Free Republic

A total of 42 ineligible voters went to the polls in Putnam County, Fla., according to a Thursday report from the Florida Times-Union. The ineligible votes came from deceased persons, convicted felons, or people who weren’t registered residents of the state of Florida, according to the report. The election in question was a local sheriff’s race between Sheriff Homer DeLoach, a Democrat, and Jonathan Kinney, a Republican. DeLoach won the race in 2016 by only 16 votes. The original tally showed that Kinney led by 18 votes, but a state-mandated audit revealed that as many as 430 ballots didn’t appear...

Registered Active Voters as of 4/7/17: GOP: 4,571,623; DEM: 4,871,393 Registered Active Viters as of 10/28/16: GOP: 4,550,311; DEM: 4,877,749

WASHINGTON — For more than half a century, old-fashioned, no-frills highway rest stops have welcomed motorists looking for a break from the road, a bathroom or a picnic table where they can eat lunch. But in some states, these roadside areas are disappearing.

The widow of a shooter who killed 49 people in a Florida nightclub last year is reportedly on her way to Orlando, Fla., to face federal charges of aiding her husband in the attack. Salman's lawyer, Charles Swift of the Texas-based Constitutional Law Center for Muslims in America, said Wednesday it will be up to the Marshals Service to decide when she will be transferred. The charges are aiding her husband in providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, namely the Islamic State; and obstructing justice by misleading local police and the FBI when she was questioned in the...

MANALAPAN — Usually, the only crowds you’d see at the shopping center across State Road A1A from the Eau Resort and Spa in Manalapan is when people line up on Sunday for breakfast specials. But on a sunny April morning, the east end of Lantana Road was a sea of red and yellow. Hundreds of Chinese lined the roadway, waving banners and shouting through bullhorns. The reason: Chinese president Xi Jinping would be arriving later today for a weekend stay at the hotel, which included a summit, just up the road in Palm Beach, with the president of the United...

The biggest catch, so far, went to Patrick Campbell who caught a python measuring 15 feet, 10 inches and weighing 135 pounds, according to the South Florida Water Management District. The second largest catch was made by Nicholas Banos and trapping partner Leonardo Sanchez whose python measured 15 feet, 2 inches and weighed 144 pounds.... Twenty five people are taking part in the python hunt that began in late March and runs until June. They are paid $8.10 per hour, for up to eight hours a day, and get extra money depending on the length of the snake that’s caught.

A Florida high school math teacher made a miscalculation when she let a 14-year-old drive her to Waffle House while she was drunk, authorities said. Terra Virgin, 32, was arrested Sunday night on charges of child neglect and permitting an unauthorized minor to drive after her car was pulled over in Tampa with the teen behind the wheel. Virgin, a teacher at Freedom High School, had five beers but had a craving for a meal and convinced the teen to give her a ride, authorities said. "The adult that was in the car was quite inebriated and she was aware...

Jamal Rutledge, a 17-year old teen who arrested and brought into the local police office in handcuffs, saved the life of a police officer and is now rightfully being praised as a hero.

TALLAHASSEE — A wide-ranging $296.8 million tax cut package from the House would eliminate sales taxes on diapers and feminine hygiene products, offer tax "holidays" for purchasing school and hurricane supplies, and trim a commercial lease tax. The package, introduced Wednesday by the House Ways & Means Committee, is smaller than a collection of tax cuts proposed by Gov. Rick Scott. The fate of the proposals will depend on upcoming budget negotiations between the House and Senate. Ways & Means Chairman Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, said the House package would provide multi-year relief that could potentially reach $949 million and grow...

A Rollins College student who has accused his Muslim professor of religious discrimination has been clashing with his teacher since the semester started, court records show. Areej Zufari, the professor, was so concerned about the behavior of Marshall Polston, 20, that she filed a “protection against stalking” request against him on Friday in Orange Circuit Court. Rollins has temporarily suspended Polston from school. The injunction request includes a long email that Polston, a Christian, sent to the professor after he received a failing grade on an essay in the Middle Eastern humanities class. “Quite frankly the grade you assigned to...

