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Tag: Gary Darling

  • Florida lawmakers react to Biden report

    Florida lawmakers react to Biden report

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    Lawmakers around the state reacted to the Justice Department’s report on President Joe Biden’s classified documents case and a new bill could change how Floridians get their driver’s licenses.


    Florida lawmakers react to Biden report

    Democrats were on the offensive in the aftermath of the Justice Department’s report about President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents after his vice presidency, taking particular umbrage with special counsel Robert Hur’s comments about his memory and mental acuity.

    Republicans, on the other hand, seized upon the opportunity to declare the Democratic president unfit for office as he seeks another term in the White House.

    They also used the opportunity to try and paint a picture of a double standard between Biden’s case, which Hur declared was not warranting of criminal charges, and that of former President Donald Trump, who faces 40 felony charges for alleged mishandling of classified documents — though there are key differences in the two cases, namely in that the Republican also faces charges for allegedly trying to hamper the government’s efforts to retrieve them.

    The report puts the president’s age into the spotlight, a concern among voters per recent polling, as he makes his case for reelection this fall in a likely rematch against Trump — who despite being only three years Biden’s junior and committing gaffes of his own, does not appear to have the same level of scrutiny from voters on that issue.

    Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report found that Biden willfully retained classified documents following his tenure as Vice President… but said Biden will not face criminal charges.

    Florida’s members of Congress are reacting to the special counsel’s report. Republicans are firing sharp criticism over the findings the report made about the president’s memory.

    Several Florida Republicans are now seizing on comments the report made about the President’s age and mental acuity.

    “Biden can’t withstand the intellectual rigor of a trial because he’s an ‘elderly man with a poor memory’ but he’s OK to be the commander-in-chief with the world on fire?” Rep. Mike Waltz said.

    Biden delivered remarks Thursday night after the report’s release drawing distinctions between how he cooperated with investigators versus the classified document case brought against Trump, his lead GOP rival for the White House.

    He also fired back against the findings made in the special counsel report about his memory.

    “I know there’s some attention paid to some language in the report about my recollection of events. There’s even a reference that I don’t remember when my son died. How in the hell dare he raise that? Frankly? When I was asked the question, I thought to myself it wasn’t any of their damn business,” Biden said.

    But, later in his remarks, the President raised more eyebrows when he referred to the president of Egypt as the president of Mexico.

    Sen. Rick Scott suggested the President should be removed from office, posting, “In defending his mental sharpness, Biden just mixed up the presidents of Mexico and Egypt. This train wreck of a press conference confirms the need for the 25th Amendment.”

    Florida’s Democrats have been largely quiet over the matter.

    But, on X, Rep. Jared Moskowitz posted a meme pondering how “MAGA Republicans” are reconciling talking points that Biden is “old” with false claims that he is a “mastermind” who stole the 2020 presidential election.

    Biden, who’s 81, is the oldest President in American history. Trump is 77.

    Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who is trailing Trump, is 52. She’s called for Biden to take a mental acuity test.

    What’s next for the primaries

    Former President Donald Trump got nearly all the votes during the Nevada caucus last night with 99% of voters supporting him.

    His chief rival, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, chose not to compete. She took part in the state’s primary instead.

    So the only Republican on the ballot other than Trump was Ryan Binkley.

    The former president has now won all three Republican state contests so far.

    Nevada, Iowa and New Hampshire. The candidates are now turning their attention to South Carolina.

    But there are plenty of other events coming up as well.

    February 27 is the Michigan presidential primary for both parties. Michigan is once again expected to be a key swing state in the general election.

    Super Tuesday is coming up on March 5. More than a dozen states will hold contests that day.

    Bill would require biological sex on IDs

    A new piece of legislation, House Bill 1639, seeks to legally define the words of gender and sex in the state and for state IDs like to reflect a person’s sex at birth.

    “It removes it from that subjective issue that is going on socially to something concrete medically,” said Rep. Douglas Bankson, the bill’s sponsor. “If someone were to be incapacitated or unable to communicate, it’s important for first responders for when seconds matter to know the underlining characteristics of their physiology.”

    As the bill makes its way through committee meetings, the director of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles released a memo saying Floridians can no longer change or update their gender on Florida driver licenses. The memo says that gender change is not supported by current statutory authority and says in part, “The term gender does not refer to a persons internal sense or his or hers gender role or identification — but has historically and commonly been understood as a synonym for sex.”

    The memo and the bill are seen by some within the LGBTQ+ community as discriminatory. Ashley T. Brundage, a local advocate for the transgender community, says these steps are nothing more than an attack on the LGBTQ+ community.

    “Its not just a driver’s license — it’s correctly identifying someone’s actual identity,” Brundage said. “I mean, it is power to be able to know that you have a document that brings validity to your existence in this world.”

    Brundage says these measures are simply a tool to create fear in the LGBTQ+ community.

    “It just seems like another layer that we’re trying to scare people to not live in Florida and that’s the hard part for me,” Brundage said. “Living in Florida is what I’ve always known and I know it be a great place — it’s all about trying to get a marginalized identity groups to be scared to live in Florida and have them move somewhere else.” 

