on AP classes in …

The Miami Herald reports: As Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Republican leaders explore alternatives to the College Board’s AP classes and tests, top state officials have been meeting with the founder of an education testing company supporters say is focused on the “great classical and Christian tradition.” The Classic Learning Test, founded in 2015, is used primarily by private schools …

Axios Tampa Bay reports: Embracing Our Differences — the nonprofit behind the outdoor show that has been displayed annually in Sarasota for two decades — pulled the exhibit at the State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota campus this week after school leaders requested that three pieces of art be removed. The school found one piece, titled “Being Different Gives the World …

The New Republic reports: On paper, Christopher Rufo, the conservative activist who recently was appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to sit on the board of a small Sarasota liberal arts college whose curriculum the governor dislikes, presents his credentials as impeccable: Georgetown University for undergrad and “a master’s from Harvard,” according to his biographical page on the Manhattan Institute’s …

Jacksonville’s NBC affiliate reports: Brian Covey, a substitute teacher at Mandarin Middle School, posted a video on Jan. 27 showing rows of empty bookshelves in the school’s library. The jarring video quickly went viral and now has over 13 million views, it made national headlines and was even fodder on a late night talk show. On Tuesday, First Coast News …

Orlando’s NBC affiliate reports: Peter Filiberto has resigned from the Palm Bay City Council. He submitted a letter saying he was resigning from his position as a council member and that the resignation will immediately be effective. He is facing charges of DUI and possession of cocaine. Police say when they attempted to pull him over, Filiberto tried to outrun …

The New York Post reports: An ugly brawl broke out after a heated soccer game between two private high schools — one Jewish and the other Catholic — in Miami this week, with some players saying they were hit with anti-Semitic slurs. Footage of the incident between Scheck Hillel Community School and Archbishop Coleman Carroll High School shows players battling. …

From the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office: On February 9, 2023, #teamHCSO’s Human Trafficking Section began investigating a case after a mother found disturbing content on her 16-year-old’s cell phone. Through investigative means, detectives were able to learn that Moises Escoto, 36, of Temple Terrace, had made contact with the victim two years earlier on a chat and meetup app called …

NBC News reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to make a trip up to Illinois on Monday to speak before local law enforcement, according to the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police. “Chicago Lodge 7 Members: Governor Ron DeSantis would appreciate your support at an event on Monday, February 20 to Back the Blue!” says a copy of the invitation. …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: For the second time in less than five months, a federal judge has rejected a lawsuit seeking to block a Florida law that restricts classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation. U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor on Wednesday issued a 21-page decision dismissing a revised lawsuit filed by students, parents and teachers, who argued the …

Miami’s ABC affiliate reports: Duval County schools recently removed a book about Puerto Rican baseball legend “Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates,” by Jonah Winter and Raúl Colón, as part of a “review” for age appropriateness. A blurb for the Clemente book describes the racism the outfielder endured. DeSantis responded to concerns over book banning by largely dismissing them. …

Law & Crime reports: A 31-year-old church deacon in Florida will spend more than two decades behind bars for secretly filming young boys using the bathroom inside the church where he served and possessing “hundreds, if not thousands” of child pornography images and videos, prosecutors said. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor sentenced Jonathan High, a former deacon of …

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to outline a path away from the College Board’s products in the wake of a dispute over an African American Studies Advanced Placement course proposal. “I don’t think anyone should be concerned about our high school students not having opportunity for that. They absolutely will. And it’s just a matter of what’s the …

Click Orlando reports: Palm Bay City Council member Pete Filiberto was arrested Saturday night on charges of riding his motorcycle while impaired and carrying 10 grams of cocaine in his shoe, court records show. Filiberto, 34, elected to office in 2022, was charged with possession of cocaine, reckless driving, DUI alcohol, no motorcycle endorsement, and refusing a DUI test, according …

The Tampa Bay Times reports: Tens of thousands of Florida high school students take Advanced Placement courses every year to have a competitive edge heading into college. Now, Gov. Ron DeSantis says he wants to reevaluate the state’s relationship with the College Board, the private company that administers those courses and the SAT exam. And that has some high school …

The Tampa Bay Times reports: Taken aback by Florida’s attacks against its new AP African American studies course, the College Board late Saturday denounced the state Department of Education, saying it used the course to advance a politically motivated agenda. The organization’s letter, published at 8 p.m. Saturday, came just two days after it released another statement that did not …