Free Republic

The Wall Street Journal reports that the part-time Florida Legislature has adjourned for the year without approving the Obamacare Medicaid expansion, which Gov. Rick Scott famously flip-flopped into supporting earlier this year. Here's how the Journal's editorial described the outcome: The nine Republican governors who decided earlier this year to pump some helium into the Obamacare balloon and expand Medicaid forgot about that saving grace of American politics: the separation of powers. On Friday, Florida became the latest state to reject the expansion, as Gov. Rick Scott failed to convince the GOP-controlled legislature to approve his Medicaid flip. Republicans in...

Invasive fire ants have been a thorn in the sides of Southerners for years. But another invasive species, the so-called "crazy" ant that many describe as being worse has arrived and is displacing fire ants in several places. "When you talk to folks who live in the invaded areas, they tell you they want their fire ants back," said Edward LeBrun, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, in a statement from the school. "Fire ants are in many ways very polite. They live in your yard. They form mounds and stay there, and they only interact with...

LAKELAND --  A Lakeland mother shot her son in self-defense on Friday night, deputies said. According to reports, 86-year-old Nancy Pennypacker told deputies she had shot her son, William Pennypacker, 64, in self-defense after he punched her in the face and fired a gun at her. Deputies said moments later the two began shooting at each other, leaving Nancy with a bullet wound that shot through her finger to her shoulder.William Pennypacker was found dead inside the home at Citrus Woods Estates off Orange Blossom Circle in Lakeland. Nancy’s long time friend and neighbor, Sue Robbins, wasn't surprised and said...

About 4 p.m., the resident of the 3900 block of Rockaway Creek Road reported a burglary in progress at his home. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said he arrived home to find two intruders inside of the residence. The homeowner held the suspects at gunpoint while he called the Sheriff’s Office. As he was speaking with dispatchers, one of the suspects, identified at 33-year old Ricky Dewayne Taylor, lunged toward him. The homeowner fired a .38 caliber revolver, striking Taylor in the leg. Taylor was alert and conscious when he was transferred to LifeFlight to be airlifted to Baptist Hospital...

Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who has made job creation his top priority since coming into office, has rejected a proposed deal to bring major Internet retailer Amazon to the state. After months of behind-the-scenes negotiations, Scott ultimately said no to a deal that would have led to the construction of at least one Amazon warehouse in the state and brought jobs along with it. Amazon's arrival in the state, however, would have meant that Floridians would have to pay sales tax on Internet purchases made through the company.

A Florida man accidentally shot himself in the leg while bowling Tuesday night. The man was at the bowling lanes in Jupiter, Fla., and witnesses told WPBF the ball likely hit the man's leg during his back swing. At first, some people at the bowling alley thought it was a firecracker going off. Witnesses say the man limped back to his seat clutching his leg. He was taken to hospital as a precaution, but his injuries weren't expected to be life-threatening. The man's identity wasn't released.

Florida's $9 billion orange crop, the largest in the world after Brazil's, may not survive an incurable disease that threatens to wipe out citrus groves throughout the United States. The disease, known as "citrus greening" or huanglongbing, is caused by a bacterium, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus. The bacteria are spread from tree to tree by a tiny insect called the Asian citrus psyllid, The New York Times reports...

The Miami Dolphins would consider building a brand new stadium in Palm Beach County, Fins CEO Mike Dee told reporters today. Dee, who’s still smarting from the team’s failure to get state dollars to renovate Sun Life Stadium, was asked directly about Palm Beach County — and said the team would consider moving north. “We’re open-minded to all long-term solutions,” Dee responded, according to The Miami Herald. “You can’t close the door on anything.

Another step in Charlie Crist’s political evolution is complete. On Wednesday night, the former Florida governor endorsed gay marriage. “I most certainly support marriage equality in Florida and look forward to the day it happens here,” the Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat wrote on his Facebook page. He congratulated Delaware on becoming the 11th state to legalize gay marriage.

... Charlie Crist’s march to the left is all but complete. The one-time Republican announced his support for marriage equality on his Facebook page, writing that he looks forward to the day it happens in Florida. In his Facebook post, Crist writes that it is “great news” that Delaware became the 11th state to allow marriage equality.