    Despite these measures, Brundage says that you can still get your name changed and that it’s important to reach out to organizations that can help like the Southern Legal Council and changemyname.org.

    Equality Florida put out a statement saying in part: “This cruel policy threatens transgender Floridians with civil and criminal penalties and blocks them from obtaining the critical government-issued identification necessary to continue their daily lives.”

    The bill has more one more committee stop before it makes it to the House floor.

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    Gary Darling

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  • Trump’s lawyers argue at the Supreme Court, and Florida considers a dog registry

    Trump’s lawyers argue at the Supreme Court, and Florida considers a dog registry

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    The Supreme Court appeared poised to allow former President Donald Trump on the ballot in Colorado, and a debate rages in Tallahassee on a monument protection proposal. 


    Supreme Court hears arguments in Trump ballot question

    It was a historic day at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.

    Justices heard arguments on whether former President Donald Trump can be disqualified from appearing on ballots this year due to his alleged involvement in the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in 2021.

    Trump was not present.

    The Supreme Court is reviewing a ruling by Colorado’s highest court that former President Donald Trump is ineligible to appear on that state’s ballot under a Constitutional Amendment that bars insurrectionists from federal office.

    But during oral arguments Thursday, the high court’s liberal and conservative justices appeared unwilling to accept the Colorado decision.

    Chief Justice John Roberts, a conservative, worried that allowing one state to knock a presidential candidate from the ballot could trigger a series of tit-for-tat decisions by other states.

    “I would expect that a goodly number of states will say wherever the Democratic candidate is, you’re off the ballot and others for the Republican candidate, you’re off the ballot, it will come down to just a handful of states that are going to decide the presidential election. That’s a pretty daunting consequence,” Roberts said.

    Justice Elena Kagan, one of the court’s liberals, said if the Colorado ruling stands, one state could decide for the rest of the country who is permitted to run.

    “Like what’s the state doing, deciding who gets to who other citizens get to vote for president?” Kagan said.

    The back and forth reflected a debate about whether individual states or congress should decide whether the 14th Amendment applies to presidential candidates.

    The justices indicated they believe such a determination only could be made by Congress.

    In knocking Trump from the ballot, Colorado’s top court cited his conduct before and during the riot by his supporters on January 6, 2021.

    But only a small part of Thursday’s hearing dealt with whether Trump should be considered an insurrectionist.

    Only Colorado and Maine have removed Trump from the ballot, although some other states appear to be waiting are waiting for the high court to rule.

    Debate rages on monument protection bill in committee hearing

    The Senate Community Affairs Committee in Tallahassee considered Senate Bill 1122, The Protection of Historical Monuments and Memorials.

    The debate, especially with public comment, was very heated, and went for an hour and 40 minutes, just on the one bill. We’re going beyond the soundbite tonight to give viewers a broader sense of the discussion between lawmakers and members of the public.

    The bill has one more scheduled committee stop, in fiscal policy, before it moves to the full Senate for a vote. The companion house bill, HB 395, has two more scheduled committee stops before heading to the house floor.

    A bill to keep track of dangerous dogs moves forward

    New restrictions and requirements could be coming for some dog owners in Florida.

    Proposed legislation in Tallahassee would create a registry for dangerous dogs where people can check on animals living in their neighborhood.

    The State Senate Agriculture Committee voted in favor of the bill last week.

    State Sen. Jay Collins discussed the potential registry, which is being named “The Pam Rock bill” in honor of a woman who was killed by five dogs in Putnam County.

    Rock’s brother, Tom, says it would give owners tougher penalties to prevent violent attacks.

    “This is sad. What’s worse is it’s preventable. So you can be on the good guy team and help us stop them. Hear the cries of the Florida victims and help us pass this legislation now,” Rock said.

    “Believe me when I tell you, it’s not something I’d ever want to do to take away someone’s dog rights or to grow government. It is one of those areas that I am diametrically opposed to. That being said, you’ve listened to the stories. It’s real,” Collins said. He sponsored the bill.

    The committee unanimously approved the bill. It would exclude police dogs and hunting dogs from the registry if passed.

    However, a dog expert we spoke to says he’d like to see an emphasis put on training and rehabilitation.

    Chris Meverden has been training dogs for years.

    “I’ve been doing this for 13 years, and this has been my dream is to have a facility like this,” Meverden said. He owns North Tampa Dog Training.

    In the last year, he moved his operation to nearly eight acres of land in New Port Richey, growing the real estate of his business and his home.

    “It just makes it great for, you know, the dogs as far as having all this, you know, resources for them to, you know, for training and stuff like that,” Meverden said.

    Doing what’s best for the betterment of the dogs he works with is always his primary goal.

    “Having a good relationship with their owners and the fact that the dog has a better quality of life, being able to experience the world, you know, instead of just being locked in the backyard or, you know, you know, in a crate or, you know, a kennel,” he said.

    He said it’s very rare to have a dog that can’t be rehabilitated from dangerous behavior like biting.

