Tag: florida

DeSantis Admits Marijuana Legalization Is Popular With Florida Voters Even Though He Opposes It

The Republican governor of Florida is conceding that “more people probably agreed” with a marijuana legalization ballot initiative he helped defeat last year than sided with his prohibitionist viewpoint—but he argued that it was the “morally right” choice for him to intervene to prevent the sale of “dangerous stuff” in his state.

At an event hosted by the Pennsylvania Family Institute on Saturday, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) talked about his administration’s uphill work to dissuade voters from approving both the cannabis measure as well as a separate reproductive rights initiative during the November 2024. While both initiatives received majority support from voters, they failed to meet the state’s high 60 percent threshold required to enact constitutional amendments.

In the speech, DeSantis claimed that the marijuana proposal, Amendment 3, wouldn’t just have legalized cannabis but also made it a “constitutional right to possess and smoke it, including in public,” while giving one company in particular “a lot of benefits,” seemingly referring to the Smart and Safe Florida campaign’s largest financier Trulieve.

“Somehow you got people that are going to spend a lot of money to basically make us California through the back door with these initiatives and these amendments,” DeSantis said. “The marijuana people spent $150 million on this. The abortion people spent $130 million. So we had to contend with $280 million of spending on very misleading language—and, let’s just be honest, they were pushing issues in which probably more people agreed with them than agreed with me or agreed with us.”

“Marijuana was somewhat popular,” the governor said in comments first reported by Florida Politics. “I didn’t do it to be popular. I did it because it was the right thing to do. So we were having to deal with navigating all this.”

Despite raising money to finance ads opposing the cannabis measure, DeSantis said governors don’t officially “have a role in these amendments.” He faulted “special interest” parties and the state Supreme Court approval of the initiative language that he described as a “mistake.”

“I mean, most people that get elected in my positions like mine, all their advisors say, ‘stay away from this. There’s nothing for you to gain by getting involved in this. All you’re going to do is alienate supporters,’” he said. “And that may be true, but that also wouldn’t be the right thing to do. It wouldn’t be the morally right thing to do. So I was in a position. I had this platform as governor. I had a megaphone. There were things being proposed that would be harmful for my state.”

“In terms of the marijuana, I mean, you can’t function as a state if you smell marijuana everywhere—if these kids are doing it,” DeSantis said. “And this isn’t the marijuana they had in Woodstock. This is really, really dangerous stuff, so it would have been terrible for Florida.”

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Defamatory Newspaper Reporting Against Miami Couple Costs the City a $10M Sports Park Gifted To The Community

Leila and David Centner, from Miami, are in the middle of a legal battle that if won, will hold the mainstream and legacy media accountable for lies, defamation and leaving a city devoid of a true gift.

The Centners are entrepreneurs and philanthropists committed to creating lasting impact. Together, they have contributed millions to charitable initiatives locally and globally, with a strong focus on empowering underserved women and children through sustainable programs in education, housing and job training. Their philanthropic and business efforts are guided by a shared mission; to uplift communities and enhance lives. Today the Centners oversee a diverse portfolio of ventures across sectors including education, hospitality, technology, health and wellness, fitness and retreats.

In September of this year, the Centners filed a defamation lawsuit against The Miami Herald. Before 2020, the Centners had been a celebrated couple for their philanthropic and charitable efforts not only in Miami but abroad. In fact, they had been celebrated by the media as “Miami’s Most Philanthropic Power Couple.” So how did this lawsuit come to be, you might ask?

The Centners allege that The Miami Herald and several of their reporters intentionally misrepresented the facts of a proposed $10 Million donation to the City of Miami for a Sports Park that would benefit the residents and visitors of the city.

In 2018, shortly after Leila and David moved their family to Miami, they co-founded  Centner Academy, a school dedicated to the cultivation of emotional development and the overall well-being of the children. With seasoned teachers and an innovative curriculum that provides a strengths-based approach, the pre-school through high school students are also sent on a learning journey of the arts, mindfulness, entrepreneurship, languages, artificial intelligence, public speaking, and they also offer a robust STEM program.

Leila has been working as the CEO of the Academy, which opened its doors in 2019. Since its opening, the Academy has given out millions of dollars in scholarships and has received numerous awards and accolades as well as being globally recognized for its innovative curriculum.

The Academy had been reserving a neglected city park across the street for recreational sports events during the school year called Biscayne Park due to the proximity to the school. For decades the community had been concerned about the safety of the park, and the Centners also shared those concerns for potential risks to the students and others.

