Yesterday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced a new preventative monoclonal treatment will be available for immunocompromised Floridians like cancer patients and transplant recipients. DeSantis said the new product from AstraZeneca, a pre-exposure prophylactic called Evusheld, is the newest development in Florida’s fight against COVID.
Read the full storyCategory: Florida
Florida TaxWatch Report Indicates State Not Receiving Fair Share of Federal Funding
Florida TaxWatch, an independent think tank, released a report indicating Florida is set to receive shy of $20 billion from the President Joe Biden-signed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). However, TaxWatch suggests Florida is not receiving near its fair share of funding, based on population and contribution to the national economy.
Read the full storyCitizens Insurance Request Maximum Increase in Property Rates
Citizens Property Insurance Corp. announced they will be seeking to raise their property insurance rates by 11 percent starting next year. The rate hike will need to be approved by the Office of Insurance Regulation.
Read the full storyGov. DeSantis Announces Millions for Rural North Florida Projects
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made two stops in rural north Florida counties yesterday to announce the millions of dollars being granted to the respective communities.
DeSantis’ first stop was in Nassau County, north of Jacksonville where he emphasized the money being granted out of the Job Growth Grant Fund will go to workforce development.
Read the full storyDeSantis Announces Anti-Woke Legislation
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced at a press conference yesterday the unveiling of new anti-woke legislation referred to as the Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (WOKE) Act. After DeSantis banned Critical Race Theory (CRT) from Florida’s schools he said this is the next step in legislation to fight back against “woke indoctrination.”
Read the full storyNikki Fried Accuses DeSantis of Pay-to-Play with University Appointments
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried accused Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) of requiring prospective university board of trustee members to donate $100,000 to his campaign. In turn, he would grant appointments to university boards.
Read the full storyFlorida Congressman Vern Buchanan Urges Biden to Use Florida’s Ports for Supply Chain Crisis
Florida Congressman Vern Buchanan (R-FL-16) has written a letter to President Joe Biden (D) urging him to utilize Florida’s ports as a way to alleviate the nation’s supply chain shortage. In the letter, Buchanan made his case for why Florida is the bets place to send cargo and shipments.
Read the full storyFlorida State Rep. Sabatini Removed from House Committee for Unexcused Absences
State Rep. Anthony Sabatini (R-FL-7) has been removed from a the Children, Families and Seniors Subcommittee in the Florida House. He received two unexcused absences from the committee, when committee members are only allowed one.
Sabatini requested an excused absence from committee chair Thad Altman the day before his absence on October 21. He did not respond to Altman’s follow-up asking for an explanation.
Read the full storyRepublicans Outnumber Democrats in Florida Heading into 2022
In Florida, for the first time in modern political history, the number of registered Republican voters outnumber registered Democrats, raising concerns about whether donors, Washington Democrats and others will focus their efforts elsewhere.
At the same time, Republicans control most of Florida state government, and nationally recognized GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis is headed into a reelection cycle with a huge amount of campaign cash.
Among Democratic ranks, there is a concern that big donors and national Democrats have now come to view Florida as a solidly red state. Despite a $100 million injection from Michael Bloomberg during the 2020 election, former President Trump carried the state and the GOP picked up statehouse and congressional seats.
Read the full storyMore 2024 Rumors Swirl After Trump ‘History Tour’ Event in Orlando
Former President Donald. J. Trump and conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly made a stop in Orlando for their “History Tour” where they discussed the last few years and the challenges that came with being president. While on stage, Trump said that he would have to consider running again in 2024.
“I said loud and clear,” the former president said, according to the Orlando Sentinel. “We won the first time, and the second time we won by even more. And it looks like we might have to think about that very strongly a third time.”
O’Reilly reminded the audience that it was not a Trump rally, but a conversation with the former president and that they were “going to talk about very serious things.”
Read the full storyThe University of Florida Launches Investigation into Possible COVID Data Destruction
The University of Florida is launching an internal investigation after a report came out showing a culture of fear, political influence, and pressure to destroy COVID-related research data. Vice President of UF Research David Norton made the announcement last week by email.
Read the full storyFlorida Only State with Passing Grade for Anti-Child Trafficking
Florida ranked first in a nationwide analysis of states’ efforts to combat child sex trafficking.
According to a new report by Shared Hope International and the Institute for Justice and Advocacy, the majority of states, 40 out of 50, and the District of Columbia received failing grades for their anti-child and youth sex trafficking efforts.
Florida was the only state to receive a C grade. Ten states received D grades and 40 states received F grades. No states received A or B grades.
