Free Republic

DAPHNE, Ala. — Andrew Gillum, who lost to Ron DeSantis by an extremely slim margin in the 2018 Florida governor’s race and served as Tallahassee’s mayor from 2014-2018, was arrested last week in Alabama on drug charges, Local 10 News learned Tuesday. According to online jail records, the former politician was arrested Thursday night in Daphne, Alabama on charges of possession of dangerous drugs, drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana. He has since been released from jail. Further details surrounding the 46-year-old’s arrest were not immediately released. Local 10 News has requested a copy of his arrest report from the...

From Judge Steven Merryday (M.D. Fla.) today in Trump v. N.Y. Times Co. (for the Complaint in the underlying case, which involves various statements about Trump's early life and business career, "A public figure, perhaps the world's most prominent public figure, whose actions and remarks routinely generate immediate global news coverage, sues a newspaper, perhaps the world's most prominent English-language newspaper, along with the world's largest trade book publisher and three authors. The plaintiff initiates in the Middle District of Florida an action for defamation arising from two articles and a book, researched, written, and edited in New York but...

Two large Saharan dust clouds are headed west from Africa towards the United States. It’s Saharan dust season in the Atlantic, the time of year when massive clouds of dust from Africa’s Sahara Desert are carried westward by winds, sometimes traveling thousands of miles to the United States. Where is the dust now? Satellite photos from Sunday showed one primary dust plume in the western Caribbean Sea, over Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and across the southern Gulf of America. Unhealthy air quality was observed across Belize and across the Yucatan Peninsula, where dust concentrations are highest. When will the dust hit...

OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. -- Okaloosa County is reapplying for permits required to sink the SS United States.The county said they are reapplying for the permitting area where the SS United States will be deployed. This results in the original permit being modified.The historic ocean liner is set to become the world's largest artificial reef. The only thing standing in the way now is final approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers."There's people that want to come from all over Europe, Australia, Asia all different locations wanting to hit it," says Mason Ousley, the manager at Dive Pros.>>>The ocean liner...

Newly released bodycam footage captures a Florida deputy’s desperate attempt to save the 31-year-old woman fatally mauled by a 12-foot alligator last weekend. The harrowing clip shows the officer running through the brush on Sunday and emerging at the sandy bank of the Econlockhatchee River, where moments earlier Brittany Clark was viciously attacked by a gator while swimming with her boyfriend. Clark and another individual, presumably her boyfriend Chance Allison, are seen under a tarp next to the shoreline.

NAPLES, Fla. — A Naples woman was arrested on grand theft and fraud charges after she was accused of using checks from closed accounts to pay for an $8,500 breast augmentation surgery, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office. The arrest report says Nicole Valliere reportedly attempted to pay for the procedure at Peña Plastic Surgery, located off Pine Ridge Road and Napa Boulevard near I-75, in February using a check from a closed bank account. Advertisement Investigators said Valliere tried again in March with a cashier’s check from another closed account, but the bank notified the business too...

Donalds was elected to Congress in 2020. A man who missed 161 congressional votes? A congressman with virtually no meaningful legislative footprint? A politician whose public image appears exponentially larger than his measurable achievements? Then there are growing controversies and scrutiny surrounding entities tied to his wife’s business and political ecosystem, issues that critics argue directly contradict the polished “law and order” image being sold to voters.

An unarmed man was fatally shot in a broad daylight ambush during a dispute over a parking spot at a North Lauderdale Walmart on Tuesday. 62-year-old Bart Diguglielmo was shot by a woman during an argument over a parking space. The unidentified shooter is claiming self-defense. Diguglielmo was not armed. Diguglielmo's family said he was a Christian man and a decorated veteran who served in Desert Storm in the Army National Guard. The shooting was captured on a Tesla cam and cell phone camera. NBC Miami reported: A man who was shot by a woman during what authorities said was...

A band of conservative hardliners on Tuesday blocked a procedural rule that would have teed up debate and final votes on a slate of legislation, dealing a blow to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) as he aimed to advance the annual defense authorization bill this week. The lower chamber voted 198-224 to reject the rule, with 14 Republicans joining Democrats in opposing the measure due to objections about the SAVE America Act, the priorities of the House, and a niche pension issue. GOP Reps. Tim Burchett (Tenn.), Eric Burlison (Mo.), Eli Crane (Ariz.), Randy Fine (Fla.), Andy Harris (Md.), Anna Paulina...

The Lions opted to part ways with Arnold less than a week after his arrest, mere hours after he was granted the freedom that would have allowed him to continue preparing for the season with the team as he awaited trial.

