Tag: florida

OUTRAGEOUS: Florida House Democrats Oppose Bill Honoring TPUSA Founder Charlie Kirk — Insist He Was “Not Assassinated,” but Died from “Gun Violence”

The radical Left’s hatred for conservative heroes apparently follows them even to the grave.

In a disgusting display of partisan spite, Florida House Democrats spent Wednesday afternoon attempting to block a bill that would honor the late Turning Point USA founder and conservative icon Charlie Kirk.

Despite Kirk being gunned down in cold blood while exercising his First Amendment rights at a rally in Utah last September, Florida Democrats took to the floor to argue that the man who inspired millions of young patriots was “mediocre” and, wait for it, was not actually “assassinated.”

Instead, these radical lawmakers insisted that the targeted political killing of a prominent conservative leader should merely be classified as “gun violence.”

The bill, HB 125, which designates October 14 as “Charlie Kirk Day of Remembrance,” was sponsored by Rep. Yvette Benarroch (R-Marco Island).

Benarroch described the bill as a tribute to a man who “encouraged a generation to read the Constitution and love this great country.”

The measure cleared the chamber by a vote of 82–31, with nearly all opposition coming from Democrats.

But during committee deliberations, Florida House Democrats took issue with language describing Kirk’s death as an assassination, instead insisting it should be categorized more broadly as an act of “gun violence.”

Democrat State Rep. Ashley Viola Gantt openly objected to the bill’s wording.

Rep. Ashley Viola Gantt:
“We want to talk about the exercise of free speech. Let’s ball.

The First Amendment protects free speech. We don’t need this day of remembrance for a man who was mediocre and racist—I say mediocre at best. He was not a Floridian. He had no ties to Florida other than owning property. We have a number of Floridians—both individuals and organizations—that promote free speech that is not divisive like this individual was.

If we want to talk about free speech, let’s talk about being precise with our words. When we hear “assassination,” that’s typically related to a person in a political position. Charlie Kirk died from gun violence. We continuously advocate for gun policy—legislation that would ensure that people who probably shouldn’t have a gun don’t have a gun.

Was his passing tragic for those who loved him? Absolutely. There is no denying that. But he was not assassinated, and words being accurate matters. It was a death by gun violence. That is an issue here in the country that we should all be on the same page about addressing.

And if we want to talk about free speech, a lot of people say, “That was some white-on-white crime.” Why aren’t we addressing it in that regard? What are we doing about white-on-white crime? So, Charlie Kirk was not someone whom children in the state of Florida should be subjected to honoring.”

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Three Mexican Citizens charged with trafficking agricultural workers into servitude on farms in Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida

Three Mexican citizens have been indicted on federal charges for allegedly running a human trafficking ring that lured agricultural workers from Mexico into forced labor on farms across Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida.

A 35-count indictment, unsealed Friday, alleges that Martha Zeferino Jose, 42; her son, Jeremy Zeferino Jose, 23; and her partner, Jose Rodriguez Munoz, used a farm labor contracting company to exploit the H-2A visa program for financial gain, according to the Department of Justice, or DOJ.

Federal prosecutors say the group recruited workers with promises of legitimate employment through their company, Las Princesas Corporation. Instead, the defendants allegedly charged the workers illegal recruitment fees, saddling them with debt before they even arrived in the U.S.

“These individuals have been indicted for luring vulnerable workers with promises of legitimate employment, only to then confiscate their identity documents and force them to labor in inhumane conditions,” Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said.

According to court documents, once the workers arrived, the defendants seized their passports and visas to prevent them from leaving. The workers were then allegedly forced to labor for long hours without adequate breaks or access to water while being housed in “crowded, unsanitary” residences that lacked heat, air conditioning, and hot water.

The indictment further alleges the following:

  • Climate of Fear: The defendants allegedly prohibited workers from leaving their residences alone or speaking to outsiders, threatening them with deportation if they complained.
  • Visa Fraud: Martha Zeferino Jose allegedly submitted fraudulent applications to the government, falsely certifying that she would comply with labor laws she intended to ignore.
  • Obstruction of Justice: When the Department of Labor began an investigation, the defendants allegedly returned confiscated documents just before investigators arrived and ordered workers to lie to federal agents.

U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle for the Eastern District of North Carolina vowed to “find and eradicate any illegal immigration” and abuse of the system within the district.

The defendants face multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit forced labor and alien harboring for financial gain. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of forced labor.

Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General investigated the case.

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Florida Attorney General Announces ARREST of Convicted Felon Commutted by Biden Autopen — Now Faces STATE CHARGES

In a stunning blowback to Joe Biden’s controversial clemency spree, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Monday that career criminal Oscar Freemond Fowler III has been taken back into custody to face new state charges, months after his 12-plus-year federal sentence was commuted by the Biden administration using the autopen.

