Gov. Ron DeSantis has suspended elected Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren, accusing him of nullifying state laws through refusal to prosecute violent offenders and to enforce criminal penalties against doctors providing abortions or gender-affirming care. In Warren’s place, the governor named Hillsborough County Judge Susan Lopez Thursday to serve pending a vote by the […]| Florida Phoenix
Organizers of the petition drive to enact a state constitutional right to abortion through a citizens’ initiative have collected enough petition signatures to merit a place on the November ballot, a state elections agency announced Friday. But one major hurdle remains: the Florida Supreme Court still must approve the description of the measure that would […]| Florida Phoenix
Ron DeSantis has publicly stated that one of the main reasons why Floridians should reject a measure legalizing recreational cannabis for adults in November is that the smell of people smoking the herb will make the state a less enjoyable place to live. “This state will start to smell like marijuana in our cities and […]| Florida Phoenix
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s early Monday statement that he would vote to legalize recreational marijuana use in Florida sent a strong signal that both major parties are moving to adopt popular marijuana reform efforts, unexpectedly elevating the issue in the presidential battle. But the campaign for the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, expressed […]| Florida Phoenix
Two Florida Democratic members of Congress are speaking out against harsh Republican verbal attacks targeting Haitian immigrants living in the U.S., labeling them “disgusting,” and “disgraceful.” GOP vice-presidential nominee J.D. Vance said Monday that he had previously raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and “generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio,” […]| Florida Phoenix
A common complaint about presidential debates is that they change few minds. This year, with anywhere between 3% and 6% of likely voters undecided in early September and the closeness of the race, especially in the battleground states, that is more than enough to swing an election if a sizeable portion favor one candidate over the other as […]| Florida Phoenix
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris will meet in a highly anticipated and potentially consequential debate Tuesday night in Philadelphia — just over two months after President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance precipitated his exit from the race. The debate, to be hosted by ABC News, is set for 9 p.m. Eastern […]| Florida Phoenix
The union representing Florida’s public colleges and universities and its FAMU chapter have filed suit against the state, claiming a law requiring 60% membership for a union to maintain certification violates the Florida Constitution. The Florida A&M University chapter of the United Faculty of Florida’s lawsuit, filed in Leon County Circuit Court, names as defendant […]| Florida Phoenix
WASHINGTON — As Congress returned from a five-week recess Monday, House Republicans attached a provision to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections — which is already unlawful — to a stopgap funding bill that is already teeing up a battle with the Senate and White House. The GOP drive in Congress echoes state lawmakers’ […]| Florida Phoenix
Gov. Ron DeSantis said he is “ready, willing, and able” to find a solution with the Legislature for spiking condominium costs before the end of the calendar year. Legislative action following the 2021 collapse of a condominium in the Miami suburb of Surfside that killed 98 people has resulted in financial strains on condominium owners […]| Florida Phoenix
The group behind the initiative to expand Medicaid said Monday that a Florida Department of State rule could force it to restart the petition collection process. Florida Decides Healthcare re-launched in February a petition drive for voters to decide in 2026 whether the state should provide health coverage for low-income adults. The group suspended the […]| Florida Phoenix
Thomas Feiter, an Orlando attorney who lost in the Republican primary for state attorney in Florida’s Ninth Judicial Circuit last month, announced at a press conference Monday that he will file a lawsuit claiming that the DeSantis administration interfered in the race. The action will name sitting State Attorney Andrew Bain, former Republican state attorney […]| Florida Phoenix
Florida Democrats said Monday that they’re exploring legal options against the use of state funds for messaging in opposition to the proposed abortion-rights amendment, but Gov. Ron DeSantis insists the state efforts are just public service announcements. Although the party has not decided on a specific course of action, FDP Chair Nikki Fried said the […]| Florida Phoenix
Although former President Donald Trump had predicted that Amendment 3, the proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize recreational cannabis for adults 21 and over, would pass in November, he has now confirmed that he will vote for it. “As a Floridian, I will be voting YES on Amendment 3 this November,” Trump wrote on his Truth […]| Florida Phoenix
