Free Republic

Florida is a state known for sunny beaches and red state politics. I've actually heard a state lawmaker describe it as the freest state in the nation. Of course, this was at a Second Amendment gathering where people know how restrictive the state can be on guns. They're not anti-gun, but not the most pro-gun, either. But they're good enough that people can defend themselves if need be. However, that doesn't mean someone won't make you move. It seems a Florida woman defended herself from a home invader. She shot the intruder and killed him. But rather than just be...

Besides being an unspeakable crime, Thursday’s shootings at Florida State University in Tallahassee reinforced one invaluable lesson: Supposedly well-meaning laws aimed at stopping what leftists prefer to call “gun violence” are about as useful against criminals as cloth masks are against an infinitesimally small and potentially deadly virus. They don’t do the job, but they make ideologues feel good about themselves. ... In the wake of the 2018 Parkland high school shooting that killed 17 (and gifted the nation the perpetually irritating David Hogg), Sunshine State lawmakers passed a measure limiting gun purchases to those 21 years of age or...

MIAMI — After Florida International University’s police department entered into an agreement with the federal government to carry out immigration enforcement on campus, some students say they are terrified. “It’s scary and nerve-racking,” said an undergraduate at the university. The student, who's not being identified because he lacks legal immigration status, told NBC News he came to the U.S. when he was 5 with his family after they were threatened by gangs in their native El Salvador. FIU is one of a number of universities in Florida that have signed agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the 287(g)...

"The Wedding Banquet" remake hits theaters today, and ahead of its debut, the star-studded cast spoke with "Good Morning America...

A U.S.-born American citizen was being detained at the request of immigration authorities Thursday despite an advocate showing his U.S. birth certificate in court and a county judge finding no reason for him to be considered an “illegal alien” who illegally entered Florida. Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez, 20, was arrested Thursday evening by Florida Highway Patrol and charged under a state immigration law that has been temporarily blocked since early this month. Details of Gomez-Lopez’s arrest and detention were first reported by the Florida Phoenix news site. After inspecting his birth certificate, Leon County Judge LaShawn Riggans said during the hearing...

FSU shooter’s biological mom kidnapped him and fled to Norway amid bitter custody battle decade before deadly rampage The biological mother of accused Florida State University shooter, Phoenix Ikner, kidnapped him and fled to Norway amid a bitter custody battle a decade before the deadly shooting, court documents reveal. Eriksen and Phoenix Ikner — who at the time went by his birth name Christian Gunnar Eriksen — both have American and Norwegian citizenship. “Instead of staying in South Florida, the defendant allegedly fled the country with him in violation of their custody agreement,” the affidavit stated. Christopher Ikner only discovered...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Action News Jax has continuing coverage of an active shooter situation on the campus of Florida State University in Tallahassee. We have learned that the FBI Jacksonville and the Tallahassee Resident Agency are on scene, as well as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

What we know An active shooter has been reported at Florida State University's campus in Tallahassee. The school sent out an alert urging students to seek shelter as a shooter was reported in the area of the student union. Police were "on scene or on the way," according to the alert. "Lock and stay away from all doors and windows and be prepared to take additional protective measures," the alert said.

City joins growing list of Florida municipalities aligned with ICE under 287(g) program The proposed agreement would “provide for operational assistance pertaining to enforcement of laws to combat illegal... Doral Vice Mayor Maureen Porras said the city attorney has advised that the municipality must enter into the agreement. “Our attorney has actually advised us that this is a contract we have to enter into,” she said. Porras added she believes the agreemen

On a clear evening this January, flights out of Miami, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale suddenly ground to a halt. The culprit wasn’t weather or a software glitch — it was a rocket launch. SpaceX’s Starship, the largest spacecraft ever built, had lifted off from Texas and exploded mid-flight, raining 100 tons of debris at over 13,250 miles per hour over the Caribbean. The FAA swiftly issued an unprecedented order: a temporary freeze on air traffic at four major Florida airports. Then another Starship exploded on its next test launch in March. According to FAA data reported by Reuters, the disruption...

