New legislation has been filed to increase accountability for juveniles in the criminal justice system. HB 1181 and SB 1274 propose harsher restrictions that ensure youth comply with the terms and conditions of court-ordered sanctions for gun offenses.

Representative Berny Jacques (R) who filed the House bill highlighted that under Governor Ron DeSantis Florida was experiencing a "50-year low in crime.

"Florida is experiencing a 50-year low in crime, but there’s always more we can do to keep Floridians safe. One area we can work on is holding juveniles who commit gun crimes more accountable," stated Rep. Jacques." Just this past Christmas Eve in my district, two juveniles escalated an argument over Christmas presents into a shootout that left their older sister dead and their nephews motherless. This bill will deliver strong early accountability to prevent senseless tragedies like this one from happening in our state.”

“This bill is a major step forward in our efforts to end juvenile recidivism, keep our streets safe, and make positive impacts in the lives of our youth,” said Senator Jonathan Martin (R) who filed his corresponding bill in the Florida Senate.

Florida is number 1 in the country for innovative, evidence-based approaches to juvenile justice and has benefitted from significant decreases in system-involved youth. In keeping with its mission, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice worked in unison with the Florida Legislature and partners in law enforcement to help craft this important piece of legislation.

“Juveniles who commit crimes involving a firearm are a serious risk to public safety. Strengthening accountability on juvenile firearm offenses is a priority of DJJ and this bill is an important way to build a stronger, safer Florida,” said Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary Eric Hall.

The post New Florida Bill Cracks Down on Youth Gun Crimes appeared first on The Floridian.

Trump Wins Miami-Dade GOP Presidential Primary Straw POLL

Miami- The Miami-Dade Republican Executive Committee (Miami GOP), which is led by Rep. Alex Rizzo, a staunch supporter of Gov. Ron DeSantis, held a 2024 presidential preference straw poll during the group’s planned monthly...READ MORE

Kathleen Passidomo-January is Human Trafficking Awareness & Prevention Month. There are nearly 28 million human trafficking victims worldwide. One in four victims are children.

Jason Delgado-Mark the calendar.

Oral arguments over a proposed constitutional amendment that would provide legal protections for abortion in Florida are scheduled to take place at 9AM on February 7th.

Attorney General Ashley Moody is seeking to keep abortion off the 2024 ballot.

Trump Wins Miami-Dade GOP Presidential Primary Straw POLL—By The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—Miami- The Miami-Dade Republican Executive Committee, which is lead by Rep. Alex Rizzo, a staunch supporter of Gov. Ron DeSantis...

Poll: Trump Leading Biden With Hispanics, Young VotersBy The Floridian's Christian Pitten

DeSantis Says He'll 'Turn the Country Around' as President—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina

Steube Predicts Contempt of Congress Charges for Hunter Biden—By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—With Congress getting ready to go back into session, House Republicans will continue their impeachment inquiry of President Biden. Representative Greg Steube...

Scott Invokes Reagan in Reelection Campaign Ad, Says 'It's Time to Cowboy Up and Fight Like Hell'—By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) began the New Year with an ad for his 2024 reelection campaign, invoking former President Ronald Reagan and saying America must "cowboy up and fight like hell" to reclaim its values.

Mills Warns of Geopolitical Alliance Threatening the U.S.—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina

Harvard President Claudine Gay's Resignation Brings Vindication for Congress in the New Year—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—Harvard President Claudine Gay as resigned from her position. Her resignation comes just weeks after failing to share whether calling for the genocide of Jews would violate university standards.

DeSantis Asserts he is More Hawkish Than Trump on Illegal Immigration—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina

Gruters Introduces Bill Requiring Driver's Licenses to Showcase Citizenship Status—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—State Senator Joe Gruters (R-FL) has introduced legislation labeled SB 1168 – relating to forms of identification. While one of the main focuses...

Ziegler Being Investigated for Violating Video Voyeurism Laws—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina—Florida Republican Party Chairman Christian Ziegler’s legal troubles have worsened as he is now being investigated for possibly....

Waltz Calls Death of Hamas Leader 'Very Big Deal,' Calls For Relentless Hunting of Terrorists—By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) struck an important blow against Hamas, killing senior leader Saleh al-Arouri in a drone strike outside Beirut...

Trump Planning to Aggressively Campaign in Democrat Stronghold—By The Floridian's Mateo Guillamont—US Representative Cory Mills (R-Fl) expressed his commitment to either "shutdown the border or shutdown the government."

Mills Asks Biden 'Shut Down the Border or Shut Down the Government'—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina

Lauren Book, Abortion Coalition Moves Step Closer to Abortion on 2024 Ballot in Florida—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—State Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book (D-FL) has made another announcement regarding the progress of abortion getting on the ballot in the state of Florida in 2024. On Dec. 22, she declared that the issue is “on track” for voters to decide on in November.

Cammack Warns Democrats Ignore Border 'At Their Own Peril'—By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—House Republicans continue to demand action on the southern border, and the Representatives from Florida count among the most vocal. Representative Kat Cammack (R-FL)..."

'New Year, Same Inflation' According to Republican Lawmakers—By The Floridian's Mateo Guillamont

Steve Scalise Endorses Trump in Crowded 2024 Primary—By The Floridian's Jim McCool

Trump Slams Biden on Time Spent Vacationing—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—

Trump and Biden Exchange Jabs on New Year's Eve—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—

Toll Relief Ends for Floridians in 2024—By The Floridian's Jim McCool—

International Conflicts to Expand in 2024—By The Floridian's Mateo Guillamont

Luna Warns of New Migrant Caravan, Says Stand-Alone Border Bill Needed—By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—A large caravan of migrants are working their way up to the southern border, suggested to be...

DeSantis Suggests Removal of Trump from Maine Ballot is to Distract from Biden's Failures—By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—Maine has become the second state to remove former President Donald Trump from its primary ballot, sparking outrage among the right...

Former Progressive Lawmaker Questions Move to Loosen Restrictions on 'Weapons of War' in Florida—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—Former State Representative and State Senate candidate Carlos Guillermo Smith (D-FL) shared his frustration with a recent gun bill that was filed in the state’s upper chamber that loosens restrictions on "weapons of war."

Florida Conservatives Keen on Passing Public Gay-Flag Ban—By The Floridian's Mateo Guillamont

Lauren Book Declares Abortion 'On Track' to be on Ballot in 2024—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich

Mills Warns Biden’s Foreign Policy Dangerous for U.S.—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina—Foreign policy has quickly become an important staple of the 2024 election, and it’s significantly affecting the Biden administration...

DeSantis Feels Haley Isn’t ‘Ready for Prime Time’—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina

Trump Removed from Maine State Primary Ballot—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—Ambassador Nikki Haley (R) is facing scrutiny over her response to being asked the cause of the Civil War. After initially omitting slavery...”

Civil War-Era Florida Monuments Could be Protected by Proposed Bill—By The Floridian's Mateo Guillamont—Florida Senator Jonathan Martin (R-33) has filed a bill that would protect public monuments, including Confederate memorials, from being removed or relocated without legislative approval.

Is This the End? Rumors of Suspension Plague DeSantis Campaign—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—With just weeks away before the Iowa Caucus, the candidates in the 2024 Republican Presidential Primary not named President Donald Trump do not seem to be gaining any real traction...

The JUICE is squeezed by Javier Manjarres, Jim McCool, and Daniel Molina

The post Juice🍊—1.4.2024—Florida is Trump Country? Miami GOP Supports Trump Over DeSantis— Mills, Scott, Steube—More... appeared first on The Floridian.

'Say Hello to my Little ID Card'

Bill Introduced in Florida Senate Requires Driver's Licenses to Showcase Citizenship Status

State Senator Joe Gruters (R-FL) has introduced legislation labeled SB 1168 – relating to forms of identification. While one of the main focuses of the bill is to expand the acceptable forms of ID for voter registration to include “United States passport cards, identification cards issued by a federally recognized tribal nation or Indian tribe, and United States Merchant Mariner Credentials,” the other (and perhaps more controversial) focus of the bill includes denoting a citizen’s status on their driver’s license....READ MORE

Rick Scott-@JoeBiden’s weak appeasement policies are emboldening our enemies in the Red Sea and around the world.

America doesn’t tolerate terrorists. It’s time we take a stand and destroy every last one of them.

Gruters Introduces Bill Requiring Driver's Licenses to Showcase Citizenship Status—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—State Senator Joe Gruters (R-FL) has introduced legislation labeled SB 1168 – relating to forms of identification. While one of the main focuses...

Ziegler Being Investigated for Violating Video Voyeurism Laws—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina—Florida Republican Party Chairman Christian Ziegler’s legal troubles have worsened as he is now being investigated for possibly....

Waltz Calls Death of Hamas Leader 'Very Big Deal,' Calls For Relentless Hunting of Terrorists—By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) struck an important blow against Hamas, killing senior leader Saleh al-Arouri in a drone strike outside Beirut...

Trump Planning to Aggressively Campaign in Democrat Stronghold—By The Floridian's Mateo Guillamont—US Representative Cory Mills (R-Fl) expressed his commitment to either "shutdown the border or shutdown the government."

Mills Asks Biden 'Shut Down the Border or Shut Down the Government'—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina

Lauren Book, Abortion Coalition Moves Step Closer to Abortion on 2024 Ballot in Florida—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—State Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book (D-FL) has made another announcement regarding the progress of abortion getting on the ballot in the state of Florida in 2024. On Dec. 22, she declared that the issue is “on track” for voters to decide on in November.

Cammack Warns Democrats Ignore Border 'At Their Own Peril'—By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—House Republicans continue to demand action on the southern border, and the Representatives from Florida count among the most vocal. Representative Kat Cammack (R-FL)..."

'New Year, Same Inflation' According to Republican Lawmakers—By The Floridian's Mateo Guillamont

Steve Scalise Endorses Trump in Crowded 2024 Primary—By The Floridian's Jim McCool

Trump Slams Biden on Time Spent Vacationing—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—

Trump and Biden Exchange Jabs on New Year's Eve—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—

Toll Relief Ends for Floridians in 2024—By The Floridian's Jim McCool—

International Conflicts to Expand in 2024—By The Floridian's Mateo Guillamont

Luna Warns of New Migrant Caravan, Says Stand-Alone Border Bill Needed—By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—A large caravan of migrants are working their way up to the southern border, suggested to be...

DeSantis Suggests Removal of Trump from Maine Ballot is to Distract from Biden's Failures—By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—Maine has become the second state to remove former President Donald Trump from its primary ballot, sparking outrage among the right...

Former Progressive Lawmaker Questions Move to Loosen Restrictions on 'Weapons of War' in Florida—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—Former State Representative and State Senate candidate Carlos Guillermo Smith (D-FL) shared his frustration with a recent gun bill that was filed in the state’s upper chamber that loosens restrictions on "weapons of war."

Florida Conservatives Keen on Passing Public Gay-Flag Ban—By The Floridian's Mateo Guillamont

Lauren Book Declares Abortion 'On Track' to be on Ballot in 2024—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich

Mills Warns Biden’s Foreign Policy Dangerous for U.S.—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina—Foreign policy has quickly become an important staple of the 2024 election, and it’s significantly affecting the Biden administration...

DeSantis Feels Haley Isn’t ‘Ready for Prime Time’—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina

Trump Removed from Maine State Primary Ballot—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—Ambassador Nikki Haley (R) is facing scrutiny over her response to being asked the cause of the Civil War. After initially omitting slavery...”

Civil War-Era Florida Monuments Could be Protected by Proposed Bill—By The Floridian's Mateo Guillamont—Florida Senator Jonathan Martin (R-33) has filed a bill that would protect public monuments, including Confederate memorials, from being removed or relocated without legislative approval.

Is This the End? Rumors of Suspension Plague DeSantis Campaign—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—With just weeks away before the Iowa Caucus, the candidates in the 2024 Republican Presidential Primary not named President Donald Trump do not seem to be gaining any real traction...

Polls on Israel-Gaza Unclear, Trump Now Winning Young Voters—By The Floridian's Jim McCool

Donalds: No Ukraine Discussions Without Border Security—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich

Florida Democratic Party Sued for Shutting Down Presidential Primary—By The Floridian's Jim McCool—The Florida Democratic Party has effectively canceled their primary race by only putting Biden's name on the ballot...

Donalds Warns 'Nothing Moving Through House Without HR2'—By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich

House Ethics Committee Investigating Cherfilus-McCormick—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina

Greene and Scott Suffer 'Swatting' Calls During Christmas—By The Floridian's Mateo Guillamont—US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Senator Rick Scott (R-Fl) have both suffered ‘swatting’ attempts at their homes.

Trump Responds to Michigan Supreme Court Ruling—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina

Senator Scott Family Home 'Swatted' by 'Criminals'—By The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R) announced on his social media that unknown individuals deliberately...

Florida Republicans Push for Modification of Vaccine Requirements—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina—Florida Senator Jonathan Martin (R-33) has filed a bill that would alter Florida law regarding how immunization requirements are to be adopted and expands potential exemptions to them.

Moskowitz Reaffirms Majority of Democrats Support Israel—By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—Is the perception of Democrats being the anti-Israel party accurate? Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) reiterated...

The JUICE is squeezed by Javier Manjarres, Jim McCool, and Daniel Molina

The post Juice🍊—1.3.2024—FL May Soon Require Citizenship Status on Driver's Licences— Ziegler, Pizzo, Mills, Trump—More... appeared first on The Floridian.

He did it His Way

Happy New Year! Feliz Año Nuevo! While the 2024 Florida Legislative session begins next week, we are all still focused on Gov. Ron DeSantis in the 2024 Republican presidential primary race, which could begin or end for him when Iowans caucus on January 15^th.

There could be an Elvis sighting soon.

And now the end is here

And so I face that final curtain

My friend I'll make it clear

I'll state my case, of which I'm certain...

It’s not looking good for Gov. DeSantis, even though his so-called “influencers” or “zombies” are desperately trying to spin a potentially massive election night loss in Iowa and New Hampshire.