A Fort Lauderdale woman is behind bars, accused of taking statewide teacher exams for several educators, Florida's attorney general announced Thursday. Kashaundra Knowles, 37, who runs a tutoring business, had been taking the exams in person for other people for $1,000 per test over the last two years, according to the Florida Office of Statewide Prosecution. Three of those teachers who hired her are from the Broward County Public Schools district. “She fraudulently took tests for other people, and now there are teachers here in Broward County that have no business being in the classroom," Attorney General James Uthmeier said....

The House Freedom Caucus is publicly calling on the Senate to return to work, as the upper chamber is now in a two-week Independence Day recess. President Donald Trump and many Republicans still want to find a way for the SAVE America Act to get passed in the Senate. “The Senate sucks. I’m just going to come out and say it - they suck. This is not hard!” Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) said during a Thursday news conference. The federal elections bill already cleared the House, but it is struggling for support among a handful of Republicans and all Democrats...

A self-proclaimed psychic has tearfully claimed that aliens are about to invade the planet and are targeting the World Cup game between Scotland and Brazil on Wednesday in Miami. Vo Bahiana, a Brazilian spiritualist with over 23million followers on social media, outlined her prediction in a video that has gone viral across social media. She claims she has had two dreams about the invasion. She predicted that aliens would come out from a spacecraft hovering above Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, which is set to be packed full with 65,000 fans for the standout game of the day at the World...

Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold has been arrested in connection with a February robbery and kidnapping in Tampa, Florida, the Hillsborough County State Attorney announced late Wednesday night. Arnold, 23, turned himself in at Orient Road Jail (Florida) on Wednesday and is facing eight total felony charges -- four for robbery with a firearm or deadly weapon and four for kidnapping, the Hillsborough County Sherriff's Office told NFL.com. Arnold is being held with no bond and is due in court Thursday at 1:30 p.m. ET, per the Sherriff's office. The charges carry a potential life sentence in prison, according to...

Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold was arrested and booked on four counts of kidnapping and four counts of armed robbery on Wednesday, and is now facing up to life in prison if convicted. Arnold, 23, turned himself in to authorities on a warrant at the Orient Road jail in Tampa, Fla., the Detroit Free Press reported. He remained in custody as of 10:46 p.m. In a statement released through Arnold’s representative, Arnold “categorically denies any involvement in the matters underlying the allegations made against him and maintains his innocence.” The Lions released a statement that said they are aware of the...

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) faces accusations of using campaign funds for several lavish expenditures, including Disneyland, Disney World, and the Super Bowl. “Sen. Ruben Gallego repeatedly used campaign cash to fund luxury outings with his wife and to care for his children since launching his campaign for Senate in 2023, including attending the Super Bowl using a joint campaign account with Eric Swalwell,” POLITICO reporter Irie Sentner writes. More from The Daily Beast: The Arizona lawmaker used political action committee funds to pay for trips and more than $18,000 in child care since 2019, Politico reported Sunday. “He just spends...

Carnival Cruise Line has banned 16 people after a massive fight broke out among passengers as they waited in a customs line in Florida. Dramatic footage captured the moment a group of unruly individuals charged at each other at around 8am on Monday after the Carnival Conquest ship docked at Port Miami following a trip to the Bahamas. Two unidentified women kicked off the brawl as one of them, dressed in a black strapless dress, ducked under a line divider and started swinging at a woman in polka dot pajamas. Another woman, who donned a yellow and white maxi-dress, then...

Pickleball was supposed to be for old people who don't move well. It's clear that we're beyond that point. According to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, Michele Bannister, 47, of St. Augustine, allegedly went full John Wick on another player at a park on May 31 after a disagreement over - and I can't stress this enough - who was supposed to get the ball when it got away. Not a joke. This argument apparently got Michele worked up, because after the match when her opponent was speaking to her son about his playing style she "interjected" by going...

Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has announced he is resigning, months after he was placed on administrative leave following an FBI raid at his home and office in February, the district confirmed Sunday. An LAUSD spokesperson said the LAUSD Board of Education “acknowledges receipt of the letter of resignation from Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho, effective June 21, 2026.” “The Board remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring stability, continuity, and continued progress through strong leadership. Our focus remains unchanged: providing every student with a high-quality education, supporting our dedicated workforce, and maintaining the trust of the communities...

U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody leads Democrat Alex Vindman in Florida’s U.S. Senate race, according to a new poll released by the Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) Center for Political Strategy. The survey found Moody, the AIF-endorsed candidate, with 47% support among likely general election voters, compared with 40% for Vindman. Fourteen percent of respondents were undecided. The poll also found Moody’s support to be firmer than Vindman’s. While Vindman drew support from 40% of respondents overall, 29% said they were “definitely” voting for him. By comparison, 35% of voters said they were definitely backing Moody. AIF said Moody leads in...