Free Republic

A Riverview woman has been arrested after authorities say she made online death threats to Governor Ron DeSantis. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says the Florida Department of Law Enforcement alerted them about "threatening messages" received by the governor's office on its website. The messenger, who identified herself as 20-year-old Danyele Callaway, requested to meet with DeSantis in...

Donald Trump’s youngest son, Barron Trump, received a standing ovation Tuesday at his father’s Florida rally in what the former president suggested was the teenager’s debut on the campaign trail. Barron, 18, turned and waved to the crowd of Trump supporters at his father’s Doral golf course as the former president praised him for his smarts, demeanor and rising popularity. “This is a young man. He just turned 18 – Oh, look at this,” the 78-year-old former president said, stopping as the crowd’s cheers intensified.

Florida Satanists are volunteering to fill school counselor roles after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a law allowing religious chaplains into public schools amid staffing shortages. “Nothing in the text of the bill serves to exclude us, and no credible interpretation of the First Amendment could. Should a school district now choose to have chaplains, they should expect Satanists to participate as well,” Lucien Greaves, cofounder and spokesperson for The Satanic Temple, said in a statement... Back when DeSantis signed the bill in April, he described Satanism as “not a religion” and said its members would not be allowed to...

The Florida State Legislature has proposed a Right to Hunt and Fish amendment to the Florida State Constitution. The Amendment will appear on the November 5, 2024 election ballot as Amendment 2. The amendment will require a supermajority of 60% of the vote to approve the measure. The amendment reads as follows: SECTION 28. Fishing, hunting, and the taking of fish and wildlife.—Fishing, hunting, and the taking of fish and wildlife, including by the use of traditional methods, shall be preserved forever as a public right and preferred means of responsibly managing and controlling fish and wildlife. This section does...

The need for stability and experience should eliminate the young MAGA-in-a-hurry types like Sen. J.D. Vance or Members of the House. As the GOP convention nears, and voters focus on the election, the race remains closer than it should be given Mr. Biden’s infirmities. Swing voters still worry about Mr. Trump and the possibility of four more years of turmoil. The former President can help his campaign, and the country, by projecting stability and calm. We know many readers will think this is impossible, and maybe it is. Yet he showed admirable restraint after the debate last week, letting Democrats...

He deployed a gator “aid.” No can opener? No problem. A reveler is going viral after using a wild alligator’s jaws to open a beer in what viewers are dubbing “the most Florida thing” ever. The jaw-dropping clip was first posted to the X account Catch Up Bites but was recently shared by user Wall Street Silver, amassing more than 3.1 million views. In the jaw-some footage — its exact location and creator are unclear — an unidentified boater uses his hand to lure a small gator to his vessel. The reptile swims up to the boat with its jaws...

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The First Lady will be making a stop in Wilmington on Monday for a campaign event. Dr. Jill Biden is also expected to make an appearance at a campaign event in Tampa, Florida the same day. WECT has not yet learned if the event is open to the public.

The ruling requires the administration to keep processing new applications to export LNG as the Texas-led lawsuit proceeds. Attorney General Ken Paxton obtained a temporary injunction in his lawsuit against the Biden administration over their decision to halt liquefied natural gas exports. Joined by 15 other state attorneys general, Paxton secured the win Monday after a federal district court judge in Western Louisiana ruled that the new administrative plan should be paused as the case proceeds. “This ruling means [President Joe] Biden’s illegal ban does not prevent Texas natural gas from reaching market while the lawsuit continues,” stated Paxton in...

On the occasion of his 100th birthday, United States Marine Corps and World War 2 veteran Carl Dekle reflected on his long life and the blessings he’s enjoyed in an interview with Tampa’s Fox 13. The Silver Star recipient recalled the Battle of Guadalcanal and his gratitude that the Lord brought him home and says that he would do it again if he had to — and if he were the right age. In full uniform for the interview, Dekle said: “Most important thing in my life was serving my country. I don’t think I could take away from that…It...

Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida has given the public some clarity on his veto last week of $32 million in arts and culture grants from next year’s state budget. According to a story published in the Tampa Bay Times, DeSantis said the cause was Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival, which he characterized as being overtly “sexual” and therefore an inappropriate recipient of state funds. While it’s unclear if the Orlando festival was slated to receive any money from the grants, the state of Florida awards money for cultural projects based on a ranked list. The Fringe Festival was ranked toward...

Today, Vote No On 4 Florida formally launched its multilingual campaign to defeat Amendment 4 on the upcoming November ballot with the unveiling of new websites in both English and Spanish and the rollout of its first campaign video entitled “Not What it Seems” which exposes the deceptive nature and extreme ramifications of Amendment 4. The 2-minute video reveals that while other amendments provide clear definitions, the 34-word Amendment 4 fails to define any of its terms, including crucial words like “viability,” “healthcare provider,” and “patient’s health,” leaving voters in the dark about its true impact. “Amedment 4 was deceptively...