If DeSantis loses badly in both states, there is a good chance he will drop out and concede to Ambassador Nikki Haley and former President Donald Trump.

The latest state-level polls taken in Iowa Show President Trump with a commanding lead over both Haley and DeSantis, who are battling it out for second place with 16 and 18 percent support from those surveyed, respectfully.

The polling is worse for DeSantis in New Hampshire, where he is currently in 4^th place,  polling in single digits behind former Governor Chris Christie, Haley, and Trump.

What caused DeSantis’s presidential campaign to derail?

DeSantis.

We have accurately pointed out that DeSantis’s communications and online efforts will lead to his campaign demise because he decided to hire rookie political operatives with a total of two weeks of on-the-job experience.

But while the likes, amateurish antics of Andrew Romeo and Christina Pushaw pushed him over the cliff, it was DeSantis's initial “birdbrain” idea of trying to run a top-to-bottom presidential campaign instead of the traditional bottom-up approach that so many Republican presidential candidates before him have successfully done.

Instead of DeSantis jumping in an old pick-up truck and cruising around shaking hands and kissing babies, DeSantis started with a bloated and Swamp-like bureaucratic campaign that kept him at a distance from the media, and limited access to potential voters.

After the campaign almost went bust (reboot), DeSantis switched it up a bit, but the damage was already done.

Regardless of his position as Governor of Florida, DeSantis is just a regular dude who has always been reclusive, but 2024 showed many Americans that he, like most politicians, is all about himself.

Forget about non-immediate family. Forget about friends. Forget about who got him to where he is today.

If you don’t have something immediate to offer DeSantis, you are irrelevant to him.

DeSantis is the epitome of a transactional career politician, who has entrusted amateur spokespeople to guide his political career along.

Yeah, it seems like DeSantis will lose in Iowa and the rest of the states, but this is American politics, anything can happen.

We will say it again, if DeSantis can finish at a respectable second place in all of the early voting states, all bets could be off in the contentious race.

Meanwhile, the State-of-the-State address will be next week, it will be interested to hear what DeSantis focuses on before jetting back out to Iowa.

There is a high probability that DeSantis will miss a bulk of the legislative session because he is campaigning in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, and in Super Tuesday states.

Kat Cammack-Wishing you and your loved ones a Happy New Year! As we bid farewell to 2023 and welcome 2024, I look forward to connecting and working with my constituents as we face the challenges that lie ahead together.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz-I join the Dallas community and all those Americans touched by former Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, a trailblazing legislator, devoted public servant and champion for vulnerable populations and stronger healthcare for all. May her memory be for a blessing.

Luna Warns of New Migrant Caravan, Says Stand-Alone Border Bill Needed—By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—A large caravan of migrants are working their way up to the southern border, suggested to be...

DeSantis Suggests Removal of Trump from Maine Ballot is to Distract from Biden's Failures—By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—Maine has become the second state to remove former President Donald Trump from its primary ballot, sparking outrage among the right...

Former Progressive Lawmaker Questions Move to Loosen Restrictions on 'Weapons of War' in Florida—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—Former State Representative and State Senate candidate Carlos Guillermo Smith (D-FL) shared his frustration with a recent gun bill that was filed in the state’s upper chamber that loosens restrictions on "weapons of war."

Florida Conservatives Keen on Passing Public Gay-Flag Ban—By The Floridian's Mateo Guillamont

Lauren Book Declares Abortion 'On Track' to be on Ballot in 2024—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich

Mills Warns Biden’s Foreign Policy Dangerous for U.S.—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina—Foreign policy has quickly become an important staple of the 2024 election, and it’s significantly affecting the Biden administration...

DeSantis Feels Haley Isn’t ‘Ready for Prime Time’—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina

Trump Removed from Maine State Primary Ballot—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—Ambassador Nikki Haley (R) is facing scrutiny over her response to being asked the cause of the Civil War. After initially omitting slavery...”

Civil War-Era Florida Monuments Could be Protected by Proposed Bill—By The Floridian's Mateo Guillamont—Florida Senator Jonathan Martin (R-33) has filed a bill that would protect public monuments, including Confederate memorials, from being removed or relocated without legislative approval.

Is This the End? Rumors of Suspension Plague DeSantis Campaign—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—With just weeks away before the Iowa Caucus, the candidates in the 2024 Republican Presidential Primary not named President Donald Trump do not seem to be gaining any real traction...

Polls on Israel-Gaza Unclear, Trump Now Winning Young Voters—By The Floridian's Jim McCool

Donalds: No Ukraine Discussions Without Border Security—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich

Florida Democratic Party Sued for Shutting Down Presidential Primary—By The Floridian's Jim McCool—The Florida Democratic Party has effectively canceled their primary race by only putting Biden's name on the ballot...

Donalds Warns 'Nothing Moving Through House Without HR2'—By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich

House Ethics Committee Investigating Cherfilus-McCormick—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina

Greene and Scott Suffer 'Swatting' Calls During Christmas—By The Floridian's Mateo Guillamont—US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Senator Rick Scott (R-Fl) have both suffered ‘swatting’ attempts at their homes.

Trump Responds to Michigan Supreme Court Ruling—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina

Senator Scott Family Home 'Swatted' by 'Criminals'—By The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R) announced on his social media that unknown individuals deliberately...

Florida Republicans Push for Modification of Vaccine Requirements—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina—Florida Senator Jonathan Martin (R-33) has filed a bill that would alter Florida law regarding how immunization requirements are to be adopted and expands potential exemptions to them.

Moskowitz Reaffirms Majority of Democrats Support Israel—By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—Is the perception of Democrats being the anti-Israel party accurate? Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) reiterated...

Castor Announces Her Office Secured $1 Billion in Federal Grants for Tampa Bay—By The Floridians' Jim McCool—Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL) announced that she and her team secured over $1 billion in federal grants for the Tampa Bay area in 2023. This includes over $10 million in “aid, benefits and refunds to veterans, seniors, small businesses, and families.”

Florida to Remain 'Red' After Mass Migration From Blue States—By The Floridians' Jim McCool—As Florida saw a mass influx of migration from other states, many have wondered what this means for the future of the state...

DeSantis's Massive Grassroots Gamble in Iowa, New Hampshire—By The Floridians' Javier Manjarres—Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has bet his massive grassroots 2024 presidential campaign on winning Iowa...

Trump Think Tank 'America First Policy Institute' Moves to Florida—By The Floridians' Jim McCool—The gutter politics war being waged between the presidential campaigns of Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) ...

Bilirakis Reintroduces Two Bipartisan Bill to Promote Hydrogen-Powered Transportation—By The Floridians' Jackson Bakich—Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) reintroduced two pieces of bipartisan legislation...

Michigan Rejects Booting Trump From 2024 Ballot—By The Floridians' Daniel Molina—Colorado is quickly finding itself in isolation as other states are rejecting a 14th amendment challenge to President Donald Trump ...

Ramaswamy Rumored to Soon Officially Declare Support for Trump—By The Floridians' Mateo Guillamont

Mills Warns ‘Economy is not Better’ under Bidenomics—By The Floridians' Daniel Molina—Florida Rep. Cory Mills (R) denounced ‘Bidenomics’ this week, arguing that it has not made the economy better. With President Donald Trump (R) now polling higher than President Joe Biden...

Scott, Rubio Call for Logistics Improvement at NOAA—By The Floridians' Jackson Bakich—Senators Rick Scott (R-FL) and Marco Rubio sent a letter to the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric...

Florida Became the Death Penalty State in 2023—By The Floridians' Jim McCool—With 2023 coming to a close, the state of Florida has gone under great changes this year...

The JUICE is squeezed by Javier Manjarres, Jim McCool, and Daniel Molina

The post Juice🍊—1.2.2024—Happy New Year!—DeSantis did it His Way— More... appeared first on The Floridian.

Former State Representative and State Senate candidate Carlos Guillermo Smith (D-FL) shared his frustration with a recent gun bill that was filed in the state’s upper chamber that loosens restrictions on "weapons of war."

According to Smith, the bill HB 1124 – filed by State Senator Jonathan Martin (R-FL) – relaxes existing gun legislation by changing the broad term of “firearm” to “handgun” and eliminates the three-day waiting period to buy an AR-15.

“A Florida GOP Senator just filed HB 1124 completely eliminating our 3-day waiting period to buy AR-15s. Loosening access to the same weapons of war used to kill 49 people at Pulse nightclub + 17 people in Parkland is as dangerous as it is disgraceful. Have we learned nothing?” said Smith.

A Florida GOP Senator just filed HB 1124 completely eliminating our 3-day waiting period to buy AR-15s.

Loosening access to the same weapons of war used to kill 49 people at Pulse nightclub + 17 people in Parkland is as dangerous as it is disgraceful.

Have we learned nothing? pic.twitter.com/A7T8Fxy5s0

— Carlos Guillermo Smith (@CarlosGSmith) December 29, 2023

One of the changes that HB 1124 provides is the “Mandatory 3-day waiting period, excluding weekends and legal holidays, is imposed between the purchase and delivery at retail of a handgun.” The original text said that the bill applied to all “firearms.”

Smith acknowledged the change in the bill from firearm to handgun appears seven times in the text.

The former state representative lost a narrow race to now-State Representative Susan Plasencia (R-FL) by about 2,000 votes and nearly four percentage points in District 37. When Smith became a state legislator he represented District 49, but had to run for District 37 in 2022 after the map in Florida was redrawn.

Smith won by huge margins in each of his three general elections for District 49 (2016, 2018, 2020), but each year his support dipped from 39 points to 29 points, and finally 24 points, respectively.

In April, U.S. Representative Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-FL) commented on Smith's campaign, calling him a dedicated servant to Florida who should be elected to the state Senate.

"Electing people who actually give a damn about us is a priority for me. Especially in states, like Florida, where fascist right wing leaders are working tirelessly to rip away our rights," Frost expressed on social media. "We are going to be endorsing and supporting non-traditional, progressive candidates across the state," Frost vowed, noting that "in the Florida House, Carlos told truth to power and never held back when it came down to fighting for working people."

Currently, Smith’s possible primary opponent(s) and possible general election opponents are unknown.

The post Former Progressive Lawmaker Questions Move to Loosen Restrictions on 'Weapons of War' in Florida appeared first on The Floridian.

Florida Republican Legislators have introduced sister bills in the state Senate and House of Representatives that would prohibit state and local governments from displaying certain flags. 

Senator Jonathan Martin (R-33) filed the senate version of the bill yesterday, December 28th. 

The bill specifically prohibits displaying flags that represent “a political viewpoint, including, but not limited to, a politically partisan, racial, sexual orientation and gender, or political ideology.”

Under Senator Martin’s bill, any unit of local government, including public schools, public colleges, and public universities, would be prohibited from displaying LGBTQ flags. 

Individuals’ First Amendment rights to exercise speech and other forms of expression are explicitly exempt from Martin’s proposed legislation.  

“The governmental entity must remain neutral when representing political viewpoints in displaying or erecting a flag,” continues the bill. 

Earlier in December, Miami State Rep. David Borrero (R) filed the House version of the public Gay-flag ban.

However, as the Floridian’s Javier Manjarres explained, the ban would also apply to any politically-charged flags. Such flags could include Blue Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter, Pride, or Confederate flags.

Martin has filed numerous bills in anticipation of the upcoming 2024 legislative session. 

Recently, Martin filed a bill that would protect public monuments, including Confederate memorials, from being removed or relocated without legislative approval. 

Senator Jay Collins (R) filed a companion bill in the Florida Senate that allowed for POW-MIA flags, flags of foreign nations, and flags of the branches of the United States Armed Forces, to be flown.

Borrero's measure allows for the U.S., Florida, POW-MIA, and Firefighter Memorial flags to be hoisted.

Recently, Martin filed another bill that  would alter Florida law regarding how immunization requirements are to be adopted and expand potential exemptions to them.

Per the bill, the Florida Department of Health (FDH) and any other state or local authorities would be prohibited from imposing any vaccine requirements without legislative approval.

The post Florida Conservatives Keen on Passing Public Gay-Flag Ban appeared first on The Floridian.

Florida Senator Jonathan Martin (R-33) has filed a bill that would protect public monuments, including Confederate memorials, from being removed or relocated without legislative approval. 

Senator Martin’s “Historical Monuments and Memorials Protection Act” would direct Florida’s Historical Commission to counsel Florida executive officials on monument preservation. 

The act claims that “an accurate and factual history belongs to all Floridians and future generations and the state has an obligation to protect and preserve such history.”

 Such obligation, continues the act, includes circumventing “any local government elected officials who may be swayed by undue influence by groups who may feel offended or hurt by certain actions in the history of the state or the nation.” 

Martin attempted to pass a similar bill last February. Despite being approved by two separate committees, however, the proposal was never brought to the floor for a vote. 

Under Martin’s new legislation, local governments and individuals are barred from unilaterally removing monuments displayed on public property.

Aside from the imposition of penalties for those violating the bill, individuals involved in the design, care, erection, or care of the monument would be able to sue the violators for damages.

Additionally, individuals regularly using the monument for remembrance would also be eligible to sue violators of the bill. 

Local governments that remove, alter, or damage a monument would have to restore it to its original condition. If the local government cannot restore the monument, Florida would assume restoration responsibilities. However, all arts, cultural, and historic preservation funding would be withheld from the local government until it reimburses Florida for the restoration cost. 

If passed, the bill would take effect on July 1, 2024. 

Recently, Martin filed another bill that  would alter Florida law regarding how immunization requirements are to be adopted and expand potential exemptions to them.

If passed, the FDH and any other state or local authorities would be prohibited from imposing any vaccine requirements without legislative approval.

The post Civil War-Era Florida Monuments Could be Protected by Proposed Bill appeared first on The Floridian.

The End

It's that time of the year. Happy Year!

The beginning of the 2024 Florida legislative session is less than two weeks away, and the writers at The Floridian are ready to tackle whatever Tallahassee throws at them.

