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There will be a gun turn in event on Saturday, 28 June, 2014 in Jacksonville, Florida. While these events are commonly labeled with the propaganda term "buyback" the guns were never owned by the people attempting to buy them. The event will be held at North Jacksonville Baptist Church, 8531 N. Main Street.  The event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. $50 will be exchanged for firearms.  In a new twist, the Police Athletic League will also recieve $50 for each firearm turned in.    People are supposed to be able to turn in firearms "no questions...

The drunken, inappropriate remarks and catcalls coming from the loudspeaker of a marked Broward sheriff's patrol car had bystanders scratching their heads and dialing 911. It was after 2:30 a.m. on a weekend when the first of several 911 callers reported two young men, not in uniform, driving a marked patrol car through the lively Las Olas and Himmarshee bar-hopping districts with the loudspeaker blaring.

Charlie Crist has scrapped plans to go to Cuba this summer, citing time demands in his campaign for governor and delays in getting federal permission to visit the island nation. “I had to make a decision,” Crist said. “We’ve got to win this thing, and we can’t sap any more of my time or staff’s time to the detriment of victory. … I need to stay focused on Florida.” Crist’s about-face was immediately called a “flip-flop” by Gov. Rick Scott’s campaign, and it follows a recent poll that showed his July plans were not popular with Cuban-American voters in Miami-Dade,...

As many as 10 people were shot Tuesday morning, killing two according to Miami police. Five people were taken to the hospital and two people died in the shooting outside an apartment building, Miami police spokeswoman Frederica Burden said. One of the victims was a teenage girl, CBS4 reported.

The media coverage given to the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case, and the attention paid to Florida's "stand your ground" law, resulted in the legislature considering flaws in the law.   They passed a reform bill that was signed by Governor Rick Scott yesterday, 20 June, 2014.  From tallahassee.com: The legislation, which marks one of the most significant changes to the state’s self-defense laws since the 2012 killing of teenager Trayvon Martin, was one of nearly 60 bills signed by Scott on Friday. The state mandatory sentencing law, the "10-20-life" law, was being used by some prosecutors to obtain plea bargains...

Adventist Health System, which owns Florida Hospital, acknowledged in financial documents that its pay arrangements with some doctors broke federal law. The nonprofit health system, which owns seven hospitals in Central Florida and 44 nationwide, told the U.S. Department of Justice that it violated the federal Stark Law, which prohibits doctors and hospitals to have agreements that allow doctors to gain financially from referring patients to the hospital for tests or procedures. ... Settlement talks for the second part of the case, which alleges the hospital engaged in a pattern of unnecessary hospital admissions for more than a decade, will...

Opponents of red light cameras just got a little help from some new friends — the Florida Supreme Court. But they shouldn’t get too excited. The high court ruled Thursday that Florida cities didn’t have the authority to use red light cameras to ticket motorists prior to 2010, or until the state Legislature enacted laws specifically allowing them. Tens of thousands of fines are invalidated as a result, but it’s not likely ticketed motorists will get their money back unless they legally challenged their citations. Christopher Torres, a defense attorney at Casey & Torres, a Tallahassee law firm, told Watchdog.org...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Abortions will be illegal in Florida if a doctor determines that the fetus could survive outside the womb. Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill Friday that redefines that state's current third trimester abortion ban. Current law prohibits abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy unless the mother's life is at risk. The new law will require woman to have a doctor determine whether a fetus is viable before having an abortion. The law takes effect July 1. It keeps an exception if a mother's life is at risk or to prevent irreversible physical impairment of a mother's...

Charlie Crist has been endorsed by Florida’s largest gay rights group in his run for Governor.... Equality Florida officials made the announcement at a visitors center for gays and lesbians in Miami Beach, citing Crist’s current support for same-sex marriage and ongoing legal efforts to overturn the state’s ban on the unions.

A Bradenton family says they've been hounded by code enforcement, and they've had enough.... Brent Greer and his wife are doing a little redecorating. The new paint job is unmistakable - the front of the home is a massive flag. Brent Greer hopes it sends a message. He said, "I painted it to remind the city and all that live here that this is America. This is a free country. This is my home. This is not a shrine to Riverview Boulevard."

