Florida has undergone a dramatic political transformation over the past decade from a swing state to Republican stronghold. In 2012, there were almost 1.5 million more registered Democratic voters than Republicans in Florida. In 2020, Democrats’ advantage dropped to about 97,000. And by September 2024, there were almost 1 million more registered Republicans than Democrats.
Ron DeSantis
House Panel Drops Investigation of Casey DeSantis Charity That Funneled $10 Million to Political Committees
After weeks of investigation, a state House leader said Thursday his panel is halting a probe into a foundation linked to First Lady Casey DeSantis’ signature economic-assistance program, Hope Florida. Rep. Alex Andrade, a Pensacola Republican who chairs the House Health Care Budget Subcommittee, spent weeks scrutinizing the foundation’s receipt of $10 million as part of a $67 million legal settlement that Centene, Florida’s largest Medicaid managed-care company, reached last fall with the Agency for Health Care Administration, then redistributing the $10 million to two anti-pot political committees.
Florida Sues Snapchat, Alleging Social Media Platform Is Not Blocking Minors
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed a lawsuit alleging that the operator of Snapchat is violating a high-profile 2024 law aimed at keeping children off some social-media platforms. The lawsuit, filed Monday in Santa Rosa County circuit court, came after a federal judge last month rejected a request by tech-industry groups for an injunction to block the law. In a federal-court filing Monday, attorneys for the state said Uthmeier “expects that additional investigations and enforcement actions will commence soon.”
Florida to Immigrants: Get Lost
DeSantis has savaged lawmakers for not doing enough to support President Donald Trump’s campaign promise to detain and deport as many as 20 million undocumented immigrants. He has worked assiduously to engineer Florida’s reactionary version of “how many ways can we screw over immigrants?”
DeSantis Claims Florida Could Handle Disasters Without Federal Aid
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday during a press conference in Kissimmee that Florida could handle emergencies without federal funds but still believes the federal government will grant states money to deal with disasters without oversight. The governor has advocated for states to receive block grants to operate all aspects of emergency preparation and response over getting assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Clothing Under $75 May Get Permanent Sales Tax Exemption
Gov. Ron DeSantis expressed support during a Thursday press conference for Senate President Ben Albritton’s plan to permanently exempt sales taxes on all clothing worth $75 or less. DeSantis said he agreed with a narrower sales tax cut over Perez’s plan to permanently cut sales taxes by .75%, which is estimated to lower tax collections by $5 billion.
Miami-Dade Mayor Vetoes County Measure Banning Fluoride
More than a dozen local governments in Florida have banned fluoride in their public water drinking systems since state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo’s recommendation in November that they do so. Miami-Dade County won’t be one of them, though, after Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced Friday that she would veto a resolution approved by the Board of County Commissioners on April 1 directing that fluoridation of the county’s water end within the next 30 days.
Bill Changing Gulf of Mexico’s Name in All Florida Documents and Textbooks Goes to DeSantis
The Senate on Wednesday gave final approval to a bill that would change dozens of state laws to carry out President Donald Trump’s directive that the Gulf of Mexico should be called the Gulf of America. The Senate also gave a final sign-off to a bill that would require the name change to start being reflected in materials at state agencies and schools.
U.S. Rep. Wilson Seeks to Visit Miami Immigrant Detention Center Amid Reports of Mistreatment
Democratic U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson wants to examine conditions at a Miami immigrant detention center, saying she’s concerned about reports of people sleeping on concrete floors. Wilson, who represents part of Miami-Dade County, sent a letter Monday to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem requesting her help in arranging a congressional visit this month to the Krome North Service Processing Center.
Florida Agency Wants Emergency Management to House Migrants Awaiting Deportation
The executive director of the new State Board of Immigration Enforcement is pushing for the Florida Division of Emergency Management to house and transport immigrants awaiting deportation.
Florida Attorney General Threatens Removal of City Council Members Who Blocked Cooperation with ICE
Attorney General James Uthmeier is threatening three Fort Myers city council members with removal from office after they refused Monday to deputize police officers to participate in immigration enforcement. Uthmeier, who became the attorney general a month ago, warned the council that Gov. Ron DeSantis could remove them from office if they didn’t allow the city police to question people about their immigration status and detain those subject to deportation.
The Sun Is Setting on Government Transparency in Florida
Florida, the “Sunshine State,” once known as a beacon of government transparency, is growing ever darker, and the clouds are spreading throughout the United States. Legislators have passed more than 1,100 exemptions to the Florida Sunshine Law, and growing.
