Florida Politics

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DeSantis’ step toward victory on ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ sets up a funding dilemma for Florida

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is facing a funding dilemma over the immigration detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz” built in the Florida Everglades.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/10/desantis-step-toward-victory-on-alligator-alcatraz-sets-up-a-funding-dilemma-for-florida/?

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Florida’s ban on open carry ruled unconstitutional by state appeals court

Two days after Gov. Ron DeSantis once again called on the Florida Legislature to allow the open carrying of firearms, a three-judge panel of the Florida First District Court of Appeal ruled Wednesday that the law banning open carry is unconstitutional.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/09/10/floridas-ban-on-open-carry-ruled-unconstitutional-by-state-appeals-court/?

New immunization rules announced for Florida; still no details

Ladapo acknowledged to CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” over the weekend that the state had conducted no studies before deciding to eliminate vaccine mandates.

https://floridaphoenix.com/briefs/new-immunization-rules-announced-for-florida-still-no-details/?

Bear advocates aim to win hunt permits, foil Florida’s bear hunt

Betsy McClain has never shot anything but the breeze yet the Longwood animal advocate hopes to win a bear-hunting permit for Florida’s first hunt in a decade.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/11/bear-advocates-aim-to-win-hunt-permits-foil-floridas-bear-hunt/?

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UCF, HBCUs nationwide receive threats against Black people on campus

University of Central Florida officials are investigating an emailed threat to Black people on campus Thursday amid a wave of similar messages that forced shutdowns at Historically Black Colleges and Universities around the U.S.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/11/ucf-hbcus-nationwide-receive-threats-against-black-people-on-campus/?

ps:So the first people blamed are African Americans????? Who's next Jews??

Editorial: Attorney general’s threats are baseless, embarrassing

For months, we’ve watched Attorney General James Uthmeier stagger from spectacle to scandal, firing off baseless threats against public officials and acting more like a schoolyard bully than a statewide leader. Perhaps most disturbing, however, are the repeated signs that Uthmeier just isn’t that knowledgeable about the law.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/11/editorial-attorney-generals-threats-are-baseless-embarrassing/?

Post-ruling, many law enforcement agencies have stopped enforcing Florida open-carry ban

Following Wedneday’s decision by the Florida First District Court of Appeal striking the state’s ban on openly carrying firearms, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey says his deputies will no longer enforce the ban – even though the law hasn’t changed yet.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/09/11/post-ruling-many-law-enforcement-agencies-have-stopped-enforcing-florida-open-carry-ban/?

U.S. Justice Department probes rejection of Orlando Torah Center expansion

The U.S. Department of Justice informed Orange County leaders this week its civil rights division will review a county commission decision to prevent the Orlando Torah Center from building a three-story worship center in a residential neighborhood.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/12/u-s-justice-department-probes-rejection-of-orlando-torah-center-expansion/?

Florida surgeon general says vaccines should be a choice. But what’s his advice?

Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo shocked America’s medical establishment last week when they said they would try to remove requirements that kids get vaccinated to attend school.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/12/florida-surgeon-general-says-vaccines-should-be-a-choice-but-whats-his-advice-2/?

Editorial: DeSantis’ plan to carve up Florida for the GOP’s benefit violates the law and voters’ trust

Many of Florida’s elected leaders in the state Legislature and Congress understand what a special place this is. They are often seen at fairs, festivals, churches and other community gathering points, talking to people from different backgrounds and taking a deep interest in all the aspects of the communities they serve.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/12/editorial-desantis-plan-to-carve-up-florida-for-the-gops-benefit-violates-the-law-and-voters-trust/?

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Alligator Alcatraz detainees continue to face obstacles to meet with lawyers, court papers allege

ORLANDO (AP) — There still are no protocols for attorneys to get in touch with clients at the immigration detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” and detainees are often transferred just before scheduled lawyer visits, according to new court papers alleging continued unconstitutional obstacles for meeting with legal representatives.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/12/alligator-alcatraz-detainees-continue-to-face-obstacles-to-meet-with-lawyers-court-papers-allege/?

Maxwell: Most pan DeSantis vaccine plans. One medical group dodged.

Today I wanted to catch up on several topics, including Orlando’s flailing efforts to get Major League Baseball and the passing of an Orlando trailblazer.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/12/florida-medical-association-dodges-vaccine-mandate/?

