Tag: Asher Wildman

Polk County deputies lead in immigration enforcement according to a new report, and Florida Democrats call on lawmakers to fund food banks amid the ongoing federal government shutdown.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has reported more immigration-related encounters than any other local law enforcement agency in Florida. That’s according to the state board of immigration enforcement.

The Polk County Sheriff’s office polices around 850,000 people, and its goal is to keep everyone safe.

“We’re not out here going to job sites, going to businesses, going to agriculture fields. We’re just bumping into people as we do our normal daily business,” Sheriff Grady Judd said about the office’s immigration enforcement.

Since August, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office has had more than 400 immigration encounters, second in line after the Florida Highway Patrol. That’s according to the state board of immigration enforcement.

The board was created in February by Gov. Ron DeSantis to help deport people without legal status. The board recently experienced a change in leadership.

Larry Keefe is no longer the executive director of the State Board of Immigration Enforcement. Keefe held this position since February of this year, and it is not clear where he will head next.

“Larry has done a number of things in our administration over the years, and he has performed at a very high level with honor and integrity, and we really thank him for his service,” DeSantis sai during Tuesday’s cabinet meeting over the phone.

DeSantis appointed Anthony Coker as the next executive director. He was the liaison to the state of Florida for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Florida Democrats call on lawmakers to fund local food banks amid government shutdown

Florida Democrats are urging Gov. Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency amid the ongoing government shutdown.

That’s because millions of Floridians may soon find themselves without federal food assistance — like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Some lawmakers are urging DeSantis to use emergency dollars to help resupply local food banks.

“Florida has the fiscal strength to respond. What’s needed now is the moral will to act,” Florida Democrats wrote in an open letter.

The request by all 43 Florida Democrats comes as federal funds for food stamps are set to expire November 1.

After that, it’s estimated that nearly three million Floridians would lose access.

“If feeding our neighbors doesn’t count as a state of emergency I don’t know what else would,” State House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell said.

SNAP provides food assistance to almost 42 million Americans. Among them are seniors, the unemployed, and people with disabilities.

The office of the governor didn’t return a request for comment. 

Florida Democrats release their own proposals for eliminating property taxes in the state, and a Florida Republican reports the federal government shutdown could last past Thanksgiving. 

Florida Democrats join property tax elimination fight with new proposals

The path to eliminating property is getting more complicated. Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature, especially the Florida House, seemingly on different pages.

There’s one goal, and yet, there are more than a dozen ideas on how to get there.

Senate Democrats have joined the discussion with proposals of their own. One proposal would call for a non-school property tax exemption for Floridians 65 and older. This proposal has a requirement that homeowners must have a household income of less than $350,000 a year. Under this proposal, homeowners will have needed to reside in the state for at least five years.

“Although I’m a Democrat, what we’re going to do is work as a Senate body to provide relief for the residents,” State Sen. Bernard Mack said. “And working with the house and the governor’s office, at the end of the day, whatever your party is, it doesn’t matter. What we want is to provide relief to the residents of this great state.” 

Senate Democrats are proposing other relief too — like a limit on assessments for small businesses.

“What we want to do is provide relief for the small businesses in this whole conversation,” Mack said. “And so, well, what I don’t want to do is for us to provide relief, but then we shift the burden to a lot of our small businesses. So and that’s the reason why I put, put out that package.”

The proposals come as Florida Republicans debate strategy.

Currently, the Florida House wants to propose seven different ideas to voters. That’s a plan that DeSantis doesn’t support.

“Placing more than one property tax measure on the ballot represents an attempt to kill anything on property taxes. It’s a political game, not a serious attempt to get it done for the people,” he wrote on X last week.

Meanwhile, leadership in the Florida House is expressing its frustrations with DeSantis.

“The governor has not produced a plan on property taxes. Period,” Florida House Speaker Danny Perez said. “It’s unclear what he wants to do. I’ve personally reached out to share with him the house’s proposals, and he has, so far, not wanted to engage in a conversation.” 

All this and more will need to resolve in the coming weeks to months. The 2026 legislative session kicks off in January.