    So when Meverden sees state legislation like House Bill 873 and Senate Bill 1156 that would create a statewide registry for dogs deemed “dangerous,” he says it won’t get rid of the root issue.

    “I don’t think that the problem of dog bites, fatalities and stuff like that is going to be solved by legislatures in Tallahassee,” he said.

    According to the Senate bill, if a dog is declared dangerous, owners have to put them in a proper enclosure, get liability insurance, put permanent identification like a tattoo or microchip in the dog, and notify animal control if the dog is loose, sold, or moving to a new address.

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    Gary Darling

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  • Florida Supreme Court considers abortion amendment

    Florida Supreme Court considers abortion amendment

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    The Florida Supreme Court holds a hearing on a proposed abortion amendment to the state Constitution, and the economy is set to be a key issue in the 2024 presidential election.


    Florida Supreme Court considers abortion amendment

    Will an abortion rights amendment make it on the November ballot in Florida? That was the subject of arguments today in Florida’s Supreme Court.

    Floridians Protecting Freedom says it has the required signatures to place amendment 4 on the ballot.

    But Florida’s Attorney General Ashley Moody is arguing the language is too vague.

    The judges also are weighing a challenge to a 15-week abortion ban. And that ruling will also decide the fate of the six-week ban that was passed the following year.

    Abortion rights supporters and opponents gathered outside the Capitol today. State lawmakers on both sides of the debate spoke after the court hearing.

    “Look at all the people who are standing here behind me. There are folks who feel strongly on either side. But over a million Floridians signed these ballot petitions. This is the voice and the will of the people of Florida to protect a woman’s right to choose. And it would be wrong for the court to override that. Especially given that the language and the summary are so clear,” State Rep. Fentrice Driskell said.

    “The earth is the Lord’s. It does not belong to these baby killers. We’re here because we’re humans. Welcome to planet Earth, where we love people, from the womb to the tomb. And as lawmakers, we are doing everything possible to defend life,” State Rep. Webster Barnaby said about the proposal.

    Chair of the Florida Democratic Party Nikki Fried discussed whether she was worried about the proposal getting denied by the court.

    “Their job was again to examine it through the lens of a single subject and make sure it’s not confusing to the electorate. Every other argument or going into other parts of our constitution is not relevant. It is very simple, the people of the state are asking for an opportunity to vote on this issue, and the people deserve that chance,” Fried said.

    The court must rule by April 1.

    If the Supreme Court approves the wording in the amendment, it would appear on the November ballot where voters would have the final say.

    According to Florida law, it would need at least 60% approval to pass.

    Floridians struggle to afford food as economy takes center stage in 2024

    As we move closer to the 2024 election, it’s important to understand issues important to voters up and down the I-4 corridor, an area that could be key to who wins in November in Florida and the nation.

    The economy, and concerns about inflation, remain a top concern among voters.

    A recent government report shows inflation is slowing down, and a University of Michigan survey shows consumer sentiment jumped up in the last two months by 29%, the most it has since 1991.

    But some in Central Florida continue to struggle to with costs of living, including covering the cost of food, which could have an impact on how people vote.

    By the time this truck rolled in, there were already about 100 cars lined up waiting

    Some drivers lined up just after midnight to be first in line for the first-come first serve food drive.

    Amey Wilkins is in the fourth line of cars from the front, and she’s ready to wait as long as she needs to.

    “It’s cold when you come in the morning time, but later on it gets warm,” Wilkins said.

    She says with higher grocery prices she can no longer afford the food she needs.

    “I try to add up in my head how much it costs for the groceries, and whatever is there and I don’t think I can take it, I have to put it back,” she said.

    Wilkins isn’t alone. Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida says searches for food assistance have doubled in the last year. So the cost of living is on the minds of many Central Floridians heading into the 2024 election.

    “It’s the economy, the economy’s got to get better, because the prices are going up. It’s hard when you have a fixed income,” Wilkins said.

    About two years ago she began coming to this twice-monthly food drive at Patmos Chapel in Apopka.

    Church volunteers load up trunks full of several boxes of fresh produce and frozen meat, enough food for a couple of weeks.

    Arnel Smalley says demand picked up during the pandemic, and has only grown since.

    “When God said when they were hungry we gave them food, when they were thirsty we gave them something to drink, that’s what we’re trying to do here. If people are hungry, people are thirsty, we want to make sure we’re giving them ample opportunity to come through the line,” Smalley said.

    He says the church went from serving about 200 families to 600 families. Most drivers here aren’t picking up food for just themselves. Wilkins shares her food with several other families.

    “Even when I’m ready to deliver food I’m like, Amey you’ve got to this, get up let’s go, they need this just as much as you need it,” Wilkins said.

    Wilkins says because of health problems, she could no longer work as a caretaker in a hospital. But she never lost her urge to help others.

    “I care about people. I try to help whoever needs help. Friends who eat meat, whatever meat I have, I give it to them, and whatever food I don’t use, I give it to them. So, it’s a helping hand, just like I’m getting a helping hand,” she said.

    She stocked up with food to last for about two weeks. But with the fluctuating cost of gas, it’s still a struggle. She can’t do this forever. She says prices need to come down.