“You know, I do the weave. You know what the weave is? I’ll talk about like nine different things, and they all come back brilliantly together, and it’s like, friends of mine that are, like, English professors, they say, ‘It’s the most brilliant thing I’ve ever seen.’” — Donald John Trump I am an English […]| Florida Phoenix
Panelists appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and other political opponents of the proposed abortion-rights amendment pushed an administrative committee to abandon precedent and write an estimate boosting the potential cost to taxpayers should the amendment pass in November. During a meeting of the state Financial Impact Estimating Conference that stretched for 12 hours Monday, those […]| Florida Phoenix
Florida’s ban on puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy for transgender minors and restrictions for adults are both unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle, who presided over the case in Tallahassee, sided with the plaintiffs in the class action — parents of transgender minors and transgender adults — who argued […]| Florida Phoenix
A new poll conducted by Florida Atlantic University Political Communication and Public Opinion Research Lab of more than 1,000 Florida registered likely voters shows that Democrat Kamala Harris is within striking distance of Donald Trump in the state. The former president leads the vice president by just three percentage points, 50%-47%, in the survey. Only 2% […]| Florida Phoenix
Former president Donald Trump said Monday that his policy on abortion is that the individual states in the country should make that decision, which means he wouldn’t be endorsing a federal ban on the procedure. In effect, he’s calling for the abortion issue to remain status quo, following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2022 […]| Florida Phoenix
LAWRENCE — Fourteen-year-old Iain Ellis gravitated to sights and sounds of punk music while growing up in a middle-class town outside London. He wasn’t alone in anticipating the genre would quickly die off like so many other trends in the industry. “I wasn’t a street punk like a lot of kids in the East End, […]| Florida Phoenix
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump will not face criminal sentencing in New York for his state felony convictions ahead of the November election, according to a decision released Friday by New York Judge Juan Merchan. The New York judge said the new sentencing date will be Nov. 26, according to a letter he issued. […]| Florida Phoenix
The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration is putting $100.7 million in reserves because the state overestimated the number of kids who would receive health insurance through a program meant for low-income families. An official with the agency told lawmakers on the Legislative Budget Commission on Friday that the change would realign Florida KidCare’s budget […]| Florida Phoenix
A U.S. Department of Agriculture initiative to feed hungry kids during the long summer months is mostly winding down, with advocates calling it a success despite some hiccups — and the federal government and many states are already working to bring the permanent program back in 2025. The Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program — or Summer EBT — has popped […]| Florida Phoenix
Former President Donald Trump said Thursday he would protect American industries if he is reelected by increasing tariffs on imports while cutting other taxes and regulations, in a speech to the Economic Club of New York. The GOP presidential candidate’s remarks came as the economy has taken center stage in the run-up to the 2024 […]| Florida Phoenix
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is a man of the people, a vocal champion in defense of labor unions. And he cares deeply about bread-and-butter issues and promoting workers’ rights. DeSantis also labors tirelessly to secure better wages, salaries, and conditions for working and middle-class Floridians. Okay, you can wake up now. None of the above […]| Florida Phoenix
The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration launched a webpage Thursday bashing the proposed state constitutional amendment to restore abortion access beyond six weeks, prompting Florida Democrats to call out the use of state funds against the measure. The agency’s secretary, Jason Weida, wrote on X that the page is meant to “combat lies and […]| Florida Phoenix
Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney used her trip to the battleground state of North Carolina to announce she is voting for Vice President Kamala Harris. “Donald Trump cannot be trusted with the power of the presidency,” Cheney said during a lecture at Duke University on Wednesday called “Defending Democracy.” “I don’t believe that we have […]| Florida Phoenix
WASHINGTON — Exactly two months out from the presidential election, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan plans to move ahead with the case accusing former President Donald Trump of subverting the 2020 presidential election results, telling Trump’s attorneys that she is “not concerned with the electoral schedule.” Chutkan released a timeline for the case late Thursday […]| Florida Phoenix
Could an increase in nuclear power generation be a part of Florida’s energy future? That possibility was discussed Thursday during a workshop held by the Florida Public Service Commission in Tallahassee under a legislative directive passed earlier this year about the possibility of using advanced nuclear technologies. At present, natural gas fuels approximately 75% of […]| Florida Phoenix