Read the full storyBroward School Board Member Faces State Ethics Complaint
Broward County School Board Member Donna Korn is facing a complaint to the State Ethics Commission regarding showing favoritism to a vendor. Korn and Shawn Cerra, director of student activities and athletics, vacationed and stayed separately at a $1.1 million beach house in Naples owned by Chuck Puleri. Puleri’s company, Chuck Puleri & Associates, has been Broward County Schools’ longtime distributor for Herff Joes caps and gowns.
Read the full storyFlorida Judge Rules Against Seminole Tribe, Wants to Hear Lawsuit
Leon County Circuit Judge Angela Dempsey denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against the Seminole Tribe of Florida over whether or not they are working to block petition gatherers for a constitutional amendment that would permit card rooms to operate in casinos.
Las Vegas Sands, who is supporting the lawsuit, launched a political committee entitled “Florida Voters in Charge” and hired petition-gathering firms to get 900,000 petitions before the Feb. 1, 2022 deadline. If they make the deadline, their constitutional amendment would be placed on the general election ballot in November 2022.
Read the full storyFlorida Department of Health to Accept Applications from African American Farmers for Medical Marijuana Licenses
Almost six months after the Florida Supreme Court upheld a law that designated a single medical marijuana treatment center (MMTC) license for an African American farmer with business ties in the state, the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) issued rules for the licensing process on Thursday.
Eligible applicants for $50 million MMTC license are African American farmers who were litigants in the Pigford vs. Glickman lawsuit from 1999 that successfully ruled the U.S. Department of Agriculture of discriminating against African American farmers when allocating farm loans and other financial assistance from 1981-1996.
Read the full storyFlorida Department of Education Begins Website Review Based on Florida Capital Star Report
Based on a report by the Florida Capital Star, the Florida Department of Education (DOE) has initiated a review of all links on the FDOE website “to make sure information is relevant, current, and appropriate.”
A report by the Florida Capital Star found that there were external links on the FDOE webpage related to bullying that redirected users to left-wing advocacy groups promoting controversial gender policies. After the report, FDOE officials took down the webpage.
Agriculture Commissioner and gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried criticized the DeSantis administration for FDOE taking down the webpage. Fried said the move was dangerous for students.
Read the full storyFlorida Governor DeSantis Campaign Finance Report Shows over $4.5 Million Raised in November
As campaign finance reports for November were filed by 2022 gubernatorial candidates and officially released by the Florida Division of Elections on Friday, Governor Ron DeSantis’ campaign finance report showed that his political committee, Friends of Ron DeSantis, raised $4,593,936.
DeSantis, who had been fundraising for his campaign well before his official campaign announcement, now has $67 million in cash on hand from a variety of contributors who donated from as low as $1, to as high as $500,000 in November.
Read the full storyDeSantis Announces Plan to Transport Illegal Aliens Out of Florida
At a press conference in Jacksonville yesterday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced his desire to implement an $8 million program to transport illegal aliens out of Florida. Also a part of the plan would be to limit access to state contracts for contractors that hire and transport illegal immigrants “knowingly and recklessly.”
Read the full storyCharlie Crist Campaign Releases Finance Report for November
Campaign fundraising for U.S. Representative and Democratic candidate in Florida’s 2022 gubernatorial race, Charlie Crist, has amassed $5 million raised since his campaign announcement in early May.
Crist’s campaign, and political committee, Friends of Charlie Crist, announced Wednesday that there was more than $607,000 raised in the month of November, which ultimately led to the $5 million fundraising landmark.
Read the full storyFlorida Gov. DeSantis Announces ‘Freedom First Budget’
Yesterday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced his plans for Florida’s 2022 budget, which is expected to come to a total of $99.7 billion. Last year, Florida’s budget eclipsed $100 billion for the first time in state history. The slight decrease in state revenue is due, in large part, to the economy rebounding from the effects of the COVID pandemic.
Read the full storyFlorida Commission on Ethics Finds Probable Cause Related to Nikki Fried Complaint
The Florida Commission on Ethics announced yesterday it found probable cause that Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D) violated state law when she failed to disclose more than $350,000 in lobbying income when she ran for her current post.
Read the full storyDepartment of Transportation Considering Florida Turnpike Northbound Extension
Officials at the Florida Department of Transportation are considering several proposals to extend the Florida Turnpike north, past its current northern-most end in Wildwood, Fla. A project study area is currently in the works for a three-county region.
