Laurie Cardoza-Moore, a member of Tennessee’s Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality commission, argued that states should follow Florida’s approach to Holocaust education.
According to Cardoza-Moore, the curriculum supported by Governor Ron DeSantis gives Holocaust education and American history the high “level of instruction they deserve.”
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A poll of 500 likely Florida voters that was conducted between January 26 and 29 via live telephone interviews has found that Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is leading both his Democrat primary challengers in the 2022 election cycle.
The poll was conducted by Suffolk University/USA TODAY Network.
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The federal trial has begun for Florida’s election integrity law, signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) last May. Before the law came into effect, it was known by its legislative number, SB 90. After DeSantis signed SB 90, numerous legal challenges were filed immediately.
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In a press conference from South Florida, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) called on the President Joe Biden administration to accelerate funding for the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir project. The announcement came after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers earmarked $1.1 billion in funding for the project. The money came from the infrastructure package Congress agreed upon last year.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced $80 million is being warded to multiple South Florida communities to help develop and revitalize storm infrastructure projects. The projects are a part of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s (DEO) Rebuild Florida Mitigation General Infrastructure Program.
The City of Miami will receive almost $20 million to support flooding and stormwater inlets. Miami will receive an additional $18.4 million to go to the community of East Little Havana to alleviate repeated flooding issues.
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Florida Agriculture Commissioner and gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried promoted false information in a political attack related to Governor DeSantis’s support for $80 million in infrastructure funds allocated to South Florida projects.
Fried, who recently compared DeSantis to Adolf Hitler, is currently facing fundraising challenges in her race against U.S. Congressman Charlie Crist for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
DeSantis recently announced more than $80 million in awards to South Florida communities through the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s (DEO) Rebuild Florida Mitigation General Infrastructure Program. DeSantis noted that the funding received through the grant program will enhance community infrastructure, support the environment, and mitigate against damage from future storms.
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A proposed ballot initiative seeking to become a Florida Constitutional amendment backed by sports betting giants DraftKings and FanDuel fell short of a petition gathering deadline. The ballot measure is now dead in the water after receiving only 502,903 verified petitions. Constitutional ballot measures require 891,589 verified petitions by February 1 to move forward in Florida’s constitutional process.
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Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez on Friday held a roundtable discussion to highlight the dangers of human trafficking in the state.
The discussion, which included multiple government officials and experts on the issue, detailed that 40 percent of victims in Miami-Dade County are minors.
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Florida State Sen. Jim Boyd (R-FL-21) sponsored legislation that would crack down on organized retail theft, but included a provision that would have legalized theft of food items so long as the thief consumed the food.
Critics of the legislation quickly pointed out that the provision in the bill resembled Proposition 47 in California, which was adopted in 2014. The proposition made thefts of $950 or less a misdemeanor.
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During the debate over Florida’s Parental Rights legislation (HB 1557/ SB 1834), progressive politicians are ignoring issues in public schools and calling the proposal the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
The bill addresses a number of concerns related to communications between school officials and students. The bill requires school officials to notify parents if issues arise related to a students mental, emotional physical well-being. In addition, the bill prohibits school officials from encouraging students to withhold information.
Issues related to these provisions are currently being litigated in two separate legal cases across Florida. For example, parents are suing the Clay County Schools Board for counseling their elementary school child related to gender without their knowledge. The parents became aware of the situation when their child tried to commit suicide. School officials allegedly defended their actions by invoking “confidentiality rules” to justify not including the parents in the counseling sessions.
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Florida TaxWatch, a non-profit taxpayer research think tank based in Tallahassee, Fla., predicted in one of their latest reports that the runaway inflation facing the United States could subsist by the end of 2022.
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Yesterday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced that he held a roundtable discussion with doctors and patients who recently received monoclonal antibody treatments. The point of the roundtable was to highlight the treatment’s effectiveness after the federal government ended the treatment’s Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
DeSantis said that his view is that Floridians want the treatment to be available for doctors to have in the event that they would find it useful.
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Florida State Rep. Bryan Avila’s (R-FL-111) HB 7, which is part of the legislature’s effort to ban Critical Race Theory (CRT), got approval from the House Judiciary Committee this week. The bill was supported entirely by Republicans and opposed by Democrats with a vote of 14-7. The bill is part of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) “anti-woke” legislative effort and will likely lead to some of the most notable debate in the legislature during this session.