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Up, up, and away: 2026 health insurance premiums set to double for millions of Floridians

Health insurance rates will increase sharply for the 4 million-plus Floridians who rely on so-called Obamacare plans or small employer health insurance coverage in the coming weeks, according to data released by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/09/13/up-up-and-away-2026-health-insurance-premiums-set-to-double-for-millions-of-floridians/?

Florida’s ban on open carry ruled unconstitutional by state appeals court

Two days after Gov. Ron DeSantis once again called on the Florida Legislature to allow the open carrying of firearms, a three-judge panel of the Florida First District Court of Appeal ruled Wednesday that the law banning open carry is unconstitutional.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/09/10/floridas-ban-on-open-carry-ruled-unconstitutional-by-state-appeals-court/?

DeSantis’ Florida DOGE effort, explained

Local governments across Florida find themselves in the path of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ latest crusade.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/13/desantis-florida-doge-effort-explained/?

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Should physicians have to see children whose parents oppose vaccinations?

As Florida seeks to end vaccine mandates, a behind-the-scenes debate in the medical community has been thrust into the public spotlight: Should doctors see young patients whose parents do not want them to get shots?

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/14/should-physicians-have-to-see-children-whose-parents-oppose-vaccinations/?

ps:How much ignorance is there in this administration??

Four Osceola teachers face investigation as uproar over Charlie Kirk posts continues

Four public school teachers in Osceola County face an investigation over social media posts following Florida’s warning that teachers could be punished for publicly making  “disgusting comments” about the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/15/four-osceola-teachers-face-investigation-as-uproar-over-charlie-kirk-posts-continues/?

Florida AG Uthmeier says open carry is now ‘law of the state’

TALLAHASSEE — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Monday said people being able to openly carry guns is “the law of the state,” after a panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal last week ruled that a longstanding ban was unconstitutional.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/15/florida-ag-uthmeier-says-open-carry-is-now-law-of-the-state/?

ps:I guess there's not enough gun killings??

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Days after ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ OK’d due to no federal ties, Florida seeks US dollars

A federal appeals court last week ordered the “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center to remain open partially because it lacked federal ties. A week later, Florida formally applied for federal funds.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/09/15/days-after-alligator-alcatraz-okd-due-to-no-federal-ties-florida-seeks-us-dollars/?

Hundreds of Alligator Alcatraz detainees drop off the grid after leaving site

MIAMI — For the hundreds of men who were detained at Alligator Alcatraz, entering the gates of the makeshift migrant detention center in the Everglades meant exiting the labyrinthine but familiar federal immigration process and entering what several immigration attorneys described as an alternate system where the normal rules don’t apply.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/16/hundreds-of-alligator-alcatraz-detainees-drop-off-the-grid-after-leaving-site/?

? Draining the wrong swamp. With the shock endorsement of a powerful conservationist group, Ron DeSantis won the 2018 Florida gubernatorial race as a “Teddy Roosevelt-style” conservative, and since then, he’s touted his administration’s $8 billion spend on Everglades restoration. But reporting by journalist Jason Garcia reveals that the DeSantis administration may sell out Florida’s endangered swamplands — one of the world’s most unique ecosystems — to an 8,000-acre mine on Big Sugar-owned land. This comes after a PAC controlled by the governor’s chief of staff accepted nearly $5 million in sugar-aligned dark money, months before Election Day.

• The massive quarry, planned just feet from protected Everglades lands, follows DeSantis’ humanitarian and environmental disaster that is the Alligator Alcatraz migrant detention camp.

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New survey shows majority of Florida GOP voters back clean energy initiatives

An overwhelming number of Floridians report that their utility costs are rising, according to a statewide poll of voters showing that nearly 80% back alternative, clean energy sources that could mitigate those rising prices.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/09/16/new-survey-shows-majority-of-florida-gop-voters-back-clean-energy-initiatives/?

Florida pharmacy board jumps into vaccine debate

The state  panel that regulates Florida’s pharmacists appears poised to jump into the debate over vaccines and vaccine mandates.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/09/16/florida-pharmacy-board-jumps-into-vaccine-debate/?

Maxwell: Threats from attorneys general display dangerous ignorance

In recent days, the attorneys general of both Florida and the United States demonstrated a stunning ignorance — or perhaps blatant disregard — for the Constitution both took oaths to defend.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/17/uthmeier-bondi-kirk-hate-free-speech/?