WASHINGTON — A government watchdog will examine the taxpayer-funded travel costs when President Donald Trump travels to the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and the security procedures surrounding those trips, several congressional Democrats announced Tuesday. The lawmakers requested the inquiry by the Government Accountability Office after reports that Trump, accompanied by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, openly discussed North Korea's launch of a ballistic missile while at the resort. They also raised concerns about the cost to taxpayers. In a March 24 letter to the lawmakers, GAO said it will examine how the president's communications and classified information are secured when...

<p>Authorities say a 5-year-old Florida boy is recovering after being bitten by a rattlesnake that he mistook for a toy. The incident happened Saturday in DeBary, which is north of Orlando.</p> <p>Volusia County Sheriff's deputies tell local news outlets that the child was playing in the backyard when he saw the snake under a jungle gym. It bit him on the finger and he was rushed to a hospital where he was treated with anti-venom.</p>

Representatives from 13 states including 12 state attorneys general and one governor filed a motion in support of President Trump’s temporary travel ban. From the Dallas Morning News: Attorney General Ken Paxton on Monday led a coalition of 13 states in filing a brief with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals defending President Donald Trump’s revised immigration order.In the brief, Paxton and representatives from 12 other states argue that the Trump administration’s new order is legal and falls under the president’s power over foreign affairs and national security. Those joining the brief included Paxton plus AG’s in the...

A student from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida claims he was suspended for challenging his Muslim professor’s anti-Christian assertions, including her assertion that Jesus’ crucifixion never occurred. Marshall Polston, 20, is claiming that his Middle Eastern Humanities professor also told students that Jesus’ disciples “did not believe he was God.” Polston, a self-described Christian who has toured the Middle East, says he is familiar with the Muslim culture. “Honestly, it reminded me of some of the more radical groups I researched when abroad,” Polston told the Central Florida Post when asked about his professor’s comments. “Whether religious or not,...

PALM BEACH, Fla. - Police arrested a Florida woman Friday on a disorderly intoxication charge at Mar-a-Lago after Palm Beach police said she tried to rush toward a Secret Service-restricted zone inside the club and was talking to empty cars. Amanda Ayres Kerwin, 37, is charged with disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest without violence, both misdemeanors, according to a police report. The report said a Mar-a-Lago security guard saw Kerwin stumble toward an exit and tried to escort her outside late Friday. She insisted her friends were inside, and the guard brought her back inside. Kerwin then rushed toward a...

One person is dead and five others -- including two children -- are injured in Sanford, Florida after a shooting took place early Monday morning.

A Florida woman is being told to take down her Blue Lives Matter flag that's been flying for several years now by her homeowners association. Jeff Gaddie told Action News Jacksonville that his daughter in St. Johns County has been flying the flag to honor him and many other family members who are law enforcement. "She called to ask why," Gaddie said. "They told her they had received a complaint that it was considered racist, offensive and anti-Black Lives Matter,” he said.....

Saturday marked a day full of Presidential and Vice Presidential motorcades traveling back and forth across Palm Beach County. For the first time since taking office, President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are visiting Palm Beach at the same time. Supporters gathering to watch the President's motorcade return from his golf course to Mar-a-Lago got the surprise of a lifetime Saturday afternoon. A small group had lined up on Bingham Island with signs and flags. "We waved to him, the cars went by really fast, and we were just sitting down talking about the events of the day,"...

Undocumented immigrants and elected officials gathered at a local church to discuss threatening immigration policies and how to deal with them Thursday night. In a meeting that frequently switched between English and Spanish at Westminster Presbyterian Church, located at 1521 NW 34th St., about 40 undocumented immigrants listened to guidelines set forth by the American Civil Liberties Union on how to defend themselves against President Donald Trump’s mass-deportation agenda. The event was led by local grassroots group Madres Sin Fronteras, which translates to Mothers Without Borders. The group, led in part by UF alumnus Beto Soto, was created to preserve...

A Florida homeowner was ordered to remove a “Blue Lives Matter” flag she has displayed for years to honor her father and other police officers — active, retired and killed in the line of duty — because a neighbor complained it was racist. ... “She called to ask why,” Gaddie said. “They told her they had received a complaint that it was considered racist, offensive and anti-black lives matter.”