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Gov. DeSantis bashes China over COVID-19 supplies, urges drugmakers to set up in FL
Gov. Ron DeSantis went harsh against the Chinese government Wednesday, adopting the line being pushed by the Trump administration that China has hoarded antiviral protective gear. The governor, during a news conference in Miami Gardens, pointed to shortages of such gear as the COVID-19 pandemic flared in Florida and elsewhere in the United States in […]
Gov. DeSantis “100% comfortable” taking his young family out to eat as COVID strictures ease in FL
Gov. Ron DeSantis would feel “100 percent comfortable” taking his wife and three kids to a restaurant operating within the COVID-19 public safety guidelines that took effect this week, even as infections and deaths are rising in Florida. “Partially because I know that my kids, fortunately, are in an extremely low risk group. All of […]
Gov. DeSantis demands probe into Florida’s failing unemployment compensation system
Gov. Ron DeSantis called Monday for an investigation into Florida’s hopelessly overwhelmed unemployment compensation system during the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor complained during a news conference in the Capitol that the state sank $77.9 million into the unemployment CONNECT system that’s riddled with bugs and totally incapable of coping with a massive surge in claims […]
Immigrant fighting FL gun charge insists he didn’t know he was in country illegally
A Florida man will get a chance to overturn his conviction for being in possession of firearms while illegally living in the United States under a ruling handed down Monday by a federal appellate court. A federal trial judge in Central Florida had blocked Oniel Russell from telling the jury that he believed he was […]
Gov. DeSantis: ‘We’re going to be cautious’ as Phase 1 restrictions loosen on Monday
Gov. Ron DeSantis stressed Sunday, as the state prepares to begin lifting his COVID-19 stay-home order, that state government is building the medical resources it needs to fight the disease during the summer and any reemergence of the new coronavirus this fall. “Nobody really knows what shape the epidemic’s going to take. As we go […]
Gov. DeSantis turns pugnacious, slams ‘misleading narratives’ about COVID-19 in Florida
Gov. Ron DeSantis traveled to Little Talbot Island State Park Friday to announce that he will reopen Florida’s state parks Monday as part of his broader loosening of COVID-19 rules, and took the opportunity to bash critics including the national news media. Appearing during a news conference with Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and Florida National […]
DeSantis administration envisions long recovery from COVID-19 restrictions
Gov. Ron DeSantis is taking first steps to return Florida to normal by slightly loosening restrictions on business activity and individual people, but a task force report makes clear that the road will be long as the coronavirus pandemic continues. The governor’s office released the report of his Re-Opening Florida Task Force after DeSantis outlined […]
DeSantis launches 1st phase of jumpstarting FL’s economy with partial restaurant and retail access, saying, ‘We should have hope’
Restaurants in Florida can re-open for outdoor service and at 25 percent capacity inside under Gov. Ron DeSantis’ plan to get the state economy moving again. But restrictions on entering nursing homes will remain and movie theaters, bars, gyms, and hair salons will remain closed, DeSantis announced in the state capitol Wednesday. Additionally, elective surgeries […]
Federal appeals court OKs law giving Republicans top spots on FL’s election ballots
A federal appeals court has overturned a trial judge who struck down Florida’s system of naming members of the governor’s party first on the ballot, citing insufficient evidence that voters and political organizations suffered any injury that the courts can repair. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit lifted […]
Eyes on Gov. DeSantis as FL’s COVID-19 task force prepares its plan to reopen economy
With a state task force’s plan for beginning to reopen Florida’s economy due at any time, Gov. Ron DeSantis has been signaling that the process will take time. The task force — heavily weighted toward Republicans and men — had been due to deliver its report Friday, but sought extra time to confer with medical […]
As COVID-19 task force completes its work, Gov. DeSantis says no to reopening movies, sports venues
As a task force worked over the weekend to give Gov. Ron DeSantis recommendations for opening businesses again, a leading doctor warned Saturday that the process might prove hit-and-miss and that people should continue maintaining social distancing precautions. Meanwhile, the governor put distance between himself and guidelines from the Trump administration that would allow gathering […]
A victim preyed upon by Jeffrey Epstein loses in a federal appeals court
One of Jeffrey Epstein’s Florida victims is barred from taking the U.S. Department of Justice to court over the sweetheart plea bargain he reached with federal prosecutors in South Florida, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. In a split decision, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a case brought […]