49-year-old Bilal Ismail, accused of shooting his mother-in-law in Miami Gardens, has been arrested after a multi-agency search and police chase. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIe7NVxJpcs/ Man arrested a day after he shot his mother-in-law in Miami Gardens: Police Bilal Ismail, 49, was taken into custody during a traffic stop Tuesday morning, Miami Gardens Police officials said By NBC6 • Published April 15, 2025 • NBC6

Boca Raton Seriously — what the heck is happening with all these aircraft crashes recently? Three people have reportedly been killed in a small plane has crashed near Boca Raton Airport in Florida. ... Videos of the scene showed smoke billowing from several fires at the side of a highway lined with palm trees. The aircraft had reported mechanical issues at around 10.17am, according to BocaNewsNow. Video and photos of the horrific incident rolled in on social media on Friday morning:

A teacher in Florida has been told she won't have her contract extended "until the issue iAteacher in Florida has been told she won't have her contract extended "until the issue is resolved with the state" after she referred to a child be their preferred name, rather than legal their legal name, without parental consent.s resolved with the state" after she referred to a child be their preferred name, rather than legal their legal name, without parental consent. ...Brevard Public Schools chief strategic communications officer Janet Murnaghan said they had been contacted by a parent who complained that their child...

Almost no one sues Disney and wins. That is, until now. Actress Gina Carano has joined former ESPN host Sage Steele in winning a major victory against the media company after a discovery motion has been granted in the former “Mandalorian” star’s wrongful termination suit. According to Glenn Beck, Walt Disney created “the nastiest attorney firm in the history of the world.” “I don’t think there’s any corporation that is more nasty than the Disney Corporation,” he explains on “The Glenn Beck Program,” adding, “The last time I saw somebody win was Sage Steele. That’s two women that have beaten...

A pair of angry parents are taking legal action after their daughter lost a regional spelling bee over a technicality they believed had already been addressed. The outraged parents are demanding justice after their 12-year-old daughter, Amara Chepuri, lost the Tampa Bay regional spelling bee because she misspelled a word that they say was not on a predetermined list. Now, the Chepuris say they are considering pursuing legal action, claiming that Amara was unfairly disqualified and should still be eligible for the national contest. 'She could have won,' her father, Ananth Chepuri, told the Tampa Bay Times. 'She's one of...

Miami Beach's annual Pride Parade celebrates the LGBTQ community's impact in South Florida, but attendees said that this year feels different with government policies they feel roll back some protections... Since Jan. 20, the Trump administration has rolled back DEI programs in the federal government and frozen grants. The president also signed an executive order declaring that the U.S. government will only recognize two genders: male and female. "We have had to go back into our federal contracts," said Daniel Molloy of Pridelines, an LGBTQ community center. "We've had to go back into our state contracts. And redact any mention...

...Since the start of February the Trump administration has ended two federal programs that together allowed more 700,000 Venezuelans to live and work legally in the U.S.... ....A federal judge ordered on March 31 that temporary protected statuswould stand until a legal challenge’s next stage in court and at least 350,000 Venezuelans were temporarily spared becoming illegal. Escaray, the owner of the restaurants, said nearly all of his 150 employees are Venezuelan and more than 100 are on TPS.

Republicans Randy Fine and Jimmy Patronis secured victories in two special congressional elections in Florida on Tuesday, overcoming significant fundraising disadvantages to maintain GOP control of seats vacated by prominent party members. The wins bolster the Republican Party’s slim majority in the U.S. House, despite a strong financial push from Democratic opponents. Fine, a former state senator, won Florida’s 6th Congressional District, defeating Democrat Josh Weil, an Orlando school teacher who outraised Fine by more than $9 million between January and March, according to Federal Election Commission reports. In the 1st Congressional District, Patronis, Florida’s outgoing chief financial officer, bested...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis escalated his attacks against Randy Fine on Wednesday, blaming the representative-elect’s “unique problems” for a special election victory he said should have been won by a higher margin. Appearing at a press conference in Ocala, Florida, the day after the election, DeSantis argued that President Donald Trump’s involvement in the 6th District race pushed Fine over the line. He added voters had not wanted to support Fine, who Trump had endorsed, and that the president “really had to bail him out in the end.”

Votes received and percentages of total vote Candidate Votes Pct. winnerJimmy Patronis GOP 79,763 55.4 Gay Valimont DEM 63,089 43.8 Stephen BrodenNPA 1,167 0.8 Collapse text Show fewer candidates An estimated 88.8 percent of votes have been counted.