News
Confusion reigns over Marsy’s Law: Critics and supporters agree it’s going to need more clarity
Killearn Estates residents in the northeast part of Tallahassee were concerned and confused about a news blackout regarding a death that closed down traffic in their neighborhood for several hours this past Saturday morning. What was going on? After an initial press release announced an accident had occurred, it took more than 48 hours before […]
City Commissioner under fire for saying Muslim member of Congress might “blow up Capitol Hill”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is calling for Hallandale Beach Commissioner Annabelle Lima-Taub to resign following her Facebook post accusing newly elected Democratic U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan of plotting to “blow up Capitol Hill.” The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported on Monday night that Lima-Taub had written alongside a Facebook petition to remove Tlaib […]
Upheaval continues over dismissals at Broward County sheriff’s office
Just days after Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Broward County’s Sheriff in connection with the deaths at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, another longtime law enforcement leader has been dismissed and other sheriff’s officials have turned in paperwork to resign or retire, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. New Gov. DeSantis launched what has become […]
U.S. Senator Rick Scott stands behind Trump during government shutdown
New U.S. Senator Rick Scott criticized Congressional Democrats today when discussing the partial federal government shutdown, now in its 25th day. In his first live interview since being sworn in for office earlier this month, the former Florida governor and now U.S. Senator expressed frustration with the shutdown, but came down strongly in support of […]
The influence of the Federalist Society stretches from the FL Supreme Court to everyday Floridians. But what is it?
As new Gov. Ron DeSantis began reshaping the Florida Supreme Court last week, many Floridians may have missed that his first court appointee, Barbara Lagoa, is a member of the Federalist Society. The brief reference was listed amid 144 pages of an application to become a justice on Florida’s high court, records show. But what […]
South FL Democratic Congressman Alcee Hastings reveals he has pancreatic cancer
Longtime U.S. Representative Alcee Hastings announced on Monday that he’s been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer but has no immediate plans to step down from office. The 82-year-old South Florida Democrat – currently the longest-serving member of the state’s Congressional delegation — said he’s undergoing treatment at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in Washington D.C. […]
Pop-up food bank for government workers opens at Tampa International
With the country’s partial government shutdown continuing and thousands of employees without paychecks, officials at Tampa International Airport have opened a pop-up food pantry this week to provide meals for some 700 federal workers. That includes TSA agents, FAA personnel (including air traffic controllers) and U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) officers, according to an […]
Gov. DeSantis picks second new justice for Florida Supreme Court
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday made his second pick for the Florida Supreme Court – Robert J. Luck, of the Third District Court of Appeal. Appointed by former Gov. Rick Scott, Luck has served on the appellate court since March 2017, according to biographical material from the Third District Court of Appeal. Among other roles, […]
Righting a Florida wrong: Groveland Four pardoned after nearly 70 years
In a travesty of justice that has marred Florida’s history, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state’s clemency board gave pardons Friday to the “Groveland Four” –black men wrongly accused of raping a 17-year-old white woman in Lake County in 1949. The action taken after nearly 70 years came in dramatic fashion in the state Capitol, […]
GOP lawmaker files extreme anti-abortion “heartbeat” bill in Florida House
Pensacola House Republican Mike Hill has filed restrictive anti-abortion legislation that would prohibit a pregnant woman from getting an abortion in Florida if a physician detects a fetal heartbeat. The proposal calls for physicians to conduct an abdominal ultrasound to test for a fetal heartbeat on any woman seeking an abortion. If a heartbeat is […]
DeSantis says Trump may not have authority to swipe disaster funds to pay for border wall
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis expressed concern on Friday about reports that President Donald Trump is considering taking disaster relief money – including tax dollars for hurricane relief in Florida – from the federal budget to secure funding for his border wall. Trump is reportedly looking at nearly $14 billion in the Army Corps of Engineers […]
U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor’s moment
U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor has represented Tampa in the House of Representatives for the past dozen years, but her national profile has suddenly gone up. That’s because she’s the chair of a new key panel about climate change in the newly Democratic-controlled House. “This committee will be critical to the entire Congress’s mission to respond […]