Andrew Gillum’s political action committee (PAC) from his failed bid for Florida governor recently paid his Miami lawyers $440,181, according to reports filed with the Division of Elections.
Gillum was indicted in June on multiple charges connected to campaign contribution fraud before and during his 2018 run for governor of Florida. The 21 count indictment includes conspiracy charges, wire fraud and making false statements.
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During a campaign interview with hip-hop legend Luther Luke Campbell and others, Florida gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried said, if she was elected governor, she would support reparations legislation like the bill recently adopted in California.
Stephen Johnson, 100 Black Men of South Florida Past Chair and member of the Miami-Dade Black Affairs Advisory Board, told Fried that he could not find her position on reoperations in any of her campaign materials. Johnson then asked if signing a reparations task force legislation be something she would do if she became governor of Florida.
Fried responded, “Yes, of course it would be. I think this are hard conversations to have but we have to have them.”
Fried then went on to discuss the Groveland Four, who were four young African American men falsely accused of raping 17-year-old girl and assaulting her husband on July 16, 1949, in Lake County, Florida. Fried was a member of the Florida Cabinet who joined in issuing posthumous pardons of the four men on Jan. 11, 2019.
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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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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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Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) called on President Joe Biden (D) to classify fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction in a letter sent to the White House.
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) announced Monday that $6.5 million was being designated to launch the Career Pathways for Public Service Initiative. The new program will prepare students for public service and a career in local or state government.
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A national teachers union poll shows that positions adopted by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are supported by most voters.
During Florida’s 2022 legislative session, DeSantis championed a number of education related bills that his opponents often labeled as extreme. During the session, Equality Florida, a LGBTQ advocacy group, released a television advertisement “blasting” DeSantis over his positions.
However, a battleground-state survey commissioned by the American Teachers Federation shows a majority of voters approve of DeSantis’ education policy positions.
For example, one poll question found that voters, by a 32 percentage-point margin, said they were more likely to vote for candidates who believe public schools should focus less on teaching race and more on core subjects.
DeSantis signed a bill that banned critical race theory in schools.
Another poll question found that voters, by 27 points, said schools should be banned from teaching sexual orientation and gender identity to kids in kindergarten through third grade.
DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education bill (SB 1834), which expanded parental rights and limited the discussion of gender related issues in elementary school grades.
And by 28 points, another poll question found that voters agreed that transgender athletes should be banned from competing in girls’ sports.
In June 2021, DeSantis signed signed into law a policy banning transgender athletes from playing girls and women’s sports.
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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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A new civics initiative launched Thursday in Miami-Dade County in Florida targeting potential minority voters.
The Republican National Committee launched the initiative at its Hispanic Community Center in Doral, Florida, Thursday. It’s designed to help future voters learn more about American history and help lawful permanent residents (LPRs), or green card holders, prepare for the civics portion of their naturalization test.
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Neil W. McCabe, the national political editor of The Star News Network, interviewed Chief Warrant Officer 3 Fianna Litvok, a military intelligence technician in the Virginia Army National Guard, about her request for a COVID-19 vaccine mandate exemption, as well as how the mandate is affecting morale in the guard.
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The superintendent of a Florida school district and a spokesperson both said the district has cut its operating expenses due to a drop in the budget.
Superintendent Mark Mullins of Brevard Public Schools said the operating expenses for the district had been cut for the sixth consecutive year by more than $3.5 million.
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis spoke for about an hour Friday during the opening day of the first-ever Moms for Liberty National Summit held in Tampa, which was scheduled to continue on Saturday and Sunday.
The summit welcomed “all moms, dads, grandparents, teachers, and friends concerned about the attack on parental rights in education and are ready to defend those rights at all levels of government.”
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Democratic Florida gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried, who supports marijuana legalization, said Wednesday she is in the “process of liquidating” her pot company holdings after a Daily Caller News Foundation story on the matter.
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The Tallahassee City Commission voted on Wednesday unanimously to adopt a 10-year lobbying ban for anyone convicted of a felony related to bribery and honest services fraud. The ordinance will be drafted by the city attorney and brought back to the city commission at a later date.
According to information revealed at the meeting, Tallahassee will be the first major city in Florida to adopt a ban on lobbying by convicted felons.
Former Tallahassee City Commissioner Scott Maddox and two others were indicted and are currently serving prison sentences for their actions.
More recently, former Tallahassee mayor and one-time Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum was indicted by the federal government.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) have traded jabs over the last couple of weeks, most recently culminating in Newsom pushing back against DeSantis’ press secretary Christina Pushaw.
Pushaw said that opponents to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill were “groomers,” to which Newsom took offense.
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According to an industry report, cargo handled by Florida ports was up over 100% in 2021 when compared to 2020.