Former President Donald Trump questioned polls showing a close race against Vice President Kamala Harris and complained about the conditions of a coming debate during a Fox News interview Wednesday in Pennsylvania. Under questioning from a friendly interviewer, Sean Hannity of Fox News, in front of an arena of cheering supporters in Harrisburg, the Republican […]| Florida Phoenix
If I were the king of Florida, there’d be a statue of J. Emory “Red” Cross in front of every government building. Red Cross was a state senator from Gainesville who became the Father of the Sunshine Law. Cross was a classic Florida character. He strolled the marble halls of Tallahassee clad in a white […]| Florida Phoenix
Americans watched in horror on TV and social media Wednesday as students from Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, evacuated the building following a shooting that left four dead and nine injured, according to law enforcement and news reports. A 14-year-old Barrow County high school student will be charged with murder and tried as an […]| Florida Phoenix
With the first vote-by-mail ballots in Florida’s general election scheduled to be sent to overseas and military veterans in just a few weeks, time is running for state Democrats to draw much help from outside groups and political committees during this election cycle. But Democratic National Committee Chairman Jamie Harrison is doubling down on his […]| Florida Phoenix
Florida’s college and university students are starting the academic year greeted by friends and professors — and by warnings from administrators and Attorney General Ashley Moody about how to express their views on campus. The directives follow nationwide protests over Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent assault on Gaza. While the scale […]| Florida Phoenix
After legal fights, counter-campaigns, and bureaucratic wrangling all year long, as things stand today, abortion questions in 10 states are heading to ballots in November. After abortion rights were upended federally in June 2022, Kansas voters got a chance to weigh in on a ballot measure that was something of a test balloon just a […]| Florida Phoenix
A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the Florida High School Athletic Association did not violate the First Amendment when it refused to let two private religious schools use a PA system to hold a pregame prayer during a 2015 high school championship football game. In a 52-page opinion, a three-judge panel of U.S. Court […]| Florida Phoenix
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to announce economic policy proposals aimed at helping small businesses during a campaign speech Wednesday in New Hampshire. The Democratic presidential candidate will stump in Portsmouth for expanding the tax deduction to $50,000 on business start-up costs, up from $5,000, a campaign official said on background Tuesday. […]| Florida Phoenix
Pinellas County GOP U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and her camp reacted with disbelief last week when a public opinion survey showed her trailing her Democratic opponent, Whitney Fox, 48%-44% in her bid for re-election in November. It was a different story on Tuesday, with the Luna campaign touting a new survey conducted for the […]| Florida Phoenix
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday defended former President Donald Trump’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery, which violated federal regulations and, the Army said, featured an alleged assault by Trump’s staff against a cemetery staff member. “I don’t see the outrage,” DeSantis said during a news conference in Daytona Beach highlighting state initiatives to address nursing […]| Florida Phoenix
She sits, her sleek, green body invisible in the tangle of leaves, and waits. High up in the trees, in her favorite hunting spot, the green anole is patient, her bright, black eyes swiveling independently of each other, searching for the smallest flicker of movement. The green anole isn’t picky when it comes to food. […]| Florida Phoenix
Everything Ron DeSantis touches dies. Or becomes diseased or deformed. The governor’s not much different from the Palm Beach Pumpkin, his patron-turned-rival-turned-lord-and-master, whose regime Never Trumper Rick Wilson correctly noted was a hellscape of “blazing, white-hot embrace of actual, honest-to-God stupidity,” a condition “as contagious as smallpox and as fatal as Ebola,” DeSantis was always […]| Florida Phoenix
ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida is the hottest state in the contiguous United States, and its residents suffer the most heat-related illness. Older people are most susceptible to the heat, and nearly 4.7 million Floridians — 1 in 5 residents — are older than 65. The peninsula has 8,436 miles of coastline, and three-quarters of state […]| Florida Phoenix
Gov. Ron DeSantis slammed gender-affirming surgeries for minors Thursday when responding to a question about a federal appellate court’s decision to temporarily allow Florida to enforce its ban on hormone replacement therapies for minors. However, the lawsuit that parents of transgender children brought against the state does not seek surgeries for minors. Instead, the plaintiffs […]| Florida Phoenix
