Free Republic

CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels issued a warning to people who may be thinking of bringing violent protests to the area. In a video posted on social media, Daniels said the statement is in response to the nationwide conversation about the strained relationship between police and the community. “Is it a threat? Absolutely not, but somebody has to step up in front of the camera and say enough is enough. Tearing up Clay County? That’s not going to be acceptable and if we can’t handle you, you know what I’ll do? I’ll exercise the power and...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Without fanfare, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law an expansion of Florida's use of a federal database to verify an employee's immigration status. But it's far from the sweeping change he sought: Influential industries lobbied to make it optional for private employers. In a presidential election year, the issue could loom as a point of contention amid clashing ideologies over immigration. Supporters see E-Verify as a tool to keep people who are in the United States illegally from getting jobs. The Republican governor asked lawmakers to require all employers in Florida — public and private —...

a chart worth looking at before listening to cuomo preach to florida about how to "flatten the curve" NY has had 24,830 COV deaths vs 3,489 in FL. FL has a 10% larger population than NY. pop adj, NY has 7.8X the COV deaths of FL. median age in FL is 8% higher. pic.twitter.com/KzAWqVShqA— el gato malo (@boriquagato) June 28, 2020

The First District Court of Appeal, State of  Florida, on 29 May, 2020, found merely noticing a person had a concealed handgun was not sufficient reason to stop and search them. It was not sufficient probable cause to investigate the situation further under Florida law. Here is a summation of what happened, according to the First District Court of Appeal. From 1dca.org: Deputy Beach parked and approached the truck in order to discuss the license plate cover with the driver and to give him a verbal warning about the license plate cover. According to Deputy Beach, he “was just going...

As the cries for police reform grow louder across the nation, some police departments are holding their officers accountable, firing or suspending those accused of excessive force during recent protests. One Florida police organization has said it will re-hire those very officers accused of misconduct, and that offer is prompting outrage. On Saturday, the Brevard County chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police posted a message on Facebook addressed to the "Buffalo 57" and "Atlanta 6," saying that it was "hiring."

The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday knocked a proposed constitutional amendment to ban possession of “assault-style weapons” from a prospective berth on the 2022 ballot. In a 4-1 decision, the court ruled Ban Assault Weapons NOW’s 75-word ballot summary “affirmatively misleads voters” by contradicting broader text in the proposed amendment. “Specifically, the next-to-last sentence of the ballot summary informs voters the initiative ‘exempts and requires registration of assault weapons lawfully possessed prior to this provision’s effective date’ when, in fact, the initiative does no such thing,” the majority opinion said. “Contrary to the ballot summary, the initiative’s text exempts only...

I’ve been asked a few times what can folks do to protect themselves in a riot, legally? I’ve also been asked about a few different scenarios. So, here’s my take, according to current Florida law: First, Florida Statute 776.08 defines what a “forcible felony” is. In Florida, you’re allowed to Stand Your Ground and use deadly force to stop or prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to yourself or another when responding or reacting to a forcible felony where such force is reasonable. That means if you have a REASONABLE fear you’re about to be attacked or injured in...

FLORIDA SHERIFF: "The people in Polk County like guns, they have guns, I encourage them to own guns. — And if you try to break into their homes to steal, to set fires, I'm highly recommending they blow you back out of the house with their guns."

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) will announce today that he is working with Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee to craft legislation that would strip social media giants of their Section 230 legal immunity if they fact check content on their platforms, according to a copy of his podcast which Breitbart News exclusively obtained. On the Florida conservative’s podcast, Hot Takes with Matt Gaetz, he said that he is working on a bill that would prevent social media giants such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google from fact-checking content on their platforms. Gaetz’s announcement follows as Twitter decided to fact check...

Multiple shortcomings contributed to a problem-plagued 2018 election in Broward County, many of which were on public display while a national cable TV audience waited for Florida to recount votes in elections for governor and U.S. Senate. A controversial audit 18 months later is now detailing even more failings. Among the issues raised in the audit: Half of Broward County’s election precincts reported more ballots cast than the number of voters. Backlogs in processing mail ballots snarled reporting of results. Confusing ballot design may have led thousands of voters to inadvertently skip an important contest. Money was wasted on unneeded...