The Florida Ports Council released the 2021-2022 Seaport Mission Plan on Wednesday which provides detailed information related to Florida’s 15 seaports.
The report notes that, from a total tonnage perspective, year-over-year two-way, inbound and outbound cargo, rose 118.3% in 2021 compared to 2020.
Florida seaports are an important contributor to the state’s economy. Currently, Florida seaports generate nearly 900,000 direct and indirect jobs and contribute $117.6 billion in economic value to the state through cargo and cruise activities.
The report notes that, due to West Coast labor issues and lingering global supply-chain issues, “a re-alignment of global trade routes is clearly underway, and Florida ports are strategically positioned to take maximum advantage of this opportunity.”
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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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On Friday, Governor Ron DeSantis issued an Executive Order (22-164) focused on lowering the costs of prescription drugs for Floridians by promoting transparency. The order will ensure reforms are in place to hold Pharmacy Benefits Managers (PBMs) accountable when managing prescription drug benefits for insurance companies. PBMs are third-party administrators of prescription drug programs.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the executive order at a press conference at Cape Coral High School.
“This executive order is really probably the first time Florida as a state has taken action to ensure that we’re saving money for Floridians regarding the middlemen and what happens with the prescription drug programs,” DeSantis said. “I think it’s going to be very, very meaningful.”
“For far too long leaders have chosen the path of inaction, rather than action, and fallen victim to a pharmaceutical system driven by drug companies rather than consumers,” said Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Simone Marstiller. “Fortunately, Governor DeSantis leads with principle, always putting Floridians first and today’s actions will further this commitment by providing insight into the FDA’s review process and all agency health care contracts through the end of the decade.”
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Florida Attorney General Democrat candidate Daniel Uhlfelder announced on Twitter that his campaign reached the threshold to achieve matching state funds. Uhlfelder was also the notable individual who patrolled Florida’s beaches dressed as the Grim Reaper protesting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).
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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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A Florida man on Thursday was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for attempting to aid ISIS by providing material support to the terrorist organization.
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Romeo Xavier Langhorne pledged his allegiance to the group in 2014. After connecting with the group, he sought out like-minded individuals online.
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After a break from grades in the 2020-21 school year, a report from the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) shows 2021-22 Florida school grades are trending up.
A press release from Governor Ron DeSantis noted that “Florida’s schools performed much better than expected due to policies that kept schools open and kept students in the classroom.”
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Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis and the Department of Health on Thursday announced a new initiative to alert residents of the state to the dangers of fentanyl.
The public health advisory will concentrate on “prevention and recovery resources for overdoses involving synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl.”
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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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The 2022-23 K-12 school year begins in less than two months and Florida school districts are facing teacher shortages.
As of this week, Duval County Public Schools reported 529 vacancies for certified teachers, up 23% — nearly 100 positions — compared to the start of last school year. This year’s vacancies are almost double the number Duval saw at the beginning of 2020-21 school year.
In addition, Orange County Public Schools lists over 200 K-12 teacher openings and Brevard County Public Schools lists 235 teacher vacancies.
And while the numbers are daunting they should not be surprising.
According to surveys by the Florida Education Association(FEA), the number of teacher vacancies have increased a 104% since August 2019. In August 2019, the FEA reported there were 2,135 advertised positions. This number increased to 2,962 in August 2020 and ballooned to 4,359 by January 2022.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), in the last couple of weeks, vetoed a piece of legislation that would have presumed 50-50 custody sharing of children from divorced families. SB 1796 was called the Dissolution of Marriage bill and would have ended permanent alimony payments.
DeSantis vetoed the bill because of a constitutional issue.
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Less than two months out from the Democratic primary for Florida governor, Fried’s attacks on Charlie Crist for his time as a Republican has become complicated due to Fried’s own campaign donations to GOP candidates.
Crist, who served as a Republican governor in Florida from 2007 to 20011, changed parties and won the Democratic nomination for governor in 2014 and lost to then-Gov. Rick Scott. Crist now serves as a Democratic member of Congress.
Fried’s message to Democratic voters has attempted to take advantage of Crist’s past ties to Republican causes.
“They’re tired of recycled politicians especially people that haven’t delivered for Democrats ever,” Fried stated. She also said that Crist needs to be held “accountable” for his past “destructive” record assisting Republicans.
Specifically, Fried has highlighted Crist’s past positions on guns and abortion.
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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 Attorney General Ashley Moody and the Federal Trade Commission have taken legal action to shut down what they say was a fraudulent scheme perpetrated by a company targeting minority-owned small businesses.
They filed a joint complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida where Judge Marcia Morales Howard issued a temporary restraining order against the company, preventing it from doing any more business.