The team has expanded and will have four members focused on the legislative process over the next couple of weeks.

Liv Caputo has signed on, joining Jackson Bakich, Mateo Guillamont, and myself to cover the Republican-led legislature and all of the antics that usually occur in the two months.

We will also continue our coverage of the 2024 Presidential primary election, regardless of how long it lasts.

Expect to see live reporting from both Iowa and New Hampshire in the coming weeks, as well as in South Carolina.

From our family to yours, Happy New Year!

Trump Continues to Lead Biden in 2024 Race

The Israeli -Hamas conflict has become the United States' biggest foreign policy issue in the past three years. However, the conflict has impacted voting in the United States in a way many would not expect, with young people siding with former President Trump (R) on the issue over President Joe Biden (D)

...READ MORE

Rep. Brian Mast-ICYMI: Not a single American dollar should be used to teach antisemitism to the next generation, whether it’s here in the United States or in Gaza.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz-The holiday season is about kindness and joy. Someone should tell the Republican Party leader that.

Polls on Israel-Gaza Unclear, Trump Now Winning Young Voters—By The Floridian's Jim McCool

Donalds: No Ukraine Discussions Without Border Security—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich

Florida Democratic Party Sued for Shutting Down Presidential Primary—By The Floridian's Jim McCool—The Florida Democratic Party has effectively canceled their primary race by only putting Biden's name on the ballot...

Donalds Warns 'Nothing Moving Through House Without HR2'—By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich

House Ethics Committee Investigating Cherfilus-McCormick—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina

Greene and Scott Suffer 'Swatting' Calls During Christmas—By The Floridian's Mateo Guillamont—US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Senator Rick Scott (R-Fl) have both suffered ‘swatting’ attempts at their homes.

Trump Responds to Michigan Supreme Court Ruling—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina

Senator Scott Family Home 'Swatted' by 'Criminals'—By The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R) announced on his social media that unknown individuals deliberately...

Florida Republicans Push for Modification of Vaccine Requirements—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina—Florida Senator Jonathan Martin (R-33) has filed a bill that would alter Florida law regarding how immunization requirements are to be adopted and expands potential exemptions to them.

Moskowitz Reaffirms Majority of Democrats Support Israel—By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—Is the perception of Democrats being the anti-Israel party accurate? Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) reiterated...

Castor Announces Her Office Secured $1 Billion in Federal Grants for Tampa Bay—By The Floridians' Jim McCool—Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL) announced that she and her team secured over $1 billion in federal grants for the Tampa Bay area in 2023. This includes over $10 million in “aid, benefits and refunds to veterans, seniors, small businesses, and families.”

Florida to Remain 'Red' After Mass Migration From Blue States—By The Floridians' Jim McCool—As Florida saw a mass influx of migration from other states, many have wondered what this means for the future of the state...

DeSantis's Massive Grassroots Gamble in Iowa, New Hampshire—By The Floridians' Javier Manjarres—Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has bet his massive grassroots 2024 presidential campaign on winning Iowa...

Trump Think Tank 'America First Policy Institute' Moves to Florida—By The Floridians' Jim McCool—The gutter politics war being waged between the presidential campaigns of Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) ...

Bilirakis Reintroduces Two Bipartisan Bill to Promote Hydrogen-Powered Transportation—By The Floridians' Jackson Bakich—Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) reintroduced two pieces of bipartisan legislation...

Michigan Rejects Booting Trump From 2024 Ballot—By The Floridians' Daniel Molina—Colorado is quickly finding itself in isolation as other states are rejecting a 14th amendment challenge to President Donald Trump ...

Ramaswamy Rumored to Soon Officially Declare Support for Trump—By The Floridians' Mateo Guillamont

Mills Warns ‘Economy is not Better’ under Bidenomics—By The Floridians' Daniel Molina—Florida Rep. Cory Mills (R) denounced ‘Bidenomics’ this week, arguing that it has not made the economy better. With President Donald Trump (R) now polling higher than President Joe Biden...

Scott, Rubio Call for Logistics Improvement at NOAA—By The Floridians' Jackson Bakich—Senators Rick Scott (R-FL) and Marco Rubio sent a letter to the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric...

Florida Became the Death Penalty State in 2023—By The Floridians' Jim McCool—With 2023 coming to a close, the state of Florida has gone under great changes this year...

Waltz Postulates on Israel, Gaza's Future After Hamas War—By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—

Scott to Donate Portion of Salary to Holocaust Museum—By The Floridian's Mateo Guillamont—US Senator Rick Scott (R-Fl) has announced he will be donating a portion of his Senate salary to the Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center in Naples, Florida.

Florida State Sues ACC Over 'Draconian' Withdrawal Fees, Fiduciary Irresponsibility—By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—Over the weekend, Florida State University officially sued the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)...

Mills Condemns 'Neoconservative' Interventionism After US Retaliates Against 103rd Attack in Iraq—By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—The US launched several retaliatory strikes against Iran-backed militants in Iraq over Christmas after they attacked American troops earlier...

Mass Shooting Law to be Debated by Florida State Legislature—By The Floridian's Mateo Guillamont—Florida Representative Joe Casello (D-90) has filed a bill to preempt mass shootings by prohibiting behaviors typically antecedent to the shootings.

Trump Reportedly Considering Haley as Vice President—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina

When Trump Thought DeSantis was 'Very Impressive'—By The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—Because Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis decided to run against former President Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary race...

GOP Bill Bars Biden From Arizona, Georgia, and Pennsylvania Ballots—By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich

Castor Calls DeSantis 'The Grinch' After Turning Down $320 Million Infrastructure Grant-By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL) is referring to Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) as a “grinch” this Christmas after he rejected the $320 million federal grant for transportation infrastructure.

Gaetz to Delta CEO: 'Why are You Flying Migrants from the Border?'-By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—With thousands of illegal migrants attempting to cross the border regularly, how are they relocated throughout...

Moody Files New Suit Against Highway Carbon Emission Standards-By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—The State of Florida has demonstrated defiance in the face of Federal overreach from the Biden Administration, often rallying other states behind it. Florida Attorney General (AG) Ashley Moody...

Gimenez Accuses Biden: 'Border Crisis is on Purpose'-By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—The ongoing crisis at the southern border is not resolving itself. Instead, it may very well be escalating. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA)

DeSantis Points to Constitution as Permission to Drain the Swamp-By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—Governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis (R-FL) spoke at a campaign event in Hawkeye State just weeks before the Iowa Caucuses, where he spoke on the idea of "draining the swamp" and limiting the sluggishness of the bureaucracy in the federal government.

Haley Catching up to Trump in New Hampshire Poll-By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—

DeSantis, Trump Campaign in Iowa, Pizzo Flies to Israel to Visit With Oct 7 Survivors-By The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—Christmas is just around the corner and as American politicians campaign for president in early...

For Many Republicans, Donald Trump is Still Their Choice for President-By The Floridian's Christian Pitten—President Donald Trump (R) continues to soar in all of the state and national public opinion polls as the country inches toward the upcoming Iowa Caucuses and the First in the Nation primary elections.

Rubio asks Biden Halt Chinese 'BRITE' Semiconductor Firm-By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich

Rubio Calls on Americans to Stand up to Ivy League Schools-By The Floridian's Jackson Bakich

The JUICE is squeezed by Javier Manjarres, Jim McCool, and Daniel Molina

The post Juice🍊—12.29.2023—Happy New Year!—Trump Continues to Lead Biden— More... appeared first on The Floridian.

Have a tip, story, new job, or announcement for The JUICE?  Reach out: Javier@floridianpress.com

Senator Scott Family Home 'Swatted' by 'Criminals'

U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R) announced on his social media that unknown individuals deliberately and illegally harassed him by calling in a false criminal police claim...

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Florida Democratic Party Sued for Shutting Down Presidential Primary

The Florida Democratic Party has effectively canceled their primary race by only putting Biden's name on the ballot, despite challengers rising against the president in his own party...READ MORE

Rick Scott-Last night, while at dinner with my wife, cowards “swatted” my home in Naples. These criminals wasted the time & and resources of our law enforcement in a sick attempt to terrorize my family.

Ann & I want to thank @NaplesPolice & @CollierSheriff for all they do to keep us safe.

Florida Democratic Party Sued for Shutting Down Presidential Primary—By The Floridian's Jim McCool—The Florida Democratic Party has effectively canceled their primary race by only putting Biden's name on the ballot...

Donalds Warns 'Nothing Moving Through House Without HR2'—By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich

House Ethics Committee Investigating Cherfilus-McCormick—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina

Greene and Scott Suffer 'Swatting' Calls During Christmas—By The Floridian's Mateo Guillamont—US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Senator Rick Scott (R-Fl) have both suffered ‘swatting’ attempts at their homes.

Trump Responds to Michigan Supreme Court Ruling—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina

Senator Scott Family Home 'Swatted' by 'Criminals'—By The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R) announced on his social media that unknown individuals deliberately...

Florida Republicans Push for Modification of Vaccine Requirements—By The Floridian's Daniel Molina—Florida Senator Jonathan Martin (R-33) has filed a bill that would alter Florida law regarding how immunization requirements are to be adopted and expands potential exemptions to them.

Moskowitz Reaffirms Majority of Democrats Support Israel—By The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—Is the perception of Democrats being the anti-Israel party accurate? Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) reiterated...

Juice—12.28.2023—Florida to Remain Republican State—America First Policy Lands in Florida— More...

The Last Squeeze is squeezed by Javier Manjarres, Jim McCool, and Daniel Molina

The post Last Squeeze🍊—12.28.2023—Senator Scott Targeted With Fake Police Allegation—FL Democrats Sue Over 2024 Election Interference—More... appeared first on The Floridian.

Florida Senator Jonathan Martin (R-33) has filed a bill that would alter Florida law regarding how immunization requirements are to be adopted and expands potential exemptions to them.

The bill would require the Florida Department of Health (FDH) to obtain approval of the Legislature to add any new immunizations to those required for school attendance. 

Additionally, the FDH and any other state or local authorities would be prohibited from imposing any vaccine requirements without legislative approval. Adopting recommended compulsory vaccination policies endorsed by international organizations or national vaccine requirements enacted during public health emergencies would similarly be prohibited.

Exemptions would be granted for individuals refusing to receive required state vaccines if these have not been fully approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to the bill, full approval does not include vaccines that the FDA has authorized for emergency use only.

Florida Senator Ileana Garcia (R-36) filed a similar bill in late November. 

Senator Martin’s bill expands Garcia’s own, as Garcia’s only includes vaccine exemption language. 

Last October, Garcia also proposed legislation that would require Law Enforcement Officials to supervise ballot box transportation on election days. 

If enacted, police would have to be present “at all times during an election” to ensure ballot box security. 

Garcia’s proposal would also have law enforcement officers “transport the ballot box or ballot transfer container” from election offices to corresponding precincts.

Election integrity has become a prevalent issue, especially for Republicans, following former President Donald Trump’s claims of widespread election interference during the 2020 elections.   

President Trump was recently barred from the Colorado primary after the Colorado Supreme Court found that the capitol riots on January 6th “easily satisfy (the) definition of “insurrection.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, despite claiming Colorado’s decision would be eventually overturned by the US Supreme Court, declared he would not be withdrawing from the Colorado primary.

The post Florida Republicans Push for Modification of Vaccine Requirements appeared first on The Floridian.

Have a tip, story, new job, or announcement for The JUICE?  Reach out: Javier@floridianpress.com

Death to Child Rapists

The Florida Legislature has approved the death penalty for individuals convicted of raping children. Death to child rapists.

This is great news.

“We have a completely different (U.S.) Supreme Court makeup,” said Senator Jonathan Martin, the bill’s sponsor.  “We have a completely different Florida Supreme Court makeup than when Kennedy v. Louisiana was issued. I know everybody in this room hopes that nobody is put to death for this crime. Because if someone is put to death for this crime, it means that a poor innocent child was raped.” READ MORE

Vintage Randy Fine

State Reps. Randy Fine and Anna Eskamani, who are at polar opposites in the world of Florida Politics, jousted on the floor of the House of Representatives during a debate on the Protection of Children Act.

The bill targets raunchy “adult live performances” where children are exposed to the acts, but Rep. Eskamani believes that it's directly targeting drag shows.

She’s not wrong, but Rep. Fine and Republicans contend that it includes all adult live shows, including drag shows.

READ MORE

Rep. María Elvira Salazar-Today is #YomHaShoah, a solemn day to commemorate the 6 million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust. We remember the martyrs and heroes, those we lost, and those who survived. I vow to ensure future generations learn to #NeverForget!

Rick Scott-The Holocaust is more than a history lesson. It's a stark reminder that evil & hate exist in this world.

Our memory & support of all of those who suffered must never weaken. Every generation must heed the call to action in the face of evil, & as U.S. Senator, I'll continue to support Israel & take action against those who wish to do them harm.

Rep. Darren Soto-Today is #HolocaustRemembranceDay.

We pause to grieve the six million Jewish people who lost their lives due to Nazi persecution and honor the heroism of survivors and their rescuers. May we never allow this dark chapter in history to be repeated.

State Senator Tina Polsky-Today we remember the victims of the Holocaust but it is so upsetting that anti-semitism is on the rise and there are many leaders who not only fail to condemn this behavior, but actively cultivate it. We all need to continue to fight this hate otherwise it can happen again.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz-The DeSantis agenda: demonize Disney, pander to the NRA, and pass 1 of the most extreme abortion bans ever. #FLA deserves better, and doesn't want this.

"Fine and Eskamani Butt Heads Over Protection of Children Act" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich— State Representatives Randy Fine (R-FL) and Anna V. Eskamani (D-FL) had a candid back and forth in the Florida House over the Protection of Children Act. The legislation looks to enforce Floridians to use the bathroom assigned to them at birth, introduced by Rep. Fine.

"DeSantis to Sign into Law Death Penalty Bill for Child Rapists" by News Service of Florida

"Jones Questions DeSantis's 'Intentions' Regarding Transgender Bathroom Bill" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—TALLAHASSEE – As arguments surrounding the transgender bathroom bill rages on, State Senator Shevrin Jones (D-FL) was able to provide his thoughts concerning the legislation which looks to enforce Floridians to use the bathroom assigned to them at birth.

