Latest news with #Tallahassee-based
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal trial alleging illegal racial gerrymandering in Tampa Bay Senate seat concludes
The front of the federal courthouse in Tampa on June 12, 2025 (Photo by Mitch Perry/ Florida Phoenix) A panel of three federal judges is now weighing whether a Tampa Bay state Senate district created in 2022 was the result of illegal racial gerrymandering. A four-day trial over the district concluded on Thursday afternoon and judges must decide whether the constitutional rights of voters in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties were violated when the Legislature created the Senate district in 2022 that crossed from St. Petersburg over the water to Hillsborough County. Florida was sued by three voters who are represented by the ACLU of Florida and the Civil Rights & Racial Justice Clinic at New York University School of Law. The plaintiffs allege that the Legislature's plan to connect Black populations from parts of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties violated their equal-protection rights by unjustifiably packing Black voters into District 16 and removing them from nearby District 18, reducing their influence there. The defendants, Senate President Ben Albritton and Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd, have denied that claim, saying that the maps were lawfully drawn up and previously approved as legally sound by the Florida Supreme Court. But the defense's arguments go beyond refuting the plaintiffs' claims. Indeed the defense went on the offense both before and during the trial to allege that the ACLU of Florida's lead attorney in the case, Nicholas Warren, worked behind the scenes with Democratic House and Senate staffers to try to get a partisan map approved. To bolster that argument, attorneys representing the state called Matthew Isbell to the stand (remotely) on Thursday, their last witness. Isbell is a Tallahassee-based data analyst and consultant who has worked with Democrats and Democratic-affiliated groups over the past decade. Text and direct Twitter messages between Isbell and Warren were displayed to the court showing how both men hoped that the Senate would adopt a map that kept Pinellas County intact and separate from Hillsborough County. Warren drew his own map that kept the two counties separate and introduced it before the redistricting committee in late 2021, without identifying himself as being a staff attorney for the ACLU of Florida. Sen. Ray Rodrigues, who was chair of the Senate Committee on Reapportionment at the time, subsequently sent a memo to all 40 state senators accusing him of violating Senate rules by not disclosing that he was with the ACLU of Florida. Warren testified earlier this week that he drew the map on his own personal time and resources, and that the Senate forms that needed to be completed to appear before the committee did not require an individual to list his employer. Isbell testified on Thursday that he believed that the GOP-majority Legislature's motivation to split the city of St. Petersburg up was motivated by partisan politics, an allegation that attorneys for the Florida Senate president's office have strongly refuted. After Isbell's video appearance concluded, the closing statements began, starting with the plaintiffs. Warren declared that 'race predominated in the drawing of the district.' In terms of direct evidence to back up that statement, Warren played a video clip from a November 2021 committee hearing. The excerpt shows Orange County Democratic Sen. Randolph Bracy asked Senate Committee on Reapportionment staff director Jay Ferrin why the newly proposed Senate District 16 district had to cross from St. Petersburg over into Tampa Bay and Hillsborough County. Ferrin replied that it was to comply with the Fair Districts amendment in the Florida Constitution, specifically the 'Tier 1' standards which provide protections for racial and language minorities. Bracy then asked Ferrin if there was a way to configure the district to comply with the Fair Districts amendment and still keep the two countries separate. Another video exchange showed Pasco County Republican Danny Burgess,telling Bracy that Senate 'staff' had said keeping the counties separate wasn't possible, because it would lead to a 'significant number of voters who would be disenfranchised.' At the time Burgess was the chair of another Senate committee that also dealt with reapportionment. Ferrin agreed with Burgess, saying it would result in a'wide diminishment' that would ultimately disenfranchise Black voters in Pinellas County. Bracy followed up asking how much the Black vote would be diminished by if the counties were to remain separate. Ferrin replied 'close to 30%,'and added that such a reduction 'would constitute diminishment.' That comment, Warren said in his closing, revealed that race placed a major role in why Senate District 16 was created. The defense came back with closing statements from the two attorneys representing their side: Daniel Nordby, who was representing Ben Albritton in his official capacity as president of the Florida Senate, and Mohammad Jazil, who was representing Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd. Nordby said the plaintiffs had to prove that race was a predominant factor in the creation of Senate District 16, but that they fell short. 