Gov. Ron DeSantis praised on Thursday the Trump administration’s impending mass deportations of Haitian and Syrian migrants legally sheltered within the United States as a “no brainer,” insisting many had abused the nation’s immigration system. “That [decision] was a no brainer in terms of immigration policy and immigration enforcement,” DeSantis said, speaking outside of the […]

‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ the state-run Everglades immigration lockup, is closed, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday, hailing the facility as a success for state and federal partnerships and the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigration. It lasted just under a year. Joined by Border Czar Tom Homan and Florida Immigration Enforcement Director Anthony Coker, DeSantis claimed the […]

Florida lawmakers on Tuesday sent Gov. Ron DeSantis their $114.5 billion budget for the coming fiscal year, just one week ahead of the deadline to keep the state government up and running. DeSantis received the 550-page package at 1:42 p.m., according to the Florida House website — nearly a month after it was passed. He […]

Although Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, the mind behind the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration lockup, doesn’t know whether the facility is shutting down for good, he hopes the former airport will become a protected environmental spot. “Now that the federal government is resourced and standing up its own mission using its own authorities, [the site] […]

Federal immigration authorities say they’ve emptied the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” lockup amid hurricane fears, transferring detainees to other facilities. But advocacy groups suing the state aren’t buying their explanation. “They built it and filled it with people during the hurricane season last year, so that makes no sense,” attorney Paul Schwiep, representing the Friends of […]

As electricity cost increases outpace other measures of inflation, attorneys general around the country have intervened to stop what they consider exorbitant rate hikes: Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes stepped in after Arizona Public Services asked to raise rates by more than 14% last fall. In Michigan, Attorney General Dana Nessel filed testimony in March to […]

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and a coalition of state, federal, and private partners warned Floridians Tuesday of a heightened risk of human trafficking, a day after Miami hosted its first of seven FIFA World Cup matches. Up to one million visitors are anticipated in the greater Miami area alone during soccer’s top global tournament. […]

Mobs of teens rioting to “takeover” Florida cities can legally be run over and also charged with racketeering, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Thursday. “You do not have the First Amendment right to stand in the middle of the street, obstruct traffic, and threaten violence,” Uthmeier said during Largo press conference, speaking days after […]

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recently redistricted congressional map that could net Republicans up to four additional seats this fall will remain in place after the Florida Supreme Court rejected an emergency petition to stop the map from taking effect on Wednesday. The Equal Ground Education Fund had filed the petition, asking the high court to overturn […]

David Jolly, the Democratic frontrunner in the Florida gubernatorial race, named former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham as his running mate during a Tallahassee press conference Wednesday, feet from the Old Capitol. “I want a lieutenant governor capable of serving our state, not just as my governing partner, but as a leader,” Jolly, a former Republican […]

Acting as the newly created State Board of Immigration Enforcement, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet on Tuesday approved more than $87 million in immigration reimbursements for 56 local law enforcement agencies, most of it for radios and AI policing systems. The unanimous vote sends money from a $250 million state grant to fight […]

The Florida Democratic Party now has some competition in the race to produce a challenger to Republican Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia in November. Former Miami-Dade County Democratic state Sen. Annette Taddeo announced her candidacy on Monday. “Florida families are getting crushed. Your homeowner’s insurance bill doubled. Then tripled. And the politicians in Tallahassee? They […]

Former state Senator Shevrin Jones is running to succeed eight-term U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson in Congressional District 24, according to paperwork filed Thursday morning. “It’s filed and live,” Jones, a 42-year-old Miami Gardens native, told the Phoenix. A Democrat, Jones launched his bid to replace the same-party Wilson one week after she announced her retirement […]

Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia had a message for south Florida voters Wednesday. Don’t believe the hype from “big government apologists” who claim cities and counties won’t be able to afford core government services if Gov. Ron DeSantis’ revamped property tax package is approved by 60% of the voters in November. Ingoglia, appointed CFO […]

Gov. Ron DeSantis is “very good” and has bestowed a “great honor” upon Donald Trump by renaming the airport neighboring Mar-a-Lago after him, the 47th president said Wednesday. Trump’s praise for the Florida governor — previously rare for his former presidential opponent — comes one week after state lawmakers agreed to spend $2.75 million to […]

Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez has been nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as U.S. ambassador to Brazil. That news came Monday via a press release from the White House. Perez has represented parts of Miami-Dade County in the Florida House since he was elected in a special election in 2017, and has served […]

City and county governments would face major reductions in revenues for essential services if Gov. Ron DeSantis’ plan to substantially cut homeowners’ property taxes is approved by lawmakers and then 60% of the public as a constitutional amendment later this year. Advocates for local governments in Florida held emergency “webinars” Monday morning ahead of this […]

The Florida Legislature signed off on a $114.5 billion budget Friday afternoon, even as some legislators worried it falls short of doing enough for schools, healthcare, and the environment. A handful of Democrats also sharply criticized a nearly $300 million tax cut package that they said does more to help special interests than everyday Floridians. […]

The Trump administration has paid Florida $58 million for operating the Everglades immigrant detention center called “Alligator Alcatraz,” the first of promised federal reimbursements set to flow into the state. The payment came in on May 18, three days after the Federal Emergency Management Agency told Florida’s emergency managers that $58 million of the promised […]

Former Florida Chief Justice R. Fred Lewis has died at age 78, the court announced Thursday. His death came Tuesday, the court said in a press release. He will lie in state in the court’s rotunda on June 11 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The justices will receive the body and Chief Justice Carlos […]

The so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center could be pumping hundreds of tons of toxic gases into the atmosphere without a permit, Florida environmentalists suing the state claimed in a new court filing. The federal lawsuit, brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, asks the Southern District of Florida to declare that Florida’s emergency managers have […]

TAMPA — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday announced his plan for a homestead property tax exemption that could crimp local governments’ ability to fund schools, health care, and public safety. Simultaneously, he called for lawmakers to return to Tallahassee and address his plan in a three-day special session starting Monday. DeSantis has been discussing elimination […]

TAMPA — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday announced his plan for a homestead property tax exemption that could crimp local governments’ ability to fund schools, health care, and public safety. Simultaneously, he called for lawmakers to return to Tallahassee and address his plan in a three-day special session starting Monday. DeSantis has been discussing elimination […]

The “Alligator Alcatraz” migrant lockup is slowly closing shop, flying detainees to other facilities, and emptying office cubicles, according to a Florida Democratic member of Congress who toured the center this week. “What I saw is a facility that is being wound down and shut down,” U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, representing the Orlando area, posted […]

A Florida judge has refused throw out Gov. Ron DeSantis’ newly adopted congressional map, meaning the redraw — which eliminated as many as four Democratic seats — could be in place for the 2026 midterms. In his eight-page decision, Circuit Judge Joshua Hawkes cited a bevy of reasons for siding against the three advocacy groups […]

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s attempt to sue California and Washington for licensing an undocumented truck driver accused of killing three Floridians in a traffic accident. “The motion for leave to file a bill of complaint is denied,” the court’s brief dismissal reads. The majority did not explain […]

Hours after the Justice Department announced it had charged Raul Castro with murder for the 1996 shoot-down of two U.S.-based rescue flights, the island’s government accused the United States of hypocrisy. The U.S. had used “disproportionate” military force against suspected Venezuelan drug boats, Cuba said in an official statement, and it argued Washington lacked authority […]

The Trump administration has charged former Cuban president Raúl Castro with murder and conspiracy to kill for his alleged role in the 1996 shoot-down of two civilian rescue flights. The Department of Justice announced the development Wednesday at Miami’s Freedom Tower — the long-standing beacon for Cuban exiles. A warrant for the 94-year-old’s arrest has […]

Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly says that if he’s elected in November, he would establish an Office of Civil Rights within the Governor’s Office. Speaking in Fort Myers Sunday during a gathering hosted by the Florida Democratic Hispanic Caucus, the former U.S. representative from Pinellas County reflected on the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling weakening […]

Cody Poppell, a Florida State University police officer, was honored Wednesday with a new law enforcement award for rapidly bringing a gunman’s campus attack to an end just three minutes after the April 2025 school shooting began. “Amid the chaos, Officer Poppell acted swiftly, rode his motorcycle over several curbs, sidewalks, into the heart of […]