Tag: florida

Florida Surgeon General Highlights Vaccine Injuries, Calls on NIH to Act

At a press conference at Florida State University in Tampa, Florida, Florida Surgeon General Dr Joseph Ladapo made an urgent call for the NIH program funding to help Americans injured by Covid-19 vaccines and expressed support for the May federal changes in the HHS’s restrictive Covid-19 vaccine recommendations.

On the Ground in Tampa: What Ladapo Really Said

I was invited to Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo’s press conference in Tampa on July 17, 2025. In contrast to how some mainstream outlets later portrayed it, the event centered on a call to recognize and research Covid-19 vaccine injuries, rather than a mere anti-vaccine screed. Dr. Ladapo – a physician and Florida’s top health official since 2021 – emphasized the urgent need to support those suffering adverse effects from mRNA Covid-19 shots. He praised recent federal moves to scale back mRNA vaccine recommendations for certain groups, but went further by asserting that these products “should not be used in any human beings,” given their safety profile. From my front-row perspective, Dr. Ladapo’s tone was measured yet resolute. He recounted how unusual it is, in his experience, to encounter so many post-vaccination issues. “When was the last time that you had a vaccine that literally almost every single person knows someone who had a bad reaction from it?” Ladapo asked pointedly.

Before the Covid era, he noted, he never personally knew a patient who was clearly vaccine-injured. “Now,” he continued, “there are very few people that I run into who either themselves have not had a bad reaction from these mRNA Covid-19 vaccines, or who don’t know someone who’s had a bad reaction.” 

This was a striking report that hung in the air – one supported anecdotally by nods from some attendees sharing their own stories. Dr. Ladapo stressed that adverse reactions have become distressingly commonplace, and he even bluntly called the Covid shots “terrible vaccines” as a result.

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Two Florida Republican representatives push federal bill allowing illegal aliens to legally work

Joined by a group of nine additional Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida is spearheading a federal legislative effort to allow some illegal aliens to remain in the country and work legally for years.

Titled “DIGNITY Act,” the bill allows illegal aliens, which Salazar describes as “undocumented immigrants,” to remain and work in the country who have been here since before 2021.

In order to qualify, they must pass a criminal background check, pay $1,000 per year over seven years in restitution, can receive no federal benefits or entitlements, and have no pathway to citizenship. That process is referred to as the “Dignity Program.”

“Millions have lived in the shadows for decades with no legal path,” the bill’s information pager states. “Deportation of long-term workers would cripple key industries.”

“For 40 years, every president and Congress has looked the other way while millions have lived here illegally, many working in key industries that keep our economy running,” Salazar said. “It’s the Achilles’ heel no one wants to fix. The Dignity Act offers a commonsense solution: certain undocumented immigrants can earn legal status, not citizenship, by working, paying taxes, and contributing to our country. No handouts. No shortcuts. Just accountability and a path to stability for our economy and our future.”

On top of the Dignity Program, the bill’s sponsors say it requires “complete operational control” of the southern border, requires enhanced physical barriers, deploys improved technology to the border, requires nationwide E-Verify, hikes penalties for illegal border crossers, requires DNA testing for family verification, and more.

The bill sponsors say it also ends the practice of “catch-and-release,” expedites asylum processing, and hikes penalties for asylum fraud.

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FDACS removes over 85K illegal hemp products in child safety crackdown

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson announced results of “Operation Safe Summer,” a statewide enforcement effort resulting in the removal of more than 85,000 hemp packages that were found in violation of state child-protection standards.

In the first three weeks of the operation, hemp-derived products were seized across 40 counties for “violations of Florida’s child-protection standards for packaging, labeling, and marketing,” according to a press release from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Simpson said they will continue to “aggressively enforce the law, hold bad actors accountable, and put the safety of Florida’s families over profits.”

The state previously issued announcements advising hemp food establishments on the planned enforcement of amendments to Rule 5K-4.034, Florida Administrative Code, a press release said.

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FBI, Sheriff’s Office Arrest 28 Motorcycle Gang Members In ‘Operation Mongolian Beef’

Over two dozen alleged members of an outlaw motorcycle gang have been arrested and charged in connection with a March shooting at a Florida gas station, the FBI’s Jacksonville office announced on Wednesday.

In total, 28 members of the Mongols motorcycle gang were arrested during a joint operation, dubbed “Operation Mongolian Beef,” which was done in coordination between the FBI Jacksonville Division, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, and the Seventh Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, according to a statement, which added that arrest warrants were issued for three other members of the gang, whose arrests are pending.

As the Epoch Times notes further, the individuals have been charged with aggravated rioting in relation to the shooting at a gas station in New Smyrna Beach during Bike Week on March 8, 2025.

