Tag: florida

DeSantis Stirs Pot Again With More Anti-Marijuana Ads Funded By Taxpayers, Including One Linking Cannabis To Domestic Violence

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is facing new allegations of weaponizing state agencies with taxpayer-funded ads to support his campaign to defeat a marijuana legalization initiative that voters will decide on at the ballot next month.

In an ad from the Department of Transportation (DOT), three sheriffs make various claims about the harms of cannabis—including one who suggests that marijuana use is associated with a greater risk of domestic violence, contrary to research on the topic.

“When we make home visits for domestic violence calls, they’re often associated with marijuana use,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.

Duval County Sheriff T.K. Waters said in the PSA, first reported by Seeking Rents, that there are “too many kids going to the ER because of weed gummies and joints laced with fentanyl.”

In one of the only statements from the sheriffs that seems directly relevant to DOT, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said “we see more traffic collisions and fatalities because of driving high.”

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‘Fake’ Donald Trump supporters in Swastika t-shirts get instant karma at Florida MAGA boat parade

A group of ‘fake’ Donald Trump supporters with neo-Nazi flags and shirts were doused with water from angry Republicans during a MAGA boat parade.  

The Trump event kicked off in Jupiter, Florida, on Sunday where Republicans have shown their support for the presidential nominee at the same harbor since 2020.

Videos quickly circulated online of a boat filled with men dressed in swastika t-shirts, but Trump supporters were quick to distance themselves from the group, claiming they were ‘infiltrators’ and accusing them of being ‘dirty Dems doing their usual plants’. 

The racist group were seen waving their hands as they shouted: ‘Heil Trump,’ ‘Make America White Again’ and ‘White Power’.

Though Trump fans were encouraged to attend the celebration, which promised attendees ‘an incredible airshow featuring paratroopers,’ the uninvited neo-Nazis appeared to crash the parade. 

The unidentified men hurled hateful messages about Jewish people and yelled the n-word while Trump and swastika flags swayed back and forth behind them. Some of the wayward individuals held up signs and donned masks on their faces.

The viral clip captured the purported neo-Nazis heckling at a boat in front of them on the water in Palm Beach after the parade began from Jupiter Inlet Bridge. 

The other boat, filled with American and Trump flags, then slowed down as the group of men crept closer to the vessel. 

Seconds later water shot out from behind the first boat and sprayed the inconsiderate hooligans making their boat sway to the right. 

As the water surged through the air, a passenger on the boat ahead screamed: ‘Ha, you f****** p****,’ and flashed his middle finger. 

Trump supporters flocked to the video and commended the others for splashing the men. 

‘I watched this too many times. Nobody hates those a**holes more than trump supporters,’ someone wrote. 

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Florida Senator Sues State Over Anti-Marijuana Ad, Alleging Unconstitutional Use Of Taxpayer Dollars Ahead Of Legalization Vote

A Florida Democratic senator is suing the state for using taxpayer dollars to fund a recent ad that he says unconstitutionally attempts to influence voters to oppose a marijuana legalization initiative that will be on the ballot next month.

Sen. Jason Pizzo (D), who is expected to run for governor in 2026, announced on Friday that he would be seeking an injunction against the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) over the ad, which warns against driving under the influence of cannabis and then makes a contested claim that “DUI crashes increase in states with legalized marijuana, putting everyone at risk.”

Making such an assertion in an ad supported by tax dollars amounts to “political messaging” and therefore represents an unconstitutional use of appropriations authority, the senator says. The campaign behind the Florida legalization initiative has also sent cease and desist letters to 54 TV stations that have aired the public service announcement.

“For years, our state has wasted precious time, and many millions, peddling divisive and unproductive nonsense, while flouting practical solutions for critical needs,” Pizzo said.

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Florida Migrants Receiving Full Medical Care – Gratis

While traveling in an Uber from Hallendale Beach to the Fort Lauderdale airport this week, I was fascinated by a series of phone conversations my driver had during the ride.

The man did not speak much English, but was fluent in Spanish.