Read the full storyAAA Says Florida Gas Prices Could Drop Below $3 in the Coming Weeks
Motorists in Florida could see gas prices return to under $3 a gallon in the coming weeks, as officials from the American Automobile Association (AAA) say concerns over the surge of the COVID-19 Omicron variant will likely halt demand for fuel.
According to AAA, the price at the pump has continued to drop after reaching its 2021 peak four weeks ago in November, where the average price per gallon was almost $4. In the weeks since, the average price per gallon dropped 21%.
Read the full storyFlorida Gov. DeSantis Announces Statewide Flooding Infrastructure, Derides Left-Wing Environmental Ideology
At a press conference in Oldsmar, Fla., Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced a statewide flooding resiliency plan and is asking lawmakers for millions of dollars of environmental spending. In total, DeSantis is seeking $276 million in proposed funding for 76 state projects within the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) as part of the 2022 Florida budget.
DeSantis said that Florida is a state with flooding issues, and he’s just addressing the need for environmental infrastructure without “a bunch of left-wing things.”
Read the full storyLaw Professor John Eastman on Steve Bannon’s War Room Explains Why Pelosi’s January 6 Select Committee is Not Legitimate
Stephen K. Bannon welcomed Conservative attorney, legal scholar, and professor of law John Eastman on Monday’s War Room: Pandemic to explain his attorney’s letter to Congress citing the illegitimacy of his subpoena regarding the January 6 committee hearings. Bannon: I’m going to start with John Eastman. God do I love this guy. John Eastman, Raheem Kassam, and the great team over at the National pulse have a story. Because I never talk about this stuff because I’m focused on destroying brick by brick this radical regime that is the Biden administration and proud of it. So suck on that Democrats. Embrace the suck. But there is a huge story up here about your lawyer and something destroying the January 6 subpoenas. Can you walk us through here what’s gone on here sir? I’m going to put it up on the screen in Denver and all of our platforms so people can see it in our live chat. John Eastman, the floor is all yours. Eastman: I love that headline. John Eastman’s Lawyers Just Destroyed the January 6 Committee and its Subpoenas. Look, what we discovered looking into this, and I should say that I like you were subpoenaed to…
Read the full storyNikki Fried Consultant Wants FBI to Investigate Right Wingers Who Criticized Her on Twitter
A communications consultant for one of Florida’s Democrat candidates for Governor suggested Monday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation should investigate right wingers who criticized her on Twitter.
“In the last days, after posting the above,I am also getting followed by retired police who follow Breitbart, people who work for the alt-right publication in Spanish The American, and other alt-right people,” Evelyn Perez-Verdia said on Twitter.
Read the full storyGov. DeSantis Defends Parental Rights, Criticizes Political Advocacy in Florida Classrooms
After the Florida Capital Star uncovered the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) removed links and resources to LGBT advocacy groups, notable Florida progressives chimed in to criticize the FDOE and the Gov. Ron DeSantis administration.
Read the full storyFlorida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Motion to Block Health-Care Worker Vaccine Mandate Denied
A motion by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to block a rule by the Biden Administration that would require health-care workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine was denied Sunday by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
In a three-judge panel, it was voted two to one in denying Moody’s proposed injunction, as the two judges who voted against it – Judges Robin Rosenbaum and Jill Pryor – expressed that the state “failed to make the requisite showing for an injunction pending appeal.” Judge Barbara Lagoa was the judge who supported the state’s appeal.
Read the full storyReport: Florida Named the Second-Freest State in U.S.
Only a state with the motto “Live Free or Die” is freer than the Sunshine State.
That’s according to the nonprofit CATO Institute’s annual Freedom in the 50 States report, which compares states based on different aspects of autonomy and choice in key policy areas. The report uses hundreds of variables to gauge states on fiscal, regulatory and personal terms.
Read the full storySeminole Tribe Shuts Down Sports Betting App Amid Legal Disputes
The Seminole Tribe of Florida has temporarily shut down their sports betting app as an appellate court in the District of Columbia denied the tribe’s request to continue sports betting while they are appealing a federal ruling shutting that down the Seminole Gaming Compact.
Read the full storyFlorida’s AdventHealth Ends Vaccine Mandate
One of Florida’s largest healthcare providers, AdventHealth, has ended their COVID vaccine mandate for employees. The healthcare network cited the recent federal court ruling to block the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) vaccine mandate.
Read the full storyAfter 23 Years, a New Proposal Calls for Partisan School Board Elections
After 23 years since legislation from 1998 shifted Florida school boards to be nonpartisan, Florida Senator Joe Gruters on Tuesday proposed a bill to reverse course and make school board elections partisan again.
