Free Republic

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A man accused of shoplifting clothes from a South Florida store in early December became angry when he realized the store’s front door had been locked, authorities said. According to a news release from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, the man entered a Rainbow clothing store in Lauderdale Lakes at about 8:15 p.m. EST on Dec. 7. Surveillance camera footage showed the man browsing through the store for about 30 minutes before he attempted to leave the store with an armful of clothing. The man, wearing a black-and-white jacket, black pants and black hat, is shown...

In open letters addressed to House Speaker José Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, and House Democratic Caucus members, Rep. Anika Omphroy, D-Lauderdale Lakes, accused fellow Democrat Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith of Orlando of bullying her in the presence of several others at the event Saturday and said she still feared retaliation from the progressive lawmaker and his social media followers. “There still looms the serious possibility of retaliation and attacks on my person, creditability, and/or my ability to effectively legislate,” she said. Smith disputed her account, saying “the details in her letter are simply false and did not occur.”