Dear Gov. DeSantis, Welcome back from Ireland! You missed a lot here last week. While you were overseas watching Florida State being beaten by Georgia Tech, you were getting a vicious political beatdown here. Put it this way: You’ve returned from Ireland to the land of ire. Your super-sneaky plan to build a trio of […]| Florida Phoenix
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday called a proposal to build pickleball courts, lodges, and golf courses in Florida State Parks released by the Department of Environmental Protection last week “half-baked,” saying, “If we do nothing, that’s fine with me.” “The Great Outdoors Initiative to Increase Public Access” at Florida state parks includes building 350-room lodges, […]| Florida Phoenix
In the Pinellas County city of Dunedin on Tuesday, dozens of people demonstrated in 95-degree heat at the entrance of Honeymoon Island State Park against a plan by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to construct lodges, golf courses, pickleball courts, and disc golf courses in nine state parks. While many of the speakers extolled […]| Florida Phoenix
The University of Alabama has closed dedicated spaces for its Black Student Union and LGBTQ+ resource center, citing a new state law banning publicly funded diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. According to a statement provided by University of Alabama spokesperson Alex House, school officials met with the Black Student Union and leaders of the […]| Florida Phoenix
WASHINGTON — A Texas federal judge late Monday sided with 16-Republican led states to temporarily block a Biden administration program that grants deportation protections for undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens and a potential pathway to citizenship. The ruling by Judge J. Campbell Barker of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of […]| Florida Phoenix
Few national political analysts believe that any of Florida’s 28 congressional seats are in serious jeopardy of flipping this fall, but Pat Kemp, the Hillsborough County Democrat running against Republican Laurel Lee in Florida’s 15th Congressional District, says an internal poll shows she has a credible shot. District 15 consists of portions of Hillsborough, Pasco, […]| Florida Phoenix
Florida can enforce its law banning gender-affirming care for minors and restrictions on adults pending appeal of a federal court ruling that the ban is unconstitutional. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit sided with Florida in allowing the state’s ban on hormone replacement therapy for minors and limits […]| Florida Phoenix
A voter registration group that Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani founded helped 728 students register to vote and update their addresses on eight college campuses across the state, surpassing its previous such efforts. The presidential election combined with the proposed abortion-rights and recreational marijuana amendments that will be on the ballot in November fueled students’ interest […]| Florida Phoenix
WASHINGTON — Texas and 15 states including Florida Friday filed a suit in federal court to block the Biden administration’s program that protects long-term undocumented people married to U.S. citizens from deportation and grants them a pathway to citizenship. States in the suit, which was filed in United States District Court for the Eastern District of […]| Florida Phoenix
Women, too many women to shake a stick at: Michelle, Hillary, Elizabeth, Gretchen, Pink, Eva, Nancy, Mindy, Amy, Alexandria, Amanda, Jill, Oprah — Freakin’ Oprah! And, of course, Kamala. In between the dancing and cheering, Sheila E. drumming, Stevie Wonder singing, and Patti LaBelle belting, you might have heard a high-pitched whining far off in […]| Florida Phoenix
CHICAGO — Actor B.D. Wong told the AAPI caucus at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday what he said to his multiracial son at his bar mitzvah. “I told him, in front of everybody, ‘You are not half of anything. You are all of everything,’” Wong said. And with the first-ever Asian American nominee of […]| Florida Phoenix
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved an updated COVID-19 vaccine intended to address severe symptoms of the virus ahead of the cold and flu season. The new booster shots from Moderna and Pfizer follow a summer of increasing COVID-19 cases and are designed to better address the variants that are […]| Florida Phoenix
CHICAGO — Actress and climate activist Julia Louis-Dreyfus asked eight Democratic women governors Wednesday if she would be ready for public office after playing a vice president and president on the hit cable TV show “Veep.” “You’re more qualified than Donald Trump, don’t worry about it,” New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul quickly replied, to […]| Florida Phoenix
When Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Caddyshack, was majoring in history at Yale, I bet he heard someone quote that famous saying by philosopher George Santayana: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Yet our Ivy League-educated chief executive failed to learn from a couple of the worst mistakes of former Gov. Rick […]| Florida Phoenix
CHICAGO — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accepted the Democratic nomination for vice president Wednesday, showcasing his appeal on the third night of the Democratic National Convention as a candidate who can fuse a middle-class image to a fairly progressive record and effectively attack the Republican alternative. A native of a small town in Nebraska, Walz […]| Florida Phoenix