    “So many times when I fill my car up with gas, $50 worth of gas, and I have to take my runs to take food to other people, I’m like, God you’ve got to send me a blessing,” she said.

    The organizers of that food drive report they used to allow people to pick up food for five or six families, but they’re having to limit that now to food for two to three families, so they make sure there’s enough food to go around.

    Stories like Wilkins’ throughout Central Florida could have an impact on the presidential election. Despite some strong economic numbers, it’s really the public and the voters’ perception of the economy.

    Biden’s approval is at an all-time low.

    But a University of Michigan poll shows consumer sentiment is improving. That could be a sign that voters are having more faith in President Joe Biden to handle the economy, which could bode well for him in November.

    Harris prepares for abortion to be key issue in election

    Democrats have plotted a full-court press on the issue in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health in June of 2022, which overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision guaranteeing the right to an abortion. Since the ruling, the abortion rights movement has seen major victories when the issue has been on the ballot, including in traditionally red states like Kansas and Ohio, and Democrats credited their stance on abortion with stronger-than-expected results in the 2022 midterms, which saw Democrats expand their margin in the U.S. Senate and only narrowly lose the House of Representatives.

    “When we’ve seen it on the ballot … since this case came down over a year ago, from Kansas to California, Ohio to Virginia, red states, blue states, the American people voted in favor of freedom,” Harris said in Thursday’s interview. “I think that a lot of people who are now coming to realize the harm that has actually resulted from this ruling, do feel a level of compassion and don’t believe it’s right that people are suffering the way they are.”

    “The highest court in our land took a constitutional right that had been recognized from the people of America, from the women of America, which is the ability and the freedom that a woman should have have to make decisions about her own body,” the vice president said. 

    The interview comes as Harris — who has been the Biden administration’s point person on the issue since the Dobbs decision — has been criss-crossing the country on a tour aimed at promoting abortion rights, a key issue for Democrats ahead of November’s election. Harris’ “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour kicked off in the battleground state of Wisconsin last month and brought her to San Jose, Calif., earlier this week as the administration — and the president and vice president’s reelection campaign — seek to keep the issue of abortion at the forefront of Americans’ minds before they head to the ballot box.

    “So many women have been suffering, and many, most, silently suffering,” Harris said Thursday. “I’ve met women who’ve had miscarriages in toilets. There are women who have been denied emergency medical care during a miscarriage because the the people who worked at the hospital were so afraid that they might be sent to jail. And do you know why? Because around our country laws are being proposed and passed that include providing prison time for doctors or nurses that give emergency or even give any kind of reproductive health care.”

    “It is a big issue that is happening every day,” Harris said.  

    Abortion was also the topic of Biden and Harris’ first joint campaign event of the year, a rally in northern Virginia one day after the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade last month.

    “Former President Trump hand-picked three Supreme Court justices because he intended for them to overturn Roe,” Harris said at the event in Manassas, Va., last month. “He intended for them to take your freedoms. He is the architect of this healthcare crisis. And he is not done.”

    The choice to focus their first 2024 rally on abortion rights signaled the president’s reelection campaign is counting on the issue remaining salient in 2024 as Biden faces low approval ratings, struggles to convince voters the economy is doing well under his leadership — despite several recent indicators of Americans’ growing satisfaction with financial conditions — and navigates multiple global crises, including escalating conflicts with Iran-backed militant groups in the Middle East and tensions at the U.S.-Mexico border.

    While Democrats have employed this full-court press on abortion, any measure to restore the provisions of Roe v. Wade face an uphill battle, thanks in part to the Senate’s 60-vote legislative filibuster threshold. (It’s a similar reason why former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, one of the top contenders for the Republican presidential nomination, said last year it was “not honest” for her then-rivals to promise a national abortion ban, telling CBS’ “Face the Nation” that “Nothing’s gonna happen if we don’t get 60 votes in the Senate.”)

    Harris acknowledged that Democrats need to have a stronger majority in both chambers of Congress to codify abortion protections.

    “What the Supreme Court took away, Congress can put back in place,” Harris said. “But we do need a majority in Congress who will agree that … the government shouldn’t be telling her what to do.”

    “We’ve got to trust women to know what’s in their own best interest and to consult who they deem right to help them navigate a very difficult decision,” she said. “But the government shouldn’t be telling them what to do. It’s 2024. We’ve got laws on the books that don’t let women make decisions about their own bodies, so we need to have a majority in Congress who just agree with that point.”

    Harris’ tour continues next week in Savannah, Ga., another crucial battleground state that Biden narrowly won over Trump in 2020. 

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    Gary Darling

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  • Biden urges lawmakers to pass border bill

    Biden urges lawmakers to pass border bill

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    President Joe Biden is urging lawmakers to pass a sweeping bipartisan border policy proposal that Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, oppose. Meanwhile, some Republicans in Tallahassee are looking for ways to ensure control over marijuana potency in the state.


    Biden urges lawmakers to pass border deal as Democrats slam DeSantis for State Guard deployment

    President Joe Biden is urging Congress to pass the bipartisan border proposal that appears all but dead.