Florida Law Banning Kids off Some Social Media Prevails as Judge Refuses to Block It
A federal judge has rejected a request to block a 2024 Florida law aimed at keeping children off some social-media platforms, ruling that industry groups did not show they had legal standing to challenge the measure.
Federal Judge Clears Way for Publishers’ Lawsuit Against Florida and Volusia Boards of Education Over Banned Books
With major publishing companies and authors arguing a 2023 state law violates First Amendment rights, a federal judge Friday refused to dismiss a lawsuit against members of the State Board of Education over the removal of school library books. U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza, appointed by President Obama, rejected a state motion to dismiss the case, which also names as defendants members of the Orange County and Volusia County school boards.
From Byron Donalds to Casey DeSantis, Florida’s 2026 Race for Governor Lunges for the Bizarre
The sitting governor is limping around like a disabled waterfowl with a bad beer hangover, inspiring a high level of schadenfreude in the Florida Legislature. So — even though the next gubernatorial election doesn’t take place until November 2026 — it’s past time to look to the future: Who will rule the citrus-cankered, gun-crazy, storm-battered Sunshine State?
DeSantis Touts Wife Casey as 2026 Choice for Governor
Days after Donald Trump endorsed Southwest Florida U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds for governor, Ron DeSantis made it clear on Monday that he’s not likely to get behind that effort. Instead, the governor gave some of his strongest words of support to date for someone who could become his choice for 2026 — his wife, First Lady Casey DeSantis, who has never held elective office.
DeSantis’s Know-Nothing Assault on Florida’s Public Universities
DeSantis, the lame duck and failed presidential candidate, may have lost much of his hold on the Legislature but, given that he appoints state university trustees, our institutions must still suffer his anti-intellectualism, his spite, and his obsession with “woke.”
DeSantis Signs 3 More Collusion Agreements with ICE
DeSantis on Wednesday signed three additional memos with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, deputizing state agents to interrogate people about their immigration status and detain them if they lack proper documentation.
Florida Turns Anti-LGBTQ Enmity on Target Corp., Blaming Stock Drop on Pride Campaign
Three days into his job, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Thursday announced a class-action lawsuit that alleges Target Corp. did not properly disclose to investors the risks of a 2023 LGBTQ Pride campaign that drew a consumer backlash and caused a drop in the retailer’s stock price.
Who Do You Think You Are? Here’s Why You Should See ‘The Niceties’ at CRT
“The Niceties,” which opens tonight at City Repertory Theatre, is familiar to our ideologically poisoned times, raising questions about whether there is such a thing as objective truth. It subverts assumptions about American and Black history, generational divides, and power. It will make you angry only if you’re not honest with yourself as it also subverts your own assumptions about who you think you are.
DeSantis Signs 9th Death Warrant: Edward James, for 1993 Murders in Seminole County
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed a death warrant for inmate Edward James, who was sentenced to death in the 1993 murders of a woman and her 8-year-old granddaughter in Seminole County. The death warrant came five days after the state put to death James Ford in the 1997 murders of a couple in Charlotte County.
DeSantis Wants to Move Ringling Circus Museum to New College
In his budget proposal released earlier this month, DeSantis included language that would transfer the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, the Ringlings’ Ca’d’Zan mansion, and the Ringling Circus Museum, located less than a mile from the New College campus in Sarasota.
DeSantis Wants Florida Universities to Join War on Undocumented Migrants
Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Friday that the state’s universities and colleges shouldn’t admit students lacking permanent legal status. Come July 1, university and college students who attended Florida high schools but live in the state without legal permission will have to pay out-of-state tuition under a law, SB 2-C, DeSantis signed Thursday.
Florida Senator Files Bill to Americanize El Golfo de México in State Laws
Sen. Nick DiCeglie, the Republican who sponsored last year’s ill-fated bill to eliminate local control over vacation rentals, filed a bill that combs through state laws and would replace references to the “Gulf of Mexico” with the “Gulf of America” after President Donald Trump issued an executive order to rename the gulf.
Lawmakers Balk at DeSantis Ask for $350 Million to Transfer Migrants
The Republican leaders of the Legislature made some concessions to Gov. Ron DeSantis in the immigration bills announced Monday, but the governor still isn’t getting the hundreds of millions he wanted to deport immigrants with a program under his purview.
Spat with DeSantis Resolved, Legislature Begins Third Special Session on Immigration Today
Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican leaders of the Legislature announced Monday evening their agreement on the state’s immigration enforcement response under the Trump administration after a month-long public dispute.