As unpaid federal workers line up at food banks and airports experience staffing shortages and flight delays, Republicans and Democrats remain at odds over how to resolve a federal funding showdown that has shuttered the government for 27 days.

With hundreds of thousands of federal workers missing paychecks, and 40 million low-income Americans at risk of losing food benefits beginning this weekend unless the government reopens, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Monday that the stalemate is “a simple math problem. We need Democrats to help.”

There is currently no sign that lawmakers on either side of the aisle are moving toward a compromise.

Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna suggested the shutdown could continue for weeks in a Sunday interview with Fox News.

“Look, behind the scenes, Maria, I’m hearing that we potentially might not be back until even around the Thanksgiving timeframe or after that,” she said. “And it’s really unfortunate, because as you know, the military’s going without paychecks potentially, we have the SNAP and EBT program that’s potentially, especially going into the holiday season, going to be on the chopping block here.”

The federal government has been closed since Oct. 1 when Democrats and Republicans in Congress failed to pass legislation that would fund it for the 2026 fiscal year. A stopgap funding bill to keep the government open through Nov. 21 has repeatedly failed in the Senate, as Democrats demand an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies that will otherwise expire at the end of the year.

On Monday, Democrats yielded no ground to Republican demands that five Democratic Senators join their ranks and vote for the bill.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor: “Donald Trump says there’s no money to pay federal workers but he’s spending $40 billion to bail out Argentina, $300 million on his vanity ballroom, $172 million on two luxury jets for Kristi Noem (and) hundreds of millions for outfitting his foreign jet.”

Calling President Donald Trump’s priorities “warped,” he said, “Here’s what the president needs to do. He should negotiate with Democrats.”

Last week, Senate Democrats blocked a Republican bill called the Shutdown Fairness Act that would have allowed pay for air traffic controllers, military troops and other essential federal workers the Office of Personnel Management has approved while the government is shut down. On the same day, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., objected to requests for unanimous consent to pass two Democratic bills that would have paid federal employees, including one to pay all the workers.

On Monday, the American Federation of Government Employees union that represents 800,000 workers said in a statement: “Put every single federal worker back on the job with full back pay — today. … It’s time for our leaders to start focusing on how to solve problems for the American people, rather than on who is going to get the blame for a shutdown that Americans dislike.”

If the government remains closed, about 2 million active-duty U.S. troops and reserve military will miss full paychecks Friday. Johnson said Monday that the recent $130 million donation to the Trump administration to pay troops “is a small fraction of what’s needed.”

He also said the 40 million Americans who rely on the Agriculture Department’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will not be helped by a contingency fund to cover their benefits because it would pull money away from congressionally appropriated funds for school meals and infant formula.

Schumer said it is “bunk” that the Trump administration will not fund SNAP.

Hundreds of thousands of federal workers went unpaid Friday as the government shutdown enters its 24th day, and the U.S. sends an aircraft carrier strike group to Latin America. 

As hundreds of thousands of federal workers went unpaid Friday during the 24th day of an agonizing government shutdown, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called on House Republicans to return to Washington to negotiate a bipartisan agreement.

“We need Republican support for a bipartisan path forward in order to get out of this situation,” Jeffries said Friday during a news conference at the Capitol.

“I said this directly to the president with (House Speaker Mike) Johnson and (Senate Majority Leader John) Thune right next to me,” Jeffries said, referencing a White House meeting in late September to avert the current shutdown. “This does not get resolved until you decide to give permission to Republicans on Capitol Hill to negotiate a bipartisan resolution.”

House Republicans have been in recess since Sept. 19 after passing a stopgap funding bill to keep the government open through Nov. 21. That bill has repeatedly failed in the Senate as Democrats demand an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies that will otherwise expire at the end of the year.

The federal government has been closed since Oct. 1, when Democrats and Republicans in Congress failed to pass legislation that would fund it for the 2026 fiscal year. Hundreds of thousands of essential federal workers are now working without pay while others are furloughed.