Aggravated rioting is when an individual participates in a riot of 25 or more other people, according to the statement. It is a second-degree felony and punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

As part of the operation, the FBI and its law enforcement partners carried out 14 search warrants at multiple properties, including at the Mongols Clubhouse in Edgewater, Florida; four homes in Volusia County; three homes in Brevard County; two homes in Miami-Dade County; one home in Chesterfield County, Virginia; one home in Palm Beach County; and two homes in Polk County.

“The FBI has made a commitment to all Americans that we will crush violent crime across the country,” FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley said in the statement.

“There is no doubt Volusia County and, in fact, the entire state of Florida is safer today with these violent offenders off the street.”

The Mongols motorcycle gang, also known as the Mongols Motorcycle Club, is an international organization that self-identifies as an “outlaw” motorcycle gang, meaning its members define themselves as within the “1 percent” of motorcycle clubs who do not abide by the law, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The group has slogans such as “Respect Few, Fear None” and “Live Mongol Die Mongol,” which the DOJ said illustrate the members’ “cut-throat attitude.”

Its members typically wear vests and patches, or have tattoos identifying their connection to the group, the DOJ said.

Outlaw motorcycle gangs are generally highly structured criminal organizations whose members engage in a range of criminal activities, including violent crime, weapons trafficking, and drug trafficking, according to the DOJ.

The Mongols gang is one of many such outlaw gangs that pose a “serious national domestic threat,” the department said.

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Florida Bans State Funds for Groups Accused of Speech Policing

Florida has moved to shield public funds from being used to support what many see as efforts to police speech under the guise of media bias monitoring.

Under the state’s new fiscal year 2026 budget, taxpayer dollars can no longer be spent on advertising or marketing firms that contract with groups like NewsGuard, Ad Fontes, or the Global Disinformation Index (GDI).

The measure was signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday.

We obtained a copy of the bill for you here.

A press release from the Independent Media Council emphasized that the restriction is aimed at blocking state agencies from doing business with companies that rely on “politically biased media monitoring services.”

The council stated, “These monitoring groups purport to be impartial, but consistently skew their ratings to target conservative and independent media from receiving advertising from major brands.”

NewsGuard, one of the most prominent organizations caught in the spotlight, has received federal backing in the form of a $750,000 grant from the Department of Defense.

This funding helped the group develop its “Misinformation Fingerprints” technology, which it now offers to social media platforms, artificial intelligence developers, and tech firms as a tool for tracking so-called misinformation.

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“WHEN ARE WE GOING TO BOMB THE WHITE HOUSE?” — FBI Foils Alleged ‘Skibidi Massacre’ Plot After Girlfriend Tips Off Authorities

Two radicalized Florida men have been arrested and charged in connection with a chilling plot to commit mass murder, foment political violence, and “bomb the White House,” according to court documents.

Isaiah Oglesby, 23, and James Thomas Goolsby, 25, were taken into custody after the FBI was tipped off by a courageous girlfriend who recognized something deeply wrong in her boyfriend’s disturbing social media rants, FOX13 reported.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office followed through with a full investigation after the feds confirmed the suspects’ accounts.

According to a criminal complaint reviewed by FOX13, the men’s social media accounts were littered with apocalyptic rhetoric, antisemitic and anti-Christian hate speech, and open calls for violence against the U.S. government and religious groups.

One chilling message from Oglesby and Goolsby, according to the criminal complaint:

“Wanna plan an attack?”
“I’m radicalizing my son to never trust the government — teaching him how to cultivate crops, purify water, hunt, shoot, and make bombs. We gonna survive the martial law.”
“I low-key wish Hitler wiped out the [REDACTED].”
“They’re like a cancer that sucks the life out of society.”

“We have to fight.”
“We have to kill these people [REDACTED].”
“We have to.”
“It better be a bloodbath of every corrupt politician in Capitol Hill.”
“And then we need to strike — more of us than them.”

The defendant also commented on a post on Instagram with:
“So when are we going to bomb the White House?”

Goolsby responded to Oglesby:

The defendant replied with, “Totally dude, Skibidi massacre.” The defendant also posted antisemitic and other religiously discriminatory comments to his Instagram Story, including: “I want to eradicate them,” “I want to blow up the [REDACTED], a mosque in [REDACTED], Turkey,” and photographs of unknown subjects stomping on the flag of [REDACTED].

The defendant also posted the following to his Instagram Story: “I want my pain to be inflicted upon others. I want no one to escape,” “I really hate people. I wish I could end everyone and blow the world up,” and “I hate those people so much I’ll eradicate them all.”

