Free Republic

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., is facing mounting backlash from some Black leaders over her decision to seek re-election in a majority-minority district, a move that appears to be costing her support from the highest-ranking Black Democrat in Congress. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., declined to endorse Wasserman Schultz's re-election bid Tuesday after she entered the race for the plurality-Black district, where she faces four Black opponents in the Aug. 18 primary. "Haven't made a decision, as it relates to that particular race," the lead Democrat said at a news conference when asked if he supports Wasserman Schultz’s run...

After putting pressure on a Florida HOA to change a new rule, Attorney General James Uthmeier announced on Wednesday night that the group had finally relented, according to a report from our sister station in Orlando, WKMG. Last month, Uthmeier shared a notice that he sent to the HOA, identified as Tradition Community Association, Inc., in Port St. Lucie. In the initial notice, Uthmeier said the HOA had unanimously resolved that “no person shall carry or possess any firearm or other weapon, whether opened or concealed, on any Common Area owned or maintained by the Association.” “This is not New...

It took only a half an hour for the mother of a suspected shooter in Florida to track down her 16-year-old son and force him to surrender after a violent 'teen takeover' left another teen with three gunshot wounds. After hundreds of teenagers flooded Clearwater Beach on Sunday evening for a 'linkup,' Noel Marsh III, 16, was taken into custody in Haines City on Monday evening. 'We found his mother, and his mother did what was right,' Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. 'She said, "he'll turn himself in as soon as I find him." About 30 minutes later, his...

The lead organizer of the communist, pro-China organization Code Pink has crossed a bright red line after attacking a brave member of Congress on Wednesday. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) revealed on X that she was leaving the hearing with Secretary of State Marco Rubio when the "head honcho" of Code Pink harassed Paulina Luna and then smacked her arm, a clear case of assault. "The head honcho of Code Pink here on Capitol Hill decided to try to harass me as I was leaving my hearing with Rubio and smacked my arm," Paulina Luna revealed. "I have no issues...

TALLAHASSEE — In less than 24 hours, Florida lawmakers questioned, debated and added to the November ballot what could become the most sweeping restructuring of the state’s tax system — and city and county governments — in a generation. Now it’s up to voters. Legislators voted largely along party lines Tuesday to approve a constitutional amendment proposed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that would raise the state’s homestead exemption to $250,000. It will save millions of Floridians thousands of dollars on their property taxes in 2028, if voters approve it in November. Join the conversation

Police in Clearwater Beach, Florida revealed that hundreds of teenagers flooded into the area on May 31, 2026, for a “teen takeover” event that quickly devolved into violent, bloody chaos, promising that such an event “will not happen again,” vowing to slap anyone involved in similar incidents with harsh consequences. And those consequences will not be for the teens only, but their parents as well. Things got so out of control at one point that a shooting took place. Detectives told the press that they have identified a suspect in the incident, but no arrests have been made as of...

An Ohio-based smoke bomb designer and two other companies have agreed to pay more than $4 million to the United States to settle a lawsuit over a gender reveal that literally went up in smoke back in 2020, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. A pyrotechnic device at a couple’s gender reveal party in Yucapia’s El Dorado Ranch Park on Sept. 5, 2020 sparked the El Dorado Fire, which burned nearly 23,000 acres and caused a firefighter’s death. Hubbard, Ohio-based Wholesale Fireworks Corp. and its Hudson, Ohio-based subsidiary, American Fireworks Wholesale Inc., agreed to pay the $4 million to settle...

The incident took place Sunday night on Frontier Airlines Flight 3345, which had departed from San Juan, Puerto Rico, bound for Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. About 45 minutes into the flight, 51-year-old Juan Gabriel Reyes of Pahokee, Florida, began acting erratically, according to an arrest affidavit from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and a federal criminal complaint, the New York Post reports. Flight attendants and passengers spotted Reyes trying to open one of the aircraft’s emergency exit doors mid-flight. When crew members ordered him to sit down and stop, he ignored them completely, rushed toward the front of the plane, and...

A Miami biotech executive was followed into the skyscraper where he lived by a man who is accused of pushing him off the building’s 25th floor, newly released surveillance video shows. Justin Zelin, 35, was seen walking into Miami Beach’s 47-story Akoya Condominium with a bearded man, Corey Hutterli, 37, following on Feb. 12 — three days before his death, NBC6 reported. Zelin, who had worked as a biotechnology equity research analyst at BTIG since January 2021, reportedly shouted, “Get away from me, Sasha,” using a nickname by which Hutterli was known. There was a bust-up and cops said, “During...