The Centners saw an opportunity to help by offering to revitalize the land into a $10M state-of-the-art recreational facility that would benefit the entire community. This would be a gift of love for David as he wanted to give back to the city that he was raised in, loved and shaped him to the man he is today.

In November of 2022, after addressing all concerns of the community and city commissioners, two agreements were drafted and signed to move forward with the project. The Donation Agreement made clear that the Centners sought to “donate” a “state of the art recreational facility worth no less than ten million dollars” in Biscayne Park, “for the benefit of the city, it’s residents and visitors.” While the License Agreement ensured that the Centner Academy could continue to reserve the park during school hours, the school’s use should be staggered resulting in continuous public access and use of unreserved program areas.

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Convicted Killer Who Was Released 13 YEARS EARLY After Murdering 6-Year-Old Boy ARRESTED Again in Florida Just One Week After Release

A man who murdered a 6-year-old boy was released from prison far ahead of schedule, only to be arrested again in Florida just one week after his release.

The convicted killer, Ronald Exantus, had been serving a 20-year sentence in Kentucky for the 2015 home invasion and slaying of 6-year-old Logan Tipton.

In that brutal and heartbreaking crime, Exantus forced entry into the family’s home, stabbed the child repeatedly while he slept, and also wounded other family members, WKYT reported.

The jury, however, found him not guilty by reason of insanity on the murder charge, and instead convicted him of assault and related charges.

Exantus was granted parole and released after serving only eight years, less than half of his original sentence.

WKYT reported that the Kentucky Department of Corrections overrode the parole board’s recommendation to keep him incarcerated.

The Tipton family was unsurprisingly outraged by both the release and the arrest. Logan’s mother called the decision “a slap in the face,” while his father declared that he would not rest if he ever encountered Exantus again.

Karoline Leavitt wrote on X, “I can confirm the White House is looking into this. It’s wholly unacceptable for a child killer to walk free after just several years in prison.”

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Florida judge wearing $800 Chanel earrings dramatically resigns from bench after ‘abusing victims in courtroom’

A Florida judge accused of abusing her power and mistreating victims in her courtroom has resigned from the bench.

Putnam County Judge Anne Marie Gennusa submitted her resignation on October 3, effective October 31, in a letter to Governor Ron DeSantis, who appointed her to the position in 2023.

The Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) found probable cause that Gennusa violated multiple judicial canons, including those requiring judges to uphold the law, maintain impartiality, and treat people with dignity and courtesy.

According to the JQC’s notice of formal charges, Gennusa exhibited a ‘pattern of abusing [her] contempt authority’ by overstepping her power and improperly detaining people during court proceedings. 

In one case, she ordered a female victim handcuffed, and in another, she jailed a mother of already-traumatized children.

‘Your unwillingness or inability to govern yourself with the dignity, courtesy and patience required by the Code, as well as your casual and illegal use of your contempt power… raise serious questions about your fitness to serve as a judicial officer,’ the JQC wrote in a document signed by Assistant General Counsel Hugh R. Brown.

Gennusa – who posed in her formal headshot wearing $800 pearl Chanel earrings – presided over misdemeanor criminal and criminal traffic cases at the Putnam County Courthouse in Palatka, part of Florida’s Seventh Judicial Circuit, which also covers Volusia, Flagler, and St. Johns counties.

In her resignation letter, Gennusa thanked DeSantis for his trust but said she was leaving to return to private practice – where she spent nearly three decades before joining the bench.

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Florida Court Blocks Police From Using The Smell Of Marijuana Alone To Search Vehicles

A Florida court has ruled that police cannot search a person’s vehicle based only on the smell of marijuana.

The District Court of Appeal of Florida Second District on Wednesday issued an opinion, authored by Judge Nelly Khouzam, overturning a lower court decision that upheld the “plain smell doctrine” that has long permitted cannabis odor to be used as a pretense for vehicle searches.

The policy was challenged in district court after a man had his probation revoked when police pulled over a car he was in, claimed to smell marijuana, forced the occupants to exit the vehicle to conduct a search and discovered cannabis and pills.

But while it might have made sense in the past to use cannabis odor as a pretext for a search when it was strictly prohibited, the state’s laws have “fundamentally” changed, the appellate court said, referencing the legalization of hemp and medical marijuana in Florida.

