Florida Politics

Headlines Orlando

November 22, 2024

Gabrielle Russon

Orange County gets $1.9M back as fight between Glen Gilzean and Jerry Demings intensifies

0 6min 0

Headlines South Florida

November 22, 2024

Gov. DeSantis orders flags at half-staff to honor Palm Beach Sheriff’s deputies killed in crash

0 5min 0

Headlines South Florida

November 22, 2024

Ex-aide sues House, accuses Daryl Campbell of sexual harassment

2 8min 0

Headlines Specials

November 22, 2024

Staff Reports

Special Election set to replace Matt Gaetz

0 5min 0

Headlines Transition

November 22, 2024

Donald Trump gave Interior nominee one directive for a half-billion acres of U.S. land: ‘Drill’

1 14min 0

Headlines Transition

November 22, 2024

JD Vance takes on a more visible transition role as he works to boost Donald Trump’s most controversial picks

1 14min 0

Headlines Orlando

November 22, 2024

Gabrielle Russon

Disney World is making big moves with the Muppets at Hollywood Studios

1 4min 0

Emails & Opinions Headlines

November 22, 2024

Staff Reports

Delegation for 11.22.24: Gaetz out — Bondi in — FEMA — contraband — Maduro

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Transition

Headlines Transition

Donald Trump gave Interior nominee one directive for a half-billion acres of U.S. land: ‘Drill’

‘Oil and gas brings billions of dollars of revenue in, but you don’t get that if you don’t have leasing.’

1 14min

Headlines Transition

JD Vance takes on a more visible transition role as he works to boost Donald Trump’s most controversial picks

‘JD probably has a lot of current allies in the Senate and so it makes sense to have him utilized in that capacity.’

1 14min

Headlines Transition

Judge delays Donald Trump hush money sentencing in order to decide where case should go now

Trump’s team wants the case to end altogether.

4 4min

Headlines Transition

Matt Gaetz’s withdrawal highlights how incoming Presidents often lose Cabinet nominees

It’s happened before — even to Trump.

11 10min

Headlines Transition

Jacob Ogles

Florida pols react to Donald Trump picking Pam Bondi for Attorney General

Hours after Matt Gaetz withdrew his nomination, another Floridian landed the nomination.

46 5min

Headlines Transition

Donald Trump chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General pick after Matt Gaetz withdraws

Trump moved on from a Florida Man to a Florida Woman.

9 6min

Headlines Transition

Elon Musk’s budget crusade could cause a constitutional clash in Donald Trump’s second term

‘Congress’ power of the purse will turn into an advisory opinion.’

4 14min

Headlines Transition

Matt Gaetz withdraws from Attorney General consideration

‘My confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction.’

20 4min

Headlines Transition

Was it all a joke? How stand-up comedy helped re-elect Donald Trump

Trump is laughing all the way to the White House.

3 16min

Headlines Transition

Matt Gaetz pitches Senators to back his AG nomination

The biggest test for Trump’s picks so far is presented by the Panhandle Republican

9 5min

Headlines Transition

‘Fake news’: Donald Trump staffers slam new Michael Wolff book

‘Consider this our blanket response to whatever he writes.’

21 4min

Headlines Transition

Donald Trump chooses former Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker as NATO Ambassador

Whitaker served as Acting Attorney General between November 2018 and February 2019.

5 10min

Specials

Headlines Specials

Staff Reports

Special Election set to replace Matt Gaetz

Time is of the essence given the slender GOP congressional majority in Washington.

0 5min

Headlines Specials

Jacob Ogles

Matt Gaetz says he does not intend to return to Congress

Gaetz resigned from the current Congress but could have been sworn into a new term in January. That won’t happen.

1 4min

Headlines Specials

Lara Trump has ‘not heard’ from Ron DeSantis about Senate opening, would be ‘honored and humbled’ to serve

‘I would take it very seriously.’