Cesar Conda is Marco Rubio’s Chief of Staff. He recently made his Tweets private (protected) so the general public can’t read them. Cesar Conda has been pushing amnesty for illegals on Twitter and else as Marco Rubio’s PR agent. Conda, who is an immigration lawyer, went to work for George Soros before becoming Rubio’s Chief of Staff. Cesar Conda worked on the editorial advisory board of George Soros magazine, The International Economy Magazine. Cesar Conda had been spinning lies about the amnesty bill about how illegal wouldn’t get welfare, wait more than 10 years for citizenship, etc. Those lies have...

Archbishop Thomas Wenski preaches the homily at the annual Red Mass for the Miami Catholic Lawyers Guild. Credit: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO / Florida Catholic Miami, Fla., Apr 26, 2013 / 12:04 am (CNA).- Discussing the push for same-sex “marriage,� Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami told judges and lawyers at the city's 2013 Red Mass that freedom and law must be based on reality and objective truth. “When a democracy bases itself on moral relativism and when it considers every ethical principle or value to be negotiable … it is already, and in spite of its formal rules, on its...

The state of Florida on Saturday filed a lawsuit against BP and Halliburton over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The suit argues that Florida is entitled to the revenues it lost because of the spill. These include a long list of lost taxes -- sales, corporate, cigarette, liquor -- and other forms of revenue...

Shirley Hedge spent more than 40 years saving lives as a nurse. Now retired, "Shotgun Shirley" represents the biggest increase among Florida's more than 1 million people who have concealed-weapon permits: women 66 and older. Hedge, 66, is one of 34,937 women in her age bracket licensed to carry a gun almost anywhere they want in Florida and 35 other states. Their numbers have jumped 619 percent since 2004 — the earliest year with available data — when there were 4,856 women licensed in the same age group, according to state records. The number of women in the youngest age...

People who have guns they do not want anymore will be allowed to drop them off at the Coconut Grove NET office, at St. Stephens Episcopal Church, 2750 McFarland Road. The program will operate from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, so you will want to get there early enough to pick out a good spot. Many broken and junk firearms are turned in at these events, but a fair number of people who inherited decent guns, but do not want to have anything to do with them, show up. There are often some pretty good deals. Across the country, freedom...

When Republicans start lying like Democrats, you can guess they are pushing an idea that's bad for America. During his William Ginsburg-like tour of the Sunday talk shows last weekend, Sen. Marco Rubio was the Mount Vesuvius of lies about his immigration bill. Here is how Rubio explained the powerful border-enforcing mechanism in his bill on "Fox News Sunday," which he denied was merely a meaningless goal: "Basically, Homeland Security will have five years to meet that goal. If after five years, Homeland Security has not met that number, it will trigger the Border Commission, who will then take over...

The Florida city of Lauderhill, in Broward County, will be hosting a gun turn in event on 18 May, 2013. While these events are commonly labled with the propaganda term "buyback" the guns were never owned by the people attempting to buy them. I have been unable to find what the value of the gift cards offered will be, but the event will be held at Lauderhill Sprts Park, 7500 West Oakland Park Blvd., from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Lauderhill has the highest percentage of Jamaican immigrants in the country, about 18 percent. It was primarily a retirement community...

ORLANDO, Fla. — In the pews of the First Baptist Church of Orlando, where thousands of evangelical Christians gather on Sundays to worship and sing, a change of heart is happening on the once toxic issue of immigration. Two years ago, national evangelical leaders began to speak out in favor of legislation to give legal status to immigrants in the United States illegally. Now, as Congress is about to start a debate on overhauling the immigration system, conservative Christians in those churches, once inclined to take a hard line on immigrants they viewed as lawbreakers, are consulting their Bibles and...