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A new statewide Florida poll shows most Floridians feel the state is heading in the right direction. The poll was conducted at the tail end of 2021, lasting from November 30 through December 9 and was facilitated by TargetSmart.
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The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) filed a notice last week that they intend to appeal a previous judicial ruling that shut down the Seminole Gaming Compact, the News Service of Florida reported Monday. The notice did not clarify details of the arguments the DOI plans to make.
The Seminole Gaming Compact was a multi-billion-dollar agreement between the tribe and the State of Florida where the state recognized the tribe as the sole controller of sports betting in the state. In turn, the state would net billions in revenue from tribal payments.
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The Clay County School Board is being sued by parents that allege school officials hid their 12-year-old daughter’s mental health and gender identity issues for months – only informing them after the child attempted suicide in the school bathroom on two separate occasions. Clay County is located just southwest of Jacksonville.
The father said he was alerted on Jan. 5 that his daughter attempted to commit suicide on campus.
The complaint states that when the child’s parents had arrived at the school, the child was being placed into the back of a police car to be transported to a hospital for involuntary examination under Florida’s “Baker Act” law. The Baker Act allows law enforcement and certain health officials to initiate a mental health examination in the event a person is an imminent risk to herself or others based on apparent mental illness.
School officials allegedly defended their actions by invoking “confidentiality rules” to justify not including the parents in the counseling sessions.
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As reported Tuesday by The Florida Capital Star, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revoked the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for monoclonal antibodies as a treatment for COVID-19, but did not provide the data is cited in making its decision.
Without the help of the FDA, which did not return a follow up comment request Wednesday, The Star was able to locate what appears to be the data used in the decision-making process. It is on the website for the National Institute of Health (NIH), which is headed by Dr. Anthony Fauci.
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A report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission’s Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Task Force has found that Florida’s algal blooms and red tide could get worse in the coming years. The report recommends more research into determining the causes of such water quality issues.
The task force was appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and found more Floridians could suffer from respiratory illnesses and sea life could die. Algal blooms are increasing amounts of nutrient rich water build-ups found in algae and lead to harmful effects to humans’ breathing and the life of sea animals. Florida’s coastlines and freshwater ecosystems have been enduring intermittent flare ups for years.
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis shredded President Joe Biden’s administration over the decision to revoke the emergency use authorization for Regeneron and Eli Lilly monoclonal antibody treatments.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, the treatments are not effective against the Omicron variant. Because the variant accounts for most cases of the coronavirus across the country, leaders of the agency limited its use.
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Two of Florida’s notable marketing programs, VISIT FLORIDA and Enterprise Florida, have received funding extension support from two of its committee stops so far. The programs are prioritized in HB 489 sponsored by Florida State Rep. Linda Chaney (R-FL-69).
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As debates rage across the country over gender issues in schools, Florida school officials with the Florida School Board Association (FSBA) have teamed up with a left-wing progressive group to develop policies that determine how controversial issues will be addressed in the classroom.
Often times these discussions take place outside of official school meetings but involve elected officials.
The group, Equality Florida, is a left-wing political advocacy group that advocates for civil rights and protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBQT+) residents in Florida. The group has successfully developed a network of connections among school officials that facilitates the promotion of their views in school operations.
One of the methods used by Equality Florida to influence policy at schools is the “All Together Now Conference” (ATN). Equality Florida states that ATN provides “dynamic programming that includes sessions such as a superintendent’s roundtable discussion, family acceptance panels, GSA workshops, and legal expert testimonials.”
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A jobs report from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) shows Florida is continuing to lead the county in job creation and lower unemployment rates. Florida’s unemployment rate fell to 4.4 percent in December 2021 – down 0.1 percent from November 2021.
The report indicates good news for Florida’s economy with Florida gaining 479,300 jobs throughout the entirety of 2021, which is an increase of 5.6 percent. The national jobs creation average during the same time period was 4.5 percent.
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Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is calling on President Joe Biden and the leaders of the House and Senate to “stop posturing” and acknowledge the magnitude of the crisis at the southwest border, which she says is enabling the illicit importation of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, fueling a drug crisis in America.