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Florida open carry gun ruling sparks questions, celebration and alarm

TALLAHASSEE — For nearly 40 years, Florida has had a ban on the open carry of firearms that was signed into law by a Republican governor and defended by a Republican-controlled Legislature against the efforts of gun rights advocates and, more recently, Gov. Ron DeSantis.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/18/florida-open-carry-ruling-prompts-celebration-alarm-and-questions/?

Florida spares some bears, drops ‘harvest’ quota for upcoming hunt

Amid a surge of applications for Florida’s first bear hunt in a decade, the state is reducing the number of black bears that can be taken in the controversial December event.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/18/florida-spares-some-bears-drops-harvest-quota-for-upcoming-hunt/?

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Editorial: CFO accuses Orange County of lavish spending. So far, it doesn’t add up

Editor’s note: In a response that reached the Sentinel after our print deadline, the CFO’s office answered some of our questions regarding his criticism of Orange County. This editorial has been updated to reflect that.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/18/editorial-cfo-accuses-orange-county-of-lavish-spending-so-far-it-doesnt-add-up/?

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Florida DOGE starts attacking ‘bloated’ government budgets. Who’s next in the state?

The state’s chief financial officer has kicked off visits to warn local governments to cut back on spending — and give residents some property tax relief.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/21/florida-doge-starts-attacking-bloated-government-budgets-whos-next-in-the-state/?

Editorial: Massive tax cut may look good, but Floridians should be wary

This is the ultimate feel-good ballot bait, masking a hidden agenda. It’s headed for your voting booth, in little more than a year. And though you might not realize it, the propaganda campaign has already started. It’s a multi-step plan: First, make local elected officials look like … well, free-spending idiots who recklessly hike taxes and lavish the resulting money on wasteful programs that are, by the far right’s standards, too “woke,” too green or too fussy about things like growth management that just get in the way of developers’ wishes.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/21/editorial-massive-tax-cut-may-look-good-but-floridians-should-be-wary/?

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DeSantis-linked firm at center of sudden ouster of UWF’s top lawyer

GAINESVILLE — Less than three weeks after taking over University of West Florida in Pensacola as interim president, Manny Diaz Jr. abruptly dismissed the school’s top legal officer after she objected to hiring one of his longtime allies: a politically connected law firm that earned millions in contracts when Diaz ran the Education Department under Gov. Ron DeSantis.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/22/desantis-linked-firm-at-center-of-sudden-ouster-of-uwfs-top-lawyer/?

Florida creates portal to report ‘violent extremism’ threats following Kirk death

Less than two weeks after right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at a college campus in Utah, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Monday his office has launched an online portal where people can report anyone making threats of political violence.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/22/florida-creates-portal-to-report-violent-extremism-threats-following-kirk-death/?

Possible property tax cuts in Florida? A state House panel is digging into the idea

TALLAHASSEE — A state House panel Monday began a two-day review of property taxes as it looks at potential changes that could have a major impact on local governments.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/22/possible-property-tax-cuts-in-florida-a-state-house-panel-is-digging-into-the-idea/?

ps:So who does this benefit? The rich!!!!! And who will have to makeup the difference?? The middle class of course and the lower income people that's who!!!!!!!!!!

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‘Violent extremism’ the focus of new AG tip line; teacher faces license revocation

Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas has found probable cause that a Clay County teacher displayed “gross immorality” in posting about Charlie Kirk’s death, he announced Monday as Attorney General James Uthmeier launched a tip line to report “violent extremism.”

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/09/22/violent-extremism-the-focus-of-new-ag-tip-line-teacher-faces-license-revocation/?

Florida lawmakers target ‘most hated tax’ in property tax committee meeting

A Florida House committee met Monday to continue a search for the best way to slash property taxes while educating lawmakers on how these levies both function and support key state institutions.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/09/22/florida-lawmakers-target-most-hated-tax-in-property-tax-committee-meeting/?

Florida got 160,000 requests to hunt bears, but many applicants plan to sit out

Florida’s wildlife agency took in more than 160,000 requests to participate in its upcoming black bear hunt, the state’s first in a decade, but many appear to have been submitted by conservationists who plan to sit out the event.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/23/florida-got-160000-requests-to-hunt-bears-but-many-applicants-plan-to-sit-out/?

Florida’s local governments raise concerns about property tax cuts

TALLAHASSEE — Local-government officials Tuesday offered some pushback against state efforts to cut property taxes and question city and county spending.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/23/floridas-local-governments-raise-concerns-about-property-tax-cuts/?

