Free Republic

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Eight people have been arrested after a joint investigation by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations, where illegal immigrants were allegedly paying to get fraudulent driver’s licenses. “About a month ago, we began investigating information that individuals within the Bay County Tax Collector’s Office were issuing fraudulent driver’s licenses to aliens,” said Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford. Investigators say suspicious driver’s license transactions were occurring at the Bay County Tax Collector’s Office, and two DMV employees were being financially compensated to provide driver’s licenses to those who did not qualify for them....

In 1970, the State of Florida passed sweeping emergency measures laws which conferred enormous powers to Sheriffs and Municipal officials (Mayors and Chiefs of Police). The law was meant to contain and prevent riots and the widespread breakdown of the rule of law. The officials could declare an emergency under the “imminent threat of violence”, which gave broad discretion. The emergency could only be in effect for 72 hours, after which time the county commission or the city council would be required to approve any extension of the emergency.There were many riots during the Vietnam era, particularly at universities.Part of...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants the state to take over some funding of government services for rural, thinly-populated fiscally constrained counties and allow them to eliminate their property taxes. (The cost) would be about $300 million per year, a drop in the bucket of the nearly $50 billion in general fund spending. “I’m just telling you that is budget dust, like, that’s easy for us to do,” DeSantis said. “And I’m not suggesting that, like, we have to just do that, but I’d be willing, of course, we’re going to help with that. You know, we want, we want homeowners...

FORT LAUDERDALE — Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice added another gem to his long collection of golden quotes on Sunday morning after being asked about his team’s humility off of the ice despite their ferociousness on it. The Panthers are, to be sure, one of the most hated teams in the NHL due to their aggressive, take-no-prisoners style. They certainly are not popular in some parts of their own state, much less in Canada or North Carolina. Yet after Saturday’s 6-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes to pull within a game of a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup...

An 89-year-old Florida grandfather appears to have been attacked and killed by a black bear during the early morning hours of May 5th, near Jerome, Florida. Jerome is a rural area on the opposite side of the state from Miami, between the Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area and the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, part of the Everglades.The relative of 89-year-old Robert Markel called 911 to report that a bear had killed Markel’s dog as the relative had watched, and that the elderly relative was missing. The call was made about 7 a.m. From fox4news.com:“No, he’s gone completely. His whole...

He wants lawmakers to issue $1,000 for each of about 5.1 million homesteaded properties in the state. The rebates would be issued in December, covering state-mandated school property taxes, which he says would prevent a loss in funding for districts. “We need to focus on our Florida residents and to focus on in this case, Florida homeowners, particularly our homesteaded homeowners and we need to focus our relief there.” The second-term Republican governor and former presidential candidate said he wants a ballot initiative aimed at lower property taxes on the 2026 ballot that he says will provide “robust protections” for...

Jacksonville, Fla. — An early-morning shooting on Jacksonville’s Westside sent a man to the hospital. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was called to a home on Dylan Michael Drive around 4 a.m. Sunday. Investigators said the victim was followed home from a nightclub. When he got home, the suspect showed a gun. The victim, who was also armed, fired several shots, hitting the suspect in the arm. The suspect left the area but was found a short time later and taken to the hospital. JSO said everyone involved in the incident has been detained. No arrests have been reported at this...

On March 4, 2025, Governor Ron DeSantis gave his State of the State address to the Florida legislature. In the address, Governor DeSantis vocalized his support for restoring Second Amendment rights. Second Amendment statements start about minute 24 into the speech:The free state of Florida has not exactly led the way on protecting Second Amendment rights. We have some of the more “weak” laws on the country compared to our other states who consider themselves conservative. I would ask you to protect peoples Second Amendment Rights. Look back in instances where legislation may have been passed in recent years, such...

Florida’s 2020 Census undercount is costing the state at least $2.3 billion annually in federal Medicaid funding, according to a new report published on Tuesday by Florida TaxWatch. The result is a projected loss of $2.3 billion in federal Medicaid contributions for fiscal year 2024-25 alone. “In 2020, Florida’s census undercount cost the state one, potentially two, congressional seats and resulted in a loss of federal funding that will range from $11 billion to $21 billion by the end of the decade,” said Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro. Beyond Medicaid, the census undercount affects other federally funded...

