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National GOP announces coordinated plan to get voters to cast ballots before Election Day
Leading up to and following the 2020 election, Republicans around the nation denounced the dramatic increase in vote-by-mail balloting that took place across the country. Now, they’re embracing efforts to vote before Election Day in a nationwide campaign dubbed “Bank Your Vote” that they hope will help them retain the U.S. House and win back […]
President Biden nominates Charlie Crist to serve as U.S. ambassador for global aviation post
Charlie Crist, who left his job in Congress last summer to focus exclusively on the 2022 Florida gubernatorial race — he was unsuccessful — has been nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as ambassador to the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The ICAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations […]
Chinese citizens file emergency motion to block FL law; say they’ll face financial harms and stigma
Attorneys for a group of Chinese citizens who live and work in Florida have filed an emergency motion in federal court to block a new law that bans Chinese nationals from purchasing property near military installations or critical infrastructure facilities. The Chinese citizens in the lawsuit say they will experience a constitutional injury, unwarranted stigma […]
U.S. judge blocks Florida’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors
A federal judge in Tallahassee has blocked a state ban on administration of gender-affirming therapies, including puberty blockers, hormone therapies, or surgery, for any patient under the age of 18. The order also addresses legislation recently signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (SB 254) that codifies Florida state Board of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine rules blocking […]
Workers at federal health care call center hold 1-day strike outside of Tampa
Since 2014, Katherine Charles has worked as a customer service representative for the federal contractor Maximus, answering telephone calls related to Medicare and the Affordable Care Act. But Monday morning, she stood marching outside Maximus’ offices in the Hillsborough County town of Riverview east of Tampa, joining dozens of her colleagues and labor allies in […]
Florida prisons detain the highest number of HIV-positive people in the nation
Florida’s state and federal correctional institutions hold the most prisoners in the country living with HIV, and also the highest percentage with HIV, of any prison system in the country. That’s according to a report compiled by the U.S. Department of Justice as documented in a new study from the Prison Policy Initiative. The report shows […]
FL medical board poised to extend transgender care for minors for six months
With a deadline looming, a state medical licensing panel has agreed to recommend an emergency rule allowing transgender minors who are taking puberty blockers or hormone therapy to continue to do so for an additional six months. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation two weeks ago that bars doctors from providing gender-affirming treatment to minors, but […]
Citizens in Clearwater attend town-hall to fight book bans in Florida
Allowing kids to have access to books and information is worth fighting for. That was the theme of a public teach-in on the removal of books in public schools in Florida held Wednesday night in Clearwater by the Florida Freedom to Read Project, PEN America, the League of Women Voters of North Pinellas County, and […]
As DeSantis heads to the Lone Star State next week, the GOP presidential field will be expanding
As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis continues his travels around the nation as a full-fledged presidential candidate, the GOP field likely will expand rapidly, with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Vice President Mike Pence expected to announce their own candidacies. DeSantis’ strategy includes a three-day trek to Texas — the second largest state in the […]
DeSantis signs bill renaming FL road after Rush Limbaugh, but some Dems couldn’t honor a ‘racist’
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed legislation that will rename a road in Central Florida’s Hernando County after the late conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh, though some Democratic lawmakers said they couldn’t support a bill to honor a man they described as being ‘racist.’ Nevertheless, as of July 1, a stretch of U.S. 41 and […]
After initial Twitter breakdown, DeSantis discusses his presidential bid with Elon Musk
Gov. Ron DeSantis was supposed to announce his candidacy for president on so-called “Twitter Spaces” at 6 p.m., with Elon Musk. That didn’t happen, at least right away, as thousands of people attempted to tune into the audio-only conversation about DeSantis’ presidential run. And moderator David Sacks admitted that the large digital audience was “melting […]
From the FL governor’s mansion to a presidential run, DeSantis faced travails and success
Now that Gov. Ron DeSantis has filled out the federal paperwork to officially become a 2024 candidate for president of the United States, the Florida Phoenix has compiled a chronicle of the trajectory of DeSantis’ tenure, from moving into the governor’s mansion on Jan. 8, 2019, to a presidential run. The Phoenix, which launched on […]