"AmeriHealth Caritas Donates $100K to Hope Florida" by The Floridian's Jim McCool— AmeriHealth Caritas has once again given back to the state of Florida. Just this week, the group donated $100,000 to Support of Hope Florida's mission to guide Florida families to prosperity.

"House Republicans Sound Alarm on End of Title 42" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina—Title 42 is about to come to an end, and Florida Republicans are sounding the alarm. Today, the Congressional Hispanic Conference held a presser on border security. Republicans like Florida Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R) and Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) have issued statements this week, warning of the danger that Title 42’s end poses.

"Guatemala's Positive Economic Outlook Rewarded with Higher Credit Rating" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres

"Gaetz Introduces Resolution of Inquiry into Ukraine" by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—One of the most important pieces of information found in the documents leaked from Air Force Guardsman Jack Teixeira...

"DeSantis Announces Action Against Disney's 'Sham Agreement' to Keep Power" by The Floridian's Chris Nelson—Governor Ron DeSantis was in Lake Buena Vista today to announce a new bill in the Florida Legislature...

"Florida Legislature Introduces Bill to Combat Hidden 'Woke' Bank Credit Card Fees" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—Every time a consumer (you and me) swipes a debit or credit card, out-of-state credit card companies and banks charge Florida businesses interchange fees...

"Florida Hospital Pushing LGBTQ+ Training That Says a Man Can Be Born a Woman" by The Floridian's Chris Nelson—Sarasota Memorial Hospital is sending training to all hospital employees that claims a person can be a different ...

"Pro-DeSantis PAC Releases Second Anti-Trump Ad" by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich

"Could Venezuela Succeed After its 2024 Presidential Election?" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—In an era of extremely polarized politics in the U.S., a bipartisan approach to almost anything seems totally far-fetched. However, two former senior government advisors —Juan Cruz...

"Team DeSantis Sends ‘Message for Blue States’" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina

"Florida Republican Lawmakers 'Frustrated' With DeSantis" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—Everything in the 2023 legislative session is going as Gov. Ron DeSantis has planned, as the Republican-led legislature...

"Republicans Continue to Embrace Democracy" OPINION—Daniel Henninger’s critical article of Republicans “Is Democracy a Dirty Word Now?” (Wall Street Journal, April 12) is morally heartening and idealistic but naïve and impractical...

"Pro-DeSantis PAC Calls Trump 'Gun-Grabber' in Recent Ad" by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—Former President Donald Trump recently spoke at the National Rifle Association (NRA) conference, saying he was, and will be, the most "pro-gun" and "pro-Second Amendment" President...

"Jordan's Trump Endorsement Significant, Continues Fueling Former President's Momentum" by The Floridian's Michelle Rosenberg—As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gears up for his 2024 presidential run, and looks to mitigate the growing number of Florida Republicans...

"Democrats Will Protest 6 Week Abortion Ban" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina

"Donalds Reaffirms His Position on Red Flag Laws in CNN Interview" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) went on CNN to discuss red flag laws and gun ownership following the recent school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee.

"Scott Suggests Fiscal Solutions to Fix America's 'Broken Status Quo'" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) has delivered his comments regarding the recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data drop. According to Sen. Scott, the inflation crisis is still ongoing and problematic to Americans around the country.

"Rubio Alleges Democratic Fundraising Vehicle is a 'Facilitator of Fraud'" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) has a sent a letter to the Federal Election Commission’s (FEC) Chairwoman and Vice Chairman, Dara Lindenbaum and Sean J. Cooksey to inquire about ActBlue (a major fundraiser for the Democratic Party) and their donation practices.

"Florida School District Releases Statement Answering 'What is a Woman' and 'Can Men Get Pregnant'" by The Floridian's Chris Nelson—After Broward County Schools Superintendent Earlean Smiley shockingly said there is no "clear-cut answer" to the question of what a woman is, the Broward School District has given its official answer.

"DeSantis Deploys State Resources to Fort Lauderdale After Massive Flood" by The Floridian's Chris Nelson—Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Emergency Management have gone above and beyond what is required after record rainfalls poured down on Fort Lauderdale leading to massive flooding. Absent a direct petition from Broward County, a State of Emergency has been declared and resources have been deployed to help Florida residents after 25 inches of rain were dropped on the city in a 24-hour period.

"DeSantis Signs Florida's 'Heartbeat' Bill Into law" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—Just a mere hours after being presented with the controversial “Heartbeat Protection Act (SB 300), Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law.

"Newsom ad Attacks DeSantis' Education 'Takeover'" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina

"Salazar Leads Charge for CBSI Funding" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina—A bipartisan group of lawmakers have joined forces to pursue funding with the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) Authorization Act. Florida Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R) leads the charge for CBSI funding alongside Tennessee Rep. Mark Green, M.D. (R) and New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D).

"Florida Lawmaker Says he's Ok With 'Erasing' Gay Community for Targeting Children" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—State Representative Randy Fine (R-FL) recently introduced House Bill 1423 which strives for the “Protection of Children.” The bill looks to “fine, suspend, or revoke the licenses” of establishments that knowingly admits children to “adult live performances” such as drag shows or events that depict lewd acts or conduct.

"Steube Says Alvin Bragg's Lawsuit Against Congress Means He's Hiding Something" by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—The House Oversight Committee has begun investigating DA Alvin Bragg's indictment of former President Donald Trump. In response, DA Bragg filed a lawsuit against the Committee and its chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH).

"Florida House Speaker Compares Democratic Party's Abortion Stance to China, North Korea" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—Florida Speaker of the House Paul Renner (R) compared the Democratic Party’s “extreme” and supportive of late-term position on abortion to that of Communist China and North Korea.

"Democrats, Soto Believe Ron DeSantis' Permitless Carry Law is a'Terrible Setback'" by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—Florida Democrats continue their criticism of Governor Ron DeSantis' (R) signage of constitutional concealed carry in Florida, meaning a permit is no longer necessary.

"Trump Calls New York Courthouse a 'Prison'" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina—President Donald Trump (R) sat down with Tucker Carlson this week for an exclusive interview on the Fox News channel. During the talk, President Trump discussed a number of topics including his recent visit to a New York Courthouse. As he battles legal woes, Trump expressed that visiting

"Catholic Priests Denied Access to Military Medical Center During Holy Week, Rubio Responds" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—With Holy Week coming to a conclusion on Easter Sunday, Catholics and Protestants alike, such as Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and James Lankford (R-OK) were surprised to hear that Walter Reed...

"Mast: Biden Admin's 'Hands are Tied' After American Reporter Arrested in Russia" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—Representative Brian Mast (R-FL) went on Fox News today to discuss Russian detainment of the American Wall Street Journal reporter, Evan Gershkovich.

"Florida Senate Passes Anti-Drag Show Bill" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—Florida Senate Democrats made their case in opposition to Sen. Clay Yarborough’s Protection of Children (SB 1438) bill, arguing that the measure directly targeted drag shows, which Sen. Lori Berman referred to as a “form of art.”

"Bipartisan Effort: U.S. Congress Unites to Urge EU to Designate Iran's IRGC as a Terrorist Organization" by The Floridian's Michelle RosenbergIn a bold move, a coalition of 124 U.S. Members of Congress, led by Reps. Kathy Manning, Tom Kean Jr., and Bill Keating, have taken a significant and determined step in the ongoing fight against Iranian and IRGC terrorism.

"Florida Lawmakers Pursue Death Penalty in Child Rapes" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—TALLAHASSEE — In a move that likely would spur a constitutional fight, Florida lawmakers appear ready to pass a proposal that would allow the death penalty for people who commit sexual batteries on children under age 12.

"Newsom, Trump Chide DeSantis Ahead of 2024" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina—The criticism against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) continues to pile. California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) and President Donald Trump (R) have issued scathing comments against ...

"Matt Gaetz 'Tired' of Washington D.C. 'Grift Game'" by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) gave viewers of the Rubin Report a look into Washington, D.C. politics, describing the legislation as a "grift game..."

"Webster Barnaby Compares Transgenders to 'Demons and Imps'" by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—During recent hearings on Florida House Bill 1421, which would ban sex reassignment surgery for minors, Representative Webster Barnaby (R) had strong words against transgender people...

"DeSantis Rails Against Fed-Controlled Digital Currency" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich

"DeSantis's Fundraising Reaches Staggering $86 Million" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—While Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has not officially announced a run for president in 2024, his fundraising numbers would indicate that he will be on a debate stage against former President Donald Trump (R) within the next several months.

"Could More American Lawmakers Begin to Pull Their Financial Support for Ukraine War?" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent anti-American remarks after meeting with China’s Xi Jinping could move...

"Mills Endorses Trump, Helps Fuel Former President's Campaign Momentum Over DeSantis" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—Former President Donald Trump has scored another congressional endorsement. Rep. Cory Mills, a former military contractor and Army veteran, has moved up his endorsement of the former president...

"Newsom Calls DeSantis 'Weak' Ahead of 2024" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina—California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) continues to criticize Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R). In a new interview with MSNBC, Newsom calls DeSantis "weak."

"Carlos Guillermo Smith Seeking Florida Senate Seat" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina—Florida Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith (D) is seeking a Florida senate seat after being voted out of the House of Representatives in the 2022 midterm election, losing his reelection...

"Former DeSantis Official Believes Trump can get Fair Trial in New York City" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—After former President Donald Trump was arraigned on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in New York City, it was learned that the judge presiding over the criminal case donated to President Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign...

"Eskamani Pushes Abortion Pill Mifepristone Federal Ruling" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina—A Texas Judge has taken a firm stance against the use of Mifepristone, an abortion pill. At the same time, a Washington Judge has issued a ruling in opposition...

"Both Trump and DeSantis Supported Keeping GITMO Open" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—Regardless of how some media outlets and political talking heads try to spin the differences between former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis...

"Florida Congresswoman Hopes 'God' Will 'Forgive' DeSantis for Signing Permitless Carry Bill" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina

"Rick Scott Visits US Troops in Mediterranean (PHOTOS)" by The Floridian's Jim McCool

"Scott Slams Biden Spokesman For Saying He 'Didn't See' Chaos During Afghanistan Withdrawal" by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich

The JUICE is squeezed by Javier Manjarres, Jim McCool, and Daniel Molina

The post Juice🍊—4.19.2023—DeSantis to Sign Death to Child Rapists Bill—Drag Shows About to Lose in Florida Mill—More... appeared first on The Floridian.

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TALLAHASSEE --- Supporters of Confederate monuments or statues, and other historical markers could sue over removal or destruction of the displays, under a controversial proposal continuing to move forward in the Florida Senate.

In a 6-2 party-line vote, the Republican-controlled Community Affairs Committee on Wednesday backed the bill (SB 1096), which would give standing to people to file lawsuits if they believe they have “lost history” or the ability to teach about the past because of monuments being removed or relocated or because the structures were not protected from damage.

“What I like about these memorials in public places is that everybody has the opportunity to see who we were,” bill sponsor Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, said.

“The older the monument, the more important it is, because it provides a starting point for what our country began as, who led our country,” Martin added. “And looking around in modern-day America, especially many of our big cities, sitting even up here in the committee room, we can look around and see that our America looks a lot different than it did when any of these people who are depicted in monuments were running things."

The measure comes after controversies in recent years in Florida and other states about removing historic markers, many honoring members of the Confederacy.

Santa Rosa County Commissioner James Calkins supported the proposal.

“Right now, we have a movement in this country to take down and destroy historic monuments,” Calkins said. “They started with Confederate monuments. It didn't end there. Christopher Columbus. George Washington's next. And we need to protect our monuments. We need to protect our history.”

But Sen. Rosalind Osgood, D-Fort Lauderdale, said many markers were erected after the Civil War and during the 1950s and 1960s in defiance of the civil-rights movement.

“I'm hoping that we'll get to a point where we can have some real tough conversations to understand why different groups feel different ways about certain things,” Osgood, who is Black, said. “People that look like me really are offended by a lot of the Confederate monuments.”

  Jonathan Webber, a lobbyist for the Montgomery, Ala.-based SPLC Action Fund, argued Confederate monuments honor people who took up arms against the United States and “are symbolic reminders of the racist social hierarchy that can still be felt today.”

The bill, titled the “Historical Monuments and Memorials Protection Act,” would apply to a wide range of items, including plaques, statues, markers, flags and banners, that are considered permanent displays “dedicated to a historical person, entity, event or series of events, and that honors or recounts the military service of any past or present military personnel or the past or present public service of a resident of the geographical area.”

People responsible for damaging or removing monuments or memorials would be open to civil lawsuits, including a threat of increased damages known as “treble” damages and punitive damages.

The measure would allow monuments and memorials to be relocated but only to areas that have “similar prominence and access to the public.”

Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Eustis, said people should “respect” memorials, as “we all have plenty to repent of personally, in addition to whatever our ancestors did.”

“I think this could be a step forward of just mutual respect, and yeah, maybe force us to confront our failures of the past and force us to say, ‘We have gotten better on some things,’” Baxley added. “But to condemn other people's memorialization, when they're not even here to explain themselves or their role, I think it's very disrespectful.”

The proposal must be approved by the Rules Committee to reach the Senate floor.

A House version (HB 1607) cleared the Constitutional Rights, Rule of Law & Government Operations Subcommittee last week in a 9-3 vote.

This move to remove controversial statues or monuments is not anything new.

In 2017, Rep. Wasserman Schultz led Florida’s congressional delegation in urging the Florida Legislature to call a special session to replace the existing Confederate general statue that represented the state in Statuary Hall inside the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Rep. Wasserman Schultz prevailed, and now a statue of Dr. Mary McCleod Bethune stands where the monument of Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith once stood.

Publisher Javier Manjarres contributed to this News Service of Florida story by Jim Turner

The post Florida Senators Target History Confederate Monument Removals appeared first on The Floridian.