Gruters, a Republican from Sarasota, filed the bill SJR 244, which was approved by the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee and is awaiting further review.
Read the full storyFlorida Atlantic University Researchers Say Florida’s Republican and Democrat Voters Nearly Agree on Climate Change
Research from Florida Atlantic University suggests that Florida’s Republican and Democrat voters nearly agree on the existence of climate change but differ on the cause. According to the researchers, approximately nine out of 10 Florida Republicans believe climate change exists. Approximately 96 percent of Florida Democrat voters agree.
Regarding the cause of climate change, half of Florida Republicans believe it is a man-made issue, while nearly 75 percent of Florida Democrat voters would concur.
Read the full storyGovernor DeSantis Proposes $100 Million for Military Budget and the Florida State Guard
Florida’s military budget could receive more than $100 million in funding as Governor Ron DeSantis announced multiple proposals on Thursday that aim to support Florida’s National Guard, and establish a “civilian volunteer force,” known as the “Florida State Guard.”
According to the Governor’s Office, his proposals would further support the National Guard in giving them extras hands in helping with state-specific emergencies such as natural disasters.
Read the full storyFlorida Court Rules Against FDLE in Firearm Case
A three-judge panel in the 1st District Court of Appeal ruled against the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Wednesday, in a case regarding an individual who was denied the purchase of a firearm by the Department based off an unapproved background check.
The background check in question was issued through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, which FDLE states denied Leonardo Lynch the purchase of a gun because he had a record of mental incompetency or a court-ordered substance abuse treatment – both of which Lynch denied.
Read the full storyFlorida Bill Could Expand Hope Scholarship Access
Florida Sen. Manny Diaz (R-FL-36) is sponsoring legislation that would expand opportunities for students to be able to attend a school of their choice through a voucher program. SB 506 would amend the Hope Scholarship program to permit students who attend school districts who are not complying with state law to apply for the program and receive a voucher.
Read the full storyFlorida Department of Education Takes Down Web Page with External Links to LGBTQ Advocacy Groups
After The Florida Capital Star sought comment from officials about a web page with hyper-links to LGBTQ advocacy groups on the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) website, the web page was removed.
FDOE officials told The Florida Capital Star that the content on the web page was under review.
The Florida Capital Star also found that at least one Florida school district was using the presence of the resources on the FDOE web page as justification for certain LGBTQ school activities.
When asked to provide the school policies that support advocacy of LGBTQ issues in middle schools, the Leon County School District provided a link to the FDOE web page with the external links to LGBTQ advocacy groups.
Read the full storyFlorida Democratic Lawmakers File Bills Supporting Abortion Rights
Months after a Florida House Representative Webster Barnaby (R-Deltona) filed an anti-abortion bill (HB 167) in September, which would ban the procedure after fetal heartbeat, Democrats in the Florida legislature filed identical bills in both the House and Senate that would establish a woman’s right to an abortion.
Representative Ben Diamond of St. Petersburg, and Senator Lori Berman of Lantana, filed HB 709 and SB 1036, respectively, known as “Reproductive Health Care Rights.”
Read the full storyFlorida School Board Association Withdraws from National Association
The Florida School Board Association (FSBA) announced they have withdrawn from their affiliation with the National School Boards Association (NSBA). The announcement comes as 26 state school board associations have either cut ties or distanced themselves from the parent organization.
The impetus for the withdrawal stems from the NSBA’s letter to the federal government asking for intervention at local school board meetings. Attorney General Merrick Garland took the NSBA up on their recommendations and announced they would be launching investigations into parents at school board meetings.
Read the full storySupervisor of Elections Claims Third Party Groups Responsible Florida Voter Registration Forgeries
Last week, the Florida Capital Star reported on two Duval County, Florida men being charged and arrested for fraudulently registering dead people to vote. It was revealed that the two men were working as employees for a petition and canvassing company, Grassfire.
Since the story broke, Grassfire has said they hired the two men in June 2021 to work as petitioners, not to register voters.
Read the full storyFlorida Democrats Oppose Biden’s Decision to Remove FARC from Terrorist List
After the Biden Administration announced its plan to remove a Colombian rebel group known as FARC from the list of foreign terrorist organizations, an outcry of opposition in South Florida and state Democrats soon followed.