Members of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet should consider invoking the 25th Amendment to remove the president, two sitting U.S. senators suggested. They said Biden’s performance in the first presidential debate against former President Donald Trump raised questions about his ability to perform his office. “We’ve definitely entered 25th Amendment territory,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, wrote on X. ... Members of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet should consider invoking the 25th Amendment to remove the president, two sitting U.S. senators suggested. They said Biden’s performance in the first presidential debate against former President Donald Trump raised questions about his ability to perform...

Muhammad Musri, president of American Islam and Chairman of the Board of the Islamic Society of Central Florida discussed in his June 21, 2024 Friday sermon plans to buy up abandoned churches and turn them into mosques. He said that Muslims are turning churches into mosques in order to serve the same community, because one day they will become Muslims. Musri said that 100 years ago Christians invaded Islamic countries and built missionary schools destroying mosques and Islamic schools. He added that now the Muslims are "returning the favor" by converting churches into mosques and turning the local schools into...

Detectives with the Broward Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit shared a video showing a man leaving a 3-year-old on a sidewalk after he carjacked the child’s mother. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office said it received a call reporting a stolen vehicle in Oakland Park around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. Investigators said a mother and her 3-year-old daughter were involved in a crash with another vehicle. When the mother exited her car to exchange information with the other driver, deputies said an unknown man jumped into her car and began to drive away with the woman’s daughter inside. Investigators said the mother...

Good news! We recently reached a favorable settlement for our clients at Heartbeat of Miami, a faith-based ministry that provides life-affirming services and support to women and couples facing unplanned pregnancies in Hialeah, Florida. While we cannot publicly discuss the specifics of the settlement quite yet, the vandals associated with Jane’s Revenge who sought to injure, intimidate and interfere with access to Heartbeat of Miami, and several Florida pregnancy resource centers, will be held to account. Last year, First Liberty and volunteer attorneys from Lawson Huck Gonzalez filed a federal lawsuit seeking to hold accountable the individuals who defaced and...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is warning that abortion proponents in the state are preparing to smuggle a radical ballot measure across the finish line in November. “Because all of the Southeast has various forms of pro-life legislation, Florida would become the abortion mecca of this region—and maybe one of the abortion meccas of the entire world, because it would be one of the most liberal abortion regimes anywhere in the world,” the Republican governor warned during a Zoom call Thursday with hundreds of pastors and faith leaders. “This amendment is written maybe more liberal than New York and California, but...

Florida has joined 22 other states in extending its infant surrender law to allow a 30-day surrender period up from seven days of age. Additional amendments to the law include a provision for the mom to call 911 for a direct surrender to responders, provided she remains with the baby until their arrival. Governor Ron DeSantis’ signature means HB 775 takes effect on July 1, 2024. The anonymous surrender granted by the law provides parents immunity from criminal prosecution if there are no indications of abuse or neglect. The extension to 30 days is vital to situations where premature infants...

Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed the Sunshine State won’t abide by potential bureaucratic restrictions on Second Amendment rights after the U.S. surgeon general declared firearm violence a “public health crisis.” The Biden administration’s surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, said guns “[pose] a serious threat to the health and well-being of our country.” The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ webpage for the advisory does not list any new legal action taken on restrictions, but DeSantis warned that similar advisories were issued at the start of the coronavirus pandemic – preceding lockdowns and other government mandates. “During COVID, unelected bureaucrats used...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida public school employee who faces firing because she allowed her transgender daughter to play girls high school volleyball assailed those who outed her child, saying Tuesday that the ensuing investigation destroyed the girl’s life. Jessica Norton said her daughter was thriving at Monarch High School in suburban Fort Lauderdale before an anonymous tipster notified a Broward County school board member in November that the 16-year-old was playing on the girls varsity volleyball team in apparent violation of state law. The 2021 Fairness in Women’s Sports Act bars students who were born male from...

The FBI purchased glossy cover sheets to use in photos of authorities’ unprecedented raid of former President Donald Trump.The FBI purchased glossy cover sheets to use in photos of authorities’ unprecedented raid of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.On Tuesday, journalist Julie Kelly posted court documents on X showing Special Counsel Jack Smith “admitted the FBI added cover sheets to alleged classified documents found at MAL and took photos for evidence.”“This confirms my report from last month that the FBI doctored evidence to produce stunt photos of classified documents at [Mar-a-Lago],” Kelly said.Now see if you notice the slight shift...