More than 21 Floridians die every day from accidental opioid overdoses, Moody said.
“Biden’s lax border policy is an open invitation to dangerous criminals, human traffickers and drug traffickers to enter the United States – creating a crisis at the Southern Border like we have never seen,” Moody, who last year sued the Biden administration over reinstating an Obama-era catch and release program, said. “Because Biden is not requiring those crossing the border to go through the legally mandated channels, they are coming into our country without being properly processed.
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Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) questioned coronavirus relief policies enacted by President Biden and congressional Democrats, labeling the added spending as “irresponsible.”
According to Scott, the funds, which were enacted through legislation passed last year, add to the levels of inflation throughout the country and waste taxpayer funds.
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As political partisans weigh-in against Governor DeSantis’ election security proposal which calls for an election oversight police force, recent reports indicate the presence of petition signature fraud in at least six Florida counties related to a gambling petition drive.
The election security proposal by DeSantis would put in place a special police force to help regulate state elections. The Office of Election Crimes and Security would be created in the Department of State. The proposal seeks approximately $6 million to hire 52 people to enforce election laws.
Critics note that the law could be used to intimidate voters.
“My number one concern is that this is going to be used as a tool to harass or intimidate civic-engagement organizations and voters,” said Jonathan Diaz, a voting rights lawyer with the Campaign Legal Center.
One state legislator pointed out the new office is not needed since Florida has had no issues during recent elections.
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Thursday night, former President Donald Trump appeared on Fox News’ Hannity and said that the accusations and reports of a growing rift between he and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is “totally fake news.”
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A bill in the Florida Legislature sponsored by State Rep. Cyndi Stevenson (R-FL-17) would move to protect private voter information from being accessed in public view. The intention is to keep third party voter registration groups from obtaining private information.
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Earlier this week, Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson (R-FL-10) indicated he would support a constitutional carry bill if the Senate were to take up that kind of legislation. Historically, Florida Republicans have been hesitant to take up expanding gun rights during the legislative session.
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Attorneys for the federal government announced they are withdrawing an appeal in the State of Florida’s fight against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s conditional sailing order. The back-and-forth fight between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) administration and the CDC ends.
Florida and the federal government have been in a legal battle since last summer when the CDC imposed their conditional sailing order on cruise lines. According to the order, cruise ships were required to complete four phases of certification before returning to operation, including vaccination status.
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Yesterday, numerous mainstream media outlets published articles claiming Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is prioritizing legislation that protects white Floridians from feeling “discomfort” when learning or discussing discrimination in the workplace or at school.
However, the bill they reference is SB 148 where individual races of people are not named.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Sunday submitted his own proposals for Florida’s congressional redistricting maps to Florida lawmakers. The Florida legislature is tasked with approving the congressional maps before this legislative session ends in March.
The proposed maps that DeSantis submitted includes 18 seats that Donald Trump would have won in 2020. The existing Florida Senate maps only have 16 Trump-leaning seats.
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Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis sent an email blast out to campaign followers blasting Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried’s (D) recent comments comparing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to infamous National Socialist dictator Adolf Hitler.
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The Florida Department of Health (FDOH) announced they will be opening additional monoclonal treatment sites after the federal government delivered its most recent shipment of treatment kits. Approximately 15,000 doses will become available in Duval, Seminole, Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade County sites.
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Florida’s public universities have numerous outgoing board of trustee members and there has not yet been any indication of who will be replacing them. In fact, some board members are serving past their term and have been accused of hiring friends.
Ben Wilcox from Common Cause Florida, a government accountability group, said Florida law does not expressly dictate what happens when trustees continue in their post past their allotted term.
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After passing through two different committees in the Florida Senate, a bill (SB 254) giving religious institutions the right to stay open during a state of emergency has been put on the calendar to be considered by the entire Senate.
Introduced by Republican Senators, Keith Perry of Gainesville and Jason Brodeur of Lake Mary, SB 254 was approved by the Senate Rules Committee Thursday who voted 14 to 2, and was unanimously approved by the Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security Committee in November.
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This week, the Florida House Professions & Public Health Subcommittee will take up a piece of legislation that could ban abortions in Florida after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The bill, HB 5, is sponsored by Florida State. Rep. Erin Grall (R-FL-54).