'Plaintiffs have not come close to doing so,' Nordby said. He emphasized how Ferrin had recognized the constitutional requirements for drawing up districts – which is that districts should be compact, and when possible, utilize existing political and geographic boundaries. Ferrin did, Nordby said, noting that Ferrin used important boundaries such as I-275, the Hillsborough River, and 22nd Avenue North in St. Petersburg, a major artery, when configuring the Senate district. Nordby acknowledged that race was a consideration, because 'it had to be,' noting that to ignore that would be ignoring part of the state constitution. Nordby also dismissed the three alternative maps drawn up for the plaintiffs by Pennsylvania State University professor of statistics Cory McCartan that keep Hillsborough and Pinellas counties separate. And he then addressed the peculiar situation regarding Warren, saying, 'This case is an odd one.' Nordby asserted Warren had essentially 'laundered' his map through the alternative presented during the trial by McCartan. He also questioned why none of the lawmakers that plaintiff attorneys had indicated could be witnesses in the case – Sen. Darryl Rouson, House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell and most notably former Bracy, the 'alleged lynchpin' for the plaintiff's case, never showed up. Bracy was a scheduled witness but failed to appear earlier in the week, much to the disappointment of the ACLU attorneys. When contacted by phone on Tuesday by a representative from the three-judge panel, Bracy said he hadn't seen the subpoena until that very day and said that he had already told plaintiff attorneys that he did not intend to show up. Burgess and Rodrigues cited legislative privilege in declining to appear, according to the court. Representing Byrd,Jazil said all of the proposed Senate maps that the ACLU had presented during the trial were examples of partisan and racial gerrymandering, and cited his text messages to House and Senate staffers involved with the reapportionment process. In response to their closing arguments meanwhile, Daniel Tilley, another attorney with the ACLU of Florida, noted how no lawmaker had testified. Tilley said all of the attention focused on Warren was a 'contrived kerfuffle' that found no evidence to support the idea that members of the Senate were influenced by his map. It was, he surmised, a 'spectacular failure.' During the four-day trial there were hours of detailed descriptions by experts that dealt with how to draw legislative districts that were logically configured and not oddly shaped. The Florida Senate District 16 seat is held by Rouson, who resides in St. Petersburg. Several Tampa-based constituents in the district complained earlier in the trial that he was not as accessible to meet in Hillsborough County, though defense attorneys said he has district offices in the county in Tampa and Brandon. The three-judge panel that will decide the case includes two of them who are Trump appointees. The panel was led by Andrew L. Brasher, who serves in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Accompanying him was U.S. Senior District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell and U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber, both of whom serve on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Brasher and Barber were appointed by Trump during his first term as president in 2019. If they rule in favor of the plaintiffs, their hope would be that the Florida Senate could create and approve a new map of the district in time for the 2026 election. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Ask us anything on Florida's upcoming hurricane season! Join our upcoming Reddit AMA
It's hurricane season once again in Florida! We're hosting an "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) on Reddit to answer questions about preparing for hurricane season 2025. Our team of journalists/weather nerds wants you to be ready and informed. Find us on r/florida to ask us anything. Meet our AMA moderators — Dr. Ryan Truchelut, Anne Geggis, and Antonio Fins — below. Ryan Truchelut (aka WeatherTiger) is a Tallahassee-based meteorologist who partners with the USA TODAY NETWORK to provide expert tropical forecasting during the hurricane season. He's known for his sharp analysis and his witty pop culture references. Most recent forecast: False alarms, beneficial rain and a dusty start to Florida storm season | WeatherTiger Anne Geggis covers statewide insurance issues, bringing more than 30 years of reporting experience to this urgent issue. After starting her career in Vermont following graduation from St. Michael's College there, she's made stops in Daytona Beach, Gainesville and Fort Lauderdale. Anne has covered municipal government, health care and education. Anne is the current president of the Florida Press Club. Don't understand insurance?: Here's what to know to keep a roof over your head Antonio Fins is the politics and growth editor at the Palm Beach Post. His 30-year journalism career includes 16 years as a business writer and opinions editor for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and Florida and Caribbean news correspondent for Business Week magazine. One of Antonio's journalism and personal passions is the environment, especially the oceans and coastal regions. For three years, he guided the research and conservation programs at the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. More: Busier than average is the guidance on what to expect entering the 2025 hurricane season Join us on r/florida on Thursday, June 12, starting at noon ET. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Reddit AMA: Florida hurricane season: Prepare now — ask us anything!