CHICAGO — Latino lawmakers and organizers Wednesday stressed their voting bloc as key to delivering battleground states to Democrats in November, as the Harris campaign launched a bilingual WhatsApp channel to target Latino voters. “The Latino vote will be the deciding factor in this election,” actress and Democratic surrogate Eva Longoria said during a Hispanic […]| Florida Phoenix
Let the negativity begin. Actually, the war of words between Rick Scott and his Democratic U.S. Senate opponent, former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, has been robust over the past year. But it’s now set to go into overdrive after both became their respective political party’s candidates for the Senate following Tuesday’s primary election. On a […]| Florida Phoenix
Gov. Ron DeSantis endorsed 24 candidates for school board statewide. Six won their races Tuesday, another seven progressed to runoffs in November, and 11 lost. The governor reacted to the results Wednesday morning, calling his quest to swing school boards to the right an “uphill battle.” “We were helpful as much as we could be, […]| Florida Phoenix
The Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a petition from the sponsors of the abortion-rights amendment involving claims that a state panel improperly inflated the measure’s projected costs in drafting ballot language for the November elections. This decision deals a blow to Floridians Protecting Freedom and the ACLU of Florida, which wanted the justices to […]| Florida Phoenix
CHICAGO — Democrats should focus on pocketbook issues to win back rural voters, speakers including Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said at a Rural Council meeting at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday. Beshear urged the group of rural Democrats to reject social issues and a left-right ideological framing. Most voters, he said, were not worried about […]| Florida Phoenix
As renters and would-be homeowners struggle with the high cost of housing, the Biden administration has announced policies to address this strain on household budgets. That includes $100 million in funding for a program to incentivize affordable housing production and streamlining loan application processes to expedite building more housing. Some of those proposals – such […]| Florida Phoenix
CHICAGO — As he did in his first speech to a Democratic National Convention 20 years ago, former President Barack Obama emphasized the connections binding Americans together and called for a more positive national atmosphere on the second night of this year’s convention Tuesday, while rallying Democrats to campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris. At […]| Florida Phoenix
The Democratic National Convention held a ceremonial roll call of the states Tuesday, giving delegates on the floor of the United Center in Chicago a chance to show their support for Kamala Harris complete with corncob hats, DJ’d music, a surprise appearance from Atlanta rapper Lil Jon, and enthusiastic cheers. The tradition, which has long […]| Florida Phoenix
Here’s a summary of the results in significant Florida House primaries. Incumbent Rep. Kimberly Daniels won the House District 14 Democratic primary with more than 60% of votes and will run against a write-in candidate in November. Daniels held the seat in the House from 2016-2020, at times supporting measures more conservative than other members […]| Florida Phoenix
School districts have shown little interest in welcoming volunteer chaplains to serve in their facilities, an initiative recently permitted by the Legislature that, according to the ACLU, could create legal liability for schools and risk creating an environment of “religious coercion and indoctrination of students.” Districts have no obligation to implement a chaplain program under […]| Florida Phoenix
Florida Democrats made a plea for relevance on Tuesday in Tallahassee as they hyped the feat of running a candidate in every congressional and legislative race. The party aims to win enough of those contests to crawl out of its super-minority status in the state Legislature in November. “Today, we’re putting Republicans on notice. You’re […]| Florida Phoenix
A Miami Herald reporter and sex abuse victims are to credit for Monday’s release of documents from the 2006 state grand jury investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, according to state Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book. The Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis OK’d the release of the Epstein court records — typically they would be shielded — […]| Florida Phoenix
Less than two months after students protesting the Israel-Gaza war at Florida State University were arrested and had the sprinklers turned on them, university trustees approved a revised protest policy that prohibits tents and bullhorns, among other new restrictions. The updated “Freedom of Expression Rights and Responsibilities” regulations, approved Thursday by the FSU Board of […]| Florida Phoenix
Despite a claim by the Joe Biden campaign earlier this year that “Florida is in play,” there’s been little indication so far in 2024 that the Sunshine State won’t go for Donald Trump for a third presidential election. But Florida Democrats are touting a new public opinion survey released Thursday night by Fox News of […]| Florida Phoenix