Over the weekend, as part of the Black Crowes' "Southern Hospitality Tour" along with Whiskey Myers, Crowes lead singer Chris Robinson tried to shut down the patriotic Tampa crowd and instead watched a steady stream of concertgoers leave mid-set rather than listen to his woke nonsense. During the show, according to TMZ, a screen showed the band’s crow mascot as Uncle Sam, which sparked “USA” chants from the crowd. Robinson seemed miffed by the patriotic outburst and snidely lectured the crowd, saying, “Thanks for the geography lesson.” As the chants continued, he added, “I don’t know what you have to...

In a first-of-its-kind lawsuit, Florida announced Monday it was going after OpenAI and chief executive after the state says its ChatGPT model caused irreparable harms. “The 83-page suit alleges that OpenAI allowed ChatGPT to aid and abet mass shooters, encourage people to take their own lives, degrade users’ critical thinking skills and addict minors to a tool that feigns human compassion,” The Wall Street Journal reported. “This litany of harms is driven by Defendants’ insatiable quest to win the AI arms race and amass large fortunes, despite knowing the danger of ChatGPT,” reads the suit filed by Florida Attorney General...

Justice Clarence Thomas delivered a scathing dissent Tuesday as the Supreme Court refused to let Florida sue California and Washington over their lawless practice of handing out commercial driver’s licenses to illegal aliens who cannot read English road signs. The Court denied Florida’s motion for leave to file a bill of complaint in the original jurisdiction case, leaving the state with “nowhere else to bring” its claims, Thomas wrote. He was joined by Justice Samuel Alito. This decision comes after the horrific August 12, 2025, crash on the Florida Turnpike. Illegal alien Harjinder Singh, an Indian national who entered the...

A Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy pulled over 36-year-old Kathleen Thomas in Lake Worth Beach, Florida, back in February. His accusation was simple. He said he saw her holding or working a cellphone with her right hand. There was one detail he had not accounted for. Thomas does not have a right hand. Her right arm ends at the elbow. She showed him. He kept going and wrote the citation anyway. The bodycam footage surfaced this week, and people online noticed fast. The video shows the deputy lecturing Thomas about distracted driving while she flashes the arm that physically cannot...

Since Florida launched its immigration enforcement effort, Operation Tidal Wave, in February, nearly 25,000 arrests have been made statewide. “Florida will continue to use every available resource to identify dangerous individuals, support federal immigration enforcement and keep our citizens safe,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said. “No state has moved faster or done more to combat illegal immigration than Florida, and we will continue to lead the charge in protecting our communities.” Operation Tidal Wave was launched as Florida leads the country with the most 287(g) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agreements of any state, The Center Square reported. The program is...

Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., a former teacher and principal known in Congress for her colorful outfits and matching hats, said Friday she will not seek re-election this fall. “This has been a journey, but it’s time. It’s time. And I know all of you are wondering, ‘What is the congresswoman going to do?’ Well, the congresswoman is going to not seek another term,” Wilson said at a ceremony where a street in the Miami area was named in her honor. The street is next to a school that is also named after her. “Even leather wears out,” she said, adding...

America’s biggest abortion business is closing down yet another center, saying it doesn’t get enough customers. Planned Parenthood’s Gainesville, Florida center will shut down next month due to declining patient volume, the abortion giant announced this week. The organization said the center will permanently close on June 26. The Gainesville Planned Parenthood Health Center doesn’t do abortions on site but sells the abortion pill and makes surgical abortion referrals. It also mutilates patients with trans drugs. The abortion group announced the closure on social media Wednesday. “While this was an incredibly difficult decision, it does not change our commitment to...

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket explodes on launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has unveiled a legislative proposal to severely cut and eventually eliminate property taxes on primary residences in Florida, calling a special legislative session to address the issue. The move escalates a multi-year effort to reform the state’s tax structure, potentially positioning Florida as the first state in the nation to boast neither a personal income tax nor a property tax on primary, owner-occupied homes. “Today in Tampa, I outlined the Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes plan that will eliminate taxes on homesteads. Property tax revenue collected by local governments has nearly doubled in the...

The Florida Highway Patrol said the crash happened when a 87-year-old was driving a Tesla Model Y SUV while it was in autopilot.PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — An 87-year-old Florida man is dead after his Tesla, which was in autopilot mode, went off the road and into pond, according to the Florida Highway Patrol, WTSP reports. The Florida Highway Patrol said the Wesley Chapel man was driving a Tesla Model Y SUV around 8 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday on Overpass Road in Pasco County while it was in autopilot.At some point, the Tesla went off the road, hit an electrical box...

A thong-wearing, 79-year-old Florida man was arrested for allegedly “consistently” exposing himself and making lewd gestures around his apartment complex — and argued to police that it was his “right to walk around naked.” Tyrone James Causey was charged with five counts of indecent exposure at his Hollywood, Fla., apartment on May 22 after neighbors called police, saying they were “increasingly concerned and frustrated with his continued behavior,” Local 10 News reported. Causey wasted no time showing police what neighbors were talking about — answering the door wearing nothing but a “G-string thong” and claiming he had “a right to...