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
New study finds this company most accurate for hurricane predictions. Is it right?
As the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season approaches, it is vitally important for Floridians who are potentially in the line of fire to have the most accurate, up-to-date weather information available. A new study by London-based marketing and analytics firm Kantar suggests that it might come from AccuWeather. Based on forecasts during the 2024 Atlantic season, Kantar determined that "AccuWeather's forecasts are, on average, the most accurate, the best communicated, and overall the most useful for people to make the best decisions to protect life and property." However, other meteorologists pointed out problems with Kantar's report. "The AccuWeather 'study' makes claims about their forecast skill that cannot be falsified, and thus are not scientific," said Dr. Ryan Truchelut, co-founder, president, and chief meteorologist of Tallahassee-based weather forecasting company WeatherTiger. "Without offering a study methodology to scrutinize, there is no way to evaluate the so-called findings in the slide deck, other than to say the document overall reads like something put together by consultants with no background in meteorology, working backwards from a conclusion," Truchelut said in an email. "As Accuweather does not issue detailed track and intensity forecasts to the public each 6 hours as the NHC does, there is no independent means of verifying their forecasts, as the NHC rigorously does after each season." Other critics pointed out that the report seemingly does not include false positives where AccuWeather forecasted system developments that never happened, the study looked at only one year, and it may not have compared apples to apples in the data. "The report is an exercise in marketing and self-aggrandizement, and nothing else," Truchelut said. "Furthermore, it is also in extraordinarily ill taste to attack the NHC now, with NOAA and the NWS suffering continued cuts." The report comes as the Trump administration has made drastic cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which oversees the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Service, among other agencies. More than 550 of the 4,800 weather service employees have been dismissed, retired or accepted incentive offers to step down, leaving many of the forecast offices shorthanded with staff reductions from 20-40% and scrambling to cover staffing and maintain the usual quality and number of measurements. Several offices were forced to end weather balloon launches, which can reduce the agency's ability to predict weather, and CNN reported on May 2 that 30 NWS offices no longer had a lead meteorologist. 'This has never happened before. We've always been an agency that has provided 24/7 service to the American public,' Tom Fahy, legislative director for the National Weather Service Employees Organization, told ABC News. 'The risk is extremely high — if cuts like this continue to the National Weather Service, people will die.' Weather forecasts: Trump cuts leave National Weather Service scrambling to cover vital shifts Project 2025, the conservative roadmap and wishlist from right-wing think tank The Heritage Foundation, calls for NOAA to be broken up due to its position in the "climate change alarm industry" and says the government should charge for National Weather Service data that is currently free. Trump disavowed Project 2025 during his campaign, but many of his initiatives mirror or surpass the project's goals and he has placed some of its writers into administrative positions including key author Russell Vought, now the Trump administration's budget office director. The study concluded, after analyzing coverage of all storms during the 2024 season, that AccuWeather was, on average: 6.2% more accurate than the NHC and other sources for track forecasts 8.9% more accurate for storms that made landfall 8.6% more accurate for landfall location prediction 37.8% more accurate for landfall intensity forecasts 4% more accurate for maximum wind intensity forecasts Kantar said AccuWeather's storm track and intensity forecasts extended 25 hours further into the future than the NHC and all other sources for all 2024 storms, and 31 hours further into the future for those that made U.S. landfall. It also praised AccuWeather's proprietary RealImpact Scale for communicating the potential dangers of hurricanes as compared to the standard Saffir-Simpson Scale, which only measures windspeed. "We are very gratified by these results, which further support our mission of saving lives and protecting property," said AccuWeather Founder and Executive Chairman Dr. Joel N. Myers in a release. "This historic report marks the first time a third-party has verified that another source has been more accurate and more effective in predicting hurricanes and their impacts than NOAA's National Hurricane Center." Not everyone took the report at face value. "With professional respect to my colleagues at AccuWeather, this is a study *paid for* by AccuWeather that uses highly questionable methods and makes a number of false claims," Matthew Cappucci, a meteorologist for the Washington Post, in a series of posts on X. "AccuWeather claims to win 'all landfalling storms,' presumably with a U.S. bias... ...which allows them to completely throw out their absolutely erroneous forecast of a high-end Category 2 slamming into Florida. (It died over the Yucatan as a T.S.)," he said, referring to Tropical Storm Sara, a November 2024 storm that made landfall in Central America. "Case in point," Cappucci said. "AccuWeather wants to make a case that they were right from the beginning with regard to Francine, but