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Big Tech Legislation 2.0

With Big Tech continuing to cancel anything or anyone remotely affiliated or promoting President Donald Trump, all the buzz in Florida continues to be Gov. Ron DeSantis’ support for Rep. Blaise Ingoglia’s bill to hold social media companies accountable.

While the bill seems to cover all the bases, a key detail appears to be missing.

Will the state legislators insert an amendment to the bill that would mandate the restoration of access to social media platforms for individual candidates that have been previously banned?

While Rep. Anthony Sabatini’s HB 33 goes a lot further in that it looks to protect all website users in Florida, Rep. Ingoglia’s bill needs to be tweaked a bit. READ MORE about Sabatini’s bill.

Border Crisis

President Joe Biden’s recently minted ‘Welcome to America Amigos, just cross on over’ immigration policy going into effect, thousands of illegal aliens have accepted the president’s call for amnesty and are crushing CBP services along the U.S.-Mexico border.

So what is Biden doing?

He’s caging kids and locking illegal aliens up in those dastardly “concentration camps” that former President Donald Trump was criticized for using. Remember, during the Obama-Biden administration, these cages and internment camps were built. READ MORE

Gaetz vs. DeSantis?

Chances are that Rep. Matt Gaetz, who has presidential aspirations of his own, doesn’t primary challenge Gov. Ron DeSantis if the popular governor decides to run for president in 2024, but it could happen. The two are amigos in politics, but so were Senator Marco Rubio and former Governor Jeb Bush. Politics is ego-driven, so considering that all politicians have issues getting their over-inflated heads through the door, I say all bets are off with any political race. READ MORE

Marco Rubio @marcorubio -50% of schools are still closed. Many others still only partially open. And Biden “experts” misinterpret science research to issue absurd guidelines.I will be asking @CDC for answers on this today

U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy @RepStephMurphy-The decision by @POTUS to designate Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status for at least the next 18 months is absolutely necessary, but it must be part of a broader American strategy to address the tragedy that is unfolding in Venezuela as a result of the Maduro regime

Nikki Fried @nikkifried-It didn’t have to be this bad in Florida.

(But it's not so bad in Florida. It's sunny, COVID cases are down, the state is open for business, you are allowed to spout out baseless accusations)

Rep. Mike Beltran (R-Lithia) and Litigator @MBeltranFL - am so excited to announce that my Bill, HB 1523, Corporate Espionage, has passed out of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Subcommittee. I look forward to seeing that this Bill becomes law. We will protect Florida's intellectual property.

ᴊᴀꜱᴏɴ ᴘɪᴢᴢᴏ @senpizzo-COVID death rate in our prisons is about 80% higher, than outside. Not one single vaccine has been offered to Florida inmates. No 65 year olds. No 70 year olds. No 75 year olds. No one.

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Show Me The Money

The State of Florida is in desperate need of cash to counter the huge revenue deficit brought on by the COVID pandemic, but will state legislators revert to raising taxes to help bridge the gap?

You Betcha!

Don’t call it a tax, say some Republican legislators of Sen. Joe Gruters’s SB 50 Sales and Use Tax, but others call it what it is, a “Sales and Use Tax.”

“If passed—this online sales tax bill (SB 50) will be the single LARGEST TAX INCREASE in the history of the state of Florida” — READ MORE

HB 1, The Not-So-Racist Rioting Bill

Florida House Republicans introduced the anti-Rioting (HB 1) last year after the rioting that took place around the country after the death of George Floyd in hopes that it would curb future civil unrest and rioting.

While the measure does not single out any particular race, Democrats saw the opportunity to play the race card and say that Republicans were singling out the Black community.

C’mon, don’t be so surprised. This is politics.

Now, one Democratic lawmaker called out the “false narrative.” READ MORE

Shhh!!!! Don’t Tell Rep. Carlos “Carlitos” Guillermo Smith (D) 

Rubio: 'It’s Unfair to Allow Biological Men To Compete In Women’s Sports' by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – Moments ago, Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) asserted his opposition against the transgendered community’s support for allowing “biological men” to compete against women in athletics, stating that it was “unfair to allow biological men to compete in women’s sports,” adding that “COVID funding” and that congressional Democrats want to have pandemic relief taxpayer funds to pay for it

No Pay For You —Senator Rick Scott Pushes to scrap congressional pay due to this debacle. READ MORE

Rep. Anna V. Eskamani J @AnnaForFlorida-We can change car batteries, but not replace alternators After trying hours to fix my car w/help of Rudy at Advanced Auto Parts, David from @AAAnews, Kevin from the neighborhood & @Pcola_eddiet we called it quits, borrowed @_lcoops car, & are now heading to Tallahassee

U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy @RepStephMurphy-56 years ago today, African Americans and their allies—including my late and beloved colleague John Lewis—marched for their civil rights, and were brutally beaten. We have made great progress since then, but the fight for justice and equality continues.

Fiona McFarland @FionaForFlorida-Wanna know how amazing the Capitol sergeant and staff are? My soles started talking during a committee meeting so they helped me with emergency repairs. They do it all!

Chris Sprowls @ChrisSprowls-More evidence that Florida has weathered this painful storm better than other states, and we will come out stronger in the end. Well done,

The post JUICE — Florida Politics' Juicy Read — 3.8.2021 — COVID Liability In FL — Gruters' Sales And Use Tax —Book, Rubio, Scott, Taddeo — More... appeared first on The Floridian.

Democrats: Republicans Are Committing Treason

With congressional Republicans ready to challenge President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral votes this week, some so-called “Conservative” media outlets have joined Democrats like Florida State Rep. Michael Greico, in taking issue with the move to challenge or decertify the Electoral College vote.

Rep. Greico, who is considered a “moderate” and pragmatic legislator from Miami Beach, Florida, echoed the “treason” narrative that many national Democrats have called the effort to overturn the election. READ MORE

Rick Scott @SenRickScott-I am proud of the hard work by so many in the Administration to develop and quickly distribute this vaccine to the states. We aren’t successful until everyone who wants a vaccine can get one and I know they are working hard to make sure that is a possibility.

Marco Rubio @marcorubio-We have been pushing to protect Americans from the dangers posed by #China investments. Removing Chinese telecom companies from U.S. exchanges is a good start but we still need to pass my American Financial Markets Integrity and Security Act.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz @DWStweets-The 11 GOP Senators who will undermine our democracy this Wednesday will get the same result as every Trump lawsuit: another embarrassing loss. A fitting end to the Trump presidency.

Rep. Val Demings @RepValDemings-I spent most of my adult life enforcing the laws, and believe that no one is above the law. What you are about to hear is shameful and disgraceful, especially coming from the President.

Byron Donalds @ByronDonalds -@SpeakerPelosi has achieved two things as speaker; tearing apart the State of the Union & handing her party the slimmest majority since WWII. We need a leader who puts the people over politics and who doesn't answer to the Squad. That is why I proudly voted for @GOPLeader

Rep. Brian Mast @RepBrianMast-Nancy Pelosi abused taxpayer dollars to lead a sham impeachment investigation against President Trump solely for the purpose of delegitimizing the President. Now, millions of Americans have important questions about voter fraud, but Congress refuses to conduct an investigation.

.

Rep. Stephanie Murphy @RepStephMurphy-Today we start a new chapter in our country. Today we continue our fight for the people of #FL07.

 Greico, Democrats call GOP effort to decertify election ‘treason’ by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres

Democrat Schumer accuses Trump of committing ‘election fraud’ by The Floridian's Jim McCool

Georgia Sec. Of State Raffensperger Trump Could Face Investigation After Leaking The Phone Call by The Floridian's Mona Salama

Conservative Publications And More Republican Lawmakers Slam Cruz-Led Plan to Challenge Electoral College” by The Floridian’s Mona Salama – The National Review, the country’s preeminent conservative magazine along with the highly influential Wall Street Journal Editorial Board criticized the group of eleven GOP senators led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) who announced over the weekend their plans to object to the certification of the presidential election results when Congress formally counts the electoral votes this week. In the joint statement from the 11 GOP Senators, the group cited a “long precedent of Democratic Members of Congress raising objections to presidential election results,” and pointed to the 2005 challenge when a “Democratic Senator joined with a Democratic House Member in forcing votes in both houses on whether to accept the presidential electors being challenged.” “On January 6, it is incumbent on Congress to vote on whether to certify the 2020 election results. That vote is the lone constitutional power remaining to consider and force resolution of the multiple allegations of serious voter fraud,” the joint statement from the 11 GOP senator said. “At that quadrennial joint session, there is a long precedent of Democratic Members of Congress raising objections to presidential election results, as they did in 1969, 2001, 2005, and 2017. And, in both 1969 and 2005, a Democratic Senator joined with a Democratic House Member in forcing votes in both houses on whether to accept the presidential electors being challenged.”

“Murphy Reelected to Lead House Blue Dog Democrats” by The Floridian’s Daniel Molina – Florida Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D) has just been reelected as the leader of the Blue Dog Coalition for the 117th Congress. The 18-member coalition, which also includes Florida Rep. Charlie Crist (D) as a member, unanimously reelected Murphy, who made history in the 116th Congress in becoming the first woman of color to become leader of the Coalition. In being reelected, she is also the second leader in the history of the Coalition to serve two consecutive terms. In a statement, Murphy expressed her gratitude in being able “to again lead this principled and pragmatic group of House Democrats.” She expressed that “as our government navigates this unprecedented health and economic crisis, Blue Dogs will continue to reach across the aisle to find common ground and improve the lives of Americans.” She detailed that the “coalition remains committed to pursuing bipartisan cooperation, being fiscally responsible, and protecting our national security.” Murphy is also a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, and the Committee has jurisdiction over issues regarding the people of Central Florida, which includes revenue, critical federal programs like Social Security and Medicare, and trade.

“Buchanan Introduces 10 Bills in “Recovery” Plan” by The Floridian’s Daniel Molina – With the 117th Congress heading to work, Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan (R) is affirming that “2021 will be the year of recovery and rebuilding.” In turn, the Florida lawmaker has introduced 10 bills on opening day as part of this “recovery” plan, prioritizing the restoration of the American economy, protecting social security and medicare, reducing the debt, fighting the red tide and more. As the co-chair of the 20-member Florida congressional delegation, Buchanan argued that lawmakers “need to make sure people are safe and have jobs to return to.”

Buchanan is the senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee, and he is involved in developing a major infrastructure bill regarding public-private partnerships that aim to create tens of thousands of new jobs. As well, as part of the 116th Congress, Buchanan took part in six legislative initiatives that were enacted into law, which equals to 23 legislative initiatives that the sunshine state lawmaker has passed since taking office in 2007. The 10 bills introduced by Buchanan are the following: The Securing America’s Medicine Cabinet Act, which would create a new federal office responsible for stockpiling adequate supplies of critical medicines and encourage companies to ramp up the manufacturing of those drugs. The coronavirus has exposed how dangerously reliant our medical supply chain is on China and other countries, which is why we must take immediate take steps to become less dependent on foreign countries for life-saving drugs.

“Leaked Trump Audio Causes Stir Ahead of Georgia Runoff” by The Floridian’s Daniel Molina – New audio has been released of a conversation between President Donald Trump (R) and Brad Raffensperger (R), Georgia’s Secretary of State. In the recording, the President is heard saying, “I just want to find 11,780 votes,” and Raffensperger has consistently rejected Trump’s arguments of voter fraud as conspiracy theories. In the final tally, Biden turned Georgia blue with 11,779 votes. Subsequently, President Trump has launched attacks at the Georgia Governor and the Secretary of State over their lack of cooperation in light of President Trump’s legal challenges. Dismissing their responses, Trump commented that “the people of Georgia are angry, the people of the country are angry,” adding that “there’s nothing wrong with saying, you know, that you’ve recalculated.” In response, Raffensperger told Trump that “the challenge that you have is, the data you have is wrong.” Still, President Trump maintains that he carried Georgia, admitting that “there’s no way I lost Georgia. There’s no way. We won by hundreds of thousands of votes.” This week, lawmakers are also set to meet on Wednesday to certify the Electoral College votes, but some lawmakers have already expressed that they will object to certifying the results.

“Florida state legislator wants Mar-a-Lago fined, closed after 'potential super-spreader party'” by The Hill’s Joseph Choi – Florida state Rep. Omari Hardy (D) called for shuttering Mar-a-Lago after videos of a New Year's Eve party at President Trump's private club appeared to show dozens of attendees celebrating without masks. “My constituents are not snowbirds like @DonaldJTrumpJr & @kimguilfoyle. My constituents live here,” Hardy wrote in a Twitter post Saturday. “This is their home, and they're going to have to deal w/ the consequences of a potential super-spreader party at Mar-a-Lago long after Junior & wife leave here on their private jet.” Local NBC-affiliate WPTV reported that Hardy sent a letter to Assistant County Administrator Todd Bonlarron asking that the club be fined and shut down for violating a county mask mandate. In his letter, Hardy said the gathering had the potential to be a “super-spreader event.” "I recognize that the President is a powerful person and that his business, Mar-a-Lago, is a daunting target for enforcement, but the law is the law,” Hardy wrote. “The County's mask mandate applies to all businesses in Palm Beach County. The presidency does not confer to the President and his friends a special privilege to endanger the health and welfare of Palm Beach County’s residents." Trump was not in attendance at the party, though his two adult sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., as well as his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, were there as guests. The president had reportedly planned to be at the club for New Year's Eve but returned to Washington, D.C., ahead of the Jan. 6 certification of President-elect Joe Biden's election victory in Congress.