    A deal struck by members of the Senate this weekend has quickly fallen apart amid opposition from Republicans, including former President Donald Trump.

    If passed into law, it would provide aid to Ukraine, Israel, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and give the president money and tools to help secure the border and speed up asylum claims.

    “With the new policies in this bill and the additional 4,300 asylum officers, who spend hours, I might add, with each immigrant to consider their claims whether they qualify. We’ll be able to reduce that process to six months, not five to seven years,” Biden said about the proposal.

    The bill was deemed dead on arrival by House Republican Leadership.

    The southern border came up in a Senate committee meeting Monday in Tallahassee during confirmation questioning of Mark Thieme, who Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed to lead the Florida State Guard.

    Central Florida Sen. Victor Torres laid out his concerns over sending the Florida Guard to Texas to assist with border enforcement.

    “Being deployed from this state, what we do we’re covered, and I want our men and women who are deployed to make sure that they are — the legality of the circumstance of being sent to another state — that they are protected,” Torres said. “I don’t want them to go over to another state and be caught in something that could be dangerous for them, or involved in some kind of shooting.”

    Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried posted on X, saying:

    “Republicans are an existential threat to our national security. They care more about using the fear of migrants coming into our country to help trump than actually solving the problem. It’s like a 2 yo who has been screaming for his pacifier & once he gets it he still screams because he just wants to scream.”

    On Jan. 31, DeSantis called on the Florida National Guard plus the Florida State Guard to, “Stop the invasion.”

    “Let’s all band together as states,” he said. “Let’s say that our borders matter. Let’s say that we’re going to support Texas in making sure we can stop what is happening to our country.”

    The governor is offering up to 1,000 members of the National Guard to support Operation Lone Star. He is mobilizing the Florida State Guard, too, making this the organization’s first deployment in state history.

    DeSantis said the forces will build barriers, throw down wire and establish barricades along the southern border.

    “The federal government is no longer protecting the states,” State Sen. Blaise Ingoglia said. “Not the state of Texas, but all the states. The states have a right to protect their citizens.”

    Lawmakers tackle marijuana potency ahead of amendment vote

    A new proposal can be seen as Florida’s first effort to get ahead of the potential legalization of recreational marijuana in the state.

    It’s no secret that some Republicans are opposed to legalized recreational marijuana in Florida, but others say while they can’t necessarily stop it, they can try to contain it.

    Before a vote is cast in November on a potential amendment, some Republicans are trying to a put caps on marijuana potency with Senate Bill 7050.

    State Sen. Gayle Harrell was worried about the possibility of marijuana soon hitting Florida markets.

    “There is no doubt that this high-potency cannabis has a real risk of psychosis for many, many people, especially young people,” Harrell said.

    Voters in November will probably decide the fate of recreational marijuana, as the amendment on the ballot, if approved, would let Floridians to freely posses and smoke marijuana.

    But under Tuesday’s Republican bill, lawmakers could limit just how strong that marijuana is.

    “The problem is, it feels like a preemptive strike to regulate a future ballot initiative,” said Will Clark of the Libertarian Party of Florida. “Is that really what we want to do? Gov. DeSantis says this is the free state of Florida.”

    There is, however, bipartisan concern. Some lawmakers are calling these caps arbitrary. Others, meanwhile, feel it may promote a black market.

    “With a cap, now maybe we push a consumer to push to go in a different direction to find something higher on a market that is not safe or legal,” State Sen. Tracie Davis said.

    This effort comes as the Florida Supreme Court considers whether recreational marijuana will appear on the November ballot. Attorney General Ashley Moody is trying to kill the amendment, saying it’s confusing to voters.

    Immigration backlog grows in Florida

    Florida ranks No. 1 in the backlog of immigration cases, according to federal data collected by Syracuse University. 

    The data show the U.S. court backlog of cases involving immigrants and asylum seekers is more than 3 million — 481,000 of which are in Florida.

    Tampa immigration attorney Milton Toro Marquez has worked with immigrants for the past seven years and handles more than 100 clients, with a case list growing fast — especially over the last couple of years.

    “It’s something that’s very stressful, and at the same time very rewarding,” Marquez said.

    Marquez believes the immigration system is broken and that cases can take years to get resolved because of backlogs.

    He said each case is unique, and that each has a story of escaping a rough life.

    “People are sexually violated on their way here, people are robbed, people are beaten on their way here,” Marquez said.

    However, Marquez said despite the growing caseload, the work is important since most of his clients fear returning to their home country.

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    Gary Darling

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  • Border Security considered in Washington

    Border Security considered in Washington

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    Lawmakers in Florida reacted to a border security proposal in Washington that also provides funding for Ukraine and Israel. Meanwhile, legislators in Tallahassee considered how to alter a social media restrictions proposal.  


    Florida lawmakers react to border security bill

    The Senate eyes a test vote for Wednesday on the long-awaited budget security bill.

    Senate negotiators released the legislation yesterday. It was put together by a bipartisan group of lawmakers to try to curb the flow of migrants while also passing funding for the wars in Ukraine and Israel.

