Free Republic

There is no avoiding the obvious. Sen. Rick Scott’s personal history — single mom, public housing, extraordinary success in business — the only legit billionaire in the crowd. His military record. Winning not once or twice but four times in a large, politically complicated state like Florida that was a swing state before he ran in 2008. Business experience. Political experience as a governor in a large state, and appetite for policy. A personal history that speaks to the moment. He will be a very difficult competitor should he decide to seek higher office in 2024. Lots of folks in...

Channeling former Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum, incoming Florida House Minority Leader Ramon Alexander has called it quits after sexual misconduct and harassment allegations were levied on him earlier this week by a former male athletics employee at Florida A&M University. Rep. Alexander, who is accused of groping the male individual and sexting him with inappropriate images and videos, admitted to having a "consensual, adult relationship" with the former college employee behind his wife's back. "Representative Ramon Alexander has decided to not seek reelection to the Florida House of Representatives. He and his family are in my thoughts as they...

On Monday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) announced that he will be signing legislation to create a new state holiday honoring all victims of Communism. As reported by Fox News, November 7th will be the date for observance of this new holiday, formally titled “Victims of Communism Day.” In addition to the new holiday, DeSantis also announced $25 million in funding for renovations to the Freedom Tower in Miami, which once served as a Cuban Assistance Center for those who fled the Communist state of Cuba. “Honoring the people that have fallen victim to communist regimes and teaching our students...

A congressional map approved by Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and drawn by his staff is unconstitutional because it breaks up a district where Black voters can choose their representatives, a state judge said Wednesday. Leon County Circuit Judge Layne Smith said he would issue a formal order Thursday or Friday to keep the maps from taking effect in November’s election.

Florida first lady Casey DeSantis made an exultant return to the campaign trail Monday evening in support of her husband following a battle with breast cancer. The first lady of the Sunshine State, accompanied by Gov. Ron DeSantis, made the appearance and offered remarks at a "DeSantis Day" campaign event held at The Villages in Sumter County.

Public school teachers in Florida will soon be required to dedicate at least 45 minutes of instruction on “Victims of Communism Day” to teach students about communist leaders around the world and how people suffered under those regimes. Speaking at Miami’s Freedom Tower before a crowd of local lawmakers and supporters, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 395, which designates Nov. 7 as the state’s official “Victims of Communism Day,” making Florida one of a handful of states to adopt the designation. It is, however, the first state to mandate school instruction on that day, as Florida Republicans continue to...

Abrams and Eric Cohen wrote in the Wall Street Journal: 'We were working closely with the museum on the details for the June 12 event, until, out of the blue, we were told by the museum staff that Mr. DeSantis didn't 'align with the museum's values and its message of inclusivity.' They added: 'Either we disinvite the governor, they said, or our event was unwelcome.' But the museum were quick to dispute the claims, posting a scathing thread about the discussions on Twitter. They said: 'Let us be clear: No one was banned or cancelled. No contract with the Tikvah...

Manhattan’s Museum of Jewish Heritage barred a philanthropic group from featuring Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at a June conference at the site and forced organizers to relocate. Tikvah Fund leaders Elliott Abrams and Eric Cohen told The Post Friday that museum brass advised them to either disinvite DeSantis or take the annual Jewish Leadership Conference elsewhere. Cohen said they were shocked by the ultimatum. “Never before did the museum share their opinions about or seek to assert oversight over our guest speakers,” he said Friday. Tikvah leaders refused to cancel DeSantis and instead moved the entire event to Pier 60....

Fewer Americans are moving than ever before, according to recent U.S. Census Bureau data — but a new report says the people who are taking the plunge are flocking to some familiar cities.Houston, Las Vegas and Phoenix topped this year's edition of truck rental company Penske's annual Top Moving Destinations report, which uses data from its one-way consumer truck rental reservations to compile a list of the country's 10 most popular cities for movers. More generally speaking, the Sun Belt led the way, with Dallas, Austin and San Antonio also ranking highly.Eight of the 10 cities made the list in...

Textbook publishers are surrendering to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ demands that math instructional materials get in line with state standards, allowing more books to be added to the approved list, according to the Florida Department of Education. “Publishers are aligning their instructional materials to state standards and removing woke content allowing the department of education to add 19 more books to the state adoption list over the past 17 days,” the Florida Department of Education announced on its website. The Florida Department of Education announced on April 15 that it had rejected 41% of math textbooks proposed by publishers for...