4 3min

Headlines Specials

Jacob Ogles

Doug Broxson won’t run to succeed Matt Gaetz in Congress

The former state lawmaker said a younger politician should fill the currently vacant seat.

1 4min

Headlines Specials

Jacob Ogles

Now out of Attorney General running, will Matt Gaetz be sworn in for another House term?

It may depend on whether he wants to weather an Ethics Committee report release.

6 7min

Headlines Specials

Former presidential candidate runs to succeed Mike Waltz in Congress

Also in: a former state Representative and a man who was once tapped for a School Board seat by Gov. DeSantis.

2 4min

Legislative, Influence & Policy

Headlines Influence

Drew Wilson

Lobbying compensation: Top 20 firms march toward $1M in Q3

After this, the rankings enter seven figures.

0 11min

Headlines Influence

Mercury Public Affairs acquires Chicago firm to expand Midwestern footprint

‘This is an opportunity to enhance our capabilities in the midwest and scale our reach nationally.’

0 4min

Headlines Influence

Tampa Bay Senators feature prominently in new upper chamber committee leadership

And that includes a Democrat.

0 4min

Headlines Influence

Jacob Ogles

Keith Truenow will bring commercial farm background to Senate Agriculture Committee

The freshman Senator listed citrus greening and pressures from development among top concerns for the committee.

1 5min

Headlines Influence

Drew Wilson

Lobbying compensation: Top 25 firms notched $700K+ in Q3

Your look at the No. 25 through No. 21 firms in the Q3 rankings.

1 9min

Headlines Influence

Ron DeSantis warns California to fix its election administration processes

Arizona consulted Florida. The Golden State should be next.

11 4min

Federal

Federal Headlines

Watchdog group files FEC complaint over irregular Matt Gaetz campaign spending

Nearly a fifth of the $6M that Gaetz’s political committee spent in the last cycle went to payment processing platform Stripe.

3 6min

Federal Headlines

Democrats strike deal to get more Joe Biden Judges confirmed before Congress adjourns

Some liberal groups expressed disappointment with the deal.

4 6min

Federal Headlines

Florida politicos react to Matt Gaetz withdrawing from Attorney General consideration

Some think Gaetz could reclaim his seat in Congress. Others believe the Governor should appoint him to replace Marco Rubio in the Senate.

10 7min

Federal Headlines

Jacob Ogles

Vern Buchanan introduces tax relief bill for Hurricane Helene, Milton victims

Greg Steube and other Florida lawmakers representing storm-struck areas signed on as co-sponsors.

1 5min

Federal Headlines

FEMA head sounds the alarm over disaster funding after double hurricanes

Deanne Criswell warned that FEMA’s disaster relief fund — the country’s emergency checkbook — is down to less than $5 billion.

8 5min

Federal Headlines

Jacob Ogles

House Ethics Committee declines to release report on Matt Gaetz investigation

The Committee Chair told reporters that ‘no agreement’ was reached to release information following an hourslong meeting.

7 7min

Jacksonville

Headlines Jax

Jacksonville’s plan to address homeless encampments still a work in progress

3 5min

Donna Deegan adjusts to reality of Republican-controlled Washington

Tampa-based Amscot financial services expands locations into Jacksonville

Duval GOP Chair Dean Black talks Duval going red, what it means for path forward

NE Florida

Headlines NE Florida

Drew Dixon

Key manufacturing indicators show October slowdown in First Coast

2 4min 0

Rory Diamond considers run to replace Mike Waltz in CD 6

First Coast home sales slide in October while housing inventory goes up

North Florida Land Trust holds event marking quarter century of environmental protection

Orlando

Headlines Orlando

Gabrielle Russon

Orange County gets $1.9M back as fight between Glen Gilzean and Jerry Demings intensifies

0 6min 0

Disney World is making big moves with the Muppets at Hollywood Studios

Central Florida lawmakers tapped to lead Senate committees

Ex-Florida Virtual School employee says she was fired for raising separation of church and state concerns