“Governor announces plans to ramp up COVID-19 vaccination efforts throughout Florida” by Click Orlando’s Brianna Volz – To kick off the new year and the state’s fourth week of administering COVID-19 vaccines, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced plans on Monday to double down on vaccination efforts statewide. So far, more than 255,000 people have been vaccinated in Florida since shots began being administered last month, according to the Florida Department of Health’s most recent daily COVID-19 vaccine report. DeSantis wants that number to grow significantly in the coming weeks and, during a news conference Monday at Orlando Health South Seminole Hospital in Longwood, he shared how he intends to make that happen with four new vaccine initiatives. DeSantis said hospitals will be critical to the state’s vaccination efforts. Hospitals that are churning out shots faster will receive more doses, he said. “If you have hospitals like Jackson (Memorial Hospital), that are meeting or exceeding their targets then we’re going to send them more vaccine,” DeSantis said. “If you have other hospitals that are not using it, then future distributions will be reduced accordingly. We don’t want vaccine being idle we want folks to be able to use it and get it into people’s arms particularly our most vulnerable population.” First, the governor said he’s directed the Division of Emergency Management to work with the Florida Department of Health to identify state run COVID-19 testing sites that can be converted into vaccine sites.

“U.S. Supreme Court set to hear Florida-Georgia water battle” by News Service of Florida – After years of battling between Florida and Georgia, the U.S. Supreme Court next month will again take up a dispute about water in a river system that links the two states. The Supreme Court last week scheduled oral arguments Feb. 22 in the case about divvying up water in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river system, which stretches from northern Georgia to Apalachicola Bay in Franklin County. Florida filed the lawsuit in 2013, though the two states have fought for decades about water in the river system. Florida contends that Georgia is using too much water from the system, damaging the Apalachicola River and the long-iconic oyster industry in Apalachicola Bay. Federal appellate Judge Paul Kelly, a special master appointed by the Supreme Court, dealt a blow to Florida in December 2019 when he said Florida had not adequately shown that Georgia’s water use caused problems in the Apalachicola River and Apalachicola Bay. Kelly’s recommendation went to the Supreme Court, where Florida and Georgia in 2020 filed briefs that gave vastly different descriptions of the issues. In one brief, Florida’s attorneys attacked Kelly’s findings and argued that “Georgia’s insatiable upstream consumption (of water) has decimated Apalachicola’s oyster fisheries.” “The harm to the Bay’s oyster fisheries is undeniable. Apalachicola is renowned across America for its oysters, which account for 90% of Florida’s oyster harvest and 10% of the nation’s,” the brief said. “What’s more, oysters --- and oystering --- have created a distinct way of life in Apalachicola passed down from generation-to-generation; whole communities depend on the fisheries for their economic livelihood. The oyster is to Apalachicola what the lobster is to many New England towns.”

“Florida yet to present plan for prison inmates, guards, despite high-risk status” by Fox 13’s Jordan Bowen – New numbers show Florida leads the country in COVID-19-related deaths among prisoners, according to data collected by the Marshall Project. Despite the data, the state has yet to roll out a plan for vaccinating prison inmates and guards, which are both considered high-risk populations. "Prisons are notorious for the congestion and spread of normal infectious diseases," USF Professor of Public Health Dr. Jay Wolfson said. Since the pandemic began, Florida has recorded 189 COVID-19 related deaths among prisoners, which is more than any other state. This is according to the Marshall Project, which is a non-profit organization tracking COVID-19 cases in state and federal prisons. "They are a natural place that breed infectious disease once they have been planted there. The dilemma is prisoners are required to be taken care of there as a matter of law," Dr. Wolfson said. In December, researchers from seven of the nation's top universities submitted a report to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, urging the agency to prioritize the vaccination of inmates and prison staff. In the report, the CDC says states should include prisons in the early stages of vaccine distribution. According to a map in the report, Florida is among 11 other states with distribution plans that don't include prisons. "Once the prisoners get it, the staff are going to get it much easier. They go home at night. They go shopping in the grocery store. They serve as the primary vehicle for contagion and community spread. They need to be protected first," Dr. Wolfson said.

“Students return to schools as Florida pediatric cases hit new peak” by WFLA’s Justin Schecker – Coronavirus cases for the under 18 age group in Florida are hitting a new peak during the pandemic as students return to school after winter break, a University of South Florida epidemiologist tells 8 On Your Side. “Just like every other age group we are seeing increases,” Dr. Jason Salemi said. “We are beyond even where we were during the summer surge in terms of the number of daily cases each day with the pediatric population.” Salemi said the state is averaging about 1,500 new COVID-19 cases per day over the last week in the under 18 age group. There have been more than 182,000 total pediatric cases during the pandemic. While most children become who become infected have milder or no symptoms, a Harvard study raised concerns about children silently spreading infection to others. “How do we keep the adults in those schools safe and how do we limit transmission from schools back in the community,” Salemi said, adding districts must continue mitigation strategies like mash wearing, hand washing and improving ventilation. Florida’s brick-and-mortar schools must remain open, according to the executive order from Gov. Ron DeSantis. He has said parents must have the option to choose and that closing schools was “the biggest public health blunder in modern American history.”

“Judge to weigh case on Florida's unemployment problems” by Fox 35 – A Leon County circuit judge has scheduled a hearing next month to decide whether to toss out a class-action lawsuit that seeks damages because of problems with the state’s unemployment-compensation system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Judge John Cooper has scheduled a hearing Feb. 16 on motions by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and Deloitte Consulting, LLP to dismiss the case, according to court documents. Plaintiffs’ attorneys filed a revised lawsuit in November after Cooper dismissed an earlier version in September. In the dismissal, Cooper allowed the plaintiffs to file a revised complaint. The revised version makes a series of allegations and contends, in part, that the department and Deloitte were negligent and breached a fiduciary duty to the plaintiffs, who lost their jobs during the pandemic and faced problems getting unemployment benefits. The department administers the unemployment program, while Deloitte was a contractor that helped put in place the CONNECT online system, which could not handle a pandemic-caused crush of unemployment applications. But attorneys for the Department of Economic Opportunity and Deloitte argue that the lawsuit should be dismissed for several reasons, including that it would violate the constitutional separation of power between the judicial and executive branches of government.

“Men arrested in Florida for allegedly trafficking children” by KGNS’s Max Fernandez – A Florida traffic stop landed two men in jail for allegedly trafficking children. Investigators say a traffic stop on I-10 led to the arrest of these men, Frank Leija Moreno and Jackson Perez-Godinez. Deputies say when they pulled this car over, the suspects were in the front seat and two teenage boys were in the back. The Sheriff’s Office said the group got nervous and their stories didn’t add up. They soon learned the boys were from Guatemala and smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico for forced labor. “I mean, getting drugs off is one thing, getting drugs off the street,” said Bob Johnson, Florida sheriff. “That’s one thing. But getting these guys off the street is, is really big because this is what they do for a living. They take advantage of kids.” Authorities say the boy’s families paid more than $1,000 each to send them to the U.S. Agents say the boys were told they would have to work off additional travel expenses. The Sheriff’s Office says Moreno is a sex offender from Texas and Perez-Godinez is from Guatemala and illegally in the country.

“Second doses of COVID-19 vaccine begin Florida rollout” by Tampa Bay Times’ Allison Ross – Florida is moving into another stage in the COVID-19 vaccination process this week, with frontline health care workers and others at the forefront of receiving shots last month now starting to roll up their sleeves again. Both of the coronavirus vaccines approved in the United States require two doses per person, with a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine required after three weeks and a second dose of the Moderna vaccine after four weeks. Florida’s first coronavirus vaccine shots, from Pfizer, were administered Dec. 14 — three weeks ago. That means hospitals and county health departments, already straining to administer first doses, must now double back for those ready for round two. “Will the places providing immunizations be in a position to be able to handle it? They will have to double their capacity to keep up,” said Glenn Morris, director of the Emerging Pathogens Institute at the University of Florida. He pointed out that different organizations are using different methods and technology to schedule vaccinations. Many vaccines are given via a series of doses, with the first shot priming the body’s immune response and the second dose amplifying recognition and immune response, said Cindy Prins, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Florida. The COVID-19 vaccines’ effectiveness is roughly 50 percent a couple weeks after getting the first shot but goes up to greater than 90 percent with the second dose. (Other coronavirus vaccines in development use only a single shot.)

“Kamala Harris accused of plagiarizing MLK anecdote in October interview with Elle magazine” by Fox News’ Joseph A. Wulfsohn – Vice President-elect Kamala Harris apparently appropriated an anecdote first told by civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. when she was interviewed by Elle Magazine for a feature that was published in October, at the height of the 2020 presidential election campaign. Harris has repeatedly boasted of her parents' involvement in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. In the Elle interview, she recalled accompanying them to marches as a toddler in a stroller. "Senator Kamala Harris started her life’s work young," writer Ashley C. Ford led off the piece. "She laughs from her gut, the way you would with family, as she remembers being wheeled through an Oakland, California, civil rights march in a stroller with no straps with her parents and her uncle. At some point, she fell from the stroller ... and the adults, caught up in the rapture of protest, just kept on marching. By the time they noticed little Kamala was gone and doubled back, she was understandably upset." "My mother tells the story about how I’m fussing," Harris told the magazine. "And she’s like, ‘Baby, what do you want? What do you need?’ And I just looked at her and I said, ‘Fweedom.’" After the interview resurfaced Monday, Twitter user @EngelsFreddie and Andray Domise, contributing editor of the Canadian publication Maclean's, noted that Harris' story resembled one told by King in a 1965 interview published in Playboy. "I will never forget a moment in Birmingham when a White policeman accosted a little Negro girl, seven or eight years old, who was walking in a demonstration with her mother," King said at the time. "'What do you want?' the policeman asked her gruffly, and the little girl looked at him straight in the eye and answered, 'Fee-dom.' She couldn't even pronounce it, but she knew. It was beautiful! Many times when I have been in sorely trying situations, the memory of that little one has come into my mind, and has buoyed me."

“FBI, GBI aware of 'specific threats' related to Georgia Senate races” by Fox News’ Brooke Singman – The FBI and Georgia state law enforcement officials are "aware" of "specific threats" to the state's Senate runoff election on Tuesday, Fox News has learned. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation on Monday told Fox News that the threats apply to "various counties" in the state. "The GBI has been made aware of specific threats regarding Tuesday’s upcoming election," the GBI said in a statement. "Our agency is working with federal, state, and local partners to investigate them." The GBI added: "The goal is to ensure a safe election and that all voters have access to polling locations." The FBI Atlanta Field Office told Fox News Monday that it is "aware of the threats." "We take all threats seriously and are communicating with our local, state and federal partners," an FBI spokesperson told Fox News. "As always we ask everyone to be aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement." The FBI and GBI were notified after Georgia’s Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said it learned of a "threatening email" that was sent to several Cherokee County employees "regarding threats to polling locations on Election Day." The sheriff's office said the email was referred to the GBI and the FBI and that "an investigation into the emails began.” "It was discovered that employees from several Georgia counties received the same email," the sheriff's office said. "Currently the source of the emails has not been identified." The FBI spokesperson declined to comment further. A source from the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office told Fox News that email was a "threat of violence."

“Federal judge hints at possible discipline against lawyer after another GOP election lawsuit is tossed” by CNN’s Caroline Kelly and Katelyn Polantz – A federal judge in Washington, DC, suggested on Monday that lawyers representing the Wisconsin Voters Alliance and other groups, which have backed efforts in several courts in line with President Donald Trump seeking to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's win, could face professional discipline. The group had asked the DC District Court to block the Electoral College vote and Congress from confirming Biden's win. District Judge James Boasberg fully rejected their requests, calling it a "fundamental and obvious misreading of the Constitution" and "the undermining of a democratic election for President of the United States." Boasberg also wrote in a seven-page opinion that the case may not have been filed seriously from the beginning. He noted the group hadn't properly notified its targets -- which included Vice President Mike Pence -- of the lawsuit, and had filed it in the wrong court. "Courts are not instruments through which parties engage in such gamesmanship or symbolic political gestures," Boasberg wrote. "As a result, at the conclusion of this litigation," he added, "the Court will determine whether to issue an order to show cause why this matter should not be referred to its Committee on Grievances for potential discipline of Plaintiffs' counsel." Erick Kaardal, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, did not respond to CNN's requests for comment. Trump and his allies have lost around 50 court cases they've brought since the election, with many seeking to push unfounded theories of possible fraud, throw out millions of legitimate votes and overturn Biden's win so Trump can remain in office.

“Trump says he hopes Pence 'comes through' while he rallies for Georgia senators” by CNN’s Maegan Vazquez and Ryan Nobles and Nikki Carvajal – President Donald Trump appeared zeroed-in on the vice president's role in certifying the 2020 presidential election results as a potential Hail Mary during a rally meant for a pair of Georgia GOP Senate candidates on Monday night, saying that he hoped Mike Pence would "come through for us." Pence holds a largely ceremonial role when Congress affirms the Electoral College vote electing Joe Biden on Wednesday. "I hope Mike Pence comes through for us, I have to tell you," Trump admitted. "I hope that our great vice president -- our great vice president, comes through for us. He's a great guy. Of course, if he doesn't come through, I won't like him as much." But Trump, who was seen in the Oval Office with the vice president shortly before departing for Georgia, wouldn't say exactly what he wants Pence to do, given that his role in certifying electors is largely ceremonial. Trump laughed it off and added: "Nah, Mike is a great guy he's a wonderful man and a smart man and a man that I like a lot." "But he's gonna have a lot to say about it," the President added. "And he you know one thing with him, you're gonna get straight shots -- he's gonna call it straight."

“Proud Boys Leader Arrested in Connection With Burning of Black Lives Matter Banner” by WSJ’s Rachael Levy – The leader of the far-right Proud Boys was arrested on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., and charged in connection with unrest that followed pro-Trump protests in the nation’s capital last month. Metropolitan Police arrested Enrique Tarrio, 36 years old, and charged him with destruction of property related to the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner belonging to a historic Black church, a police spokesman said. Police also charged him with possession of what they said were two “high-capacity firearm magazines.” Mr. Tarrio didn’t immediately return a phone call seeking comment. A social-media account for the Proud Boys on Monday night said the group had started a legal-defense fund for him. Mr. Tarrio told the Washington Post in December he participated in burning a Black Lives Matter banner that had been ripped from the Asbury United Methodist Church, a historic Black church during unrest that followed pro-Trump protests in the capital. He told the Post he would plead guilty to destruction of property, pay the church the cost of the banner and accept arrest if authorities filed charges. The night of the burning, brawls broke out between some demonstrators and counterprotesters. Several people, including eight police officers, were hurt, authorities said at the time. Mr. Tarrio’s arrest came the same day civil-rights groups filed a lawsuit against Mr. Tarrio and Proud Boys International LLC over vandalism they say the group committed at another Black church, the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church. “I love a good fight,” Mr. Tarrio said on a social-media post about the lawsuit earlier on Monday. He included an expletive to describe one of the representatives who filed the complaint.