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‘Waste is in the eye of the beholder’: Local officials challenge FL property tax accusations

After months of financial abuse allegations lobbed by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration against local governments, city leaders pushed back Tuesday in a Florida House meeting focused on cutting property taxes.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/09/23/waste-is-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder-local-officials-challenge-fl-property-tax-accusations/?

Challenge dismissed: Voter registration must match driver’s license

A federal trial judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the state’s enforcement of a federal law to verify voter registration with the voter’s identification card.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/09/23/challenge-dismissed-voter-registration-must-match-drivers-license/?

Florida board of education signs off on a charter school expansion

TALLAHASSEE (AP) — Florida’s board of education signed off Wednesday on a major expansion of charter schools in the state, clearing the way for the privately run schools to “co-locate” inside traditional public schools.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/24/florida-board-of-education-signs-off-on-a-charter-school-expansion/?

Citizens CEO says a push to undo Florida insurance reforms is behind arbitration criticism

The CEO of state-owned Citizens Property Insurance Corp. on Wednesday lashed out at criticism over over the company’s use of an alternative arbitration panel to decide claims disputes. He called accusations of unfairness an effort by some plaintiffs attorneys to overturn reforms that have returned profitability to Florida’s property insurance industry.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/24/citizens-ceo-says-a-push-to-undo-florida-insurance-reforms-is-behind-arbitration-criticism/?

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Man behind Florida open-carry ruling calls himself ‘patriot’

The man at the center of a landmark court decision allowing people in Florida to openly carry guns – which took effect Thursday – is watching the consequences of his legal fight from inside a jail cell on the Panhandle.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/25/man-behind-florida-open-carry-ruling-taking-effect-today-calls-himself-patriot/?

Editorial: Floridians could soon see guns everywhere. What can protect them?

The mere act of displaying a gun can be seen as an act of aggression, an implied threat. That’s why Florida made it illegal to walk around with a handgun on your hip, or a semiautomatic rifle slung over your shoulder.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/25/editorial-florida-could-soon-see-guns-everywhere-what-can-protect-them/?

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Maxwell: Florida’s laughable DOGE team ignores Seminole’s $60 million tax hike

For two months now, Gov. Ron DeSantis and his newly appointed CFO have been cosplaying as angry CPAs, stomping all over the state and screaming about cities and counties where taxes are supposedly too high.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/26/florida-doge-hypocrisy-joke-ingoglia-desantis/?

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Here’s where you can — and can’t — openly carry a gun in Florida

Gun owners can now openly carry their firearms in Florida.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/26/heres-where-you-can-and-cant-openly-carry-a-gun-in-florida/?

DeSantis signs death warrant for modern-era record 15th execution this year in Florida

TALLAHASSEE — Continuing a pace of two executions a month, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a death warrant for a man convicted in the 1998 sexual assault and murder of a Northwest Florida attorney who was his neighbor.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/26/desantis-signs-death-warrant-for-modern-era-record-15th-execution-this-year-in-florida/?

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How Florida educators’ comments about Charlie Kirk are testing free speech rights

Florida’s public universities have made a commitment to free speech, enacting a policy in 2022 that promises “not to stifle the dissemination of any ideas, even if other members of our community may find those ideas abhorrent.”

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/27/how-florida-educators-comments-about-charlie-kirk-are-testing-free-speech-rights/?

Former FL Surgeon General: Vaccination mandate ban is ‘not based on science’

Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo has dismissed concerns that not enough research was done before he and Gov. Ron DeSantis announced last month that they intend to dismantle school vaccine mandates, saying this is an issue of “parents’ rights.”

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/09/26/former-fl-surgeon-general-vaccination-mandate-ban-is-not-based-on-science/?

Florida gets $38m from ICE for immigration crackdown, although ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ bill still looms

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has begun to reimburse Florida law enforcement for acting as federal immigration enforcement by arresting and detaining undocumented immigrants.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/09/26/florida-gets-38m-from-ice-for-immigration-crackdown-although-alligator-alcatraz-bill-still-looms/?

Rampant gaslighting about freedom of speech at Florida universities

Florida’s institutions of higher education are in trouble.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/09/29/rampant-gaslighting-about-freedom-of-speech-at-florida-universities/?

Central Florida mostly ignored DeSantis push to lower property taxes

Despite relentless urging from the DeSantis administration to slash property tax rates, cities and counties in Central Florida largely chose to ignore the pressure.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/29/central-florida-mostly-ignored-desantis-push-to-lower-property-taxes/?

They cut the tax rate but my property tax bill is going up. What gives?