The bill is similar to a Mississippi abortion law that is currently being heard by the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS). Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has said that he would likely support the legislation.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) last week said he disagreed with former President Donald Trump’s (R) decisions to shut down the economy in the early stages of the COVID pandemic. The latest comments from the governor indicate a growing split between DeSantis and Trump as the rumors of the 2024 presidential election swirl.
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Florida lawmakers are considering a legislative proposal that would permit businesses to sue local governments over ordinances or mandates that lead to a revenue loss of 15 percent or more. SB 280 would require local governments to do business impact analyses when considering imposing ordinances.
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Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D) compared Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to Adolf Hitler, the infamous Chancellor of National Socialist controlled Germany from 1933 to 1945.
Fried claims that she has studied Hitler and how he came to power.
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Earlier this week, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued two decisions impacting vaccine mandates in the United States. SCOTUS issued a stay on the Biden Administration’s OSHA-based vaccine mandate for businesses with over 100 employees, striking a blow to Biden. However, the high court upheld the vaccine mandate put into place by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for healthcare providers.
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Two bills (HB 7001 and HB 7003) that further restrict public officials from lobbying after leaving office were unanimously voted yes upon by the Florida House State Affairs Committee on Thursday.
Both bills, backed by Representative Traci Koster of Tampa, were filed to implement Amendment 12 from 2018 that prohibits lobbying by certain public officers during public service and for a six-year period following vacation of public office – instead of a two-year period as the law previously stated.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced by press conference yesterday that the City of Panama City has been awarded $20 million through the Department of Economic Opportunity’s (DEO) Rebuild Florida Mitigation General Infrastructure Repair Program.
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Former President Donald J. Trump (R) criticized politicians who have not announced if they have received their booster shot referring to them as “gutless” Many pundits theorized that Trump was hinting at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) gave his State of the State speech from the Florida House of Representatives and touted Florida as one of the freest state in the Union.
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Florida Republican lawmakers Sen. Aaron Bean (R-FL-4) and Rep. John Snyder (R-FL-82) filed companion bills to enhance Florida’s illegal immigration enforcement. The bill would expand an already existent ban on sanctuary cities, municipalities that protect illegal immigrants from immigration enforcement.
The bill would also prohibit state and local government from contracting with transportation companies that have been transported illegal aliens across state lines into Florida.
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The fiancé of Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried – Jake Bergmann – was distracted when on September 15, 2021 he drove his 2019 Ram 1500 Longhorn across the center-line of a two-lane road in northeast Tallahassee, destroying a neighbor’s $1,500 brick mailbox, according to a traffic crash report obtained by The Florida Capital Star.
The report indicated that debris from the crash was scattered west to east approximately 30 yards and the Ram truck was inoperable and towed from the scene. The photo of the vehicle after the incident shows massive damage to the front of the truck and, consistent with the police report, indicates that the air bags in the front seat were deployed.
The Florida Capital Star obtained documents related to the disposition of the truck which indicate that the vehicle was valued at $56,753 with a repair cost of $44,392.
The law enforcement official at the scene did not issue a ticket, charge or sanction Bergmann, the former CEO of Surterra Wellness.
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As the 2022 legislative session in Florida began on Tuesday, proposals from both Democrat and Republican lawmakers regarding gun rights for Floridians prepare to face off; as one side promotes increased gun safety, while the other promotes loosening gun restrictions that are already in place.
The proposals by Democrats range from safe storage laws, the ban of “ghosts guns,” and a law that would require a background check each time an individual purchases or transfers ammunition.
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On Tuesday, the Susan B. Anthony (SBA) List announced their support for legislation in the Florida Legislature that would stop late abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, according to a press release by the organization.
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New findings from the University of Florida (UF) show the omicron variant’s sweep through Florida will likely peak around mid-January 2022. The findings also showed the newest variant will likely result in fewer deaths due to being the least severe of the COVID variants.
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The campaign for U.S. Representative and Democratic candidate in Florida’s 2022 gubernatorial race Charlie Crist announced $670,000 raised in December to round out 2021 and make his starting cash on hand for 2022, $3.8 million.
December fundraising numbers for Crist’s campaign were initially reported by Florida Politics on Tuesday, prior to official numbers being released by the Florida Elections Commission (FEC) late Monday. The actual number was $670,833.25.
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