“House Passes Rules Package for New Session of Congress” by WSJ’s Natalie Andrews – The House on Monday passed rules that weakened a procedural tool Republicans had used to force Democrats to take tough political votes as well as added exemptions to a budget rule that progressives deemed a win. The rules package for the new Congress passed on partisan lines in a 217-206 vote. The rules are set by the majority party’s leadership and must be passed at the beginning of each session of Congress. The new package strengthens congressional oversight, seeks to protect whistleblowers and specifically defines that any current and former White House employees can be subpoenaed. It also renews proxy voting, which allows lawmakers to vote remotely during the pandemic by designating a lawmaker to vote on their behalf. Republicans object to the remote-voting rule and are disputing it in court, though some GOP lawmakers have used it. The package also instructs lawmakers to honor all gender identities by changing pronouns and familial relationships in the House rules to be gender-neutral. Among specific changes, the new rules strike ‘‘himself or herself’’ and insert ‘‘themself,” and changes “chairman” to “chair.” The rules also change familial terms to make them gender neutral, changing “uncle” and “aunt” to “parent’s sibling,” for example. Democrats said the rules change was designed to reflect the increasingly diverse Congress, but Republicans called the move was absurd. “They are trying to limit our First Amendment rights,” Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) said on Fox News. “You no longer can say ‘father, mother, son, daughter.’”

“Most U.S. COVID-19 vaccines go idle as New York, Florida move to penalize hospitals” by Reuters’ Carl O’Donnell and Jonathan Allen – More than two-thirds of the 15 million coronavirus vaccines shipped within the United States have gone unused, U.S. health officials said on Monday, as the governors of New York and Florida vowed to penalize hospitals that fail to dispense shots quickly. In New York, hospitals must administer vaccines within a week of receiving them or face a fine and a reduction in future supplies, Governor Andrew Cuomo said, hours before announcing the state’s first known case of a new, more infectious coronavirus variant originally detected in Britain. “I don’t want the vaccine in a fridge or a freezer, I want it in somebody’s arm,” the governor said. “If you’re not performing this function, it does raise questions about the operating efficiency of the hospital.”

New York hospitals on the whole have dispensed fewer than half of their allocated doses to date, but performance varied from one group of hospitals to another, Cuomo said. The NYC Health + Hospitals system, the city’s main public hospital network, has only administered 31% of its allotment, compared with 99% for a few private hospitals in the state. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported an even lower vaccine uptake for New York overall, saying fewer than one in five of the 896,000 doses shipped to the state since mid-December have been given.

“Democrats start to eye a post-Pelosi era” by Politico’s Heather Caygle and Sarah Ferris – Nancy Pelosi just won what may be her final term as speaker — and the battle to succeed her is just beginning. House Democrats are already starting to shift their focus toward a bloc of ambitious colleagues jockeying to take over when she finally steps aside, even as Pelosi maintains a firm hold on her caucus. The dynamic could turn awkward over the next two years as younger members begin maneuvering to seize their shot at the top while trying not to alienate the leader they all want to replace. Pelosi still hasn’t definitively said this is her last term but has signaled as much, and is eager to seal her legacy without losing any leverage. “It’s her job, frankly, to help us with that transition, to help us create a succession plan. I don’t want it to be the kind of thing where people are afraid to voice it, because, ‘The speaker’s still in power, and I don’t want to intrude on her,’” said Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.), who has backed Pelosi and says she wants a caucus-wide discussion about her successor. Pelosi, for her part, has said publicly and privately it's up to the caucus to choose its leaders and she has no plan to pick a successor. “I don’t think anybody should be considered the heir apparent to that seat,” added Wild, who is starting her second term. Publicly, most Democrats insist they are focused on President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration and looking to Pelosi’s leadership to muscle his agenda — particularly more Covid relief — through a narrowly divided House. But privately, Democratic lawmakers and aides acknowledge they’re already bracing for the inevitable tension that could arise between the most powerful speaker in a lifetime and the Democrats auditioning to replace her and her longtime deputies.

“Inside McConnell's handling of Trump's election challenge” by Politico’s Burgess Everett and Marianne Levine – Mitch McConnell explicitly warned Senate Republicans not to challenge Joe Biden’s presidential win. But now that a dozen of his members are going there, the GOP leader is taking his thumb off the scale. The Kentucky Republican actively sought to avoid a divisive circus over the election results, making his position well-known throughout the GOP conference. Yet senators and aides say he is not actively whipping his members to side against Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who are leading the electoral objections in the Senate. Instead, he’s offering guidance when it’s sought, fielding calls from at least half the Senate GOP conference, according to a source familiar with the matter. McConnell told senators on a recent conference call that “this is a very difficult decision for each one of you, you each have to make it yourselves,” recounted Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.). “‘I've voted twice on declarations of war.’ And he said, ‘This is right up there.’ But … there's a lot of noise out there and I won’t judge anybody for their decision.’”

It’s the latest and highest-profile example of the GOP leader’s subtle-post election effort to lead the party as President Donald Trump fractures Republicans. Tuesday's Georgia runoff races will determine whether McConnell is majority leader for two more years and may be as much a referendum on his moves over the past few weeks as they are on Trump’s erratic fight against the election results. McConnell doesn’t criticize Trump, publicly or privately. But he is unmistakably steering his party in his own direction, perhaps more than ever before, and often away from the president’s whims. The majority leader stuck to the Covid relief deal he negotiated with congressional leaders and the president’s Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, spurning Trump’s last-minute demand for $2,000 stimulus checks and spending cuts. He introduced a bill with Trump’s bigger checks, a repeal of tech liability protections and the establishment of an election fraud commission — but the Senate took no action on it and he rebuffed a House-passed bill boosting direct payments.

“Trump at Runoff Rally in Ga.: 'I Don't Concede!'” by Newsmax’s Eric Mack – Stumping on the eve of the Georgia Senate runoffs, President Donald Trump talked about his own election fight, emphatically insisting 'I don't concede" at what may well be the final consequential campaign rally of his presidency. In Dalton, Ga., on Monday night, Trump told a raucous crowd: "There is no way we lost Georgia." "That was a rigged election," he said, "but we are still fighting it, and you're going to see what will happen. "I had two elections," he added. "I won both of them. It's amazing. I did much better on the second one." The House and Senate will weigh the Electoral College votes in a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. Some Republicans in both chambers are planning to contest the certification of votes in a number of battleground states, including Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Michigan. "Can't let it happen – nothing and no one will be able to stop them," Trump said of losing the Senate, which is what brought him to Georgia ahead of the key runoff races that'll decide which party controls the chamber. At the same time, though, he seemed to refererencing his own race against Joe Biden, who Trump claims benefited from rampant and systemic voter fraud. "The Senate seats are the last line of defense. I must preface, because they will say, 'He just conceded.' "No, no, I don't think so. I don't concede." Before the Electoral College drama expected to play out for hours on Wednesday, incumbent Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, both R-Ga., face stiff challenges Tuesday by Democrats Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff. The races have taken on huge significance, in that they'll ultimately determine whether Dems or Republicans hold chamber control.

“Sen. Loeffler: I Will Oppose Electoral College Certification” by Newsmax’s Charlie McCarthy – Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., said Monday night she will oppose certification of the Electoral College results. A joint session of Congress will meet Wednesday to certify the electoral votes and decide the presidential election. "On January 6th, I will vote to give President [Donald] Trump and the American people the fair hearing they deserve and support the objection to the Electoral College certification process," Loeffler said in a statement on her official Twitter account. Loeffler said she has introduced legislation to establish a commission to investigate election irregularities and recommend election integrity measures. Loeffler and Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., are running against Democratic opponents Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, respectively, in Tuesday's U.S. Senate runoffs.

“AOC Not Ruling Out Primary Run Against Schumer” by Newsmax – Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said Monday she won't rule out a primary run against Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. The freshman representative said last year she doesn't plan on staying in the House forever, when asked about future plans. When asked again by Punchbowl News for the first issue of its newsletter, Ocasio-Cortez responded, "I'm a no bull**** kind of person. I'm not playing coy or anything like that," The New York Post reported. "I'm still very much in a place where I'm trying to decide what is the most effective thing I can do to help our Congress, our [political] process, and our country actually address the issues of climate change, health care, wage inequality, etc.," she said. When asked whether she thinks Schumer, who serves as Senate minority leader, is doing a good job, she responded, "It's a hard thing to say too. We've had to deal with a fascist president and [Republican Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell." Schumer is up for reelection in 2022. President Donald Trump has encouraged Ocasio-Cortez to run against Schumer, while Schumer himself has said he's confident of his own chances of holding his seat against any challenges. New York Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs said in late December Ocasio-Cortez would be making a mistake to challenge Schumer.

The post JUICE — Florida Politics' Juicy Read — 1.5.20 — Republicans Committing Treason? — Left vs. Far Left — Grieco, Rubio, Cammack, Donalds, Gaetz — More... appeared first on The Floridian.

Replacing RBG

Senate Republicans are getting behind President Trump’s decision to pick a nominee to replace the recently-deceased Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but because Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins have already said they were against the pending nomination, the final vote could come down to either Sen. Mitt Romney or a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence.

Both Florida Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott say they back the president, with Scott recently saying he thinks that “we (Senate) ought to do it as quickly as we can.”

“I will review the record of President Trump’s nominee, and I will provide my consent if I find they are qualified and will respect the law as written,” Rubio said. “If I conclude they do not meet this standard, as I did in 2016, I will withhold consent. And unlike President Obama in 2016, President Trump is on the ballot and can be rewarded or held accountable for his choice in November.” READ MORE

Defunding Florida Cities

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) took a page out of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) political playbook and is threatening to defund municipalities that move to defund police departments. READ MORE

RUNNING SCARED?

In Florida’s most contentious congressional race, Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D) is accusing Republican Carlos Gimenez of refusing to debate her, taunting the 2-term mayor on local TV. READ MORE

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz @RepDWStweets -.@GovRonDeSantiswould rather scare up bogeymen around Florida’s overwhelmingly peaceful protests than address his inept management of the #COVID crisis. 200K Americans are dead, millions have no job, and too many in FL have paltry UI or lack health care. This is not leadership.

Rick Scott @SenRickScott -I’ve been saying this for months now. Communist China covered up and lied about coronavirus and the @WHO helped them, leading to a devastating global pandemic. It’s time for accountability.

Rep. Matt Gaetz @RepMattGaetz-What good are Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski if we can’t count on them to fulfill their obligation to advise and consent during the term in which they’ve been elected?

Rep. Donna E. Shalala @RepShalala-My hope is that the United States Senate can honor Ruth's final wish and wait until a new president is installed to nominate her replacement.

Rep. Stephanie Murphy @RepStephMurphy-We cannot bring SFC Alwyn Cashe back, or erase the pain felt by those who loved him and those who served alongside him. But I'll keep fighting to pay tribute to his life and his legacy by ensuring he receives the Medal of Honor he earned for his heroic actions

Congressman Charlie Crist @RepCharlieCrist -Devastated to hear of the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was an American icon and pillar of justice, and we mourn her loss while celebrating the monumental legacy she leaves behind. May her fighting spirit inspire all of us to keep moving forward.

Rep. Anna V. Eskamani @AnnaForFlorida-"The president has been plotting a hopeful message since the depths of the pandemic, but it’s increasingly at odds with the mounting toll of corporate bankruptcies & deepening wounds for small businesses still bleeding from the spring shutdowns."

“Rubio supports Trump’s authority to nominate Justice to Supreme Court” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – With Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins having come out against President Donald Trump’s impending appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, other more conservative members of the Republican Senate caucus are coming out in support of an up or down vote. Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) is supporting the president’s call to nominate someone to the court before the election, but also noted that he would “withhold consent” of the nominee if he believes the candidate is not qualified after he reviews their entire record. “In 2016, President Obama exercised his Constitutional duty and nominated Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, and the Senate exercised its Constitutional obligation and decided not to consent,” Rubio said. “Now, President Trump should exercise his duty to name a nominee. And the Senate should once again exercise its Constitutional obligation and decide whether or not to consent to his choice.” “I will review the record of President Trump’s nominee, and I will provide my consent if I find they are qualified and will respect the law as written,” Rubio continued. “If I conclude they do not meet this standard, as I did in 2016, I will withhold consent. And unlike President Obama in 2016, President Trump is on the ballot and can be rewarded or held accountable for his choice in November.”

“Democrat Murphy Celebrates Bipartisan Rating” by The Floridian’s Daniel Molina – In a time when a number of Florida Democrats are receiving criticism for their partisan voting record, some are standing by it and others are not commenting on the matter. One Florida Democrat is celebrating a scorecard received by the nonpartisan Common Ground Committee Inc., which was released on Monday. In the scorecard, Florida rep. Stephanie Murphy (D), is listed as a bipartisan member of the Florida House. On Twitter, she celebrated her rating, sharing a link to an article listing the findings of the scorecard and adding that she is “proud to be rated THE most bipartisan member of the Florida congressional delegation,” noting that she “will continue to always put people over politics” as a Florida rep. However, her Republican opponent, Dr. Leo Valentin, has called into question her voting record, which includes a recent vote in favor of the Justice in Policing Act, which many detractors argue is veiled support for the movement looking to defund the police. Last month, the Blue Dog Democrat Caucus, which rep. Murphy is a member of, defined itself as being comprised of “pragmatic” members that appeal to the “mainstream values of the American public.” In light of this, Valentin has repeatedly called for Rep. Murphy to denounce the rioting and looting and to instead support the police, but Murphy has not commented on the matter.