Every year, elected officials in cities, towns and villages throughout Florida proclaim they’re holding the line on taxes. Sometimes they even brag that they’re cutting the tax rate.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/29/they-cut-the-tax-rate-but-my-property-tax-bill-is-going-up-what-gives/?

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Analysis: Central Florida schools could lose billions if state nixes property tax

Central Florida’s school districts stand to lose billions of dollars if the state goes through with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push to eliminate property taxes, a new analysis has found.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/30/central-florida-schools-could-lose-billions-if-state-nixes-property-tax-analysis-shows/?

ps:I knew there was another reason for getting rid of property tax, so the real purpose is to get actual schools to have to close because they'll be no funding for them!!!!!

Florida’s minimum wage hits $14 an hour today, but many still struggle

Minimum-wage earners in Florida will take home bigger paychecks starting Tuesday.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/30/floridas-minimum-wage-hits-14-an-hour-today-but-many-still-struggle/?

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ACLU of Florida sues DeSantis over vacant Hillsborough County Senate seat

The ACLU of Florida has sued Gov. Ron DeSantis on behalf of a Tampa voter, challenging his refusal to call a special election to fill a vacancy in the Florida Senate left when he appointed Jay Collins as lieutenant governor.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/09/30/aclu-of-florida-sues-desantis-over-vacant-hillsborough-county-senate-seat/?

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Florida Dem again files bill to create database to help in voter-rights restoration

A bill (HB 73) that would establish a centralized database to track the voting-rights status of individuals with felony convictions has once again been filed in the Florida House of Representatives.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/10/01/florida-dem-again-files-bill-to-create-database-to-help-in-voter-rights-restoration/?

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What does Florida CFO consider ‘waste’? $6,000 for Orlando poet laureate

Chief Financial Officer and self-styled defender of taxpayers Blaise Ingoglia offered that piece of doggerel Wednesday to blast Orlando for what he called wasteful spending of public dollars: $6,000 annually for the city’s poet laureate.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/10/02/what-does-florida-cfo-consider-waste-6000-for-orlando-poet-laureate/?

How frozen flood insurance could delay home purchases in Florida

Buyers of homes in flood zones could be encountering unexpected hurdles this week: The government shutdown that took effect on Wednesday also has suspended the National Flood Insurance Program’s ability to write new policies or renew existing ones.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/10/02/national-flood-insurance-program/?

Florida gets $608 million from feds for Alligator Alcatraz, immigrant detention efforts

Amid battles about the detention center dubbed Alligator Alcatraz, the Trump administration has awarded $608 million to Florida for the state’s immigrant-detention efforts, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security official confirmed Thursday.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/10/02/florida-gets-608-million-from-feds-for-alligator-alcatraz-immigrant-detention-efforts/?

ps:Just amazing all the complaining about spending money on immigrants and not on homeless Vets, but yet it seems it's ok to spent money on immigrant jailing, actually even more money from what I understand!!!!! Will look into this a little more to see how true it is?????

Florida farmers struggle as legal foreign workers worry about immigration crackdown

Joel Trejo’s American Dream may be in jeopardy.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/10/03/florida-farmers-struggle-as-legal-foreign-workers-worry-about-immigration-crackdown/?

ps:I recall saying this would happen!! Obviously no one else is willing to pick fruit!! The word was that when they got rid of immigrants that others would have these jobs, well I guess others are not interested in these really low paying jobs!!!!!

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Grand jury summoned in Hope Florida criminal probe

Prosecutors in Tallahassee are convening a grand jury relating to the Hope Florida Foundation, marking a potentially serious development that could lead to criminal charges in the ongoing scandal.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/10/03/grand-jury-summoned-in-hope-florida-criminal-probe/?

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State reveals how many kids lost health coverage after being unable to do so in Senate committee

Florida’s top Medicaid official came before the Legislature Tuesday to update state senators on a pending legal battle with the federal government over expansion of the popular children’s health insurance program known as Florida KidCare.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/10/07/state-cant-say-how-many-children-have-been-dropped-from-florida-kidcare/?

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Dozens of Florida bear hunt permits snagged by non-hunters

Most of the special permits to hunt Florida black bears in December have been claimed, a state wildlife spokesperson said this week, but more than three dozen are reportedly in the hands of hunt opponents, which may offer a reprieve to an equal number of bears.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/10/09/dozens-of-florida-bear-hunt-permits-snagged-by-non-hunters/?