Ag Commissioner on Heat-Related Farm Deaths: Blame Humans, Not Climate
Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson told state lawmakers Tuesday morning that human error was to blame for heat-related deaths on farms, which he described as few and far between. Florida’s sweltering heat became one of the hottest topics for lawmakers last year as the Republican-led Legislature passed a law prohibiting local governments from enacting their own heat-safety protections for employees.
DeSantis Will Seek an Increase in Homestead Exemption and Pay Increase for FHP Troopers
With home prices continuing to be a big flashpoint for Floridians, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that he plans to work on an overhaul of property taxes, including an increase in the state’s homestead exemption, which shields part of the value of homes. DeSantis floated the idea when he noted that he is plans to release his budget recommendations over the weekend.
DeSantis Ramps Up Feud with Legislature, Pledging to Veto Bill Targeting Undocumented Immigrants
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday pledged to veto an immigration bill passed during a special legislative session Tuesday, triggering a potential showdown with Republican House and Senate leaders in a tug-of-war over efforts to carry out President Donald Trump’s agenda. The governor’s latest criticism ramped up what has become a brutal — and public — feud between the Republican legislative leaders and DeSantis, who repeatedly called the bill “weak” and “pathetic” and lobbed personal attacks at his foes.
Imagine What Will be Left of Florida After Our Leaders Are Done With It
This is the country we’re now living in: dictatorial, unrepresentative, and deeply unkind. What will be left of Florida in four years? What will be left of America?
DeSantis Cant Wait to Get His Hands on ‘Illegal Immigration’ Legislation
Gov. Ron DeSantis used the power of his bully pulpit on Thursday to once again lean on the Florida Legislature to come together for a special legislative session next week to further restrict illegal immigration, vowing to fight like a “junkyard dog” that just won’t stop until he sees results. The governor has said repeatedly over the past couple of weeks that the Legislature must not wait until the regular session opens in March to address the newly implemented executive orders signed by President Donald Trump on reducing the number of the undocumented in Florida.
Protesters Disheartened and Disbelieving at an Abortion-Rights Rally in St. Pete: ‘Florida Is Gone’
Two months after a proposal to repeal Florida’s six-week abortion law and enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution failed to gather the 60% required for passage, more than 100 people gathered Wednesday on four street corners in downtown St. Petersburg to advocate for the cause. But it was a dispirited and disbelieving protest.
Childhood Vaccination Rates Are Slipping in ‘Health Freedom’ Florida and Other States with Exemptions
Pediatricians in states with high exemption rates, such as Florida and Georgia, say they’re concerned by what they see — declining immunization levels for kindergartners, which could lead to a resurgence in vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles. The Florida Department of Health reported nonmedical exemption rates as high as 50% for children in some areas.
DeSantis Names Ashley Moody to Rubio’s Senate Seat, and James Uthmeier as Attorney General
Ahley Moody, a Republican who was first elected attorney general in 2018, has been a close ally of DeSantis in fights against the Biden administration on issues such as immigration enforcement. DeSantis also said he will appoint his chief of staff, James Uthmeier, to succeed Moody as attorney general.
DeSantis Calls Special Session on Immigration, Condo Safety, Hurricane Relief and Petition-Gathering
Saying he expects a “sea change” in federal immigration policies from the incoming Trump administration, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday called the Florida Legislature into special session to deal with illegal immigration and three other issues. The session will begin on Jan. 27 and will include deliberations on condominium safety regulations, hurricane relief, and fraudulent signature-gathering petitions for constitutional amendments.
DeSantis Signs Death Warrant for James D. Ford, 64, Killer of Greg and Kimberly Malnory in 1997
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a death warrant for a man convicted of brutally murdering a couple at a Charlotte County sod farm in 1997. James D. Ford, 64, is scheduled to be executed Feb. 13 at Florida State Prison in the murders of Greg and Kimberly Malnory. It would be the first execution this year in Florida and would come after one inmate was executed in 2024.
University Board Nominee Calls Career Women ‘Medicated, Meddlesome and Quarrelsome.” DeSantis Defends Him.
Gov. Ron DeSantis defended his appointment to the University of West Florida Board of Trustees of a political scientist who claims that encouraging women to prioritize their careers has led to the decline of family life. In speeches, essays, articles, and interviews Scott Yenor details his views against same-sex relationships, including that LGBTQ+ practices bring “dreaded diseases,” and labeling career-oriented women as “medicated, meddlesome and quarrelsome.”
Florida Legislators Cold to DeSantis Call for Special Session
Two days after Gov. Ron DeSantis said he wanted the Florida Legislature to call a special session to be “prepared to act” on immigration and tackle soaring condominium assessments lawmakers on both side of the aisle are questioning why the rush.