“For generations, cannabis was illegal in all forms—thereby rendering its distinct odor immediately indicative of criminal activity. But several legislative amendments over the years have fundamentally changed its definition and regulation,” it said. “The cumulative result is that cannabis is now legal to possess in multiple forms, depending on discrete characteristics such as where it was procured or its chemical concentration by weight.”

“We are obligated under well-established constitutional principles to give meaning and effect to the legislature’s significant amendments to cannabis regulation,” the opinion, first reported by News Service of Florida, said.

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Dozens of victims discovered inside Tampa mansion linked to church forced labor scheme

According to newly released court documents, 57 people, including minors, were forced to live and work under harsh conditions, reportedly enduring food and sleep deprivation, threats, and physical abuse.

Despite their lavish setting, victims were discovered to have been made to sleep on floors, kept in a garage, or crammed into rooms with limited access to bathrooms.

The indictment alleges that Michelle Brannon and fellow Kingdom of God Global Church leader David Taylor manipulated followers into working 24-hour shifts in church call centers. The workers were not paid and pressured into relentlessly soliciting donations that generated about $50 million over the last decade.

What they’re saying

One former church employee described the environment as mentally and physically abusive, citing public humiliation and isolation from family and friends.

“I did see David Taylor get aggressive with the staff,” said Leslie Portillo, who lived at the church’s Detroit ministry for several months.

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Traveler found with ‘human remains’ in bag told airport staff they were for ‘rituals’

A Florida traveler caught with suspected human remains told airport staff they were for ‘rituals’, border officials said. 

The horrifying discovery was made at Tampa International Airport as the passenger was declaring 10 cigars. 

Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists said they recovered what appeared to be human remains, including part of a skull inside a foil-wrapped duffel bag. 

They also uncovered a host of illicit items including prohibited plants, even more cigars and a foil-wrapped duffel bag.

When questioned, the traveler said the remains were ‘for rituals’ according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection Director of Field Operations Carlos C. Martel, who posted about the strange discovery last week on X.

He said the items were ‘seized and destroyed’ due to ‘serious health risks.’ 

Martel also took the opportunity to quip about the situation, saying: ‘we never know what baggage may hold, but smugglers should know we’ll always have a bone to pick.’ 

It is unclear where the traveler was going to or coming from or whether they were detained. The case has been handed over to the Department of Homeland Security for investigation.

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RFK Jr. Reveals Fatal Organ Scandal, Takes Action

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the unprecedented decertification of the University of Miami’s organ procurement organization following a federal investigation that uncovered unsafe practices, inadequate staff training, and a fatal error involving a donor heart.

This marks the first time in recent memory that HHS has taken such decisive action against a major organ procurement organization for safety failures. The investigation revealed systemic problems that directly endangered patients’ lives and violated the fundamental trust placed in these organizations.

Kennedy emphasized that this crackdown represents a broader commitment to accountability in healthcare, stating that the federal government will no longer tolerate organizations that show “systemic disregard for the sanctity of life.”

The Miami OPO’s failures are particularly egregious given that organ transplant patients are among the most vulnerable in our healthcare system, relying entirely on these organizations for life-saving procedures.

Broken System Finally Faces Accountability

For years, conservative Americans have watched government agencies fail to hold healthcare organizations accountable for their failures, while bureaucrats collected paychecks and patients suffered.

Kennedy’s decisive action represents the kind of common-sense leadership that puts patient safety above institutional politics and entrenched interests.

The organ procurement system has operated with minimal oversight for too long, creating an environment where preventable deaths occurred while administrators faced no consequences.

This investigation reveals what happens when government agencies prioritize bureaucratic processes over protecting American lives.

The Miami OPO’s inadequate training protocols and unsafe practices represent a fundamental breach of trust with families who donate organs and patients desperately waiting for transplants.

Kennedy’s willingness to take swift, decisive action demonstrates the kind of accountability that was sorely missing during the previous administration’s tenure.

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Florida To Investigate Teachers Found Celebrating Charlie Kirk Assassination

Florida’s Department of Education announced on Sept. 11 that it will look into public school teachers who, on social media, celebrated or justified the assassination of Turning Point USA CEO and founder Charlie Kirk.

Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas sent a letter to school district superintendents telling them that he would be investigating after it was brought to his attention that some educators had posted “despicable comments on social media regarding the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk.”

“These few are not a reflection of the great, high-quality teachers who make up the vast majority of Florida’s educators,” he wrote.

“Nevertheless, I will be conducting an investigation of every educator who engages in this vile, sanctionable behavior.”

Florida’s Department of Education told The Epoch Times in an email that the commissioner was prepared to use all of his power to hold educators responsible if the investigation proves they should not be in a classroom based on their behavior.