Amongst the outcry were some of the state’s top Democratic elected officials, researchers, and activists who also expressed how Biden’s decision failed to take into account the estimated 150,000 Columbian American voters, as well as the other Hispanic or Latino American voters in Florida who experienced the violence in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
Read the full storyFlorida Mom: ‘Gender Ideology Almost Destroyed My Family’
January Littlejohn knew there was a problem when she picked up her daughter at Deer Lake Middle School in Tallahassee, Florida one September afternoon last year. Her daughter revealed she was interviewed by school officials about gender preference issues. She was asked by officials about changing her name and also about which restroom she preferred to use.
Littlejohn, who is a mother of three children and a licensed mental health counselor, was shocked. Shocked at the fact that the meeting took place without her knowledge.
She had previously informed school officials about the family situation. Her daughter was experiencing stress about her gender at the height of the pandemic and the family was completely caught by surprise. The family found a counselor and began researching the issue.
And now school officials had intervened between her and her daughter over a very personal issue.
She would later explain in a speech to the Florida Family Policy Council how “gender ideology almost destroyed my family.”
Read the full storyDeSantis Proposes Raises for First Responders
In a press conference Monday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is proposing raises and bonuses for law enforcement officers and first responders as part of his budget hopes ahead of the 2022 Florida legislative session.
Read the full storyPolice Determine Florida School Did Not Commit Child Abuse by Forcing Disabled Student to Wear a Mask
After an investigation, police have determined that a Florida school tying a mask to a disabled student’s face did not count as child abuse, according to Fox News.
The investigation was initiated after seven-year-old Sofia Bezerra, who has Down syndrome, was found to have a mask tied to her head with a nylon string when she got off the bus after school on October 7th. Her step-father, Jeffrey Steel, said that she had left for school that morning without a mask on since she had received a medical exemption to the school’s mask mandate. Steel said that, as a result of her Down syndrome, his step-daughter has an enlarged tongue and breathes primarily through her mouth, which would make a mask more dangerous for her; when she came home, the mask was wet with her own saliva.
Read the full storyFlorida’s COVID Numbers Continue to Decline, Reports Lowest Daily Cases per Capita in U.S.
Florida’s positive coronavirus cases have continued to decline over recent weeks, allowing the state to report the lowest number of cases per capita in the country.
According to data compiled by The New York Times, the state has an average of 1,393 cases per day, as of Friday. The average represents approximately six cases per 100,000.
Read the full storyFlorida U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist Against Bank Account Tracking by IRS
As the U.S. Senate prepares to discuss legislation that would allow bank account tracking by the IRS, U.S. Representative Charlie Crist called on Senate leadership to exclude it from being wrapped into Biden’s Build Back Better plan.
Crist sent a letter last week to the Oregon Democrat and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, as well as Indiana Republican and Ranking Member of the Senate Mike Crapo, encouraging them to “avoid adding divisive IRS account reporting requirements.”
Read the full storyFlorida Lawmakers Looking to Expand Health Insurance for Children
Florida’s lawmakers are considering expanding state-funded health insurance for children. The idea has gained traction among Republicans and Democrats, and two competing proposals would increase the amount of money beneficiaries can make.
Currently, families making less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level are eligible for the state’s program, KidCare. However, the same families do not qualify for Medicaid.
Read the full storyReport Shows Lowest Florida Jobless Claims Since Before the Pandemic
The four-week average number of Florida jobless claims reached its lowest mark since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Department of Labor (USDL) released the information on Wednesday.
The data reflected 5,343 first-time unemployment claims filed in Florida during the week that ended Nov. 20, which dropped the four-week average to 6,045 claims.
Read the full storyFlorida Supreme Court Calls for Additional State Appeals Court
The Florida Supreme Court is calling for creating a sixth state appeals court. One of their reasons for making the call is “serious underrepresentation” of appellate judges from Jacksonville.
“The creation of a new district court, like any other significant change in the judicial system, would be accompanied by some degree of internal disruption, but we conclude that any such internal disruption in the district courts associated with the creation of a sixth district court would be short-lived and would be outweighed by the benefit of enhanced public trust and confidence,” said the Florida Supreme Court’s majority opinion shared by Chief Justice Charles Canady and Justices Jorge Labarga, Alan Lawson, Carlos Muniz and John Couriel.
Read the full storyJudge Denies Stay on Seminole Gaming Compact Ruling
A federal judge has denied a stay on the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s sports betting compact with the State of Florida. A ruling earlier in the week blocked the agreement between the tribe and the state.
As of Thursday, the Seminole Tribe’s Hard Rock Sportsbook was still operational and accepting sports bets.
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