Florida Grand Jury Investigating Covid Vaccines Finds No Evidence of Crimes
The publication of the grand jury’s final report comes more than two years after Gov. Ron DeSantis asked the Supreme Court to assemble it to investigate wrongdoing related to the Covid vaccines. At the time, DeSantis eyed his unsuccessful bid for the presidency and explained his petition by saying that misrepresenting the efficacy of a drug was against Florida law.
Despite Investigation Clearing Starbucks, Moody Targets Company for Alleged Race-Based Hiring
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody in May filed a complaint with the Florida Commission on Human Relations alleging that Starbucks had policies that “appear on their face to be racial quotas.” But after an investigation, the commission’s executive director in November issued a determination that there was “no reasonable cause” to believe that the Seattle-based coffee company violated a state anti-discrimination law.
As Florida Celebrates Ignorance, SAT Scores and College Rankings Drop, Teachers Flee
A recent column in the Independent Florida Alligator laments how college professors and other educators who teach disfavored subjects or use certain words are beginning to self-censor. The headline reads, “Think While It’s Still Legal.” Gov. Ron DeSantis and his angry regime aren’t big fans of thinking. Or learning. They hate and fear knowledge.
Florida Imposed More Death Sentences Than Any Other State in 2024
Florida led the nation this year in imposing death sentences, reflecting DeSantis’ successful push to eliminate the requirement of a unanimous jury recommendation. The Death Penalty Information Center reports that 26 people were sentenced to death in the United States in 2024, seven of them in Florida.
Florida Leads an Authoritarian Assault on Higher Education
Authoritarians always love the poorly educated and the mis-educated. The well-educated, the readers, the questioners, those who demand evidence, gather facts, and trust verifiable information (as opposed to propaganda) are a threat. Aspirants to dictatorhood know the first play is destroy education. Nip that critical thinking in the bud. DeSantis is showing the way in Florida.
Ron DeSantis Back-Up Defense Secretary If Hegseth Stumbles Out?
The President-elect’s stated commitment to Hegseth comes as Florida’s Governor is seen as a better bet on a prediction market. Ron DeSantis led the field Friday morning on Polymarket, but had fallen back by Saturday. Trump and DeSantis are attending the Dec. 15 Army-Navy football game, deepening the intrigue.
Biden Approved Florida a Year Ago To Be 1st Canadian Drug Import State. DeSantis Hasn’t Made It Happen.
Nearly a year after the Biden administration gave Florida the green light to become the first state to import lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada — a longtime goal of politicians across the political spectrum, including President-elect Donald Trump — the program has yet to begin. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hailed the FDA’s approval of his plan in January, calling it a victory over the drug industry. But he did nothing to advance the plan.
Florida Surgeon general Calls for End to Fluoride in Drinking Water
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo — echoing viewpoints propagated by Robert F. Kennedy, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to become the nation’s chief health official — recommended against community fluoridation of drinking water Friday. The recommendation runs counter to public health officials and dentists.
Florida Universities Are Cutting Ties to 7 ‘Countries of Concern’
The state university system’s Board of Governors next week is scheduled to receive a report about the law, which targeted ties to China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela and Syria. The law, in part, largely prevented state universities and colleges from participating in agreements or partnerships with schools based in the countries of concern.
Where Florida Went, The Nation Is About to Follow
Goodbye to America defining itself as a Beacon of Hope, the Light of Freedom, or any of that other stuff they told you in 3rd grade: the rule of law, checks and balances, free speech, science-based health care, and son on: we saw it all in Florida. It was just prelude.
Senate Appointment and Special Election in Flagler to fill Marco Rubio and Mike Waltz Seats
Rubio’s selection as secretary of state in Trump’s administration would lead to a closely watched decision by DeSantis about appointing a U.S. senator for a term that would last until the 2026 election. Also, a special election will be needed to choose a replacement for Mike Waltz in Congressional District 6, which is made up of all or parts of Flagler, Lake, Marion, Putnam, St. Johns and Volusia Counties.
Renner, on His Last Day, and Staly on His 2,497th, Break Ground on Florida Guard’s Training Facility in Bunnell
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly, who all but birthed the concept, and Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, joined with state and local officials this afternoon to break ground on the future $10 million Florida State Guard multi agency, regional training facility in Bunnell. The facility will serve the State Guard, which Gov. Ron DeSantis revived four years ago, but also all local police and fire agencies, and some regional law enforcement agencies as well in a more advanced training complex than they’ve known to date.