Dozens of media outlets, both in Florida and nationally, published the sensational story of Dr. Rebekah Jones, a state Department of Health employee who was fired by the administration of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Trump ally, after – she says – she refused to manipulate data to support the governor’s plan to reopen the state. But a deeper look at the underlying facts expose a less sensational, yet all-too-common narrative: a media feeding frenzy caused by a deep-seated desire to report on scandal and cover-ups, which Rebekah Jones’ claims delivered – if only they were true. They are not....

@RepMattGaetz Roger Stone should not spend one day in jail. He is disproportionately carrying the burden of the fake, corrupt Mueller investigation. I discuss more in today's "Hot Takes with Matt Gaetz" episode. LISTEN NOW

Yesterday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott tweeted this comparison of California, Texas, Florida and New York. It is simple but interesting in several respects: Hmmm… pic.twitter.com/k4S9xlGvdF — Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 18, 2020 Obviously, the comparison undermines the liberal conceit that shutdown orders save lives. Many similar comparisons have been done, generally supporting the same conclusion, like this one. It is also noteworthy that the states with the lowest taxes also have balanced budgets, while New York and California, despite sky-high income tax rates, can’t make ends meet. There are a number of reasons why people are moving out of...

Earlier today on Facebook (where all good ideas go to die) I read three separate posts from friends telling people to “stay home, stay safe.” Every single one of them was dripping in self-righteousness and condescension. You must be an idiot if you’re clamoring to go eat in a restaurant or swim at the beach – that was the tone and continues to be the tone of quite literally every single person who is proudly and publicly toeing the “stay home, stay safe” (SHSS) line right now. I’m using “literally” literally. I’ve yet to see one SHSS post that isn’t...

An endangered whale shark was spotted in the Gulf of Mexico during a boating trip near Siesta Key, southeast Florida, earlier this week. Alexa Groat and her family chartered a fishing boat on Tuesday to celebrate her sister's birthday, when an unexpected guest gatecrashed the party. The group had taken the boat out to the Gulf of Mexico where they spotted the shark (Rhincodon typus) cruising near the surface of the water.

A federal civil rights trial wrapping up in Tallahassee may resolve the question of whether felons in Florida who have served their prison sentences – but can’t afford to pay court fines and fees – will be allowed to vote in the upcoming election.

As Florida prepares to ease a month-long shutdown, Gov. Ron DeSantis delivered a scathing rebuttal of apocalyptic predictions for his state that were breathlessly hyped by the news media and proven wrong during the coronavirus crisis. The governor showed slides of media stories warning that Florida would quickly run out of hospital beds while predicting the state would be the “next New York” or even a disastrous “uber Italy.” Instead, the state with one of the most vulnerable populations due to age is faring well among the big states that were hit and is nowhere close to New York’s unfortunate...

Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum graduated from an Oakland, California-based training school for progressive revolutionaries that has spawned a list of activists who have gone on to become the who’s who of the far-left leadership world, with many taking senior positions at organizations financed by billionaire George Soros. In scores of cases, graduates of the Rockwood Leadership Institute founded or directed notorious Soros-financed activist groups, such as Black Lives Matter, Media Matters for America, MoveOn.org and the Tides Foundation, one of the nation’s largest funders of progressive groups. Soros’s own Open Society Foundations sent top staff to Rockwood for training....

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that his state has beat back the COVID-19 epidemic without using “draconian orders.” “I got to give credit to the people of Florida,” DeSantis said on “Fox & Friends,” adding that there were predictions that Florida would be “worse than New York” state, which is the U.S. epicenter. DeSantis came under fire from critics who said that he was too slow to implement a statewide stay-at-home order like other states. Some said that because of the state’s significant amount of elderly and retired residents, Florida would suffer greatly during the pandemic. “If you look...

Sarasota County-operated beaches will be available for limited use or essential activities; walking, running, fishing, and swimming, beginning Monday, April 27 with the following restrictions: No congregating and visitors must practice social distancing. No lounging, coolers or alcohol, umbrellas/towels/chairs, etc. No access to parking lots, concession stands or playground.