Some of the guns turned in. cbsmiami In this story from CBS Miami the reporter mentions that 124 guns were collected, and that $9,000 of Walmart gift cards were distributed. That amounts to less than $73 per firearm. With a little bit of work, though, we find that there is more to the story. From ar15.com, a discussion among members shows that there were plenty of private buyers at the event:Lots of folks on corners with "CASH 4 GUNS" signs. Many of these turn in events are finding competition these days. Now it appears that the MSM has found...

A gun turn in event in Miramar, Florida delivers an opportunity for Second Amendment activists to obtain some nice guns for little money. Their actions would also create a media event to protect Second Amendment Rights. The event will be held at ChristWay Baptist Church, 3800 S. Douglas Road on April 20th, a Saturday. These events are political theater, designed to delegitimize gun ownership and armed citizens. Across the country, freedom fighters are showing up at these events, and offering cash for the better specimens. This should be welcomed by event organizers, if their purpose is to "get guns off...

Gun owners can get up to $100 in Walmart gift cards in exchange for unwanted weapons during a buyback event Saturday in Pompano Beach. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at the E. Pat Larkins Community Center at 520 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Buyback participants are asked to bring weapons unloaded and without ammunition, with the cylinder or firing action open and in a secure bag or container.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s threat to filibuster any new gun restrictions is gathering steam, as a dozen of his Republican colleagues have now signed onto his plan. The Kentucky Republican and Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) first wrote to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid late last month to warn him of their intention to try to tie up the Senate if, as planned, Reid moved forward with legislation that would expand background checks and attempt to crack down on interstate gun trafficking. Reid is expected to bring a gun-control bill to the floor as early as next...

The Miami Beach Police Department declared the city's first ever gun buyback held at the convention center Saturday a success with more than two dozens firearms turned in to authorities. "As you can see on the table we have four shotguns and a number of semi-automatic pistols, as well as revolvers," Miami Beach Police Chief Raymond Martinez said. "Those are the type of weapons that we are encountering on the streets here." "Anything we can do to take a weapon off the street is one less potential disaster," Commissioner Jerry Libbin said.

“Not guilty” verdicts reached yesterday in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida trial of two men accused of gun-dealing and conspiracy raise new questions about federal prosecution tactics. Homer Helter and James Kassel “were acquitted of engaging in the business of selling firearms without a license and conspiracy to engage in the business of selling firearms,” NaplesNews.com reported. Of significance was the government’s key witness, “a twice-convicted felon with a lengthy rap sheet who has earned at least $87,000 from the government over the past few years, including $7,500 for this case,” the report reveals....

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Thursday joined a group of Republicans threatening to filibuster gun control legislation in the Senate. “We, the undersigned, intend to oppose any legislation that would infringe on the American people’s constitutional right to bear arms, or on their ability to exercise this right without being subjected to government surveillance,” he wrote in a statement on his website. ... Earlier this week, GOP Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.), Mike Lee (Utah), and Ted Cruz (Texas) wrote a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) pledging to “oppose the motion to proceed to any legislation that will...

TAMPA (FOX 13) - When a Tampa woman rented a car from Enterprise, she got a hidden extra: A fully loaded snub-nosed revolver. The gun was under the driver's seat, within reaching distance of where her granddaughter had been sitting. "It could have slid out from under my seat and into the back seat, and she could have picked it up and either one of us could have got shot," Linda Ashmore exclaimed.

by John HillStand With ArizonaWebsite | Facebook | Twitter Releasing illegal alien criminals - it's not just for Arizona anymore... In a political hissy fit, the Obama administration canceled White House tours and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released thousands of detainees ahead of the implementation of sequestration, all in attempt to make the public “feel” the effects of the forced spending cuts. But effort has largely backfired on Obama from a public relations standpoint, with children being denied access to “the people’s house” and the American public outraged at the potential harm from the release of illegal immigrant...

Rick Scott 'deeply disappointed,' demands investigationFlorida’s governor is jumping into the national controversy over a college professor who forced students to stomp on the name of Jesus, and he’s now calling for an official investigation into the matter. Republican Rick Scott has written a letter to Frank Brogan, chancellor of the state’s university system, saying, “I am deeply disappointed in the recent action of Florida Atlantic University faculty that raises significant questions over students rights and the lessons being taught in our classrooms.” “As we enter the week memorializing the events of Christ’s passion, this incident gave me great concern...