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On Saturday, Florida House Rep. Anna Eskamani endorsed a divisive July 4th email message sent out by the City of Orlando. Eskamani’s approval of the message came after the City of Orlando apologized for the original message, which was critical of the United States.
The original email published on July 1 – which has since been deleted from Orlando’s official Twitter account – stated, “A lot of people probably do not want to celebrate our nation right now, and we can’t blame them. When there is so much division hate, and unrest, why on earth would you want to have a party celebrating any of it?”
Christina Pushaw, the spokesperson for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, replied to the message. Pushaw tweeted, “Yikes. City of Orlando, is this your official position on our country and on 4th of July?”
In addition, a local police union responded to the message.
‘The members of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 25 are proud Americans who will continue to serve with Courage, Pride and Commitment to uphold their oath to defend our community and this country. We do not share the same views as the City of Orlando and find their comments inflammatory and in poor taste,’ the statement from the police union read.
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Florida’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research (EDR) reported that general revenue collections for May 2022 were $741.8 million (21.0 percent) over the estimates made in January 2022. In addition, consumer confidence among Floridians rebounded in June while national consumer sentiment fell sharply.
Revenues generated from the sales of automobiles was the highest above the projections among the six sales tax categories coming in $148.75 million (31.1 percent) over the May estimate.
Also contributing to the higher than projected sales tax revenue were the Tourism and Business categories, both surpassing estimates by over 26%.
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Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday detailed increased scores from students taking Florida’s 2022 civics assessments.
The test teaches “the history of our country, the exceptional nature of our form of government, and the role they play as citizens of our republic,” according to the governor’s office.
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A Florida judge detailed that he will sign an injunction against the state’s 15-week abortion ban, preventing the law from going into effect.
The ban was set to be implemented following the reversal of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court, allowing each state to decide abortion policy.
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Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office filed a 60-page motion Monday arguing that U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor should dismiss a case filed by LGBTQ-advocacy groups Equality Florida and Family Equality related to the Parental Rights in Education legislation.
The law (HB 1557) prevents instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade and requires that such instruction be “age-appropriate … in accordance with state academic standards” in older grades.
Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office called the provisions of the bill a “modest limitation … neutrally allowing all parents, no matter their views, to introduce those sensitive topics to their children as they see fit.”
Monday’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit raised a series of arguments, including that the plaintiffs did not have legal standing and that the state has the right to set curriculums for public schools. It also took issue with the “Don’t Say Gay” moniker.
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Former President Donald Trump endorsed Republican Joe Gruters (R-Englewood) re-election campaign for Florida’s State Senate District 23 on Wednesday through his Save America PAC.
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Americans for Prosperity-Florida (AFP-FL) unveiled its 2022 Florida Legislative Scorecard Wednesday highlighting Florida’s elected officials who, according to AFP-FL, “championed solutions that will create more opportunity for all Floridians while standing up against harmful public policy change.”
AFP-FL stated that the scorecard “lets you know which lawmakers have championed policies that empower all Floridians to realize their potential, help others, and achieve their version of the American dream. It’s a tool for activists, the media, and the general public to learn how each senator and representative has voted and hold them to account for their decisions.”
According to the scorecard, 31 lawmakers scored an A+, 72 received an A, 35 received a B, 17 received a C, 3 received a D, and 2 lawmakers –Rep. Jervonte Edmonds and Sen. Perry Thurston— received an F.
The Florida lawmakers to receive an A+ in 2022 are all Republicans.
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Congresswoman Val Demings (D-FL-10), who is seeking to unseat incumbent Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R), denounced a the “Defund the Police” movement in a series of new ads.
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There’s a silver lining to some of the hardship Florida citrus producers have faced over the past several years. Their projected crop production is an estimated 2 million box increase from the previous month, the cost for consumers to purchase Florida orange juice is lower than other food despite inflation, and their congressional delegation is advancing a bill to reform FDA standards to help growers.
Florida’s orange production is expected to surpass more than 40 million boxes in the 2021-2022 season, according to a USDA May production forecast, an increase of 2 million boxes from its April forecast.
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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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Ken Griffin, Chicago’s richest man and founder of the hedge-fund Citadel, recently announced in a letter to employees that his company would be relocating to Miami.
“I am excited to share with you that Citadel is moving its global headquarters to Miami,” the letter read. “Miami is a vibrant, growing metropolis that embodies the American Dream. I am excited to have recently moved to Miami with my family and look forward to rapidly expanding Citadel in a city so rich in diversity and abounding with energy.”
Griffin’s decision comes less than a year after he told an audience at the Economic Club of Chicago that he was considering moving the business because of crime in the city.
A report indicated that over the past five years, using per capita information, that Chicago far outpaced Miami in homicides, sexual assaults, and robberies, while Miami outpaced Chicago in aggravated battery.