then sweep many other forecasts, like that of Sara, under the rug." Dr. Levi Cowan, FSU meteorology grad and owner of forecast site pointed out that the report analyzed forecasts at 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 84 and 108 hours from the issued time. "But @NHC_Atlantic issues forecasts at lead times of 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 96, and 120 hours, making it unclear exactly how this analysis was done," he said in an X post. "Was interpolation of some data to a different set of lead times performed? Was mean absolute error or some other metric used? We don't know, because the report is opaque." In a release, AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said that the important foundational work of the National Hurricane Center should in no way be disregarded. But AccuWeather, unlike most other weather services, uses its own data as well as data from the NHC. "The agency provides a vital life-saving service," he said. "Our work complements this effort and state and local agencies and companies that need the most accurate forecast of hurricane tracks and impacts ranging from storm surge to rain flooding to tornadoes to wind and water damage, we are not discouraging the use of the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service forecasts, but if you want the best and access to expert consulting meteorologists that you can speak to at any time 24/7, AccuWeather is the answer." AccuWeather is predicting the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season could bring: Named storms: 13 to 18 Hurricanes: 7-10 Major hurricanes: 3-5 Direct U.S. impacts: 3-6 NOAA is predicting a 60% chance of an above-normal season, a 30% chance of a near-normal season and a 10% chance for a below-normal season. Forecasters predict: Named storms: 13-19 Hurricanes: 6-10 Major hurricanes: 3-5 Colorado State University meteorologists predict: 17 named storms 9 hurricanes 4 major hurricanes Dr. Ryan Truchelut of WeatherTiger hedged his bets and predicted that the 2025 season has a 50-50 chance of landing in the ranges of: 16-21 tropical storms 7-9 hurricanes 3-4 major hurricanes Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, and Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida contributed to this story. This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Is AccuWeather more accurate than NHC? Critics call study unscientific
USA Today
13-05-2025
- USA Today
2014 FSU shooting victim angry over latest gun violence: 'We only have one life'
2014 FSU shooting victim angry over latest gun violence: 'We only have one life' Ronny Ahmed was one of three people injured in the last FSU shooting at Strozier Library. Show Caption Hide Caption Florida State University vigil for shooting victims draws thousands Thousands of people gathered on the Florida State University campus during a vigil for the shooting victims in Tallahassee, Florida. As 2014 FSU shooting victim Ronny Ahmed tells it, "There's no putting Pandora back in the box." Days after a gunman killed two and injured six on Florida State University's Tallahassee campus, Ahmed said he is skeptical there will be any cure to America's gun violence epidemic. Ahmed, then a 21-year-old biomedical engineering student, was one of three people injured in the last FSU shooting at Strozier Library. He was shot in the spine, resulting in paralysis from the waist down and limited use of his right arm, but eventually returned to FSU to complete his degree. Still, he said, "if my own family had a hard time caring and understanding what I was going through, what hope or chance does the average American have to truly be able to help these kids?" Now he's just angry. "I don't really know what else to feel," he said. 'I just need to play dead': FSU shooting victim recounts horrific ordeal as campus mourns Policymakers have had a decade to reverse the tide of gun violence, yet shootings keep happening, he said. While FSU might not be liable in this latest shooting, somebody is, he said. Ahmed sued FSU over his injuries, which ended in a $1 million settlement. Regarding the most recent victims, Ahmed said he "would just listen to them, more than anything, because no one listened to me when I was in that situation." Shooting suspect: New records show suspected FSU shooter had troubling fascination with hate groups Navigating life in a wheelchair, Ahmed keeps pushing to live a full life. The now 32-year-old is vice president of Life Worth Leading, a Tallahassee-based nonprofit organization that works to improve the lives of veterans, people with disabilities and underserved populations with scuba diving, cycling and therapy animals. Ahmed is working to get enrolled into flight school to get a pilot's license and has dreams of one day attending graduate school. "One of the things I heard so much in that hospital, afterward in the wheelchair, (or) stuck in bed, 'I don't know what to do, I don't know what to say, I don't know how to help you,' " Ahmed said. But he sees this as merely an excuse. "I have, essentially, a third of a working body," he said, and "I still do everything I can to help the people around me, to check on my friends, to ask and care about the people around me." Ahmed said the way these tragedies end is through education and talking with one another. "But ... we don't talk to our kids. We put them in front of iPads and expect them to raise themselves." Now is not the time for "doom scrolling" and "yelling at random strangers online about their political opinions," he added. "We only have one life here, and for some people, it's very short." Local government watchdog reporter Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@ Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.