St. Pete

Headlines St. Pete

St. Pete City Council delays Rays stadium bond vote, reverses course on Trop roof repairs

1 5min

Pinellas County Commission again delays bond resolution for Rays stadium deal

Mike Harting narrowly edges out Pete Boland in St. Pete City Council battle to replace Ed Montanari

GOP lands a major blow to Pinellas Democrats, with Vince Nowicki victory over Charlie Justice

SW Florida

Headlines SW Florida

Jacob Ogles

Sarasota GOP leaders remember local party Executive Director Kelly Erwin

2 4min 0

Federal agents raid Alfie Oakes’ properties in Collier County

Barbara Ford-Coates served 40 years, even as Sarasota shifted right. Here’s how Mike Moran beat her.

Sarasota voters renew school tax by highest margin of any county in Florida

Tampa

Headlines Tampa Bay

Peter Schorsch

The Tampa Bay Rays and a series of unfortunate events … and why Pinellas County is being foolhardy

0 11min 0

Cancer beware: Tampa General to bring world’s most precise robotic surgical technology to Florida

Hillsborough County Tax Collector’s North Tampa office temporarily closed due to gas leak, will re-open Wednesday

‘Operation Safe Passage’ launches in Hillsborough to stamp out school zone speeders

Panhandle

Headlines Panhandle

Florida Phoenix

To save a river, Florida small town’s activists oust every incumbent

3 22min

Gay Valimont announces another CD 1 run days after losing to Matt Gaetz

Exclusive: Matt Gaetz, Don Gaetz aren’t endorsing in CD 1 GOP Primary

With Matt Gaetz tapped for AG, who could fill his congressional seat?

Tallahassee

Headlines Tallahassee

Gov. DeSantis reappoints former Chief Judge Belvin Perry Jr. to Florida A&M University Board

0 4min 0

This student-led PAC’s voter-mobilization effort in SD 3 is reporting some eye-catching numbers

Ron DeSantis warns son that Florida State football futility will continue

Gov. DeSantis expects Helene landfall near Taylor County, says there’s still time to get out before landfall

Communities

Mike Wright

JJ Grow bests Judith Vowels to win HD 23 open seat

4min 0

Bill Gladson endorses Matt McClain for Marion County Commission

Are Alachua Commissioners about to pay for a house of cardboard?

Governor appoints Deborah Cunningham, Adam Lee to county court judgeships

South Florida

Headlines South Florida

Gov. DeSantis orders flags at half-staff to honor Palm Beach Sheriff’s deputies killed in crash

Two deputies died in a horrific crash Thursday. A third remains in critical condition.

0 5min

Headlines South Florida

Ex-aide sues House, accuses Daryl Campbell of sexual harassment

The lawsuit claims Campbell was overly controlling, acted ‘like a jealous boyfriend’ and suggested multiple times that they share a hotel room while traveling.

2 8min

Headlines South Florida

Ben Albritton names South Floridians to leadership posts in most Senate committees

Most will be Vice Chairs, since South Florida is still mostly represented in the Senate by Democrats.

0 9min

Headlines South Florida

Ron Book to keep leading Miami-Dade Homeless Trust, but county officials call for succession plan

He’s been Chair of the Homeless Trust for 2 straight decades. Term limits for the post are 6 consecutive years.

0 10min

Headlines South Florida

Miami-Dade approves ‘watered down’ restrictions on single-use plastics at county sites

‘We have all talked about how we’ve got to be moving to zero waste. This is one way at our county facilities that we can begin to do that.’

1 11min

Headlines South Florida

A ‘transformative gift’: Jeff Bezos donates $5M to Miami-Dade Homeless Trust

It’s the largest single philanthropic contribution the county organization has ever received.

1 6min

Culture Wars

Culture Wars Headlines

Birth control and abortion pill requests have surged since Donald Trump won the election

‘As the world has become scarier and scarier, we realized we didn’t want to bring a child into that environment.’