Griffin, 53, is originally from Daytona Beach, and went to high school in Boca Raton, but founded Citadel in Chicago 30 years ago. Griffin has been a frequent critic of rising crime in Chicago, and that appears to be a factor in the decision to move Citadel to Miami.
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Democratic Congressman Charlie Crist, the former Republican governor of Florida who’s running as a Democrat hoping to defeat incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis in November, said Friday that Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh should be impeached if they lied under oath during their Senate confirmation hearings.
Crist’s call comes after Gorsuch and Kavanaugh joined in a majority U.S. Supreme Court ruling to overturn two landmark abortion cases – Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The decision returns decisions on the legality of abortion back to the states.
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a statement Friday following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark ruling that created a right to abortion nationwide. The ruling now returns issues about abortion to the individual states.
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Elected officials in Tennessee are calling for the safe return of a U.S. Marine who is jailed in Venezuela after that Marine attempted to take his own life over the weekend.
“The safe return of Matthew Heath must be the highest priority for the White House and State Department,” said Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03). “Our government and the Venezuelan government must come to an agreement to medically evacuate Matthew. His life is in danger, and we cannot delay.”
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Former Tallahassee Mayor and Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum has been indicted on multiple charges connected to campaign contribution fraud before and during his 2018 run for governor of Florida. Gillum lost to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida unsealed the 21-count indictment on Wednesday. One of Gillum’s closest advisers, Sharon Lettman-Hicks, also was charged in the 21-count indictment. Gillum, 42, and Lettman-Hicks, 53, were arrested on Wednesday and were scheduled to have their first appearance Wednesday afternoon at the U.S. Courthouse in Tallahassee.
The 26-page indictment indicates that the Gillum investigation was part of the comprehensive corruption probe that used undercover agents to get close to some of Tallahassee’s biggest movers and shakers. Former Tallahassee Mayor and City Commissioner Scott Maddox and his associate Paige Carter-Smith, along with Tallahassee businessman J.T. Burnette were recently sentenced to prison as a result of the probe.
The indictment alleges that between 2016 and 2019, defendants Gillum and Lettman-Hicks conspired to commit wire fraud, by unlawfully soliciting and obtaining funds from various entities and individuals through false and fraudulent promises and representations that the funds would be used for a legitimate purpose.
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) awarded more than $28.4 million in funding for economic growth and infrastructure to 23 Florida communities on Tuesday. The funding came through primarily two state grant funds that are designed to assist communities with development and disaster preparation.
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The DeSantis Administration is pushing back on comments by the White House press secretary and media reports that claim Florida has reversed course related to COVID shots for children. Florida made news as the only state not to pre-order the COVID vaccine for children six months to five years of age.
The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the vaccines for emergency use on June 17 for children as young as 6 months and the CDC recommended everyone ages 6 months and older get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Jeremy Redfern, press secretary for the Florida Department of Health, said the department “chose not to participate” in the vaccination program because the state health department is not following federal public health recommendations.
Governor Ron DeSantis also commented on the situation.
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This past Friday, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio announced he had received the endorsement of the Florida Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) in his U.S. Senate contest against probable opponent, Democratic Rep. Val Demings, a former law enforcement official.
The endorsement comes amid a statewide TV commercial campaign by Demings that seeks to highlight her law enforcement background – which includes 27 years as an Orlando police officer, including four years as the Orlando Chief of Police – and to defuse attempts to tie her to the 2020 “defund the police” messages pushed by some liberal Democrats.
“In the Senate, I’ll protect Florida from bad ideas,” Demings says in the new 30-second TV spot. “Defunding the police: That’s just crazy.”
However, Rubio has been critical of Demings’ vote on legislation that includes provisions that would strip police of qualified immunity. Qualified immunity protects law enforcement officers against lawsuits over what they do on the job.
A Rubio campaign video shows law enforcement officers expressing outrage over Demings’ vote.
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took a series of actions to curb the impact of the ongoing border crisis on the residents of the state.
According to a release from his office, DeSantis created “a strike force of state and local law enforcement to interdict human smuggling, human trafficking, and to seize illegal weapons.”
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A Florida sheriff’s department says it arrested a Disney employee as part of a larger sting in which it nabbed a dozen suspects in a child sex crackdown.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release on Friday that in early June it “conducted a two-week-long undercover operation ‘Operation Child Protector II’ during which detectives posed as children on social media platforms, mobile apps, and online dating sites to investigate those who prey upon and travel to meet children for unlawful sexual activity.”
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On Wednesday, reports came out that the State of Florida would be the only state in the country to not pre-order COVID shots for children five and under. Yesterday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis confirmed that Florida would not be recommending COVID shots for Florida’s youngest residents.
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