On Thursday, Senate Democrats blocked a Republican bill called the “Shutdown Fairness Act” that would have allowed pay for air traffic controllers, military troops and other essential federal workers the Office of Personnel Management has approved while the government is shut down.

“Deranged Democrats just blocked our bill to pay essential workers who keep Americans safe. Why? They believe that forcing Americans to work without pay gives them leverage,” Senate Republicans wrote on X after the failed vote.

On Friday, Jeffries reiterated a point he has made multiple times since the shutdown began.

“We’re prepared to support any bipartisan legislation that comes out of the Senate that is designed to decisively address the Republican health care crisis, reopen the government and enact a bipartisan spending agreement that actually makes life better for the American people,” he said.

Jeffries refuted the idea that Democrats bear responsibility for any lasting fallout from the shuttered government and pushed back on the Republican contention that their stalled funding bill continues spending levels approved during the Biden administration.

He said the spending levels the Republicans would like to extend are based on the Republican stopgap funding bill Congress passed in March to keep the government running through the end of September. That bill cut $13 billion for domestic programs, including Medicaid.

“We’ve made clear we will not support a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the health care of the American people,” Jeffries said Friday. “We’ve been saying that for six weeks. We have not moved off our position.”

Neither have Republicans, who insist the government must reopen before any negotiations can happen. 

“It’s becoming clearer by the day that Democrats don’t want an outcome, they want a political issue,” Thune wrote on X on Friday. “They’ve refused to reopen the government — 12 times. They’ve refused my offer to discuss Obamacare’s failures. They’ve refused my offer to hold a vote on their own proposal to address a problem they created. They’ve refused to pay the troops and federal employees who are working without a paycheck. The only thing they’ve said yes to? The Schumer Shutdown and political ‘leverage.’”

The U.S. military is sending an aircraft carrier strike group to the waters off South America, in the latest escalation and buildup of military forces in the region, the Pentagon announced Friday.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group to deploy to U.S. Southern Command to “bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a social media post.

The U.S. military has conducted its 10th strike on a suspected drug-running boat, Hegseth said earlier Friday, blaming the Tren de Aragua gang for operating the vessel and leaving six people dead in the Caribbean Sea.

In a social media post, Hegseth said the strike occurred overnight, and it marks the second time the Trump administration has tied one of its operations to the gang that originated in a Venezuelan prison.

The pace of the strikes has quickened in recent days from one every few weeks when they first began to three this week, killing a total of at least 43 people since September. Two of the most recent strikes were carried out in the eastern Pacific Ocean, expanding the area where the military has launched attacks and shifting to where much of the cocaine from the world’s largest producers is smuggled.

In a 20-second black and white video of the strike posted to social media, a small boat can be seen apparently sitting motionless on the water when a long thin projectile descends, triggering an explosion. The video ends before the blast dies down enough for the remains of the boat to be seen again.

Hegseth said the strike happened in international waters and boasted that it was the first one conducted at night.

“If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda,” Hegseth said in the post. “Day or NIGHT, we will map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and kill you.”

The United States Supreme Court considers a redistricting case in Louisiana, and Friends of the Everglades files another lawsuit in relation to “Alligator Alcatraz.”

U.S. Supreme Court considers Louisiana redistricting case

In one of the first major cases of this term to come before the U.S. Supreme Court, justices will hear arguments over Louisiana’s effort to draw new congressional maps in which the state is seeking to dismiss any consideration of race.

The state will not defend its current map, which includes two districts represented by Black Democrats.

That map was drawn two years ago, after the Supreme Court found Louisiana’s prior map likely violated the Voting Rights Act.

But now, a group of white Louisiana voters claims that race was the driving factor in drawing this map, leading the case back to the high court.

Justices first heard the case in March, and several conservative members suggested they could throw out the current map, and potentially make it harder to bring redistricting lawsuits under the Voting Rights Act.

At the time, the justices ultimately ordered the re-argument of the case.

In a brief filed with the court, the state of Louisiana says the Voting Rights Act’s rules regarding race-based maps are “unworkable and unconstitutional.”

“No amount of surgery can eliminate the constitutional defects inherent in a system that, at the end of the day, requires states to sort their citizens by race,” the brief stated.

