DeSantis Announces New Pilot Program Trying to ‘Disrupt the Opioid Epidemic’

Yesterday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced a new pilot program to assist Floridians with substance abuse which establishes a recovery network “to disrupt the opioid epidemic.” DeSantis was joined by multiple Florida health officials as the programs will be under the purview of a joint-agency effort with the Florida Department of Health, Department of Children and Families, and the Agency for Health Care Administration.

The program is not an exclusively emergency response program, but also contains numerous aspects of recovery and goes by the acronym CORE (Coordinated Opioid Recovery).

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Kamala Harris Campaigns with Val Demings

Vice President Kamala Harris (D) campaigned with Congresswoman Val Demings (D-FL-13) in South Florida earlier this week in an attempt to bolster Demings’ chances of unseating Sen. Marco Rubio (R) in this November’s election.

Both Demings and Harris were one-time finalists for the vice president pick after then-candidate Joe Biden achieved the Democrat presidential nomination in 2020. The job eventually went to Harris, but Demings made a name for herself among Florida Democrats.

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Soros-Backed Radio Station Buyout Will Fight ‘Disinformation’

Latino Media Network (LMN), the group that secured the cash to buy out 18 radio stations across the country including in Florida, announced their newly transitioned radio stations will be used to fight right wing “disinformation.”

LMN secured their invested cash in part because of a push from George Soros, the businessman and philanthropist who has funded countless left-wing causes and candidates in the United States. The effort comes from Democrat groups as Hispanic voters abandon the Democrat Party in droves and are becoming Republicans.

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Florida Republican Congressional Delegation Split on ‘Gay Marriage’ Vote

Earlier this week, Florida’s Republican Congressional Delegation were split on the passage of H.B. 8404 entitled the “Respect for Marriage” Act. The impetus for the bill is out of fear from left-leaning lawmakers that the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) might overturn the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges case which struck down marriage laws across the country in 2015.

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Transgender Treatments Not Covered Under Florida Medicaid

The State of Florida has moved forward with a new policy that would deny Medicaid coverage for transgender treatments including puberty-blockers and hormone therapy. The Florida Department of Health prefaced the likely rule in April, but now the new policy stems from the Agency for Health Care Administration. “Following a review of available literature, clinical guidelines and coverage by other insurers and nations, Florida Medicaid has determined that the research supporting sex reassignment treatment is insufficient to demonstrate efficacy and safety,” said the report, which was signed in June by state Medicaid director Tom Wallace. Among the other procedures not covered included hormone “antagonists,” sex-reassignment surgeries and any “other procedures that alter primary or secondary sexual characteristics.” Pro-LGBT groups, like Equality Florida, have come out in opposition to the new rule from the Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) administration. “Governor DeSantis’ agencies have misrepresented findings and distorted data to advance a political agenda, rather than relying on good science,” said Jon Harris Maurer, public policy director for the LGBTQ-advocacy group Equality Florida on June 2. “This is yet another state agency being used to launch an overt attack on transgender Floridians. The transgender community, like all people, shouldn’t have their…

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DeSantis Touts Conservative Track Record at Moms for Liberty Event

Late last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) spoke at an event in Tampa for the Florida-based Moms for Liberty organization. The group was founded with the intention of empowering “parents to stand up and reclaim their parental rights at all levels of government.”

DeSantis touting his conservative track record and the legislation he has worked on to enhance parental involvement during his last few legislative sessions as governor.

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Former Florida Secretary of State Releases First Political Ad

Former Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee released her first political ad of the campaign season. Lee is running for Florida’s 15th Congressional District which encompasses northeast Tampa communities and stretches up to Zephyrhills, and across to Lakeland.

In the ad, Lee touts her track record for implementing election integrity laws that were passed by the Florida Legislature and signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. She also described herself as a “conservative that will battle Biden’s leftist agenda,” will continue to support building a wall on the southern border started by former President Donald J. Trump (R), and defend gun rights.

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Florida State Senator Lofts Abortion Protection by Constitutional Amendment

Florida State Sen. Jason Pizzo (D-Miami) floated the idea of protected abortion access by way of Florida’s constitutional amendment process. His tweet comes in the wake of the overturning of the landmark Roe v. Wade case last month by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) in the Dobbs v. Jackson ruling.

The ruling from SCOTUS did not institute a federal ban, but allowed individual states to determine their own stance on abortion access.

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Florida Seeking Abortion Law Resolution at State Supreme Court

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s (R) office is requesting that the legal fight between pro-abortion groups and the state be fast-tracked to the Florida Supreme Court. The 15-week abortion ban in question, was recently put back into effect after an appeal from the state.

Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper issued a temporary injunction Tuesday morning to block the law, but the appeal to Cooper’s decision is what led to its reinstatement.

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City of Orlando Apologizes for Errant Independence Day Message

The City of Orlando issued an apology for their Independence Day message saying that “we can’t blame them” if there were residents of their city who felt there was not much to celebrate. The city posted the original announcement to Twitter but has since deleted it and replaced it with an apology.

The apology stated that they “understand these words offended some” who read it.

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Florida Progressives Abstain from Endorsing in Democrat Primary

The Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida has opted to not offer their endorsement for the 2022 Democrat gubernatorial primary. The two most likely candidates to achieve the party nomination are Congressman Charlie Crist (D-FL-13) and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D).

The caucus said that they both feel the two candidates are better options than incumbent Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), but they maintained that the two Democrat candidates did not model a progressive candidate quite close enough.