That power includes revoking their educator certificate.

“Although educators have First Amendment rights, these rights do not extend without limit into their professional duties,” Kamoutsas said.

“An educator’s personal views that are made public may undermine the trust of the students and families that they serve.”

The commissioner cited Rule 6A-10.081 of the Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.), titled “Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession in Florida,” which holds the state’s certified educators to a set of ethical guidelines.

Kamoutsas said that a teacher could violate that rule if his or her conduct “causes a student or his or her family to feel unwelcome or unwilling to participate in the learning environment.”

He also cited sections of two Florida statutes that authorized the commissioner to discipline and sanction the certificate of an educator who “upon investigation, has been found guilty of personal conduct that seriously reduces that person’s effectiveness as an employee of the district school board.”

“Teachers are held to a higher standard as public servants and must ensure their conduct does not undermine the trust of the students and families they serve,” the commissioner said on X.

“We will hold teachers who choose to make disgusting comments about the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk accountable. Govern yourselves accordingly.”

The official action came after several voices across social media were raised to flag and speak out against people justifying or even cheering the assassination of the conservative influencer.

The social media app BlueSky was required to speak out against some of its users’ comments.

“Glorifying violence or harm violates Bluesky’s Community Guidelines,” the company said. “We review reports and take action on content that celebrates harm against anyone.

“Violence has no place in healthy public discourse, and we’re committed to fostering healthy, open conversations.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis praised Kamoutsas’s actions to hold the state’s teachers accountable.

“Celebrating the assassination of a 31-year-old father of two young kids is disturbing; that teachers would be among those who do so is completely unacceptable,” he said.

Since that announcement, several people began posting screenshots on X of teachers they caught publicly celebrating the assassination, and tagging Florida leaders and the respective school districts.

The Epoch Times reached out to the Foundation of Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), an organization known for defending First Amendment rights on school campuses across the country, to get its take on this move by the Sunshine State.

Senior Program Counsel Stephanie Jablonsky told The Epoch Times in an email on Sept. 12 that while public school teachers retain their First Amendment right to speak as private citizens on matters of public concern, they do not have unlimited protection. However, the actions could be seen as unconstitutional if termination of employment is solely based on the disapproval of a person’s opinion.

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6 more officers fired over handling of domestic violence-fueled triple homicide in South Florida

A South Florida sheriff’s office has fired six more deputies and disciplined 11 others for their handling of the case of Mary Gingles, a woman who investigators say was murdered by her estranged husband after she had warned officers for months that she feared he would kill her. Two officers had previously been dismissed for their role in the case.

An internal investigation found that multiple Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies failed to properly investigate Gingles’ reports of domestic violence perpetrated by her husband, Nathan Gingles, before he allegedly carried out the triple homicide of his wife, her father, David Ponzer, and her neighbor Andrew Ferrin, as the Gingles’ four-year-old daughter begged her father to stop.

Nathan Gingles has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.

The killings – despite Mary Gingles’ repeated pleas for help – have shaken the South Florida community of Tamarac and ignited fresh scrutiny of officers’ failure to use the state’s red flag law to remove firearms from a person deemed a danger to themselves or others.

Following through on threats that Mary Gingles had repeatedly reported, on Feb. 16, 2025, Nathan Gingles fatally shot his father-in-law as he was drinking coffee on the back patio of the family’s home, before chasing Mary down the street and killing her and Ferrin, a neighbor whose home she fled to, according to investigators.

“We had multiple opportunities to protect Mary during the months preceding her death when she alerted us to the domestic violence she was experiencing. The deputies and detectives assigned to investigate these cases failed their training and, ultimately, failed to handle Mary’s repeated cries for help with the urgency required,” Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony said in a statement.

According to an investigation by the Miami Herald, in the year leading up to her murder, Mary Gingles had confided in friends, family and law enforcement officers that she feared her estranged husband would kill her.

He repeatedly violated restraining orders barring him from the family’s home, terrorizing his wife by putting a tracker on her car and leaving a backpack full of supplies like duct tape and zip ties in the garage, the investigation found.

Gingles’ alleged behavior in the months leading up to the killings was consistent with what experts say are known risk factors for further abuse, including deadly violence. More female intimate partners are killed by firearms than by all other means combined, according to a Department of Justice analysis of a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“One of the most crucial steps to prevent lethal violence is to disarm abusers and keep them disarmed,” the Justice Department’s report stated.

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