Tag: florida

Recipients of Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Had Higher Mortality Than Those of Moderna: Study

Florida adults who received Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine were more likely to die following vaccination than Moderna COVID-19 recipients, according to a new preprint study that was co-authored by Florida’s top health official.

Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Florida’s surgeon general, and other researchers identified nearly 9.2 million Florida adults not living in institutions who received at least two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine less than six weeks apart between Dec. 18, 2020, and Aug. 31, 2021.

They narrowed the group to nearly 1.5 million, half who received Pfizer’s vaccine and half who received Moderna’s vaccine, by matching them based on criteria such as age and sex. They then analyzed the records to see which group had the higher risk for all-cause mortality, or death from any cause, in the 12 months following vaccination.

That analysis found that more Pfizer recipients died, with 847 deaths per 100,000 recipients, compared to 618 deaths per 100,000 for Moderna recipients. Pfizer recipients were also more likely to suffer heart-related deaths and COVID-19 deaths.

Pfizer and Moderna did not respond to requests for comment.

The study was published as a preprint, which means it has not been peer reviewed, on the medRxiv server on April 29.

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Reports: Castro Regime Propagandist Living in Florida Thanks to Biden Parole Program

Narciso Amador Fernández Ramírez, a known propagandist of Cuba’s communist Castro regime, is allegedly living in the United States thanks to the Biden-era “Humanitarian Parole” program, Cuban-American journalist Mario Pentón reported on Thursday.

The outlet Cubanet described Fernández Ramírez, 65, as a former deputy director of Vanguardia, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in the central province of Villa Clara, who also served as columnist for the state propaganda outlet Cubahora. 

The communist propagandist is known in Cuba for vehemently insulting the Cuban diaspora in the United States, branding its members as “rats,” gusanos (“maggots”), and “mercenaries.”

Most notably, Fernández Ramírez appears listed as the author of two pieces published on the official website of late murderous dictator Fidel Castro. One such piece, dated 2019, in which Fernández Ramírez is listed as an author refers to the veterans of the Bay of Pigs liberation attempt as “rats.” In another piece, dated 2017, Fernández Ramírez praised late murderous communist dictator Fidel Castro and claimed that Castro is “seated, vigilant, next to [Cuban founding Father Jose] Martí, in the sacred Olympus of the heroes of the Homeland.”

Pentón reported that Fernández Ramírez has resided in Homestead, Florida, since March 2024 after he became a beneficiary of “humanitarian parole,” a now-extinct and fraud-riddled program launched in 2023 by the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden that allowed up to 30,000 Cubans, Haitiaians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans per month to request entry to the United States by means of a “sponsor,” granting them legal stay and work permits for a period of “up to two years.”

“He is waiting for a green card to apply for benefits such as Social Security and Medicare. He, who was the most unconditional communist in Villa Clara, is now enjoying his old age in the country he despised so much,” a source told Pentón on condition of anonymity.

According to Pentón, Fernández Ramírez presently lives in Homestead with his wife Elizabeth Leal and their daughter, who already resided in the United States.

“A simple Google search was enough to know that this man was a propagandist for the Communist Party of Cuba. That makes him ineligible for immigration benefits,” Florida-based immigration attorney Ismael Labrador told Pentón.

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Florida Set to Become 2nd State to Ban Fluoride in Drinking Water

Florida is poised to become the second state to ban fluoride in public drinking water under legislation that received final approval from lawmakers on April 29, ending a decades-old practice that has divided dentists and health officials.

The ban on fluoride is part of the Florida Farm Bill SB700, which passed the House in an 88–27 vote. It passed the state Senate on April 16.

Though the measure does not explicitly include the word “fluoride,” it does include a provision that seeks to ban “the use of certain additives in a water system” throughout the state.

The legislation now heads to the desk of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to sign it into law.

Florida lawmakers approved the legislation after Utah became the first state in the country to ban fluoride in public drinking water on March 28.

That legislation prohibits any person or government entity from adding fluoride to water systems in the state. It is set to go into effect on May 7.

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Florida Bill To Make Medical Marijuana Cards Free For Military Veterans Passes House Unanimously

The Florida House of Representatives has unanimously approved a bill that would exempt military veterans from state registration fees for medical marijuana cards, allowing them to obtain the certifications for free.

After moving through committee earlier this month, the full chamber passed the legislation from Rep. Alex Andrade (R) in a 110-0 vote on Friday.

As originally filed, the measure would have made more significant changes to the state’s existing medical cannabis program, for example allowing home cultivation as well as reciprocity for out-of-state patients. But the House Health Professions and Programs Subcommittee replaced its language with a two-page substitute that instead would make only small changes to the medical program.

