Category: Florida

University of Tampa Students Excited by Motorcade, Not So Much by Biden

TAMPA—A visit to a university by a Democratic president who espouses a slate of progressives policies, including student loan debt relief, should—as the stereotype goes—spur a frenzy of starry-eyed support by “woke” youth indoctrinated by leftist ideologues. But when President Joe Biden came to the University of Tampa on Feb. 9—the first stop of a…


Florida Democrats Face Uphill Political Battle Ahead of 2024

News Analysis In the wake of sweeping Republican victories in the Sunshine State in the 2022 midterm elections, Florida Democrats are struggling to maintain political relevance heading into the presidential election in 2024. For decades, Florida was considered to be the largest and most unpredictable swing state in the nation, a state that twice put George…


Cocoa Beach Pier Gets $3.5 Million Rehab With New Restaurants

By Austin Fuller From Orlando Sentinel Cocoa Beach—For Debbie Riddle and Jean Lang, lunch at the Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier is a relaxing part of their vacation from Michigan. “Just being able to go out on the pier and be able to have a meal is something,” said Riddle, 70. “It’s nice just to relax…


Florida State Court System, US, EU Universities Hit by Ransomware Outbreak

LONDON/WASHINGTON—A global ransomware outbreak has scrambled servers belonging to Florida’s Supreme Court and several universities in the United States and Central Europe, according to a Reuters analysis of ransom notes posted online to stricken servers. Those organizations are among more than 3,800 victims of a fast-spreading digital extortion campaign that locked up thousands of servers…


ANALYSIS: Is Florida’s DeSantis Campaigning By Not Campaigning?

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis didn’t make news at his press conference at an Ocala appliance store on Feb. 8. The Republican spoke about tax breaks in his proposed state budget now before the legislature. He’s mentioned all these publicly before, some two or three times: sales-tax exemptions on a wide variety of baby and child-related…


Is Florida’s DeSantis Campaigning by Not Campaigning?

News Analysis Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis didn’t make news at his press conference at an Ocala appliance store on Feb. 8. The Republican spoke about tax breaks in his proposed state budget now before the legislature. He’s mentioned all these publicly before, some two or three times: sales-tax exemptions on a wide variety of baby…


Florida Tops New York for Most Expensive Auto Insurance in Country

Florida has become the most expensive state for automotive insurance—a 15.2 percent increase for 2022—according to a new report by Bankrate. Changes in coverage costs varied by state and by metropolitan area, with Orlando premiums seeing the highest surge of 22.6 percent for the year. At the start of 2022, New York was the only…


DeSantis and Panel Discuss Need for Libel Law Reforms to Protect Everyday Citizens

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hosted a live-streamed roundtable discussion on Feb. 7, aiming at big media companies who, participants said, play fast and loose with the truth, leaving broken lives in their wake. They discussed the 1964 Supreme Court decision of the New York Times v. Sullivan, which made it nearly impossible for a public…


Family Confirms Missing 74-Year-Old Florida Lyft Driver Dead

MIAMI—A South Florida Lyft driver who went missing more than a week ago has died, his daughter confirmed Tuesday. Lindsay DiBetta posted on Facebook that the family would be announcing information on services for her father, Gary Levin, in the next few days. “My dad was truly a one of kind person, if you knew…


Florida Mass Shooting Suspect Killed During Police Pursuit

WINTER HAVEN, Fla.—A man suspected in a mass shooting in central Florida last month was fatally shot by a police officer following a long chase and a carjacking, authorities said. The car driven by Alex Greene, 21, eventually crashed into a business in Winter Haven. That’s a short distance from Lakeland, where 11 people were…