5 9min

Culture Wars Headlines

Donald Trump pledged to roll back protections for transgender students. They’re flooding crisis hotlines

Opposition to transgender rights was a focal point of Trump’s campaign.

6 12min

Culture Wars Headlines

Florida education officials report hundreds of books pulled from school libraries

‘A restriction of access is a restriction on one’s freedom to read.’

3 8min

Culture Wars Headlines

Marco Rubio says Catholics are moving to Donald Trump as backlash against Democratic secularism

The Senator argues the President-elect spoke to traditional voters while Harris pursued ‘activists.’

15 4min

Culture Wars Headlines

Marco Rubio argues Bad Bunny and Jennifer Lopez endorsements don’t move the Hispanic vote

Latino voters aren’t marks for pop culture. They want what everyone else does.

7 4min

Culture Wars Headlines

Return of the ‘full armor of God’: Ron DeSantis to deliver post-election speech at Notre Dame

He’s on the road again.

7 3min

Foreign Affairs

Foreign Affairs Headlines

‘Peace without delay’: Donald Trump calls for Ukraine cease-fire to avert ‘total war’

‘A global conflict between nuclear armed powers would mean death and destruction on a scale unmatched in human history.’

9 4min

Foreign Affairs Headlines

‘Abysmally weak’: Carlos Giménez blasts Joe Biden for Xi Jinping meeting at APEC summit

‘Biden just handed murderous Communist Chinese dictator Xi Jinping a public relations victory.’

2 6min

Foreign Affairs Headlines Specials

Mike Waltz wasn’t briefed by Joe Biden White House on Ukraine missile deployment

‘It’s another step up the escalation ladder and nobody knows where this is going.’

12 3min

Foreign Affairs Headlines Transition

Joe Biden authorizes Ukraine’s use of US-supplied long-range missiles for deeper strikes inside Russia

Anonymous sources tell Associated Press Joe Biden allows U.S. to supply long-range missiles to Ukraine.

13 6min

Foreign Affairs Headlines

Iranian official meets Elon Musk in effort to smooth path with Donald Trump

The Trump camp wouldn’t confirm the meeting happened.

2 3min

Foreign Affairs Headlines

Joe Biden to meet South Korean and Japanese leaders amid growing worries about North Korea

Up to 12,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia, according to U.S., South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence assessments.

1 10min

Emails & Opinions

Emails & Opinions Headlines

Delegation for 11.22.24: Gaetz out — Bondi in — FEMA — contraband — Maduro

Matt Gaetz takes a tumble off Capitol Hill.

Cheryl Elias: PSAOs serve as the independent pharmacist’s greatest ally

Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 11.22.24

Last Call for 11.21.24 – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida

Natalie Blake: Congress must act to protect patients

Apolitical

APolitical Headlines

LawnStarter ranks 3 Florida cities among top 25 for golf in U.S.

Orlando was ranked the fourth-best city in the country for golf.

APolitical Headlines

Celebrating Rural Health Day: Capital investments strengthen Florida’s rural health care delivery

‘Investments in our rural hospitals are investments in a healthy Florida.’

APolitical Headlines

Florida’s new jobless claims drop for third straight week

APolitical Headlines

F1 returns to Las Vegas, with prices down from last year

Retail group names Tallahassee detective officer of the year

Tech

Headlines Tech

Duke Energy tech saves about 300,000 Florida customers from power outages during hurricanes

Duke Energy had several power grid upgrades in recent years preventing worse electrical outages during hurricanes.

Headlines Tech

What is Bluesky? Why are X users jumping ship?

For those who don’t like right-leaning X, there’s a left-leaning alternative.

Headlines Tech

Homeland Security Department releases framework for using AI in critical infrastructure

Headlines Tech

Florida Policy Project: Outdated traffic signals have Florida lagging on road efficiency, safety

Florida Public Service Commission renews contract with T-Mobile as telecom relay service provider

Universities

Headlines Universities