First, it would change how often patients need to renew their medical marijuana cards, from the current annual process to once every two years.

Second, it would waive the $75 registration and renewal fees for veterans, specifying that the state “may not charge a fee for the issuance, replacement, or renewal of an identification card for a qualified patient who is a veteran.”

On the floor, Rep. Daryl Campbell (D) thanked the sponsor for introducing the reform measure, saying “our veterans need medical marijuana cards often at rates higher than the general population, and it’s great that you are helping to ease the financial burden for them on this bill.”

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19th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Brett Waronicki arrested in Martin County

A Treasure Coast judge is facing charges after he was arrested Wednesday night in Martin County.

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office said that 19th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida Judge Brett Waronicki was one of the three people arrested in a traffic stop in Jensen Beach.

Waronicki, 46, faces charges of possession of paraphernalia and DUI refusal, the sheriff’s office said.

The county’s public information officer said Waronicki was the driver of the vehicle when it was pulled over at 10:41 p.m. at Northwest Jensen Beach Boulevard and Northwest Royal Oak Drive.

A probable cause affidavit said law enforcement pulled over Waronicki after the Ford F-150 he was driving failed “to maintain a single lane and was striking the fog line multiple times.”

The arrest report also said the pickup was spotted going through the roundabout with no lights on, and also striking the bike lane.

“When speaking with Waronicki, (a detective) observed him to have bloodshot watery eyes, slurred speech, and the odor of an unknown alcoholic beverage emitting from his breath,” according to the affidavit.

The judge told law enforcement that he had two Vodka drinks but had not had a drink since 6:30 p.m.

The report said Waronicki refused both a field sobriety test and a breathalyzer, claiming he “did nothing wrong.”

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Florida Bills To Regulate And Tax Hemp Products Advance To House Floor Votes

A measure that would regulate hemp-derived THC products in Florida passed unanimously in its second and final committee in the Florida House on Tuesday, but only after hemp entrepreneurs expressed their strongest criticism of such regulations this legislative session.

The bills (HB 7027 and HB 7029), sponsored by Panhandle Republican Rep. Michelle Salzman, are different in some respects to the Senate version that passed unanimously in that chamber two weeks ago—most significantly in that it puts a 15 percent excise tax on the sale of all such products.

Another difference with the Senate version is that it doesn’t ban consumption of delta-8, the hemp-derived THC product that has grown in popularity since hemp was legalized in the United States through the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill.

The House bill would limit the amount of THC in derived products. Regarding hemp-infused drinks, beverages cannot contain more than 5 milligrams of THC hemp per 6-ounce contains. The bill limits “inhalables” (such as joints and vaping machines) and edibles to 5 milligrams per serving (an increase of 2.5 milligrams from last week’s version).

Another provision would prohibit anyone from receiving more than 100 milligrams of hemp-derived THC in a single 24-hour period.

The bill would prohibit any individual from ingesting hemp consumable THC products within 1,000 feet of a public or private elementary, middle or secondary school between 6 a.m. and midnight. A violator would be subjected to a $25 fine or 50 hours of community service.

Salzman amended her bill from last week in two key respects: It would now allow places like gas stations to sell hemp-infused THC drinks, and it would not place any limitations on non-intoxicating CBD products.

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Florida bill would let homeowners use ‘reasonable force’ against drones

Florida lawmakers are considering a bill that would permit homeowners to use “reasonable force” against drones — likely sparked by last year’s uptick in sightings of mysterious unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The measure, sponsored by state Sen. Keith L. Truenow (R) last month, was placed on the Florida Senate’s legislative calendar on April 16.

Constituents across the U.S. have signaled discontent with the federal response, prompting more questions on where the drones originated and how they could be regulated. The Biden administration stressed that the UAVs were not a threat to national security or operated by foreign adversaries.

President Trump earlier this year said he would look into the drone spotting, but he ruled they were “not the enemy” and likely authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or belonged to hobbyists.

The Sunshine State legislation seeks to change property owners’ guidelines for unmanned aircraft that remain suspended above their own land. It has already cleared several committees despite potential conflicts with federal law.

The FAA prevents people from shooting down drones even if they are hovering above their personal property.

“A private citizen shooting at any aircraft – including unmanned aircraft – poses a significant safety hazard,” the agency’s website reads. “An unmanned aircraft hit by gunfire could crash, causing damage to persons or property on the ground, or it could collide with other objects in the air.”