    But House Republicans already say this bill is going nowhere. The bill would give President Joe Biden more power to restrict migrant crossings during surges, allowing the Department of Homeland Security to restrict border crossings if migrant encounters reach more than 4,000 in a one week span.

    The bill also changes the asylum system by raising the standard for who can apply and also speeds up the process.

    The bill would also mean billions of dollars in funding for both foreign aid and border security.

    The current proposal would allocate $60 billion in aid for the war-torn country of Ukraine, and $14 billion for aid to Israel.

    “We have a huge issue in this country on our southern border. You can’t be a country if you can’t maintain control of your own territory. And really, this has been going on for many, many years, but it’s never been this bad,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said about the proposal. “They have now unveiled a piece of legislation, and I think people are seeing what a farce it is. To say that you only shut the border down once 5,000 people a day come in illegally, which is about 2 million a year. That’s basically legalizing illegal immigration. And there are so many other things wrong with it, but I just think it’s taking a step back. This shows me the contempt these people in D.C. have for American taxpayers,”

    Both of Florida’s Republican Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio have come out against the legislation.

    Rubio called the legislation “an easy no.” He argued that Biden doesn’t need new laws to stop the migrant crisis.

    Scott criticized the bill for allowing some migrants to receive work permits more easily.

    Nationally, there’s division among Republicans in the Senate on this even as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is supporting it.

    There’s been more unity among Democrats supporting the proposal, but not all are on board.

    New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez says the bill would make it harder for asylum seekers to have their claims heard. He also said that Senate leaders haven’t provided enough time to review the 400 page package.

    Social media restrictions up for debate in the Florida Senate

    Florida lawmakers are working out how a proposed social media bill should be written to ensure that it can pass.

    A Senate subcommittee considered House Bill 1 Monday. If passed, the bill would require social media companies to verify how old people using their platforms are, and bans people under the age of 16 from using them.

    Florida House Speaker Paul Renner discussed the bill, and where the defining line is between allowing parents to regulate their children, and where the government steps in.

    “The vast majority of things, we want the parents to make those decisions,” he said. “It’s time to act. We can’t allow to lose our kids, or to have kids engage in self harm or spend their childhood in depression.”

    He also discussed proposed changes to the legislation so that it can be stronger and stand up to court challenges.

    “They have to meet certain criteria,” he said. “They are really not interested in pulling away from what would be a lucrative business.”

    Last week Gov. Ron DeSantis said he wants a pathway for the bill to withstand any legal challenges in court. But he also understands that could be an issue as the bill gets crafted in the state legislature.

    “Anything I do. I want a pathway for this to actually stick. So we’re going to look through that. So what I would say is I’m sympathetic to, as a parent, what’s going on with our youth,” DeSantis said. “But I also understand that to just say that, you know, someone that’s 15 just cannot have it no matter what, that may create some some legal issues. And so I told the speaker I’d work with them on it.

    “So I would say that, you know, this is something that’s likely going to evolve as it gets through the House and makes its way through the Senate. And we’ll see if we get a product that is going to be something that’s good. But I, I am concerned about the breadth of it, and I want to empower parents. I want to give parents tools to to be able to do this. And so I just think you got to be smart about how you do it.”

    Immigration bill could change some standards in Florida

    The clock is ticking for a bill being referred to as the “Welcoming Florida Act.” The bill was sponsored by State Sen. Victor Torres and is aimed at overturning some of the strict immigration laws put into place last session, but it needs to be heard before several committees before it can advance.

    Julia Aguayo de Hassler is no stranger to politics. Five years ago, she created the group known as the Libertad Club Hispano Republicano of Pasco County, which is a club aimed at educating people about the values of the Republican Party.

    “We meet the third Monday of every month, and we always invite people from our community,” she said.

    Members of the group also discuss legislation that they might not support. That’s the case with Senate Bill 1598.

    “It is important to realize there is a difference between the people that have been here for years and those people that this administration has let come by the thousands without properly being vetted,” she said.

    Bills like SB 1598 don’t help to strengthen the immigration system in the state, according to her.

    The bill would repeal provisions relating to patient status data collected by hospitals. It could also delete the requirement that an employer discontinues employing a person after learning that the person has no legal status in the state. 

    Those in favor of the bill say it is legislation that helps to combat last year’s immigration law, Senate Bill 1718.

    “What it does is it seems to clear up some misconceptions and probably some things that would have been challenged with SB 1718,” said Danielle Hernandez, founder of the DVH Law Group.

    Hernandez said last year’s law led the way to a town hall meeting to help educate the undocumented community about SB 1718.

    She said if SB 1598 is passed, it would be a is a step in the right direction toward protecting the immigrant community she serves.

    “This is an election year,” Hernandez said. “It’s also very important for people to understand what is coming in our laws.”

    SB 1598 is still in committee in the Florida Senate and has yet to see a vote that would advance it to the floor. 

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    Gary Darling

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  • Florida’s House Speaker discusses his legislative agenda

    Florida’s House Speaker discusses his legislative agenda

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    As the legislative session in Tallahassee nears its halfway point, lawmakers reflect on the success of their agenda. Meanwhile, Moms for Liberty takes center state at the State Capitol. 


