Businessman Dan Franzese added another $330,000 to his mostly self-stuffed campaign coffers last quarter to place first among five Republican candidates seeking the party nod in Florida’s 22nd Congressional District. That included $231,000 from his bank account, which brought his self-loan total to $1.6 million since he filed in April 2023 to again run to unseat U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel. By the end of the first quarter of 2024, he had $235,500 left to spend. Frankel, meanwhile, raised $264,000 last quarter and, after a healthy round of spending, had close to $1.4 million remaining to fend off on ..read more

Florida’s Governor is recognizing the life and legacy of one of his predecessors. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that flags will be at half-staff from sunrise April 18 through the sunset of the date of former Senator and Governor Bob Graham’s interment “at all local and state buildings, installations, and grounds throughout the State of Florida.” The memorandum from the Governor’s Office recognizes that Graham “championed economic advancement and public education, with an emphasis on civics for Florida’s children, and made historic achievements in conserving Florida’s natural resources” as G ..read more

Eight people got sick or hurt on Disney World rides during the first quarter of 2024, according to a new state report. Some fell down, while others passed out or had a seizure. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services releases the report every three months. Disney and the other major Florida theme parks are required to self-disclose ride injuries where guests were hospitalized for at least 24 hours. The latest report covers injuries from January through March. Disney World’s eight reported incidents are a minuscule number compared to the millions of visitors who go to the th ..read more

West Palm Beach Republican Andrew Gutmann boasted the strongest fundraising quarter of any challenger to Democratic U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel. He closed the period with nearly double the cash on hand of closest GOP rival Dan Franzese. But Frankel, first elected in 2016, still sits on nearly $1.4 million in cash, and likely won’t face a Democratic Primary. Gutmann, who has argued that the heavily Jewish district could be competitive this cycle, added more than $186,000 to his war chest between the start of the year and the end of March. “I am very proud of our team and what we have done thus far ..read more

The Joe Biden administration’s direct-flight parole-and-release program was created to mitigate the challenges of illegal border crossings by facilitating an alternative entry of ineligible individuals directly into the U.S. However, this initiative has effectively led to an open border policy, unleashing numerous challenges and hardships on communities throughout Florida. In effect, the administration’s short-sighted policies have led to the creation of border cities throughout the country, leading to rising crime, increased homelessness, and a greater strain on public safety personnel and pu ..read more

Florida has a long history of transparency and openness in government dating back to Gov. Reubin Askew’s administration nearly 50 years ago. We call it “Government in the Sunshine.” Few states have public meetings to negotiate every jot and tittle of the budgeting process, with “offers,” as we call them, passed back and forth between the House and the Senate during the legislative budget-making process. This extreme transparency is precisely why it was strange to discover that the 2024-2025 Florida budget, which has not yet been sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis for action, contains a secret “study” a ..read more

When April 15th, Tax Day, is done many breathe a sigh of relief. But, for those who file with the IRS’s new “e-file” system could be the beginning of their tax trouble. The IRS’s new Direct File Program is supposed to allow taxpayers to file their federal taxes directly with the IRS and save money on TurboTax or other online third-party tax filing systems. Florida was even chosen as one of the states for the IRS to pilot this program. But don’t believe the hype. Research shows that 75% of Americans use free tax software such as TurboTax to file taxes while just about 22% hire a CPA to file for ..read more

The Florida Democratic Party (FDP) has announced a recruitment effort to field candidates for every state and federal legislative office in Florida. Up until now, any attempt to run a full slate on candidates had been championed by grassroots activists. Billboard campaigns seeking candidates to run just rolled out in Polk, Madison, Miami-Dade and Seminole counties, where the state party is making a targeted candidate recruitment. “You’re already a leader. Run for office,” the large signs read. “There are 27 uncontested House seats with no Democrat running and it is up to us to change that,” sa ..read more

Big changes are coming to the leadership of Jacksonville’s utility and public school system, and right now there are more questions than answers about the way forward. The big news of the week: CEO Jay Stowe is leaving JEA. He stepped down from leadership Monday to be replaced by interim CEO Vickie Cavey. Stowe opened his remarks by stressing that his departure doesn’t mean that “JEA is for sale,” before thanking employees and acknowledging the labor union’s “courtesy and respect,” then describing the “honor” of serving as JEA’s leader in recent years and accomplishments, such as the “lowest c ..read more

In a move that some have called “egregious,” Florida since January has dropped more than 22,000 children from a subsidized health insurance program for failing to pay premiums despite the federal government saying it cannot. State data shows that 6,780 children were disenrolled from the Florida Kidcare program on Jan. 1, which, according to the federal government, is when a 12-month eligibility requirement went into effect for children enrolled in the Medicaid or the state children’s health insurance program (CHIP), which in Florida is called Florida KidCare. That was followed by another 5,147 ..read more