I have a female relative in FL who has been working full-time for a day care operation since January. They have about 30 teachers and such. They provide a health care plan to full-time employees, and all but my relative have been offered access. They claim they don't have the money to put her on the plan now, and keep putting her off that they'll get her on when they can. Is this legal, and if not how can she proceed to make them do what they should?

In 2008, Florida voters amended their state constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. In response to a recent challenge to this provision, and in keeping with my sworn duty to uphold the laws of the land, my office recently filed a legal brief defending the voters' decision.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — After making its way through a Daytona Beach neighborhood Thursday, a black bear took a moment to rest before ambling back into the woods. Resident Rafael Torres told Channel 9 that he followed the bear through his neighborhood until it clambered into a hammock behind a home on Glenbriar Circle.

Detectives say Jonas Charles ambushed teens who returned to lot after stealing keys.... Instead of waiting for authorities to arrive, Charles took the law into his own hands and ignored the 15-year-old's plea not to shoot him, detectives said. Charles then chased the wounded teen, yelling at him and firing another shot while on the phone with a BSO dispatcher, detectives said.

THIS IS FOR THE SOUTH AND MIDWEST (NORTHEAST, WEST, AND CALIFORNIA are in separate threads and updates are coming, see links below) This is an update of previous threads. There are numerous important House Primary Races! And places where we can WIN! PLEASE contribute! And if you can't contribute money ... the least we can do is go to their pages and give them a "like" or a tweet. All of these candidates are involved in primaries that are close (or could be close) against generally more moderate or liberal Republicans. All of these districts are winnable in November. Georgia:...

~snip~ Insecurity runs deep, even for a bombastic multimillionaire who leads the country's largest personal injury law firm, has hosted President Barack Obama at his 18,000-square-foot mansion and is poised to be the most important man in Florida politics this election cycle other than Charlie Crist and Rick Scott. Morgan, 57, is leading a high-profile ballot initiative to legalize marijuana in Florida for medical use, and he's a key adviser to former Republican Gov. Crist's unprecedented campaign to win back the Governor's Mansion as a Democrat. Some wealthy middle-aged businessmen bag trophy wives; Morgan goes for trophy lawyers, and Crist...

On Sunday, Marco Rubio informed Jonathan Karl on ABC’s This Week that he was ready to be president. “I think a president has to have a clear vision of where the country needs to go and clear ideas about how to get it there,” he went on. “And I think we’re very blessed in our party to have a number of people that fit that criteria.” And, as the National Review’s Eliana Johnson reports, the one-time Tea Party favorite is also now a favorite of the “establishment” – due mainly to his willingness to champion immigration reform and his...

Democrats in Florida's 13th Congressional District are in trouble. When the candidate the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee hoped to nominate refused to run, leaving them with the less-than-ideal option of endorsing a non-party affiliated political novice with an embellished resume, they held their noses and did so anyway. But that was a mistake. The man they went out on a limb for -- and endorsed -- dropped out of the race today: Adam Smith @adamsmithtimes Dems' candidate to take on @DavidJollyCD13 - Ed Jany - is dropping out. Cites work conflict, days after we found holes in resume claims 11:19...

a 42-year-old freshman senator, but when asked by Jonathan Karl on “This Week” if he’s ready to be president, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida answered without hesitation. “I do … but I think that’s true for multiple other people that would want to run … I mean, I’ll be 43 this month, but the other thing that perhaps people don’t realize, I’ve served now in public office for the better part of 14 years,” said Rubio. “Most importantly, I think a president has to have a clear vision of where the country needs to go and clear ideas about...

Two shotguns, three rifles at the Phoenix event "Buy back" is a propaganda term, as the guns were never owned by the people who buy them at these events.  I should not be surprised that a gun turn in event held by Miami Police in "Little Haiti" did not net much in the way of results.   It was not well advertised.   I routinely search for such events, and I missed it.   It was held for only four hours on Saturday, which is not that unusual, but it is unusual for the event to be so poorly advertised that I...