“Make no mistake: Black Louisianians are entitled to the same fair and representative maps as voters anywhere in this country,” Louisiana Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union Alanah Odoms said. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to that pursuit — until equality is not just promised, but realized.”

If the court overturns Louisiana’s maps, it could have implications in Florida.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has said that a ruling declaring racial consideration in map drawing unconstitutional could require Florida to redraw its maps.

The governor also defended the practice of making political considerations in drawing maps.

“The Constitution prohibits discrimination based on race, which is why the court is likely to find racial gerrymandering to be unconstitutional,” DeSantis wrote on a post on X.

The Constitution says nothing about political gerrymandering, which is why the court has found such claims to be non-justiciable.

New lawsuit accuses state agency of illegally withholding public records concerning ‘Alligator Alcatraz’

A new lawsuit filed by Friends of the Everglades against the Florida Department of Emergency Management is accusing the state agency of denying the existence of public records requested by the nonprofit, only to later admit they existed all along.

Despite acknowledging their existence, FOTE attorneys say the state has still not produced the records.

According to the lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday in Circuit Court in Leon County, just five days after FDEM announced plans to open and operate the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” immigrant detention center in the Everglades on June 19, Friends of the Everglades, Inc., requested documents under Florida’s open records law concerning communication between the state and federal officials about the site.

At the time, the lawsuit claims the state agency initially denied the existence of any communication records, before later making “an incomplete production.”

On Sept. 11, the nonprofit’s attorneys sent a follow-up on its request, “to make clear that Plaintiff’s request specifically sought ‘[a]ll documents pertaining to or constituting any application for funds or grants to FEMA, DHS or other federal agency from FDEM or another state agency for financial assistance in connection with building any immigration detention center in Florida including without limitation to the (‘Alligator Alcatraz’) detention center.”

The lawsuit does not accuse the state agency of denying the existence of the communication records following the Sept. 11 request, but rather, claims the Florida Department of Emergency Management simply did not respond to it at all.

On Aug. 21, a federal judge ruled that the “Alligator Alcatraz” detention site could not expand or take in additional detainees, and gave the state 60 days to begin removal of fencing, lighting fixtures  and “all generators, gas, sewage, and other waste and waste receptacles that were installed to support this project.”

An appeals court later blocked the lower court’s order, noting several times in its ruling that the state had not applied for, or received federal funding for the project — which would have required the site to “comply with a host of regulatory prerequisites in support of that application” that would not otherwise be necessary.

The lawsuit specifically points to a line in the appellate court’s ruling that said: “Without an application, there is simply nothing on which a decision can be made.”

Unbeknownst to the court or the plaintiffs in the case, though, was the fact that Florida had in fact applied for a federal grant almost a month before the appeals court made its ruling. The Friends of the Everglades lawsuit cites a single-page email disclosed by FDEM on Oct. 10 that showed a FEMA grant application — titled “Fiscal Year 2025 Detention Support Grant Program” — had been filed by the state at 7:05 p.m. on Aug. 7.

“More than a month later, FDEM has not corrected the Eleventh Circuit Court’s misimpressions,” the lawsuit filed Tuesday said. “What the federal District and Circuit Courts (and Plaintiff) were unaware of, because FDEM did not disclose the fact or produce the documents, is that FDEM had already applied for federal funding on August 7, 2025.”

The Florida Department of Emergency Management’s release of the funding email comes a little more than a week after Florida announced that FEMA had awarded the state $608 million to cover costs associated with “Alligator Alcatraz.”

The Friends of the Everglades lawsuit claims that the Florida Department of Emergency Management “has not asserted that any documents requested by Plaintiff are exempt from disclosure under the Public Records Act.”

The nonprofit’s lawsuit is asking the court to force the state to release all requested records within 48 hours, to find that the department violated the law by not releasing the requested documents, and award it attorney fees and any other appropriate relief.

State officials did not immediately respond to the Friends of the Everglades court filing.

Florida lawmakers react to the ceasefire in Israel, and a bill being considered in Tallahassee could lower the age requirement to buy long guns.