A staggering 107 United Methodist congregations based in Florida plan to leave the mainline denomination for the newly launched conservative Global Methodist Church. The Florida chapter of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, a theologically conservative Methodist group, announced Tuesday that 107 churches in the state had “chosen to initiate the process to depart the Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church.” The number of congregations planning to leave represents nearly 20% of the total number of churches belonging to the UMC Florida Conference. "This broad group of churches include both large and small congregations along with Anglo, African American, Latino, Korean,...

In April, I had the privilege of attending Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s signing of first-in-the-nation legislation banning Critical Race Theory in public schools and employee training. Throughout Covid-19 lockdown insanity, Governor DeSantis led the way on evidence-based, commonsense policies in the best interest of Florida citizens. Now, with the signing of HB 7 and other strong and necessary laws, Governor DeSantis is once again demonstrating leadership that should inspire other governors and serve as the model for standing up to the woke agenda. While California Governor Gavin Newsom is requiring a divisive “ethnic” studies program in order for California students...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Friday signed a $1.2 billion tax relief package, the largest tax relief package in the state’s history, which, in part, makes key baby items tax free for one year. The governor signed what he described as the “largest tax relief in the history of the state of Florida,” giving relief to millions of Floridians on key items that have skyrocketed over the course of Biden’s presidency. That includes “really critical needs like gas, diapers, disaster supplies, tools for skilled trades, [and] recreational activities.” “Families are going to be able to save for things that...

The ruling supporting the law, which DeSantis (R) signed during a Fox News appearance last year, means it is likely to be in effect for the midterm elections in November, when DeSantis will be up for reelection. The law limits dropbox sites, makes it a crime to possess more than two ballots at a time, and prohibits “line warming” practices, such as offering water or chairs, for voters waiting outside polling places.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Friday signed a $1.2 billion tax relief package to relieve Floridians from the burden of President Biden’s economy. “We really worked hard to lift people up and protect jobs and protect businesses,” DeSantis said on Friday, pointing to the fact that Florida set the record for domestic tourism in 2021.

...Before the pandemic, in 2018-2019, the number of homeschooled students was about 1,062, almost 700 students less. In the overall scheme of things, the numbers are relatively small. Current district enrollment is about 72,000 students across 108 schools, including charter schools, so homeschooling isn’t approaching anything like an existential threat, at least not yet. But every time a student leaves the district, it costs BPS thousands of dollars. Next year, every student lost will mean $8,064 less dollars per student for the district. And when students leave, they don’t do so uniformly: some schools can be impacted more than others...

President Donald J. Trump, and Gov. Ron DeSantis at a wedding last night at Mar-A-Lago!Winning team 2024!pic.twitter.com/1mV78JVVjx— 🇺🇸 Pismo 🇺🇸 (@Pismo_B) May 1, 2022

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating after a dead shark was apparently gutted and hung in the courtyard of a Florida high school. Alex AuBuchon, PIO for FWC's Northeast region, said five students at Ponte Vedra High School apparently hung the dead shark from the rafters of the school's courtyard around 9 p.m. Wednesday night. It was reportedly discovered Thursday morning. SNIP Through its investigation, FWC said the shark was reportedly harvested on Tuesday, gutted, and stored in a freezer until it was hung at the school. The investigation is active and officials are conducting interviews, AuBuchon...

TALLAHASSEE — A federal judge Wednesday rejected a request by the Biden administration to toss out a lawsuit filed by Florida over the release of undocumented immigrants. Pensacola-based U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell denied a motion by U.S. Department of Justice attorneys to dismiss the case, which Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office filed last year. The lawsuit alleges that the Biden administration has violated immigration laws through policies that have led to people being released from detention after crossing the U.S. border with Mexico. Also, it alleges that the releases affect Florida because of issues such as increased...

Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis said on May 3 he is concerned about the national economy as he fears President Joe Biden’s policies will “plunge the United States into a recession.” And DeSantis said that while inflation continues to rise with an upsurge in prices of goods, Florida’s economy is looking good. The comments came during a press conference where the governor presented a $20 million check to Lee County for flood control and other water management projects. DeSantis said that Florida’s income for April exceeded expectations. “It’s our current estimate that the state of Florida brought in about $760 million...