    House Speaker Paul Renner discusses his legislative agenda

    Today was day 25 of the 60-day legislative session, which means we are just about halfway through the show. On the Senate side, the priorities have been health-related. We talked previously about Senate President Passidomo’s push for the Live Healthy Act.

    Senate Bills 7016 and 7018 both passed unanimously back on January 17. They are now “In messages” to the House, meaning that the bills are in a holding pattern until the house takes them up.

    Meanwhile, it’s the same situation for Speaker Paul Renner’s priority bills. House Bills 1 and 3, dealing with social media accounts and harmful materials for minors. The House passed both bills on January 24 and they are now sitting on the Senate side of the legislature awaiting further debate and action.

    Moms for Liberty takes center stage in Tallahassee

    The group “Moms for Liberty” formed just three years ago with three Florida moms in Brevard and Indian counties.

    Fast forward to today, where the group is a political force. They’re in 48 states and they’re fighting for what they’re calling “Parental rights in education.”

    Friday, Moms for Liberty took center stage at the Florida Capitol.

    January is the group’s three-year anniversary. Since 2021, they’ve fashioned themselves as advocates for parental rights.

    “Some of these wins happen on the school district level as you get pornographic books out of your schools, as you replace raging liberal school board members that don’t have children’s best interest at heart. And some of these wins happen here at the state,” Moms for Libery Co-founder Tiffany Justice said.

    Moms for Liberty is known as a group of outspoken critics. If you don’t know them, you’re probably familiar with their work.

    They helped push the Parental Rights bill in Florida, which was dubbed the “don’t say gay” law by opponents.

    Florida Republicans delivered the bill to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

    The law now bans preferred pronouns and LGBT lessons in Florida schools.

    “The thing is, they want to silence you. They want to get to feel ashamed. I’ll you what. They brought the war to us,” State Rep. David Borrero said.

    However, not everyone is a fan. The Southern Poverty Law Center lists Moms for Liberty as an extremist group.

    Democrats, meanwhile, say they’re damaging schools. Tampa Rep. Susan Valdes is a long time educator.

    “They have impacted politics in Florida in such a negative way. Instead of uniting people for the best for our children, they are dividing communities. They are dividing people. They are dividing kids,” Valdes said.

    For Democrats, Moms for Liberty is a problem, not a solution.

    Critics say the group should focus elsewhere. Things like teacher pay and retention, they say, need attention.

    “We have a teacher shortage. We know that many young students do not want to go into the profession of education because it doesn’t pay well and they see that they can’t teach,” Valdez said.

    While book bans and school board races are the group’s focus, it was the COVID-19 pandemic that helped propel the group into the national spotlight.

    They opposed school lockdowns and even rallied alongside former President Donald Trump and DeSantis.

    Biden prepares for projected win in South Carolina Primary

    Four years ago, reeling from losses in the Iowa caucuses, the New Hampshire primary and the Nevada caucuses, Joe Biden headed to South Carolina to make his last stand for the Democratic presidential nomination.

    His decisive win in the Palmetto State helped give his lagging campaign the boost it needed to capture the 2020 Democratic primary.

    “We are very much alive,” then-candidate Biden said in his victory speech at the University of South Carolina in Columbia at the time.

    On Saturday, President Biden will once again be on the ballot in South Carolina, the site of the first official contest of the Democratic presidential primary, in the hopes that the coalition that jumpstarted his last campaign — notably Black voters — can give this one a boost.

    “You’re the reason I am president,” Biden told voters last weekend at South Carolina’s First in the Nation Dinner in Columbia, the state’s capital. “You’re the reason Kamala Harris is a historic Vice President. And you’re the reason Donald Trump is a defeated former president. You’re the reason Donald Trump is a loser, and you’re the reason we’re gonna win and beat him again.”

    Democrats upended their primary calendar to make South Carolina their first-in-the-nation contest, a move the incumbent president backed in part to reflect the diversity of the party’s voters.

    While South Carolina, a ruby red state that last picked a Democrat for president in 1976, likely isn’t in play for the incumbent in November, it does underscore the inroads the president is aiming to make with Black voters, a group that fueled his 2020 win but has shown slight signs of waning support, per some recent polling. In the 2022 midterms, Black support for Republicans increased slightly, though they overwhelmingly backed Democrats, according to AP VoteCast data.

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    Gary Darling

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  • DeSantis considers sending state guard to Texas and a public sleeping bill

    DeSantis considers sending state guard to Texas and a public sleeping bill

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    Gov. Ron DeSantis prepares to send the State and National Guard to Texas to help with enforcing the southern border while a set of bills advance in Tallahassee that aim to ban sleeping in public.


    DeSantis prepares to send State and National Guard to Texas

    Florida is going all in on the southern border. State Republicans say the border crisis is a danger to the nation.

    But for Democrats, this is another political stunt by a governor who is still dreaming of the White House.

    Florida state guard troops are planning a surge on the southern border.