I asked him where he was from – he said recently from Venezuela. He was listening to Spanish radio. He was young, late twenties, and in shape, very dark skinned, in good health.

The phone attached to ‘hands free’ mode rang in the car and the man answered. On the other end of the line, was what I would call an adult female, white, and highly educated. She was acting very ‘compassionate’, and you could tell she believed she was virtuous and ‘doing the right thing’.

She obviously worked for some progressive NGO and had been doing what she was doing for this NGO for some time – she seemed ‘experienced’.

She was calling to confirm the man for an appointment in south Florida for magnetic resonance imaging, otherwise known as an MRI.

This is an expensive medical procedure to scan a portion of a body and obtain internal images, to look for medical problems.

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A Florida Judge Blocked a Newspaper from Publishing Video of a Jail Death

A Florida newspaper reports that video of a mentally ill man’s violent death in a county jail contradicts the sheriff office’s narrative of what happened. But the public may never get to see what really happened.

Florida Circuit Judge James R. Baxley ruled last month that the Ocala Gazette could view, but not publish, jailhouse footage of the 2022 death of Scott Whitley, a mentally ill man who died in the Marion County Jail after deputies pepper-sprayed, dogpiled, and tased him. Publishing the footage, Baxley ruled, would raise safety concerns.

The Gazette reported on September 25, after finally being able to view the footage, that Whitley “exhibited no physical violence toward Marion County Jail detention deputies before he was rushed to the floor, restrained and hit with a Taser 27 times over 12 minutes.” Furthermore, “Contrary to initial reports from the sheriff’s office that claimed Whitley refused to comply with guards’ orders, the footage shows the inmate sitting as ordered and, when he sees the guards rush towards him, he raises his hands in defense and pleads ‘no’ and ‘wait’—to no avail.”

The order is the latest development in a two-years-and-running transparency fight over records related to Whitley’s death.

Whitley, 46, was booked into the Marion County Jail on November 16, 2022, on charges of resisting an officer with violence and violating a protective order filed by his elderly parents to remove him from their home because of his deteriorating mental health. He had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was placed on suicide watch in the jail. According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), he was combative during his arrest and continued to be uncooperative and aggressive at the jail.

On November 25, Whitley refused to put his hands through his cell to be handcuffed during a routine cell inspection. Guards sprayed him with pepper foam, and after a few minutes they ordered Whitley to sit on the toilet. When he did, deputies rushed his cell and forced him to the ground.

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Reports of Electric Cars Exploding After Being Exposed to Saltwater from Hurricane Helene

Authorities in Florida have warned that electric cars flooded with salt water from Hurricane Helene have the potential to explode.

The warning comes as saltwater has flooded many streets in Florida after Hurricane Helene caused significant flooding throughout the state.

In a social media post, Pinellas County officials warned, “Electric Vehicles that have been flooded in saltwater can catch fire.”

The warning continued, “If you evacuated and left an electric vehicle or golf cart in your garage or under a building and you are not able to get to it or move it, we want you to let us know.”

The county then posted a video of an electric car that appeared to be impacted by saltwater catching fire in a garage.

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Woman Sues After Being Arrested, Jailed, Tortured with Death-Metal Recordings Over Clerical Paperwork Blunder

Police refused to accept her own identification even though description didn’t match up.

A woman is suing Broward County, Florida, after law enforcement officers there arrested her for something someone else did, refusing to accept her own identification and ignoring the fact that the description of the wanted woman didn’t match.

The Institute for Justice reports the complaint against the county is on behalf of Jennifer Heath Box.

She charges authorities violated her constitutional right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure, as well as due process.

The IJ explained the background:

In December 2022, Jennifer went on a cruise with family members to celebrate the news that her younger brother, Mark, had beat cancer for the second time. After a fun week aboard the Harmony of the Seas, the cruise ship returned to Port Everglades on the morning of Christmas Eve, giving Jennifer enough time to spend Christmas with her three adult children. But when Jennifer scanned her ID to get off the ship, police surrounded her and told her there was a warrant for her arrest for child endangerment out of Harris County, Texas.

