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Upon reflection, Gov. DeSantis decides consultant belongs on Miami Dade College board
Gov. Ron DeSantis, who rescinded education consultant Nicole Washington’s appointment to the board that oversees Florida’s public universities, now has named her a trustee of Miami Dade College. Washington will serve a four-year term on the college’s board of trustees, the governor’s office announced Tuesday. She’d been among 45 people placed on state boards and […]
Gov. DeSantis’ political committee rakes in cash from business, finance, health, and other groups
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ political committee reported record fundraising during June – $718,449.19, to be precise. The largest gift was $100,000 from the Hutson Cos. LLC, owned by the family of state Sen. Travis Hutson. The haul far surpassed the nearly $437,000 the Friends of Ron DeSantis collected during May, and that amount represented more than […]
Florida’s 27,000 ‘Dreamers’ are living their lives in fear and uncertainty
“Dreamer” Adrian Escarate ordinarily wouldn’t need to renew his registration under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program, until next June. But now that the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review the program during its next term, he’s thinking about reapplying early – just in case. “I’ve never let my status dictate […]
Gov. DeSantis signs final bill, drawing a line under the 2019 session of the Florida Legislature
And it’s a wrap on the 2019 legislative session – Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed into law the last of the 194 bills the Legislature sent him this year. The measure (HB 385) reorganizes the expressway authority for Miami-Dade County. DeSantis affixed his signature to 189 bills and vetoed five. The Florida Constitution allows […]
Jailing the mentally ill: Attorney General Moody looks for solutions
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody tells a story about the intersection of mental illness and law enforcement. It involves someone experiencing a mental breakdown in the middle of a busy street, “clearly causing chaos,” she says. “Traffic was tied up. The officer can’t leave them there. If they have no other choice but to arrest […]
The changing judiciary: Gov. DeSantis appoints the people who’ll help him shape Florida’s courts
Gov. Ron DeSantis has named 66 people to sit on the panels that nominate candidates for judgeships at every level, continuing the process of remaking the state’s judiciary. From civil litigation to criminal trials and lofty arguments about privacy rights and the death penalty, these panels will help select judges who will decide what the […]
New state law aims to stop senseless deaths in college hazing rituals
Two years ago, Andrew Coffey’s fraternity brothers at Florida State University’s Pi Kappa Phi made him drink an entire bottle of Wild Turkey bourbon and then left him to sleep it off on a couch. The 21-year-old was dead the next morning. No one dialed 911 or sought medical help. Now, “Andrew’s Law,” SB 1080, […]
Trump campaign spends big on Facebook ads for FL Latino vote push
President Trump has been turning to Facebook to boost interest in his “Latinos for Trump” campaign kickoff in Miami, spending nearly $635,000 on ads attempting to lure voters to a Tuesday rally. “¡Estreno de la coalicion Latina!” one of Trump’s ads reads. Its biggest target was women aged 45 through 54, but it also was […]
Democratic Hispanic groups call Trump campaign’s Florida outreach “laughable”
With Vice President Pence coming to Miami to try to mobilize Hispanic Floridians behind President Trump, Latino politicos affiliated with the Democratic Party are speaking out against the president. They point to the anti-Hispanic tone of Trump’s rhetoric and policies from the beginning of his 2016 campaign – including the federal immigration detention centers that […]
Gov. DeSantis hopes his Trump connection can bring Space Command to Florida
Gov. Ron DeSantis has been leaning on President Trump to overrule the U.S. Air Force’s top brass and bring the planned U.S. Space Command to Florida’s Space Coast instead of Colorado. “I pester him about that,” DeSantis said Monday during a news conference at the offices of Space Florida in Merritt Island. “I don’t think […]
Progress Florida grades Florida lawmakers’ 2019 votes
Thirteen Florida legislators won a progressive organization’s title of “People’s Champions” for their votes on key legislation during the 2019 legislative session. That’s up from three legislators the year before on Progress Florida’s “People’s First” report card. Republicans scored much lower on the progressive nonprofit’s key priorities, including a new law making it more difficult […]
FL counties will get bucks to spend for online election security
On the eve of President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign kickoff in Orlando, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis promised Monday to dedicate some $5 million so that county elections officials can beef up their internet security systems. But DeSantis wouldn’t commit to informing Floridians if the state suffers any more breaches by Russian hackers. Special Counsel Robert […]