    Gov. Ron DeSantis Wednesday called on the Florida National Guard plus the Florida State Guard to, “Stop the invasion.”

    “Let’s all band together as states. Let’s say that our borders matter. Let’s say that we’re going to support Texas in making sure we can stop what is happening to our country,” DeSantis said.

    The governor is offering up to 1,000 national guardsmen to support Operation Lone Star. He is mobilizing the Florida State Guard too, making this their first deployment in state history.

    DeSantis says the forces will build barriers, throw down wire and establish barricades along the southern border.

    “The federal government is no longer protecting the states. Not the state of Texas, but all the states. The states have a right to protect their citizens,” State Sen. Blaise Ingoglia said.

    Democrats are urging him to reconsider. Better yet, they’d like him to focus on more pressing issues, like affordability.

    “We should let the feds do their job and DeSantis should focus on doing his. And let me tell you something. Leadership requires courage. It requires conviction. It requires making tough choices, but it also requires doing your damn job. And right now, DeSantis is not doing his,” House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell said.

    DeSantis resurrected the state guard back in 2021. They’re a state paramilitary force, and they operate off state dollars and answer only to the governor.

    The Florida State Defense Force, the progenitor of the Florida State Guard, was created in 1941 to supplement the state’s National Guard, which was emptied as members of the guard were called into service during World War II.

    The force was deactivated and disbanded in 1947 shortly after members of the Florida National Guard returned from service.

    The state of Texas has a state guard that was used by Gov. Greg Abbott to monitor federal military exercises in his state in 2015. There are currently 22 states that have an active state guard force. 

    Bills could ban sleeping in public

    Florida lawmakers advanced a pair of bills this week that would prevent people from being able to sleep or camp on public property without permits.

    Senate Bill 1530 and House Bill 1365 are now in the Judiciary Committee.

    The bills would allow, but not require, counties and municipalities to create designated public areas for the homeless to sleep. However, these areas must fit certain criteria, including access to running water, access to behavioral health services and having security on site.

    Several local governments across the state have created their own laws on homelessness and public camping. In Miami Beach, for example, refusal to leave after camping in a public space can result in a fine of up to $500 or jail time up to 60 days.

    “Each individual person’s homelessness is just as individual as their personality, just as individual as their fingerprint,” Rick Morris said. He received help from Matthew’s Hope.

    For Morris, his story of homelessness began due to his health. He said he lost sight in one eye and ultimately lost his job.

    Now he puts in work like painting at Matthew’s Hope. In return, the organization pays for his condo, and also got him new glasses.

    “There’s no other place I’ve seen, throughout the whole central part of this state that even compares to this,” he said.

    Matthew’s Hope is geared towards long-term solutions, giving people the resources to finally get off the street for the long haul.

    Scott Billue with the organization says a new bill proposal could have negative impacts on the already-hurting homeless population.

    Senate Bill 1530 would force counties & cities to ban people from sleeping or camping on public property without a permit.

    “We’re criminalizing homelessness,” Billue said.

    He said he grew up homeless living in hotels. He saw how homelessness was treated with bandaids instead of working to get people independent.

    “We have three shelters in Orange County. And they’re all within walking distance of one another, which makes no sense at all, because your highest concentration of homeless people are in West Orange County and East Orange County and there’s nothing there,” he said.

    One area of concern for him is Apopka, where there is no homeless shelter and nowhere nearby to go if they are asked to leave.

    The sponsor of the house’s version of the bill says it’s time to come up with solutions, and sleeping on the street can’t be one of them.

    “The status quo is not okay. And it’s not okay to seek public spaces to become de facto homeless camps,” State Rep. Sam Garrison said.

    Disney files appeal to DeSantis suit ruling

    Disney has filed an appeal with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta to overturn Wednesday’s ruling from a federal judge, dismissing the company’s lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his allies: the Florida Secretary of the Department of Commerce and members of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board.

    Disney had sued in April 2023, claiming the state retaliated against it for publicly opposing the Parental Rights in Education law — called “Don’t Say Gay” by opponents.

    The governor responded at the time by supporting the Florida Legislature to strip Disney of its longtime self-governing power under the Reedy Creek Improvement District.

    For more than 50 years, Disney had significant control over its land in Central Florida, but the Legislature dissolved Reedy Creek and replaced it with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board in February 2023.

    Disney claimed the move violated the company’s First Amendment rights because the governor was punishing it for disagreeing with him.

    But a U.S. District Court judge for the Northern District of Florida in Tallahassee has now thrown that lawsuit out.

    The judge dismissed the case against DeSantis and the commerce secretary, saying Disney didn’t have standing to sue them. He also dismissed the case against the CFTOB, saying Disney failed to state a claim.

    “At the end of the day, under the law of this Circuit, ‘courts shouldn’t look to a law’s legislative history to find an illegitimate motivation for an otherwise constitutional statute’ …  Because that is what Disney seeks here, its claim fails as a matter of law,” the ruling said.

    Disney quickly responded yesterday, vowing to continue fighting the dissolution of Reedy Creek in the courts.

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    Celeste Springer

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