Fowler had been serving a 12-year-and-6-month federal sentence after pleading guilty in 2024 to:

  • Felon in possession of a firearm
  • Possession with intent to distribute cocaine

Federal prosecutors had reportedly pushed for at least 150 months behind bars, citing his extensive criminal history and warning that he posed an ongoing public safety risk.

DOJ wrote at the time:

According to court records, in October 2023, officers from the St. Petersburg Police Department and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executed a search warrant at Fowler’s residence. During their search, they located cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana. On the floor next to Fowler’s bed, agents located a loaded 9mm pistol that contained an extended magazine and 29 rounds of ammunition. At the time, Fowler had multiple prior felony convictions including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, aggravated assault, and conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine. Therefore, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

“This is another example of how the ongoing collaboration with our state and federal partners assisted us in removing a dangerous felon and reducing gun violence in our community,” said Anthony Holloway, St. Petersburg Chief of Police.

“This is a major victory for the St. Pete community,” said ATF Tampa Field Division’s Special Agent in Charge Kirk Howard. “We’re proud to have contributed to putting this notorious and violent triggerpuller in federal prison for a long time.”

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David P. Sullivan.

Despite those warnings, Fowler was included in a January 17, 2025 executive grant of clemency that commuted the sentences of more than 2,500 federal inmates.

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Mar-a-Lago shotgun-wielding madman ID’d as Austin Tucker Martin, a North Carolina golf course artist

The crazed gunman who was shot dead after trying to enter Mar-a-Lago with a shotgun and a gas can has been identified as a North Carolina artist who was reported missing by his mom.

Austin Tucker Martin, 21, of Cameron, North Carolina, was killed by law enforcement in the early hours of Sunday morning, law enforcement sources told The Post.

He was reported missing by his family to authorities on Saturday.

Officials are still investigating whether he bought the gun en route to Florida.

Trump was not at Mar-a-Lago at the time; he was at the White House. On Saturday night, he and first lady Melania hosted the Governors’ Dinner, which Democratic governors appear to have boycotted.

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Fixated On Epstein Files Week Before Shooting

The armed man shot and killed by Secret Service agents outside President Donald Trump‘s Mar-a-Lago property Sunday had grown increasingly obsessed with the Epstein files and was also a vocal supporter of Trump … TMZ has learned.

Austin Tucker Martin sent a text message, obtained by TMZ, to a co-worker on February 15, 2026, that read, “I don’t know if you read up on the Epstein Files, but evil is real and unmistakable.” He continued, “The best people like you and I can do is use what little influence we have. Tell other people about what you hear about the Epstein files and what the government is doing about it. Raise awareness.”

Sources who worked with Austin at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in North Carolina tell TMZ … he became fixated on Epstein following the latest release of information tied to the files. Co-workers tell us he was deeply disturbed by what he believed was a government cover-up and often talked about powerful people “getting away with it.”

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Armed man shot and killed after ‘unauthorized entry’ into Mar-a-Lago: Secret Service

A man in his early 20s was shot and killed early Sunday after allegedly breaching the secure perimeter of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, FLorida, the U.S. Secret Service announced.

The Secret Service said the incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. when the suspect made an “unauthorized entry” at the property.

The individual was observed near the north gate carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can.

Agents and a deputy from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office confronted the man who was pronounced dead at the scene. 

No Secret Service or Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office personnel were injured, and no Secret Service protectees were present at the property at the time, officials said.

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DOJ Moves to Strip U.S. Citizenship From Former North Miami Mayor Over Immigration Fraud

The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida have filed a civil denaturalization complaint in the U.S. District Court in Miami, against Phillipe Bien-Amie, also known as Jean Philippe Janvier, a native of Haiti who used two identities to procure immigration benefits — and eventually acquire U.S. citizenship — after illegally entering the U.S.

Before he became a U.S. citizen under the name Philippe Bien-Aime, the defendant used a fraudulent, “photo-switched” passport to enter the U.S. under the name Jean Philippe Janvier. In 2001, Bien-Aime was placed in removal proceedings and ordered removed under the Janvier identity. 

He appealed the removal order, but he withdrew the appeal, representing that he had returned to live in Haiti. In reality, Bien-Aime remained in the U.S. and, using the new name and date of birth, married a U.S. citizen to obtain permanent resident status. The marriage was fraudulent and invalid because he was already married to a Haitian citizen. After making numerous false and fraudulent statements in adjustment and naturalization proceedings, he was naturalized in 2006 under the Bien-Aime identity.   

