All articles tagged with #ron desantis
TPSI admitted to changing responses in a Florida GOP primary poll funded by James Fishback, leaning the results toward Fishback; FiftyPlusOne called it a clear violation of polling standards, adding to a wave of eroding trust in election analytics after recent fake polls in Los Angeles.
Florida’s governor race is set after GOP Rep. Byron Donalds won his primary with strong Trump backing and no endorsement from DeSantis, while former Rep. David Jolly captured the Democratic nomination on a more centrist path and tapped Gwen Graham as running mate, signaling a high-stakes general election that could test Trump’s influence and DeSantis’ waning clout in a ruby-red state.
Former Florida lawmaker and DeSantis ally Michael Caruso, 67, who was appointed Palm Beach County clerk of courts and comptroller, was arrested on multiple charges including lewd molestation and kidnapping for allegedly abusing a young boy on various occasions since Thanksgiving 2024; DeSantis suspended him from office, saying the allegations demand accountability, and Caruso—who is running for reelection and previously served in the Florida House—denies the accusations while the case unfolds.
Florida Republicans are shifting from a high‑tension primary season—marked by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ refusal to endorse a successor and rivals attacking Rep. Byron Donalds—to a push for unity ahead of November, with Trump endorsements uneven and turnout potentially soft as DeSantis and Trump sit out this cycle. The party faces internal disputes and races for open seats, but leadership seeks to pivot toward defeating Democrats and preserving GOP control.
Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Palm Beach County Clerk Mike Caruso after his arrest on multiple child-sex-abuse charges, following an FDLE investigation and reporting of past allegations against him.
Florida’s governor and congressional primaries are a critical gauge of former President Donald Trump’s influence in the state he has long touted as a GOP stronghold, with DeSantis’ ongoing prominence and the broader national political climate shaping the contest.
Three inmates—Anthony Darrell Hines (Tennessee), Jeremy Williams (Alabama) and Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez (Oklahoma)—are slated for execution on Thursday, signaling a rise in U.S. capital punishment as Florida drives much of the surge under Gov. Ron DeSantis; the trend comes amid waning public support for the death penalty and a drop in the number of death sentences nationwide.
Florida executed two inmates on July 28—the state's first double execution in more than 60 years—killing James Duckett, 68, for the 1987 murder of 11-year-old Teresa McAbee, and Dominick Occhicone, 80, for the 1986 killings of his ex-fiancée’s parents. The executions underscore Gov. Ron DeSantis’s aggressive push to expand the death penalty, with Florida accounting for a large share of U.S. executions this year; critics say the moves are politically motivated and point to DNA issues in Duckett’s case while Occhicone’s victims’ family expressed relief and closure.
In a 2-1 decision, the 11th Circuit held Florida's Stop WOKE Act violates the First Amendment by restricting how race- and gender-related topics are taught in colleges, reinforcing the prior ruling that the law censors unpopular ideas in the classroom. A dissent argued the First Amendment does not require the state to endorse every viewpoint. The ruling keeps in place blocks on enforcement as Florida continues its legal battles with FIRE and the ACLU.
Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz detention center—Kristi Noem’s flagship ICE jail project—has been emptied as hundreds of detainees are transferred amid lawsuits alleging inhumane conditions and environmental harm. The makeshift 3,000-bed facility near the Everglades faced political dreams of a replicable detention model, massive costs (projected to top $1 billion by 2027), and ongoing legal challenges, while officials dispute calls to immediately shutter the site as debates over detention policy continue in Washington and Florida.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing a sweeping property-tax overhaul he says would relieve middle-class homeowners while shifting more tax burden onto wealthy out-of-state buyers and luxury-property owners; Democrats criticize the rhetoric as populist and push for a billionaire tax, while Republicans frame the reform as benefiting regular Floridians and leveraging wealth from luxury real estate and tourism.
Florida Republicans led by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier are driving the strongest AI regulation push in red America, including a lawsuit to force safeguards on OpenAI’s ChatGPT. With DeSantis-backed bills stalled in the Legislature, the attorney general seeks stricter controls and parental data protections, while GOP candidates pledge hard-state rules even as a national framework remains uncertain. The effort reflects voter fears about job loss, security, and the impact of AI on communities, and signals Florida’s willingness to act unilaterally if federal action stalls.
President Trump nominated Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez, a frequent DeSantis critic, to be the U.S. ambassador to Brazil. Perez is term-limited and has clashed with DeSantis on immigration, vaccine mandates, and AI regulation, though he helped advance a DeSantis redistricting plan; Senate confirmation is pending. The White House had previously nudged him toward Florida's attorney general post, and Trump also named other Florida nominees to Bulgaria and Trinidad and Tobago.
Miami residents and a Miami Dade College student filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Florida’s transfer of a 2.63‑acre parcel to Trump’s future presidential library — which could include a hotel — breaches the Domestic Emoluments Clause by giving the sitting president a financial benefit. The land, donated by Gov. Ron DeSantis, sits beside the Freedom Tower, and opponents say the site should serve MDC’s student community; the parcel’s assessed value is around $67 million and could fetch hundreds of millions on the market. The Constitutional Accountability Center and a local law firm filed the suit on behalf of the student, nearby residents, and a local nonprofit; the White House did not comment.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signaled support for shuttering the Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention facility in the Everglades after the state spent hundreds of millions building and operating it. He cited discussions with DHS leadership and reimbursement questions, noting federal reimbursement may cover only per-detainee costs, potentially leaving Florida taxpayers on the hook. The move follows years of promotion of the site as a deterrent and signals a possible DHS shift in enforcement strategy, drawing reaction from critics and local officials.