Tag Archives: Florida

The Pensacola News-Journal reports: The family of a teenage girl who was sexually assaulted by a youth director at Gulf Breeze Methodist Church is suing the church, its leadership and the youth pastor. Zarzaur Law, P.A. announced the lawsuit Monday against not only the church but the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church, Pastor Dan Morris, Executive Pastor …

The Washington Post reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) dodged questions about a potential presidential run and abortion restrictions at his first and only debate Monday with Democratic challenger Charlie Crist, in a race where DeSantis’s national ambitions have loomed. Crist asked DeSantis to “look in the eyes of the people of the state of Florida” and say whether he …

Florida Politics reports: Threats from neo-Nazi groups prompted the cancellation of a drag queen story hour in Orlando. The LGBT+ Center Orlando announced it would nix the event, scheduled for Oct. 29, out of caution. “Due to several threats from hate groups aimed at The Center and to those participating in Drag Queen Story Hour, we have decided to cancel …

Miami’s ABC affiliate reports: Police arrested a 22-year-old man accused of attacking a canvasser handing out political flyers on Sunday evening in Hialeah. According to the police report, the victim was distributing flyers at about 6:30 p.m. at East 60th Street and First Avenue when Javier Lopez attacked him. The victim was campaigning for Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who is …

Florida Politics reports: Twenty-two days since Hurricane Ian hit the Gulf Coast and forged a path of destruction across the state, the amount of federal recovery aid distributed to the state blew past the $1 billion mark. The speed of the aid’s distribution appears to be outpacing — and by some measures overtaking — the federal aid that followed Hurricane …

The Daily Beast reports: In the name of “curriculum transparency,” Florida’s Republican-controlled state government has appointed several anti-gay and anti-mask conspiracy theorists to take charge of a new effort at public schools: banning books. This hastily assembled censorship council—tasked with retraining public school librarians to abide by new restrictions—is the latest ploy in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ crusade to upend the …

Law & Crime reports: Former President Donald Trump continued his longstanding quest to undo Section 230 and deal a blow to Big Tech immunity in the form of an amicus brief Friday, supporting Florida’s parallel efforts at the U.S. Supreme Court. Trump, who was infamously banned from Twitter in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, urged …

PBS NewsHour reports: U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger in Orlando has dismissed a lawsuit brought by LGBTQ students, parents and their families — as well as several civil rights groups — and refused their request for a preliminary injunction to stop the law from being implemented. Earlier this month, a federal judge in Tallahassee dismissed a similar challenge to the …

“Florida, we have a lot of work to do and it starts with making Charlie Crist your next governor. Charlie has two things I admire: guts and decency. Charlie Crist is fearless. Guided by what’s right, even when it’s hard. So if you’re ready for a governor who cares about people instead of bullying them, who will fight for voting …

ABC News reports: A Florida man had his election fraud charges dismissed on Friday, making him the first of 20 people who Gov. Ron DeSantis announced had been charged with voter fraud in August, to beat his case. The ruling by a Miami judge may now pave the way for similar motions and rulings in the other 19 election fraud …

San Antonio’s Fox affiliate reports: Governor Greg Abbott’s office was aware of the flight of migrants from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard before takeoff last month. The State of Texas has denied any involvement with that flight. However, text messages released by Abbott’s office in response to a public information request show otherwise. The Florida Center for Government Accountability submitted …

Florida Politics reports: Charlie Crist blames Gov. Ron DeSantis for the case of a middle school-aged incest survivor who was forced to leave Florida to obtain an abortion. In a new digital ad, released Thursday, DeSantis’ Democratic challenger is continuing to pummel the Republican Governor for signing a bill that bans abortions after 15 weeks with no exceptions for rape …

Bloomberg News reports: Weed is coming to US gas stations. Green Thumb Industries Inc., one of the largest US cannabis producers, signed a deal with Circle K, the global convenience-store chain, to sell licensed marijuana at its Florida gasoline retailers. The partnership will begin next year with 10 of the company’s 600 locations in the state, Green Thumb said. The …

Politico reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration this week pushed back against a lawsuit seeking the immediate release of all records related to the flights of migrants from Texas to Massachusetts but agreed to provide them no later than Dec. 1. Lawyers for the Republican governor filed a nine-page response late Tuesday to a demand from the open government group …

CNN reports: A county in Florida that was slammed by Hurricane Ian has reported more than two dozen flesh-eating bacteria cases in the aftermath of the devastating storm. Lee County has seen 26 cases of Vibrio vulnificus in the last three weeks, leading to six deaths. The bacteria enters the body through open wounds and kills about 20% of the …

The Associated Press reports: A winning lottery ticket worth a share of a $494 million Mega Millions jackpot was purchased in a southwest Florida city hammered by Hurricane Ian late last month. Florida lottery officials on Monday said one of the two winning tickets was purchased at a 7-Eleven in Fort Myers. The other winning ticket was bought in California. …

Florida Politics reports: Rick Scott again isn’t providing Ron DeSantis much rhetorical cover when it comes to Florida’s property insurance problems. During an interview that aired Sunday, Scott said that rates had “skyrocketed” in the last four years, a time roughly equivalent to DeSantis’ era in Tallahassee. “And now what you’ve seen is the cost of property insurance has just …

Florida Politics reports: How high a priority is Florida for national Republicans in the Midterms? The Republican National Committee is announcing that its “Take Back Our Country Tour” will hold one its first stops in the Sunshine State. U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, who heads the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), announced the tour with Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Ronna …

Reuters reports: President Joe Biden will take on a potential 2024 presidential rival, Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis, in a November campaign event for the Democratic candidate for governor, Charlie Crist. The White House said on Sunday that Biden will travel to Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Nov. 1 to attend a reception for Crist, a former governor and member of Congress …

From the Miami Herald editorial board: Armed only with a skimpy “analysis” done by the state Department of Health — an analysis that is not peer-reviewed, has no named authors and has been blasted by the medical community — he warned last week that men ages 18-39 shouldn’t get the Moderna or Pfizer COVID shots, citing a higher risk of …