Politico
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Politico
The fall of the Floridians
Good morning and happy Friday. President DONALD TRUMP seems to have a Florida-sized personnel issue. This week, former Fox News contributor JANETTE NESHEIWAT became the latest Trump appointee to have her nomination pulled. She had been poised to appear before a Senate committee Thursday to answer questions about her qualifications to be the next surgeon general, but scrutiny surfaced about her medical education. Nesheiwat joins a growing list of Floridians who've gotten tripped up in their Trump administration journey: Former Reps. MATT GAETZ, MIKE WALTZ (who has found himself prepping for a new role) and DAVE WELDON, as well as Hillsborough County Sheriff CHAD CHRONISTER. Part of it is a game of odds. So many of Trump's picks have been from Florida, thus naturally the chance that a few Floridians might hit a snag is high. Top Floridians including chief of staff SUSIE WILES, deputy chief of staff JASON BLAIR and Attorney General PAM BONDI are all safely ensconced in the Trump administration. And Secretary of State MARCO RUBIO has done so well that he has taken on numerous other roles. But there is still somewhat of a Sunshine State pattern. Gaetz was the first to go after he couldn't get enough support in the Senate to become attorney general, in part because of investigations into sexual misconduct (which he denied). Trump said he pulled Chronister's nomination to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration because of restrictions on churches that had once been in place in the Tampa area during Covid. Weldon's anti-vaccine comments were too much for many senators in his push to head up the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Waltz is still in the mix, having gotten bumped from his job as national security adviser — but now he has to go through a bruising confirmation process to become the next US ambassador to the United Nations. (Note: His wife, JULIA NESHEIWAT, is Janette Nesheiwat's sister.) Asked about the trend, Miami filmmaker BILLY CORBEN called Floridians 'consummate hustlers' and likened the administration to 'The Apprentice,' adding, 'Florida men and Florida women are going to get hired and fired on a whim.' 'When you roll around in the swamp, you get mud on you,' he quipped. 'This seems to be a case of the best of the worst or even the worst around here. And when in doubt: Just give Marco Rubio another job.' Florida GOP operative JAMIE MILLER says today's partisan environment and narrow Senate majority makes it difficult for nominees to skate by without significant criticism in general. 'It's a rough gauntlet to navigate,' he said. Some of it may also be a culture clash. Miller said Floridians tend to be more 'laissez-faire' and 'brutally honest' — that 'what you see is what you get.' BRETT DOSTER, a Tallahassee-based GOP consultant who worked on former Gov. JEB BUSH's gubernatorial run and as senior adviser in Florida to MITT ROMNEY's 2012 presidential campaign, said he thinks Florida's political style is just too much for many in Washington to handle. 'The Florida freedom fighters brand scares the DC establishment to death,' he said. 'Too conservative and too dismissive of the status quo. Just can't get along with the K Street cocktail circuit.' WHERE'S RON? Gov. DeSantis is doing a roundtable in Jacksonville at 10 a.m. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@ ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... EXECUTION METHODS RECONFIGURED — 'Serial killer Glen Rogers, set to die next week, is claiming that Florida can't execute him using the state's default method, lethal injection, because his rare blood disorder would cause 'needless pain and suffering,'' reports Liv Caputo of The Floridian. But his upcoming execution could be complicated by the passage of a bill 'allowing death row inmates to be executed by firing squad, hanging, or any new method lawmakers can think of — as long as it's not unconstitutional.' SETTLEMENT REACHED — 'Nearly two years after Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell, state officials have agreed to pay $40,000 to settle a civil rights lawsuit filed by one of Worrell's former employees, records obtained by News 6 show,' reports Mike DeForest. — 'Florida GOP divide on taxes, budget could make for long, hot summer at Capitol,' by John Kennedy of USA Today Network — Florida. PENINSULA AND BEYOND FIU PRESIDENT FINALIST — 'Florida International University named former Lt. Gov. and current interim leader Jeanette Nuñez the sole finalist to serve as the school's president Thursday after a weekslong search in which other candidates never were publicly revealed,' reports POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury. 