The man served as the mayor of North Miami. 

“This Administration will not permit fraudsters and tricksters who cheat their way to the gift of U.S. citizenship,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The passage of time does not diminish blatant immigration fraud.”

The complaint, filed on Feb. 18, alleges that Bien-Aime illegally procured naturalization for several reasons. 

First, he was subject to a final removal order, which disqualified him from naturalization and precluded the former Immigration and Naturalization Service from considering his application for permanent resident status. Second, the removal order prohibited U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from considering his naturalization application and granting U.S. citizenship. 

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Florida, Texas Executives Get 20 Years for $233M Affordable Care Act Fraud Scheme

Two executives were each sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted for a years-long scheme to steal from the Affordable Care Act program.

The defendants — the president of an insurance brokerage firm and the CEO of a marketing company — preyed on tens of thousands of vulnerable consumers to improperly enroll them into fully subsidized ACA plans, for which the defendants earned millions of dollars in commission payments from insurance companies.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Cory Lloyd, 47, of Stuart, Florida, and Steven Strong, 43, of Mansfield, Texas, engaged in an extensive fraud scheme that sought over $233 million in fraudulent ACA plan subsidies for which the federal government paid at least $180 million. 

“Preying upon medically compromised consumers to rob hundreds of millions from taxpayer-funded programs is evil and unforgivable,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Fraud schemes like this rob citizens and shake faith in our institutions — today’s sentencing is the latest example of this DOJ’s commitment to fighting fraud nationwide.”

As proven at trial, Lloyd and Strong targeted vulnerable, low-income individuals experiencing homelessness, unemployment, and mental health and substance abuse disorders, and, through “street marketers” working on their behalf, sometimes offered bribes to induce those individuals to enroll in subsidized ACA plans. 

“These defendants didn’t just commit fraud; they built a business model around exploiting people at their most vulnerable,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “They targeted vulnerable individuals in the community, manipulated federal health programs for profit, and put victims at risk of losing critical medical care so they could cash in. Stealing hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars while endangering lives is as callous as it gets. The FBI and our partners will continue to track down and hold accountable anyone who treats vulnerable Americans as a payday.”

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Outrage After Florida Teachers Union Says Children Protesting ICE is ‘Required’

It is hard to see public education in America as anything more than indoctrination factories.  The latest efforts to push a far-left agenda are unfolding in anti-ICE rhetoric and demonstrations taking place at schools across the country, spurred on by teachers and administrators.

Now, remarks by Zander Moricz, Executive Director and Founder of the Social Equity and Education (SEE) Alliance at a February 2026 press conference hosted by the Florida Education Association (FEA), Zander Moricz, Executive Director and Founder of the Social Equity and Education (SEE) Alliance, are making headlines.

Moricz suggests that children protesting ICE is ‘required.’

Moricz stated, “Florida students are confronted with videos of ICE rates, of families being torn apart, and of Americans being murdered for using their constitutional rights. They respond. They organize, they speak out, and they do what American students have always done in moments of injustice.”

“They stand together and demand safety for their peers, their families, and themselves. And that response, while framed by some politicians as radical, is rather than reasonable.”

“It’s rational, and in a moment it is required.”

“To any students being told that they do not have the right to speak out or walk out on their campus, I want to be clear. This is the United States of America. You do not shed your First Amendment rights when you step foot through the school.”

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Florida Marijuana Campaign Asks Supreme Court To Restore 71,000 Legalization Ballot Signatures State Officials Tossed

The attorney general of Florida and several business and anti-marijuana groups are telling the state Supreme Court to block a cannabis legalization initiative, calling it “fatally flawed” and unconstitutional as advocates work against the clock to qualify the measure for the November ballot.

In a series of briefs submitted to the court on Friday, Attorney General James Uthmeier (R), Drug Free America Foundation, Florida Chamber of Commerce, Florida Legal Foundation, Associated Industries of Florida and a former judge made similar arguments contesting the initiative from Smart and Safe Florida.

The parties generally contend that the proposal is written in a way that’s affirmatively misleading, runs counter to federal law prohibiting cannabis and violates the state’s single subject rule for ballot initiatives.

The attorney general called the measure “fatally flawed,” arguing that it “misleads voters in a way designed to garner greater approval, is flatly invalid under the federal Constitution, and violates the single-subject requirement. The Court should therefore strike the proposed amendment from the ballot.”

Each of those reasons alone, the brief said, “warrants removal from the ballot.”

The attorney general’s office last month asked the state Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of the legalization initiative. The court accepted the request and set a schedule for state officials and the cannabis campaign to file briefs this month. Proponents of the measure have until January 12 to submit response briefs, then the opposition has until January 20 to reply.

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