“DeSantis seeks to defund cities who defund police” by The Floridian’s Daniel Molina – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) announced today new legislation meant to stop violent assemblies and protect law enforcement officers and defund cities that slash the budgets of their law enforcement agency. In other words, much like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) recently did, DeSantis will be defunding municipalities who look to defund police municipalities. With the “Combatting Violence, Disorder and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act,” it will create new criminal offenses while also increasing penalties for any person targeting law enforcement or participating in assemblies that are considered disorderly or violent. In a statement, the Florida Governor explained why he believes this legislation is important for the sunshine state. “Our right to peacefully assemble is one of our most cherished as Americans, but throughout the country we’ve seen that right being taken advantage of by professional agitators, bent on sowing disorder and causing mayhem in our cities,” detailed Governor DeSantis. “I will not allow this kind of violence to occur here in Florida,” he added, noting that “the legislation announced today will not only combat rioting and looting, but also protect the men and women in law enforcement that wake up every day to keep us safe.”

“Loomer Wants Tax Free Social Security” by The Floridian’s Daniel Molina – After winning the Republican primary and officially embarking to unseat incumbent Florida rep. Lois Frankel (D), Laura Loomer is hoping to convince the voters of Florida’s 21st congressional district to turn the district red by continuing to outline some of the key matters she’s looking to enact should she be elected. One important issue that she’s highlighting is covered in a new advertisement titled “Keep the Change.” In the advertisement, the Loomer campaign makes the case for tax-free social security. “What if you could keep your whole social security check and never pay one dollar in taxes on it?” the advertisement’s narrator asks before adding that “you’ve paid taxes your whole life while building this country for future generations.” Why are seniors paying taxes on their Social Security check? The advertisement comes at less than 50 days before election day as Loomer receives criticism from Democrats, who have been calling her a “racist” with ties to the KKK. However, Loomer has responded to the criticism by taking political swipes at Frankel and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, saying that the DCCC is doing Frankel’s “dirty work” because Frankel paid them $100,000 in July.

“Black Lives Matters deletes anti-nuclear family webpage” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – The criminal and riotous Black Lives Matter movement, which prides itself on pushing their beliefs and agenda onto every Amerian, has unexpectedly taken down their “What We Believe” page on its website. While BLM deleted the page, undoubtedly because of the unprecedented criticism they have received for publishing their effort to “disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure, the contents of the page still exists on the internet. Here is what they took down: “We make our spaces family-friendly and enable parents to fully participate with their children. We dismantle the patriarchal practice that requires mothers to work “double shifts” so that they can mother in private even as they participate in public justice work. We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable. We foster a queer‐affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking, or rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual (unless s/he or they disclose otherwise).” —BLM website

“Florida governor introduces legislation with harsh penalties for disorderly assemblies” by Fox 13 News Staff – Florida's governor, surrounded by sheriffs, police chiefs and state legislative leaders, announced a new bill that will increase penalties against protesters involved in looting and violence. The proposal will also cut state funding to cities that "defund the police." The bill will be introduced in the next legislative session, and will push felony charges against violent protesters, including against those who block roadways. "I look at what goes on in Portland. They'll have people, they'll arrest them," Governor Ron DeSantis said during Monday's press conference. "They're all scraggly-looking ANTIFA-types. They get their mugshot taken, then they get released. It's like a carousel; on and on it goes." "That's not going to happen in here in Florida," he added. The proposal also includes a ban on violent or disorderly assembling where property damage or injuries to other people occur. A violation can lead to a third-degree felony. A provision in the bill would go after local governments who appear to be focusing on cuts to police departments, and in turn will cut state funding to those municipalities. However, DeSantis said if it appears to be a normal budget cut, then the local government won't lose state funding. Blocking streets, or obstructing traffic during an unpermitted protest would become a third-degree felony under the bill. Drivers would not be liable for injury or death if they are fleeing for safety, the governor explained.

“Strip clubs in Florida city fight to lower dancer age to 18” by Associated Press – Some Florida strip club owners are lobbying to lower the age limit for dancers from 21 to 18-years-old, calling the current age requirement unconstitutional. A lawyer representing 13 clubs and four dancers in Jacksonville argued before a federal judge that dancing is a form of expression protected under the First Amendment. “This is just a ban on speech,” attorney Gary Edinger said. The city law currently bans dancers under the age of 21 and was passed in an effort to reduce sex trafficking. The measure also requires dancer to have ID city-issued cards. City attorneys said younger people are more susceptible to the coercion that’s often part of trafficking and argued that 21 is a safer age. During Friday’s hearing U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan repeatedly asked about the trade-off between personal rights and pubic interests. “When you start telling adults what they can and can’t do, you’ve got to bring the goods. These are people who can vote, they can go into the service,” the judge said. The Florida Times-Union reports the parties are also arguing over whether issuing ID cards to the dancers as a kind of work permit could be justified as a legal form of prior restraint on dancers who would otherwise have a right to perform.

“Democrats’ Jacksonville push complicates Trump’s path in Florida” by Politico’s Matt Dixon – Democrats are carving inroads though the historically conservative city of Jacksonville, landing a handful of improbable political victories and framing a question for Election Day: Will Florida’s only Republican city fail Donald Trump? The president must win Florida to return to the White House, but Republicans’ loosened grip on Jacksonville, the party’s only urban foothold in the battleground state, is complicating that political math. And it’s given Joe Biden a shot of confidence even as state and local Republicans vow to defend what long has been considered their political home turf. Jacksonville is “big and growing, it has an important media market, and has sort of been the tipping point over the past number of cycles,” said Susie Wiles, the Trump campaign’s senior Florida adviser. “The campaign won’t take any part of the state for granted.” “Jacksonville will not be neglected,” said Wiles, who also led Trump’s 2016 Florida campaign. Jacksonville makes up almost all of Duval County and is culturally and politically different than Florida’s other reliably blue metropolitan areas. It is defined by a huge military presence, undying love for its middling football team and the “Duuvvalll” battle cry, an homage to both the county and the gritty personality its residents embrace. But the area’s political identity is influenced of late by politically engaged Black residents, who make up nearly a third of the county’s population, and a steady flow of young professionals moving into Jacksonville as middle class conservatives migrate to the neighboring suburbans of St. Johns, Nassau and Clay counties, which favor Trump by wide margins.

“Florida Deputy Charged With Soliciting ‘Inappropriate' Photos to Phone” by NBC 6 Miami – A Florida sheriff's deputy is facing a felony charge after investigators say he told a woman he would return her property if she sent him inappropriate photos. Jacksonville police officer Brian Pace was arrested Sunday night and charged with soliciting a bribe, the Florida Times-Union reports. According to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, the woman reported in May the theft of her cellphone and other property. Pace, 36, contacted her and told her the property had been found. Investigators said he offered to return it if she would send him inappropriate photos over his cellphone. She filed a complaint this month. Pace contacted to meet her Sunday night, but he was arrested when he arrived. The 11-year veteran of the department resigned after his arrest. He was being held Monday at the Jacksonville jail while awaiting his initial court appearance. Jail records do not show if Pace has an attorney.

“Potential Supreme Court nominee Barbara Lagoa could help Trump win Florida, state Republicans say” by Fox News’ Ronn Blitzer – President Trump has already stated that he intends to choose a woman as his next Supreme Court nominee, and reports indicate that Judge Barbara Lagoa, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, is on his short list. Lagoa, 52, previously served on Florida’s 3rd U.S. District Court of Appeals and the Florida Supreme Court. According to Politico, Republicans from the battleground state believe that if Trump chooses the Cuban-American jurist it will help his chances there in November. "We know Democrats are going to vote against her, even though they voted overwhelmingly to confirm her to the federal bench before,” a Republican Trump adviser told the outlet. “Democrats always play the race card. Well, we can as well. What are they going to tell Hispanic voters in Florida about rejecting a Latina for the high court?” Lagoa was approved by the Senate when she was confirmed to the 11th Circuit bench with a vote of 80-15 in November 2019. Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J.; Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.; Kamala Harris, D-Calif.; Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., did not vote. All five were campaigning in the Democratic primary race at the time. Democratic pollster Fernand Amandi told Politico that if Trump chooses Lagoa it would be "a play for women, Hispanics and most importantly, Florida’s 29 Electoral votes," calling her "the conservative Cuban version of Sonia Sotomayor." According to the Florida Supreme Court's website, Lagoa -- a graduate of Columbia Law School -- was the first Latina appointed to that court when she was chosen by Gov. Ron DeSantis in January 2019. Before this, she had served on the state's 3rd District appeals court since her 2006 appointment by then-Gov. Jeb Bush.

“Florida Senators Continue Efforts to "Lock The Clock"” by Bay News 9’s Jason Lanning – It could give local businesses a boost and keep the days a little bit longer this winter. That's what Republican Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio are sponsoring a U.S. Senate bill that would keep Florida and the nation on daylight saving time until November 2021. The senators cite the economic boost skipping the time change this fall would give to businesses as they reel from losses due to coronavirus restrictions. Experts say daylight saving time generally increases consumer spending as more people shop, dine out and participate in local activities when it stays late longer into the evening. Tampa Bay Business Journal Editor Alexis Muellner says although the increases that local businesses would see may be minimal with no time change, it could help business owners hit their bottom lines. "The profit margins for small businesses, depending on what they do, can be so razor thin sometimes, that those small impacts can make a difference in terms of meeting a small payroll or being able to offset costs or debt, especially at time where they are really challenged with the results of the pandemic," Muellner said. But Muellner agrees there is also a downside to daylight savings time in the winter, especially for children who would be walking and biking to school in the dark. The Florida PTA has rallied against year-round daylight saving time. "We have safety concerns for our children who ride buses and walk to school if daylight saving is extended all year," group President Jennifer Martinez said in a written statement. "Our position is that businesses can and would hopefully rebound, loss of life cannot rebound."

“Florida Man Arrested for Creating, Spreading ISIS Propaganda: FBI” by NBC 6 Miami – A Florida man is behind bars after FBI agents say he attempted to provide "material support" to the terrorist organization the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, also known as ISIS. According to a federal arrest affidavit, 23-year-old Jonathan Guerra - who went by the name Abu Zahr Al-Andalusi - caught the attention of the FBI for his role as the head of an unofficial media outlet for ISIS, which created and disseminated propaganda for the organization. Guerra, who federal officials say is Cuban born and a naturalized U.S. citizen living in Lehigh Acres, would recruit other ISIS sympathizers with "foreign language abilities" in order to translate propaganda and instructional content, the affidavit says. Federal prosecutors say, since the FBI's investigation into Guerra began in October 2019, he had communicated with three different online covert employees, and pursued two of them romantically. During their communication, Guerra revealed his true identity, which included images of himself, and his role in spreading propaganda for the terrorist organization. Guerra was accused of creating several videos promoting ISIS, including a "Call to Islam" video that featured the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables.

“Money to aid mental health services for children in Florida” by News Service of Florida – The Florida Department of Education is making $2 million available to rural counties across the state to increase access to telehealth to provide mental-health services for schoolchildren. “I’m excited today to announce to 18 of the rural counties across the state of Florida we’ll be issuing $2 million to those rural districts to help students there increase access to tele- and mental-health services,” Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis said during a Monday news conference at the governor’s mansion. The money is available from federal CARES Act stimulus funding and will be directed to rural counties that have lower rates of internet connectivity and have limited access to health-care professionals. The first lady was joined by school superintendents whose districts will benefit from the funding, including Dixie County Superintendent Mike Thomas; Madison County Superintendent Shirley Joseph; and Taylor County Superintendent Danny Glover, Jr. State Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Mary Mahew, who took part in the news conference, said there has been a 300 percent increase in the use of telehealth since the COVID-19 pandemic began, something that she described as a “slight silver lining.” Mayhew also said timeliness is key in mental-health and substance-abuse services and being able to respond to people who reach out for help. “The bridge that we have created with tele-mental health ensures that that door is opened that much more quickly.” Mayhew said. The Legislature in 2018 increased funding for mental-health services at schools by about $69 million after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, with the amount increased to $75 million in 2019 and to $100 million in 2020.

“Florida Holocaust Museum confront ignorance with 'Trunks of Hope'” by WTSP’s Eric Glasser – A recent and alarming new study that found almost two-thirds of millennials and Gen Z-ers don’t know that 6 million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust. And nearly half could not name a single concentration camp from World War II. The Florida Holocaust Museum located in St. Petersburg hopes to address that deficiency by providing educators the tools they need to teach history and tolerance. “I think that headlines like that are always alarming,” said Florida Holocaust Museum Executive Director Elizabeth Gelman. “And always a good wake up call.” Gelman was shocked when she heard the results of a recent survey and just how many young people are unaware of the scope and horror of the Holocaust. “If you live in an area and there aren’t any Holocaust survivors, how do you have that experience?” Gelman said. The museum is now collecting donations to expand its “Trunks of Hope” program. It provides teachers and students free of charge ready-to-go trunks filled with age-appropriate Holocaust education materials like videos, books and learning guides that teach not only the history of the Holocaust but lessons in tolerance and how to confront hate and prejudice. “Today as we are seeing such a rise of racism and anti-Semitism and other identity-based hatreds, it’s important to understand that the people who hate one truly hate all,” Gelman said. The museum is also working with the Florida Department of Education to expand Holocaust education in public schools through a new resource it plans to formally unveil next week -- a digital version of its trunk program for virtual and e-learning.

President Donald Trump @realDonaldTrump-@SenateGOP Crazy Nancy Pelosi wants to Impeach me if I fulfill my Constitutional Obligation to put forth a Nominee for the vacated seat on the United States Supreme Court. This would be a FIRST, even crazier than being Impeached for making a PERFECT phone call to Ukrainian Pres.

Adam Schiff @RepAdamSchiff-Mr. President, this is low. Even for you. No, I didn’t write Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dying wish to a nation she served so well, and spent her whole life making a more perfect union. But I am going to fight like hell to make it come true. No confirmation before inauguration.

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