'Nuñez has been leading the Miami school — her alma mater — since February and now will stay on as president for the long haul, as was widely expected when she left the DeSantis administration. FIU's search committee claimed to have produced two finalists alongside Nuñez, both of whom were said to be high-ranking university officials elsewhere who opted to withdraw before becoming public.' SANTA IS COMING TO TOWN — 'Santa Ono sees the potential to make University of Florida the nation's very best public university,' Samuel Dodge reports for MLive. 'Ono announced his intention on May 4 to step down as University of Michigan president to take the same job in Florida. He published a letter Thursday in Inside Higher Education explaining his choice.' 'The May 8 letter 'Why I Chose University of Florida' details Ono's vision to focus his next presidency on instilling an emphasis on merit, ensuring peaceful protest and shifting how to promote diversity.' HOW BUDGETS AND PROPERTY TAXES INTERTWINE — 'Central Florida county budgets have ballooned since 2020, fueled partly by rising property tax collections that have pumped billions more dollars into municipal accounts,' reports Ryan Gillespie of the Orlando Sentinel. 'In Orange County, the annual spending plan grew by $1.7 billion in the last five years, with property tax collections up by about 40 percent, according to an Orlando Sentinel analysis. The four other largest local budgets in Central Florida swelled by at least $100 million in that time period.' NEW MAGISTRATE — 'When South Florida lawyer Detra Shaw-Wilder was nominated last year as a federal judge, her career appeared to be reaching new heights. But her nomination by a Democratic president withered away as Florida's two Republican senators blocked it amid a divisive presidential election campaign,' reports Jay Weaver of the Miami Herald. 'Shaw-Wilder, however, survived the setback and will soon be joining the federal bench as a magistrate judge in the Southern District of Florida.' — 'Daring rescue or political fiction? Caracas mocks U.S. narrative about embassy operation,' reports Antonio Maria Delgado of the Miami Herald. — 'How can a product be imported tariff-free to Miami without entering the U.S.? Welcome to the FTZ,' by WLRN's Tom Hudson. — 'FAMU alumni, community express anger, flex muscle in ongoing presidential search,' by Tarah Jean of the Tallahassee Democrat. — 'Florida political leaders praise selection of first American Pope, Leo XIV,' by Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics. FLORIDA CONNECTION — 'Pope Leo XIV, now the Holy Father of 1.4 billion Roman Catholics, has close ties to Southwest Florida. … His brother, Louis Prevost, lives in Port Charlotte,' reports the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. CAMPAIGN MODE LEADERSHIP BLUE DEETS — The Florida Leadership Blue Gala is set for Saturday, June 21, and its featured speakers include Sen. CORY BOOKER (D-N.J.) — who got plaudits from fellow Democrats for his record-breaking filibuster in April — and Kentucky Gov. ANDY BESHEAR, someone who can speak to winning red states as a Democrat and is exploring a run for president in 2028. The event is taking place at the Seminole Hardrock in Hollywood. (More details.) TOMORROW — Sen. CHRIS MURPHY (D-Conn.) and Rep. MAXWELL FROST (D-Fla.) will host a town-hall meeting in Sarasota — in a district represented by Rep. GREG STEUBE (R-Fla.) — 'as part of a campaign of Democrats holding events in Republican-held congressional districts,' reports Mitch Perry of the Florida Phoenix. 