Free Republic

The New York Times rolled out another installment of its favorite genre — Ron DeSantis, Destroyer of All That Is Good™ — this time lamenting that New College of Florida, long a leftist sandbox where grades were optional, and gender theory reigned, has been rudely interrupted by a governor who thinks college should actually teach … well … college. “At the state school, gender studies is out. ‘The Odyssey’ is required reading. A Charlie Kirk statue is coming. Has one ideological bubble replaced another?” the Times hyperventilated. The Times paints the picture with a heavy brush: gender studies out, Homer’s...

A Florida man dressed in a Santa Claus hat captured a 153-pound invasive Burmese python on Christmas Eve. He shared a photo of the snake slung over his shoulder like a knight carrying a dragon back from battle and it truly puts into perspective the size of these invasive pythons here in Florida. Using ‘male scout snakes’ to locate the breeding female, Conservancy of Southwest Florida wildlife biologist Ian Easterling was able to capture and remove one of the largest invasive pythons caught this year. Florida Man Dressed As Santa Captures 153-Pound Invasive Burmese Python The Conservancy of Southwest Florida...

ORLANDO, Fla. — In the past week, 12 swans were found dead at Lake Eola Park, according to Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan. The first two swans were found dead Dec. 23, and over the past five days, that number has risen to 12. Sheehan explained that the deaths happened during the holidays, and specialized veterinary experts were not available at the time. However, she said the deaths are suspected to have been caused by an avian flu outbreak. "We can't be certain until tests are completed," Sheehan said. The swans are currently stored in a secure location, awaiting necropsies...

Criminals never cease to amaze. A Florida man who was a bell ringer for the Salvation Army for the Christmas season was arrested this past week for allegedly trying to impale the store manager of a grocery store with the tripod to the donation kettle, according to law enforcement. Steven Pavlik, 63, was found at his home and arrested. He was charged with resisting arrest and aggravated assault. The alleged victim was the store manager at Publix in Stuart, Florida. Fox News reported: A Florida man working as a Salvation Army bell ringer for the holidays was arrested Christmas week...

BREAKING: In an enormous development, HUD Sec. Scott Turner CONFIRMS President Trump has called a meeting of his top economic advisors in Florida to draw up the most AGGRESSIVE housing affordability plan in US history This is HUGE! GREAT news for the midterms. 🔥 "He has been working 24/7! We will be meeting together in Florida to talk about housing affordability ideas. This is top of mind and top priority for the president."

On Friday’s broadcast of the Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria,” Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) said that she hopes extremists will be deterred by the strikes in Nigeria, “But if they don’t, I do think that Congress needs to take the step of declaring, or at least taking the vote to declare, because we don’t want to see more unilateral action out of the administration, whether it’s Republican or Democrat.”Host Cheryl Casone asked, “Congresswoman, your reaction to these new strikes in Nigeria. The president had warned the Nigerian government ahead of time, and, apparently, that government agreed that these strikes...

“We want to speak directly to members of the Military and the Intelligence Community. The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution. Don’t give up the ship.“ New billboards that are popping up around Florida, some right outside of military bases, pick up where the Seditious Six left off, and encourage servicemembers to "obey only lawful orders."

A 36-year-old woman was stabbed to death last month in an unprovoked attack outside a Dollar General store in Florida, according to police. The Putnam County Sheriff's Office said Cheyenne Kastens was ambushed by Lemar Beasley, 54, in the parking lot in Fruitland Park, a town in Central Florida. Beasley stabbed her more than 40 times, according to the State Attorney's Office.

The fate of Rita Loncharich underscores how moonbattery-induced societal decay has left us safe anywhere. Via Fox News: Police in Florida are investigating after a 65-year-old woman died from stab wounds she suffered inside a Barnes & Noble bookstore in Palm Beach Gardens. Witnesses told police that the suspect, 40-year-old Antonio Moore, ran out of the store after stabbing Loncharich… According to the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department, “Investigators are still trying to determine a motive for this attack.” They should ask Decarlos Brown or Lawrence Reed. They might be able to explain the motive. The national media has not...

A 43-year-old man in West Palm Beach, Florida, is now facing felony charges classified as a hate crime after allegedly attempting to run over members of a local LGBTQ+ running group. Last month, Night Runners WPB, a local running group, was gathered at Howard Park in Palm Beach for an 8 pm run when Ihab Mustafa El Mahmoud “purposely drove his car towards the victims and the group of people,” according to the West Palm Beach Police Department. El Mahmoud was reportedly upset after a member of the group made a passing comment to him. In response, he accelerated his...

He reportedly had stopped in the bookstore to charge his phone when he felt an 'internal build up that led to his fight or flight response kicking in.' He then allegedly attacked Loncharich without any specific motive.