Several other photographs were posted by the defendant to his Instagram Story showing his infatuation with prior active shooters, including actual videos of active shooter events. Multiple other photographs and videos were also located that were self-photographs of the defendant.

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Sheriff Marceno says he has ‘zero tolerance’ for street racing. Here’s a video of Sheriff Marceno street racing.

Call it a case of highway hypocrisy.

After Lee County deputies arrested an 18-year-old on a street racing charge last week, Sheriff Carmine Marceno put out a press release on social media that included the teen’s mug shot and a statement about the sheriff’s abhorrence for racing cars on public roads. 

“I have zero tolerance for street racing in Lee County,” Marceno said of the first-degree misdemeanor crime punishable by up to a year in jail. “Driving an [sic] excessive speed and putting yourself, your passengers, and others on the road at risk is an incredibly selfish decision. My deputies will continue to patrol the roads of Lee County, ensuring drivers make smart choices or they will face the consequences.” 

It was an unambiguous statement from Marceno, himself a well-known connoisseur of fast cars, but video evidence obtained by the Florida Trident shows his intolerance of street racing doesn’t necessarily extend to his own behavior behind the wheel. 

The video, which can be seen here, shows Marceno driving south on six-lane South Tamiami Trail in a black Lamborghini Huracan convertible with the top down on a sunny day in Estero. Shooting the video is Marceno’s former friend, Bonita Springs jeweler Ken Romano, who drives in the lane to the right of the sheriff in the same direction. The brief race begins at Romano’s prompting.

“Juice that m—-f—-!” Romano tells Marceno. 

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Scientists issue stark warning after harmful creatures breed to form hybrid species: ‘We have confirmed the presence of hybrid swarms’

Invasive species can wreak havoc on your local ecosystem, but imagine two invasive insects coming to your area and breeding.

That’s exactly what’s happening in Florida.

According to News Channel 8, “The Formosan subterranean termites and Asian subterranean termites” are mating in southern areas of the Sunshine State.

What’s happening?

Associate Professor Thomas Chouvenc from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences had his suspicions about these two species breeding 10 years ago. He noticed both males and females from each species showing courtship behaviors.

A study from the university, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, confirmed that these two invasive creatures have bred to form a hybrid species.

Chouvenc’s team began collecting termite samples “in the Fort Lauderdale area that didn’t match the shape or form of either termite species,” per News Channel 8.

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Florida Invokes Emergency Powers to Build ‘Alligator Alcatraz’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis invoked emergency powers on June 24 to clear the way for Alligator Alcatraz, a new illegal immigration detention center deep in the Everglades.

The plans for another complex to hold illegal immigrants apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—and awaiting processing and deportation—were drafted and submitted by the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) to the Department of Homeland Security and received Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s approval on June 23.

“Under President [Donald] Trump’s leadership, we are working at turbo speed to deliver cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people’s mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens,” Noem said on X.

“We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.”

She said the facilities would be largely funded by FEMA’s Shelter and Services program, which she noted was used by former President Joe Biden’s administration to house illegal immigrants.

The site chosen was the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.

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Florida Police: Christian School Teacher May Have Used Student Images to Create AI Child Porn

A sixth-grade teacher in Central Florida was arrested this week on a host of charges for possessing child pornography, apparently created with online AI technology and possibly using student photos from his Christian school.

State Attorney General James Uthmeier’s office charged David McKeown of Holly Hill with 19 enhanced felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material and six counts of possession of animal pornography, according to a statement released by the office.

McKeown was arrested Friday by the Holly Hill Police Department at his home in Volusia County. He was a sixth-grade teacher at United Brethren in Christ (UBIC) Academy, a school affiliated with the UBIC church.

Holly Hill Police Department’s investigation alleges that McKeown shared and downloaded pornographic images depicting child porn via Discord, an online chat service, while at school and connected to the school’s Wi-Fi network.

Some 30 images were allegedly shared, including six files depicting McKeown sexually abusing animals, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLA) reported.

Uthmeier said in the statement:

As a teacher, parents trusted Mr. McKeown to impart knowledge to their children. Instead, he spent parts of the school day sending and receiving child sex abuse material and providing other pedophiles with UBIC Academy students’ personal information. What he did is beyond betrayal — it’s devastating and sick.

The investigation was launched early this month after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which tracks the internet for exploitative content involving minors, Orlando’s Fox 35 reported.

The news outlet also reported authorities believe McKeown used AI technology to create the pornographic images and may have used photos of real children, perhaps his own students. The investigation is continuing.

Detectives seized a number of devices from the teacher’s home in Holly Hill and from the school. He was booked into the Volusia County jail and a judge denied him the possibility of bond.

If convicted, he faces up to 315 years in prison, officials said.

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