'The Sarasota Democratic Party notes in a statement that Steube voted for a budget resolution earlier this year that could potentially make deep cuts to Medicaid' and said 'If Steube won't meet with his constituents to explain his vote, Murphy and Frost will.'' GOV RACE — 'Among potential GOP candidates for Florida governor in 2026, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds leads First Lady Casey DeSantis by 19 percentage points, 44 percent–25 percent, according to a new statewide poll of registered voters by a conservative Tallahassee-based think tank,' reports Jim Rosica of USA Today Network — Florida. 'CRONY CAPITALISM' — 'Trump is promising that his economic agenda will empower American consumers and unlock growth. One of the GOP's biggest voices is warning that it's an insider's game,' reports POLITICO's Sam Sutton. ''Tariffs open the doors to crony capitalism. The government starts to pick winners and losers,' Citadel founder Ken Griffin told POLITICO at the Beverly Hilton during the Milken Institute's Global Conference. 'I thought that would play out over the course of years. It's terrifying to watch this play out over the course of weeks.'' HEATING UP — 'Orange County Commissioner Mayra Uribe announced her campaign for Orange County Mayor on Thursday,' reports McKenna Schueler of Orlando Weekly. 'Uribe, representing a sprawling district covering neighborhoods south of downtown and in the Curry Ford District, is the third candidate so far to publicly toss her hat into the ring. Her announcement comes after those of Tiffany Moore-Russell, who currently serves as Orange County Clerk, and local tech entrepreneur Christopher Messina, who unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2022.' DATELINE D.C. RIGHT BEFORE HURRICANE SEASON — 'The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency was fired Thursday morning, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation,' reports E&E News by POLITICO's Thomas Frank. 'Cameron Hamilton, FEMA's acting administrator, has told people that he was terminated, leaving the nation's disaster agency without a top official three weeks before the start of the Atlantic hurricane season and as Congress scrutinizes FEMA's proposed budget for fiscal 2026.' A WHOLE NEW GULF — After the House passed a resolution that would rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, Rep. JIMMY PATRONIS invited Trump to his district to do a ribbon-cutting ceremony that would be part of a 'BIG celebration' for the occasion. — 'Florida lawmakers push bipartisan bill to keep Venezuelan immigrants from being deported,' reports Sergio R. Bustos of WLRN. — 'Trump ramps up plans for 2026 World Cup amid friction with neighbors: 'Tensions are a good thing,'' by POLITICO's Sophia Cai, Myah Ward and Tim Röhn. — 'DeSantis wants state control of Everglades restoration. Elon Musk could help him get it,' by NOTUS' Claire Heddles. — 'Gun violence prevention group in Miami loses its federal funding,' by Raisa Habersham of the Miami Herald. TRANSITION TIME — JACKIE LLANOS of the Florida Phoenix will be joining NOTUS as a fellow covering Congress. — Trump nominated JOHN 'JACK' HEEKIN, Sen. RICK SCOTT's deputy chief of staff and general counsel, to be the next U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida, reports Jeff Burlew of the Tallahassee Democrat. ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN GRAND OPENING — Biometric ID company and financial network World launched its first East Coast location in Florida on Thursday. The hub is in the growing Wynwood neighborhood of Miami and lets visitors check out technology that verifies people's 'humanness.' The company is best-known for its Orb devices, which scan people's eyeballs to verify them as human and not a bot. Tools for Humanity Chief Product Officer TIAGO SADA called the Miami location an 'obvious choice' because the 'city has a unique international and cultural footprint' and 'Miami's tech community thriving.' The group provided polling showing that most Floridians want better online verification tools, are concerned about AI-generated misinformation online and want more biometric tools that also protect privacy. BIRTHDAYS: Bill Herrle, NFIB's executive director in Florida … journalist Renzo Downey. … (Saturday) Stephen M. Ross, principal owner of the Miami Dolphins … E.W. Scripps Company reporter Forrest Saunders … USA Today's Zac Anderson … (Sunday) state Rep. John Paul Temple.