“Shooting at an unmanned aircraft could result in a civil penalty from the FAA and/or criminal charges from federal, state or local law enforcement,” it adds.

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FSU Students Lobbied for Gun Control Before Mass Shooting and Completely Missed the Point

Days before the mass shooting at Florida State University in Tallahassee, students at the school advocated against a Senate bill that would introduce temporary sales tax cuts on firearms and ammunition from September 8 until December 31.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the bill earlier this year when he declared there would be a “Second Amendment Summer.”

The South Florida Sun Sentinel documented testimony from some of the students.

Dakota Bages, 20, is a college sophomore from Weston and one of many young people from Broward and Palm Beach counties who attend Florida State University, where the latest school shooting occurred Thursday.

She and others went to the Capitol last Tuesday to register their strong opposition to a Senate bill whose purpose is to get more people to buy guns.

As part of an array of tax cuts, Senate Bill 7034 exempts guns and ammunition from the 6% statewide sales tax for four months this year, from Sept. 8 until Dec. 31.

Bages said she believes in responsible gun ownership, and that her boyfriend’s stepfather, a retired Broward firefighter, safely owns and maintains firearms.

The students do not believe that it’s a good idea to put more guns into more and more hands in Florida.

“Until serious mental health reform is made in our state, we cannot make weapons any more accessible to people who seek to use them for the wrong reasons,” Bages told members of the Senate Finance & Tax Committee.

Bages said rural Putnam County near Jacksonville, which declared itself a “Second Amendment sanctuary,” had four times as many gun-related suicides as the state average in 2022 (the data is from the Center for Gun Violence Solutions at Johns Hopkins University).

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Red Flag Law, Gun-Free Zones, Increased Minimum Firearm Purchase Age Fail to Prevent FSU Shooting

Florida’s red flag law, gun-free college/university campus zones, and increased minimum purchase age for long guns failed to prevent Thursday’s FSU shooting.

Breitbart News reported at least six people were injured in the shooting and a suspect is under arrest.

He was reportedly armed with a shotgun and a handgun. CNN noted that the shotgun was found in the FSU student union and the handgun was still in the suspect’s possession when law enforcement apprehended him.

The shooting occurred despite Florida’s red flag law, university gun-free zones, increased minimum purchase age for long guns, and waiting period for handgun purchases.

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Florida House Committee Approves Hemp Regulatory Bill That Would Impose 15% Tax On All THC Products

All hemp-derived THC products would be taxed at 15 percent under a proposal passed in a Florida House committee on Wednesday.

The measure is one of two regarding regulation of hemp-derived THC products sponsored by Panhandle Republican Rep. Michelle Salzman that were approved unanimously in the House Budget Committee.

The main bill (HB 7027) is a companion to a Senate bill (SB 438) that has already passed unanimously in that chamber, although they do contain significant differences. Among them is that Salzman’s bill would not ban delta-8, the hemp-derived THC product that has grown in popularity since hemp was legalized in the United States through the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill.

Like its Senate companion, the House bill limits the amount of delta-9 THC in hemp-derived products such as beverages and gummies. It says edibles must contain no more than 2 milligrams, be individually wrapped and be sold in containers with no more than 20 edibles.

That raised objections from Patrick Shatzer of Sunmed/Your CBD Store, who says his company is the largest CBD brick-and-mortar business in the country, with 260 locations nationwide and 42 in Florida.

“The size of the gummies—limited to 2 grams—that’s just a tiny little pinkie size wide,” he said to the committee. “That’s not the industry standard. The industry standard is anywhere from 5 to 8 grams.”

Shatzer also objected to the provision limiting 20 servings per container, saying the average dietary supplements permit 30 gummies in a container. And he raised objections to a prohibition on selling, delivering, bartering, giving or furnishing hemp consumables that total more than 100 milligrams of THC to a person in a 24-hour period, saying it would be unenforceable.

Rep. Salzman replied that, while she is open to changing some of those limits, she is holding firm on limiting personal consumption of such products to 100 milligrams of THC a day.

“If somebody knows that they can’t buy more than 100 milligrams in that day, it’s going to give them a warning subconsciously, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have more than 100 milligrams of this stuff in a day,’” she said. “And if you want more than 100 milligrams of this stuff a day, you probably need to get a medical cannabis card.”

Regarding the proposed 15 percent excise tax on hemp products, Jodi James of the Florida Cannabis Action Network said that not all hemp products are intoxicating, and that those that aren’t should not be taxed at all.

“In the state of Florida, we don’t tax vitamins, we don’t tax supplements,” she said.

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