Two days after omitting mention of LGBTQ Floridians in a memorandum commemorating the 2016 Pulse nightclub shootings, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday that he sees no need to include them in an executive order barring discrimination within his administration. “My office – we do merit only, and I don’t need a piece of paper to […]

It’s not often you see a state Cabinet official asking people to sign a petition against a fellow state agency. But that’s what Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried is asking her supporters to do. In an email from a Political Action Committee called “Florida Consumers First,” Fried – Florida’s only statewide […]

Our society promises that the key to a better life is through college. But over that last generation, many Americans have come to realize that the great opportunity comes with a staggering and often debilitating cost: student debt and low pay for educators. In the classroom, I get to see the hope and promise of […]

Last week, Florida immigration attorney Adonia Simpson went to speak to a group of Miami pediatricians. The doctors had a pressing question: What should they tell patients worried about a major Trump administration immigration rule issued the day before? The rule released earlier this month would make it tougher for immigrants to remain in the […]

Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis announced that 63 “telemental” health portals will be available to offer counseling to storm-traumatized students in the six Panhandle counties most damaged by Hurricane Michael when public schools reopen next week. “Think of FaceTime with a mental health provider,” DeSantis said during a news conference in a hallway at Bay […]

The Florida Democratic presidential primary will take place exactly eight months from today – a veritable lifetime away in American politics. But with the next debates scheduled in just two weeks, party activists are definitely paying attention. Take the New Florida Majority, a statewide progressive group that bills itself as dedicated to increasing the voting […]

A federal judge on Tuesday cut off Roger Stone from his political oxygen — social media sites Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. On the plus side, for Stone — a resident of Fort Lauderdal…

Tampa paramedic Steve LaDue was attending a funeral for a fellow first responder when another colleague collapsed with a heart attack. As he was trained to do, LaDue rushed to treat the man, but failed to save his life. It was the last straw for a career dedicated to other people’s traumas. “My brother really […]

The effects of synthetic cannabinoids – referred to as synthetic marijuana — can be deadly, claiming the lives of 86 Floridians in 2018, according to a new state report. The synthetic marijuana, a class of unknown chemicals, are packaged and sold by retailers nationwide. But unlike cannabis, meaning pot or weed, the synthetic product contains […]

Forget expecting the U.S. Senate to sit as an impartial jury on whether to sustain the impeachment of Donald Trump and remove him from office, Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio suggested in a series of Twitter posts on Thursday. “Not a single senator can be an ‘impartial juror’ in the traditional sense of a jury […]

The panel conducting the search for two new justices of the Florida Supreme Court has picked up a new, and conservative, member: Harout Samra, who specializes in international arbitration and civil litigation in the Miami office of the DLA Piper law firm. Gov. Ron DeSantis named Samra to the judicial nominating commission for the Supreme […]

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Judiciary Committee committee advanced three gun safety bills on Tuesday, despite unified Republican opposition.  The committee voted along partisan lines to approve “red flag” legislation that seeks to limit access to firearms for those deemed a risk to themselves or others. The committee also voted to advance legislation from Rep. […]

WASHINGTON — In the wake of two devastating mass shootings over the weekend, some members of Congress are imploring the U.S. Senate to vote on sweeping gun control legislation the U.S. House passed in February. The killings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio are putting pressure on the GOP-led Senate to take up a […]

Jimmy Patronis, the Republican candidate for Florida’s Chief Financial officer, took at least $60,000 in contributions from two South Florida insurance companies that a federal judge shut down on Friday for allegedly scamming people by collecting money and not giving  promised health insurance. He took repeated campaign contributions even after the Nebraska Attorney General issued […]

The Florida House will kick off the first week of the 2020 session by looking at the issue of allowing college athletes to accept outside compensation. The House Commerce, Education and Judiciary committees are scheduled to hold a three-hour workshop on the issue on Monday. The joint meeting will come a day before the Florida […]

WASHINGTON — For decades, the Violence Against Women Act was an issue that could transcend partisan politics on Capitol Hill. Not anymore. The landmark law — first passed in 1994 to protect victims of domestic crimes — funds programs like rape crisis centers, shelters, and legal services to victims of domestic abuse. But after several […]

A plan to limit medical marijuana’s potency went up in smoke as the 2019 Legislature moves to conclusion. Earlier this spring, lawmakers passed a bill and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law, allowing Floridians who have debilitating diseases to smoke medical marijuana. Advocates say the law carries out of the will of Florida voters […]

After raw and emotional debate, the Florida Legislature voted Wednesday to allow Florida teachers the option of carrying guns in their classrooms. The 65-47 vote in the Florida House of Representatives sends the controversial measure (SB 7030) to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to sign it. Five Republican lawmakers joined 42 Democrats in […]

Taylor Lawrance will celebrate her 19th birthday Saturday at the Florida Women’s Reception Center in Marion County. As inmate H48955, she will mark her next five birthdays in a women’s prison, where she has been serving a 10-year sentence since she was convicted as a 15-year-old of participating in a home robbery in Polk County […]

A group of more than 100 mayors throughout Florida have penned a letter to Governor Ron DeSantis, calling on him to elevate childhood health and education as a statewide priority. “As a former law enforcement officer, I learned that getting kids – and particularly those in at-risk environments – enrolled at school at three and […]

One year ago today, a shooter came to Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and killed 17 students and staff. In remembrance, flags are flying half-staff today at “all local and state buildings, installations and grounds throughout the state of Florida.” Flags will be lowered from sunrise until sunset on Thursday, February 14, 2019, according […]

OCCUPIED TALLAHASSEE — Some people around here just don’t appreciate the orgy of bright ideas, altruism and statesmanship that is the annual Florida legislative session. Unkind people have even likened the yearly arrival of lawmakers to dogs returning to a marked tree. Or a swarm of locusts, consuming all before it–in this case steak, oysters, […]

Weather Channel reporter is reporting in Virginia Beach during hurricane Irene. While reporting, he is mooned by a streaker out playing in the hurricane. He is embarrassed by the behavior of the people interrupting his report and states that the human behavior is depressing. He runs out of words to describe the horror. This is hilarious and I do think the reporter thought so too, but he is doing his job. Enjoy!