Authorities in Florida are accusing a 51-year-old woman of shooting and killing two ex-husbands on the same day this week. Susan Erica Avalon was arrested on Thursday on charges of second degree homicide in Manatee County, where her first ex-husband lived, according to Sheriff Rick Wells.(snip) It all started on Wednesday afternoon when the Manatee County Sheriff's Office received a call to respond to a shooting in the Heritage Harbor neighborhood, according to Wells. When deputies arrived, they saw a 54-year-old man with two gunshot wounds. He was shot in the abdomen, Wells said in a press conference Thursday. "The...

A 65-year-old woman was fatally stabbed at a Barnes & Noble store in Florida, authorities said. A suspect is in custody, according to police. The incident occurred shortly before 8 p.m. on Monday at a Barnes & Noble in Palm Beach Gardens, according to police. Officers responding to the stabbing found the victim -- identified by police as Rita Loncharich -- inside the store and "immediately rendered aid," the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department said. She was transported to a local hospital, where she died from her injuries, police said.

Two victims ambushed by knife-wielding child near park in Fort Myers, police sayA preteen suspect facing armed robbery charges in Florida may be in the U.S. illegally, according to reports.On Dec. 12, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) received calls from two people reporting that they had been ambushed by a boy brandishing a knife near Schandler Hall Community Park in Fort Myers.The first victim said they were walking from the park to a friend’s home when the suspect jumped out of bushes, pointed a knife at him, and demanded his shoes, LCSO explained.The victim shoved the suspect and escaped...

Wild video shows a deranged gym member leaping over a counter to repeatedly beat a Planet Fitness employee in Miami — all because he made a simple request, cops say. The crazed woman, identified by cops as 35-year-old Kiara Bryant, now faces two misdemeanor charges after the attack on Dec 12. Cops were called to Planet Fitness in Little Havana, Miami, after a woman was reportedly seen running around the gym without clothing, according to NBC News. When the police arrived, they found Bryant in the parking lot yelling profanities and “attempting to fight everyone,” authorities said. Bryant’s went off...

Now here's a story out of Florida that bears watching. Florida's black bear hunt is underway, and troubles' a-bruin. The problem is, as it so often is in wildlife policy: A question of policy based on emotion vs. policy based on science. Ten years ago, a Florida bear hunt shocked the public when photos spread online of bloody carcasses of mother bears loaded in pick-up trucks and splayed out on concrete slabs at hunter check-in stations. The hunt, the first in 20 years, was halted in less than 48 hours after an estimated 304 bears were killed the first weekend....

More than three dozen missing children were rescued from sex traffickers in North Florida after a massive sting. The rescue effort, named Operation Northern Lights, found 43 missing children across 14 counties with more children found in other states, the US Marshals Service announced Thursday. Federal authorities said the youngest victims were one-year-olds and that one of the young victims had been abducted from Florida and located in Louisiana. Nine people were arrested after the staggering operation, which law enforcement said took two weeks to conduct. Additional charges could include human trafficking, child endangerment and custodial interference. The sting turned...

The public unveiling of the Biden administration’s lawfare campaign against a past president and political rival came on Aug. 8, 2022, the day the FBI descended on Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in search of classified documents. It was a shocking moment, the first time in history federal law-enforcement had acted against a former president. More shocking: It didn’t have to be that way. The Justice Department insisted on it. That’s the disturbing information contained in emails released this week by the Senate Judiciary Committee. In missives spanning the summer of 2022, FBI officials expressed alarm and forcefully pushed back against...

BRADENTON, Fla. (WWSB) - A Citrus County woman accused of killing both of her ex-husbands in separate shootings on the same day is now at the center of coordinated homicide investigations in two Florida counties. Investigators say 48-year-old Susan Erica Avalon shot and killed an ex-husband in Manatee County Wednesday afternoon, then another ex-husband in Tampa. The Manatee County shooting happened around 3 p.m. in a residential neighborhood. Detectives say Avalon used stolen food from a Panera Bread restaurant as a ruse to get the victim to open his front door.“When this victim opens the door, suspect starts to fire...

ORANGE PARK, Fla. — A shooting involving three local sailors left two female sailors dead and one male sailor in Clay County Jail. Taylor Marques Lomax, 22, has been charged with two counts of 2nd-degree murder and is being held without bond after Clay County sheriff’s deputies allege he shot and killed 21-year-old Noely Makenda and 20-year-old Jordyn Forrestier in the Savannah Glen neighborhood of Orange Park, Wednesday night. According to the sheriff’s office, Lomax’s wife came to the home shared by Lomax and the two victims that night and began arguing with his two female roommates. A fight between...