(CBS) SANFORD, Fla. - George Zimmerman's defense team has deposed Trayvon Martin's girlfriend, father, mother and brother, case records say, according to the Orlando-Sentinel. PICTURES: George Zimmerman faces murder charge According to the paper, Mark O'Mara, the lead defense attorney for the former neighborhood watch leader accused of fatally shooting Florida teen Trayvon Martin, took the sworn account of the victim's girlfriend last week. The girlfriend is considered a crucial witness in the trial because she was reportedly on the phone with Trayvon shortly before he was shot by Zimmerman. The 29-year-old Zimmerman is scheduled to go on trial in...

A stunning announcement out of Florida this week. The state that was exhibit A for economic disaster two years ago is now experiencing a tremendous rebound thanks to Gov. Rick Scott’s pro-growth policies. Washington should take a page – no several pages – out of Scott’s book. Since December 2010, one month before Scott took office, the unemployment rate in Florida has dropped from 11.1 percent to 7.8 percent – that rate is lower than the national average. After two years of Scott’s policies, 282,000 private sector jobs have been created; in the previous four years the state had lost...

That a former University of Central Florida student still living on campus did not carry out a wider plan to shoot others in his dormitory and instead turned his gun on himself was a mere matter of luck for his potential victims, the Orlando Sentinel is reporting this morning. “James Oliver Seevakumaran, 30, was found in his dorm room in Tower 1, a seven-story structure near the UCF Arena,” the story reports. “He died from a single shot to the head fired by one of his newly purchased guns, police said.” He had a handgun, what police call an “assault...

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A message from above? That’s what several South Florida residents thought after looking toward the sky on the day a new pope was named. Most saw an angel in the clouds and grabbed their cameras to document the vision.

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Former Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, whose life story is described by the governor's office as "the American Dream come true," has seen a political career with tremendous potential suddenly hit the pause button.

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The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office joined the ranks of other law enforcement agencies across the Bay area and hosted their first gun buyback since 2009. The sheriff’s office’s goal is to keep unwanted guns off the streets and from being used in a crime. “The last time we did this, back in ’09, we actually got 400 guns,” said Manatee County PIO Dave Bristow. “We hope to get that around that same figure today. They actually got more than that. The Sheriff’s Office paid out approximately $37,950 for a total of 459 firearms, including five assault type weapons.

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Bills are being quietly introduced and voted on soon!

Reuters reports a hitch in Governor Rick Scott’s plans to expand Medicaid coverage, as directed by the ObamaCare plan he once vowed to oppose: On the eve of convening of the 2013 session, the House Select Committee on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act rejected the expansion. A Senate counterpart committee postponed consideration of the issue, which is sure to be one of the biggest controversies of the session.Scott, a Republican who bitterly fought President Barack Obama’s national healthcare plan as a candidate and in his first two years as governor, stunned conservative supporters on February 20 when he...

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Neil Combee, a Republican from Florida House District 39, has introduced a bill to reform the current Florida law on self defense. Currently, the law allows for people who face an aggressor to be prosecuted if they display their weapon or fire a warning shot without hitting anyone. Aggressors whose actions were stopped, could call the police and claim they were assaulted. From victim surveys it is clear that the most common defensive use of a firearm is to display it to show an aggressor that the potential victim is armed, which in most cases defuses the situation. The reform...

FORT MYERS, Fla. - A 16-year-old Cypress Lake High School student, who wrestled a loaded revolver away from a teen threatening to shoot, is being punished. The student grappled the gun away from the 15-year-old suspect on the bus ride home Tuesday after witnesses say he aimed the weapon point blank at another student and threatened to shoot him. The student, who Fox 4 has agreed not to identify because he fears for his safety, says there's "no doubt" he saved a life by disarming the gunman. And for that he was suspended for three days.

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BRANDON - A man was missing and feared dead early Friday after a large sinkhole opened under the bedroom of a Seffner house and his brother says the man screamed for help before he disappeared.