Florida's Latest News

House committee advances TRUMP Act

A 32-member House committee was the first to dig into and advance Monday, by a 24-7 margin reflecting party lines, the Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy Act, the TRUMP Act. Other committees will consider the legislation in the House Monday, with the Senate digging in also.

The bill, from Rep. Lawrence McClure, is wide-ranging, and will cost $509 million in start up costs, with $488 million of that non-recurring. The bill is framed as supportive of President Donald Trump’s vision for illegal immigration reform.

McClure noted the bill “commands everyone in the state to enforce federal immigration law and to protect our borders,” by designating Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson as the Chief Immigration Officer, and creating the office of State Immigration Enforcement.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement would coordinate with the new office, McClure said in response to questions.

Asked why Commissioner Simpson was the pick, McClure said it was because the Attorney General position, expected to be given to DeSantis Chief of Staff James Uthmeier, was vacant.

Ashley Moody ready to advance Donald Trump agenda on ‘influential’ committees

Florida’s newest Senator is ready to hit the ground running and help out the President, she said Sunday.

“It will be an honor to serve on these committees as a voice for Floridians in the U.S. Senate. We have a lot of work ahead to move President Trump’s agenda forward and put America first,” said Ashley Moody Sunday.

Moody, a Republican from Plant City who was in her second term as Attorney General when Gov. Ron DeSantis picked her to replace Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is on five panels, where her previous roles will inform her legislative work.

Her experience as a jurist will surely come into play on the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary.

Meanwhile, her aggressive battles with the former presidential administration will guide her thought process on the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.

Donald Trump doubles down on Jimmy Patronis endorsement

President Donald Trump is signing dozens of consequential executive orders and traveling the country, but he still has his eye on the Congressional race in the Panhandle.

To that end, he’s reiterating his “compete and total endorsement” of CFO Jimmy Patronis for the seat in Florida’s 1st Congressional District, which was most recently held by current television host Matt Gaetz.

Trump posted Saturday to social media that Patronis “is running an incredible Campaign for Congress in Florida’s 1st Congressional District!”

From there, some biography followed:  “A fourth generation Floridian from the beautiful Panhandle, and owner of an iconic seafood restaurant, Jimmy has been a wonderful friend to me, and to MAGA.”

And Trump also outlined issues on which the two men align.

Florida Legislature overrides Gov. DeSantis budget veto in rare rebuke

Florida lawmakers Monday overturned Gov. Ron DeSantis’ veto of about $57 million for the Legislature’s operations, marking a rare act of defiance against a governor who has wielded commanding influence.

The veto override was a first for the Republican-controlled Legislature since DeSantis, a fellow GOP member, was first elected governor in 2018. The Legislature last overturned a governor’s veto in 2010, according to legislative records.

The move came Monday morning as lawmakers also bucked the governor on his immigration agenda, opting to take up their own legislative package, not the bills he backed. There was only one dissenting vote against restoring the funding in the 120-member House and the 40-member Senate.

DeSantis vetoed the legislative funds last summer, cutting about 30% of the Legislature’s operating budget, House Speaker Daniel Perez said. That move occurred despite lawmakers increasing the budget for governor’s office by 70% over the past six years, he said.