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Al Lawson Files to Run for Florida’s 2nd Congressional District After Redistricting Fight

Congressman Al Lawson (D-FL-5) has filed to run in Florida’s second congressional district against incumbent Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL-2). Lawson currently holds the seat for district five, but the months-long congressional redistricting fight to preserve the boundaries of district five was secured in favor of the new maps earlier this month. Therefore, Lawson is seeking to unseat Dunn.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has backed the redistricting process including proposing the boundary changes for district five, claiming that it was an unconstitutional, racial-based gerrymander. District five, as of right now, snakes from Tallahassee across North Florida to Jacksonville’s northside. It comprises a majority minority district.

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Florida Chamber of Commerce Releases Legislative Report Card

The Florida Chamber of Commerce, one of Florida’s largest trade associations, released their annual Legislative Report Card and also announced their Distinguished Advocates for the 2022 Legislative Session. The chamber describes itself as an organization that supports free enterprise policies and has historically backed Republicans over Democrats.

The chamber said that their calculated average grade for all of Florida’s lawmakers was a 68 percent, equating to a “D.”

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Florida Conservatives Fear Censorship over Radio Station Buyout

A new group backed by Democrats and leftist initiative funder George Soros has purchased a historically conservative Spanish language radio station in South Florida as part of an 18-station buyout. The station being bought out is Miami’s Radio Mambí.

The buyout is being headed up by Jess Morales Rocketto, a former Hillary for America and AFL-CIO employee, and Stephanie Valencia, a former White House staffer during the Obama administration.

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Florida’s 3rd Grade Reading Scores Show Troubling Trend

Florida’s latest third grade reading scores report has shown only one quarter of them are able to read proficiently. The latest numbers from the Florida Department of Education were released recently and the numbers indicate struggling students across the state based on performance on the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA).

The state education department defines “proficiently” as scoring a four or five on a scale of one through five. A level three is considered passing, and just over half of Florida’s students passed at 53 percent.

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DeSantis Signs School Safety Bill

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed a school safety bill Tuesday that the Florida Legislature passed during its Special Legislative Session. The bill is built off of the recommendations of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission designed to make schools safer and offer resources to students and school employees.

DeSantis signed the bill on the heels of the Florida Freedom First budget where over $140 million was designated for mental health and approximately $210 million for school safety.

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Florida Sen. Rick Scott Defends 2018 Gun Control Law

Florida Sen. Rick Scott (R) defended his signing of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act back in 2018 in the wake of the school shooting tragedy in Uvalde, Tex. The then-bill raised the firearm purchasing age and established a Red Flag law. Scott defended his actions on the Hugh Hewitt Show, reminding listeners he was governor during the Parkland school shooting tragedy.

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Florida Republicans Won’t Rule Out Complete Abortion Ban

Florida’s Republican lawmakers have not ruled out the possibility of a total and complete abortion ban if the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) overturns the landmark Roe v. Wade case and abortion law is returned back to the states.

In a report covered by POLITICO, Republican leaders have not indicated their outright support for such legislation, but they said they will follow the lead of the Republican Party as the legislature proceeds.

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DeSantis Won’t Support World Health Organization Pandemic Treaty

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) announced this week there is “no way” he would be supporting the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global pandemic treaty. The treaty began making waves online after news began to spread of the WHO’s annual meeting that started on Monday. The WHO is currently considering amendments from President Joe Biden’s administration to authorize the WHO to have control over when an international health emergency is declared, essentially nullifying American sovereignty over health crises.

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DeSantis Cracks Down on Illegal Drug Traffickers

Last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed HB 95 which cracks down on the penalties for the sale and distribution of opioids in Florida, which includes fentanyl. The signing comes as DeSantis has worked with the Florida Legislature to pass numerous pieces of legislation to fight the influx of illegal immigrants, and often times, illegal drug traffickers into Florida.

In the announcement, DeSantis swiped at the President Joe Biden (D) administration for their lack of action regarding the influx of illegal immigrants on the southern border.

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DeSantis Approves Numerous Budget Items

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), this week, approved millions of dollars that were debated during the 2022 Legislative Session’s budget conferences. One of the largest recipients of state dollars is cancer research who will be receiving $100 million.

At a press conference on Wednesday, DeSantis made the announcement alongside his wife, First Lady Casey DeSantis, who battled breast cancer.

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Biden Reverses Course on Cuba Policy, Florida Officials Condemn

President Joe Biden (D) announced this week the United States will be loosening restrictions on Marxist countries, namely Cuba and Venezuela. Travel restrictions will be lightened to Cuba and flights will be authorized to Cuban cities outside of Havana and travel will be permitted for educational purposes.

In reaction, Florida Republicans and Democrats have condemned the actions saying that going soft on the dictatorial regimes will only embolden Castro and Maduro.

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Rubio, Demings Race Heating Up

The senatorial race between Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) and Congresswoman Val Demings (D-FL-10) is beginning to heat up with each trading jabs. While Demings has not officially received the Democrat nomination, much Democrat support, fundraising, and polling is coalescing around Demings.

Demings recently went on the attack against Rubio calling him an abortion “extremist.”

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Florida Judge Set to Block DeSantis’ Congressional Maps

Congressional maps proposed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and pushed through the Florida Legislature during the 2022 Special Session are set to be blocked by a Florida judge. Leon County Circuit Judge Layne Smith said he would make the order official either Thursday or Friday.

Smith said he would order the construction of new maps since, he said, the DeSantis-proposed maps were discriminatory against black voters in Congressional District 5, in North Florida.

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DeSantis Sets Fundraising Record

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) set a new 2022 gubernatorial campaign fundraising record. During April, DeSantis raised approximately $10.5 million. Around $2.3 million was raised by his reelection campaign and $8.2 million was raised by DeSantis’ political committee, Friends of Ron DeSantis.

In total, DeSantis has raised over $113 million for the election cycle, which is over 10 times the amount of his next closest competitor, Congressman Charlie Crist (D-FL-13).

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