U.S. attorney general discusses political violence after event in Tampa

Israelis on Monday celebrated the return of the last surviving hostages from Gaza — a defining exchange in the fragile ceasefire that has paused two years of war between Israel and Hamas.

As Palestinians awaited prisoner releases, world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, were arriving in the Middle East to discuss postwar plans, while aid was expected to flow into famine-stricken Gaza.

Members of the Florida congressional delegation are reacting to the release of Israeli hostages and the ceasefire in Gaza. Although Republicans and Democrats are united in applauding the developments, some Republicans are highlighting Trump’s role.

“For the first time in over two years, Hamas holds NO living hostages,” Rep. John Rutherford said in a post on social media. “This is a major, historic win for the Trump administration, and is an accomplishment that no one else could have delivered. Promises made, promises kept.”

Republican Rep. Mike Haridopolos also celebrated the president’s “leadership and relentless diplomacy.”

“After two agonizing years, all of the living Israeli hostages have been BROUGHT HOME! Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and relentless diplomacy, families can finally welcome their loved ones home,” Haridopolos said in a social post.

As part of the deal, Israel released roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. But not all of the remains of the deceased hostages have been returned to Israel yet.

In addition, Florida Democrats hope the current track for peace in the region will last.

“A weight has been lifted off the world as the remaining hostages are released. Amazing day for the families, and for @POTUS and all the negotiators who made this day possible. Let’s honor their return by staying committed to lasting peace so another October 7 never happens again,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz posted.

Rep. Darren Soto called for aid for Palestinians in need, as well as a “lasting peace” in the region.

“Grateful that the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages are finally free. Today, their families will rejoice! We also remember those who died before this day by Hamas’ terrorist attack. We must ensure this ceasefire holds, that aid is surged to help Palestinians in need, and build upon it for lasting peace between Israel and Gaza,” Soto said in social media post.

Some Florida Republicans also cheered on Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a former U.S. senator from Florida who traveled alongside Trump Monday and helped broker the deal.

“Our community in South Florida is incredibly proud of the brilliant work coming from @SecRubio. World leaders recognize his leadership, and Secretary Rubio truly understands every corner of the world,” Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart said in a social post.

Roughly 200 U.S. troops have been stationed in Israel to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire deal. 

Florida lawmakers to take up proposal to lower the age to purchase long guns

Firearms are shaping up to be a major issue in Florida’s upcoming legislative session.

For the fourth straight year, lawmakers appear ready to revisit a proposal to lower the buying age for long guns from 21 to 18.

A court ruling last month struck down the state’s open carry ban as unconstitutional, making the potential decision on gun policy both highly visible and potentially far-reaching.

Florida Republicans say they’re determined to uphold the Second Amendment, especially as the state enters a new era for gun ownership.

“We want to protect the Second Amendment at all costs,” State Rep. Sam Garrison said. “We will protect your right to bear arms. We also believe very strongly in public safety and keeping our schools in particular.” 

That promise could include House Bill 133. If approved, the bill would lower the buying age to 18 for long guns like rifles, shotguns and more.

Florida lawmakers raised the purchase age to 21 after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, something that was endorsed by then-Gov. Rick Scott.

“I know that many wanted more gun control than what is included in this bill,” Scott said at the time. “And I know that many believe this bill has too much gun control. I respect the sincerity and validity of both those viewpoints.”

Looking ahead, Democrats are warning about the implications of more long guns in public.

“I think about parents playing with their kids at the park, and they’re worried someone might stroll up carrying an AR-15,” State Rep. Fentrice Driskell said. “These are politically sensitive and heated times, and it’d be better to cool the temperature down.”

There have also been calls for Republicans to clarify the rules around open carry, saying the law lacks uniformity statewide.

“I mean, it’s sad, but the issues tied to the Second Amendment have become so political and so polarizing that even small tweaks to current law may prove challenging,” State Rep. Anna Eskamani said.

The House passed the measure to lower the purchase age for long guns last year, but the bill failed to advance in the Senate.