The IJ reported the warrant did seek a woman named Jennifer, but it wasn’t this Jennifer. And she documented that her own children already all were adults.

“It was a really scary and confusing experience, because I’ve never had run-ins with law enforcement and I have no criminal record,” she explained. “I couldn’t believe that I could be stopped, arrested, and jailed, just because my name was similar to someone they were looking for.”

She knew the officers were wrong, so she cooperated calmly and provided police with her license and date of birth, as well as information about her children.

It didn’t matter to officers.

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Governor Ron DeSantis: State of Florida Will Conduct Its Own Investigation into Attempted Assassination of President Trump — Aims to Prevent Federal Cover-up

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) announced that the state will launch its own investigation into the shocking assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club.

The decision comes after a close call on Sunday, where Secret Service agents thwarted a potential sniper attack targeting Trump as he played a round of golf at the prestigious Trump International Golf Club.

Trump was targeted by a man wielding an AK-47-style rifle, who was spotted by Secret Service agents from a distance of 300 to 500 yards.

Secret Service agent fired at the suspect, causing him to flee, leaving behind the rifle.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw stated that the suspect, identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, was later apprehended on I-95 in Martin County after a witness captured a photo of his vehicle. Law enforcement discovered an AK-47-style rifle, two backpacks, and a GoPro camera stashed in the bushes.

In the hours following the alarming incident, both authorities and the Trump campaign assured the public that the former president was safe and unharmed.

Governor DeSantis, however, was not content to simply accept the federal investigation as sufficient.

Taking to X, he wrote, “The State of Florida will be conducting its own investigation regarding the attempted assassination at Trump International Golf Club. The people deserve the truth about the would-be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP nominee.”

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Trump was the subject of an apparent assassination attempt at his Florida golf club, the FBI says

Donald Trump was the target Sunday of “what appears to be an attempted assassination” at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, the FBI said, just nine weeks after the Republican presidential nominee survived another attempt on his life. The former president said he was safe and well, and authorities held a man in custody.

U.S. Secret Service agents posted a few holes up from where Trump was playing noticed the muzzle of an AK-style rifle sticking through the shrubbery that lines the course, roughly 400 yards away.

An agent fired and the gunman dropped the rifle and fled in an SUV, leaving the firearm behind along with two backpacks, a scope used for aiming and a GoPro camera, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said. The man was later taken into custody in a neighboring county.

It was the latest jarring moment in a campaign year marked by unprecedented upheaval. On July 13, Trump was shot during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and a bullet grazed his ear. Eight days later, Democratic President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, giving way for Vice President Kamala Harris to become the party’s nominee.

And it was sure to add to the questions about Secret Service protective operations after the agency’s admitted failures in preventing the attempted assassination of Trump this summer.

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Florida Based ‘International Fact Checking Network’ – a Prominent Censorship Group – Is FUNDED BY STATE DEPARTMENT and Operates in US to Silence Independent Media and American Voices

Investigative reporter “Bad Kitty Unleashed” on X released a BOMBSHELL REPORT on the US State Department funding the international censorship group International Fact Checking Network (IFCN).

IFCN, despite being funded by the State Department, operates in the US.

Bad Kitty Unleashed reported:

This is a massive scandal! The State Department, who legally can’t operate in the US, has been funding US fact checking since 2015! Yes, it’s earliest days!

The news orgs that operate under the IFCN flag, such as the Washington Post, do the leg work. Which then results in posts on Facebook etc being labeled and the algorithms throttling the post.

This official International Fact Checking Network is also partnered with Google. Poynter’s IFCN was funded by the CIA linked, State Department’s National Endowment for Democracy and Omidyar grants.

Recall Google initiated the first ever US censorship program and expanded it globally by using the First Draft Consortium. First Draft also worked hand in hand with the IFCN. Poynters Politifact was in the First Draft network.

Here’s more on the recently discovered US government-funded censorship programs.

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