A House bill filed on Wednesday would limit corporations and investment firms from buying up single-family homes and converting them into rentals, giving local governments the authority to restrict investor-owned housing. The Strengthening Home Ownership in Florida Act (HB 401), filed by Rep. Berny Jacques, seeks to protect homeownership opportunities by keeping more properties in the hands of individual buyers. The measure allows counties and cities to zone land exclusively for owner-occupied homes, preventing large-scale rental conversions in certain areas. It additionally creates a new classification, “single-family hybrid housing,” which applies to homes primarily used as rentals and owned by...

It will be a few months before Florida fills two vacancies in its congressional delegation. But the most likely candidates to fill the seats will be the winners of Republican Primaries in Florida’s 1st and 6th Congressional districts today.Republicans in the Florida Panhandle will choose between 10 candidates vying to replace former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, who vacated his seat last year. In the CD 6 contest to succeed U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, now President Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser, there will be both Democratic and Republican Primaries.In both contests the Republican who emerges tonight will head to an April...

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., has been telling potential donors and Florida political players that he is running for governor in 2026, the clearest signal yet that his much-expected bid is moving forward. Donalds, who represents southwest Florida, has long been rumored to be considering a campaign to replace term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis, but those rumors have ramped up in recent days. Last weekend, at a state Republican Party meeting in Orlando, Donalds sponsored a hospitality suite and told people he is running. In the past week, he has sent an even clearer sign of his intentions in a series of...

On December 27, 2024, a judge finally dismissed murder charges against Edward Druzolowski. Druzolowski, aged 78, had shot and killed a violent felon, Brian Ford, 42, who was a neighbor. Ford had approached him with a chainsaw and threatened him on September 17, 2023, more than a year previously. The incident happened on Druzolowski’s property in Volusia County, Florida.Durzolowski was covered by Florida’s Stand Your Ground law. Why did it take so long for the judge to dismiss the charges? The incident appeared to be a case of self-defense by an elderly man against a violent felon.Druzolowski may have made...

On December 27, 2024 WFIN in Florida quoted Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells about a recent home invasion and shooting. The Sheriff said:“This is the state of Florida, if you want to break into someone’s home, you should expect to be shot.”The incident happened on December 26, 2024 about 9 p.m. From wfin.com:“He knew something bad was about to happen and he didn’t stall,” MCSO Sheriff Rick Wells said during a press conference Friday. “He grabbed his firearm [and] told his wife to get into a safe spot.”The homeowner fired multiple rounds, hitting Flores-Toledo “several times,” while Soto-Mella fled the...

Governor Ron Desantis SHUTS DOWN Pro Palestinian Heckler

Police are investigating an alleged attempted robbery and shootout that happened in Miami Tuesday. It happened at NE 14th Street and NE Miami Court, just east of Miami Avenue in the redeveloped part of Overtown, surrounded by new high-rise apartment buildings and trendy businesses. Police said a man called them and reported that three men approached him and demanded his jewelry. They fired several shots at him, and the victim returned fire. No injuries were reported, authorities said. Miami police were processing the crime scene as the sun rose, including a black Mercedes. Police were hoping to get an assist...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - A homicide investigation is underway after a man was shot and killed Monday morning after allegedly trying to break into a home in west Tallahassee, according to a Tallahassee Police Department watch commander. The incident unfolded at about 6:30 a.m. at the Redpoint Apartments, a housing complex located at 2636 Mission Road that is “designed especially with Florida State University students in mind,” according to a TPD press release and the Redpoint website. Police found a man suffering from gunshot wounds when they arrived. Officers immediately began to render aid, the press release said, but he...

Two home invasions, one in Texas and the other in Florida, were thwarted this past weekend when armed citizens acted to save themselves from violent intruders. On Friday evening, police in DeSoto, Texas were called out to a home after a woman frantically called 911 to report a strange man carrying a handgun was trying to break into her home. The 911 operator could hear screaming and yelling on the call as the man, later identified as Octavio Flores Mondragon, attempted to force his way in through the garage, and several neighbors simultaneously called 911 about reported gunshots, the release...

What a great (and long) video - but well worth watching. There is your JOY! The left is never joyous unless they have their boot on someone's throat.

Gov. DeSantis says Milton 'not the worst case scenario' with rescues and restorations underway. First Coast News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrPgUpBXHbg