Florida's Latest News

At Tiger Bay, Dave Aronberg slams socialist influence in Democratic Party

Dave Aronberg, formerly a state lawmaker and Palm Beach County's top elected prosecutor, is the latest Democrat distancing himself from the more extreme left wing of his party.

Aronberg was the guest speaker at the Sept. 9 meeting of the Capital Tiger Bay Club, a nonpartisan forum in Tallahassee that brings together business, political, and community leaders for discussions of public affairs and current issues.

The tie-in for Aronberg's appearance was his book, “Fighting the Florida Shuffle,” an account of how he took on pill mills and rogue sober homes during his 12 years as state attorney of the 15th Judicial Circuit.

But Aronberg – a state senator in 2002-10 – also explained why he was still a Democrat after being challenged by Barney Bishop, a former executive director of the Florida Democratic Party who is now a card-carrying Republican.

“If you want to know why I’m still a Democrat, it’s because the extremists have not taken over the party yet.”

At one point, seeing Republican Party of Florida chair Evan Power and executive director Bill Helmich in the audience, Aronberg said, "Evan and Bill are going to have a field day when Mamdani gets elected because he’ll be seen as a titular leader of the Democratic Party, but he will be a stain on the Democratic Party. He’s a socialist and an antisemite.” Aronberg is Jewish.

“The Democrats need to be very careful. You’re either going to follow the Bernie Sanders model or you’re going to win elections. That’s the choice,” Aronberg said.

Ashley Moody calls for stepped-up social media regulations amid Congressional hearings on Meta

U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody added her voice Tuesday to rising criticism of online social media platforms posing threats to children as the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee was about to begin hearings on the issue.

“We are the first generation of parents who are trying to protect our children from perpetrators and dangers, and we can’t do that anymore by locking our front door,” Moody said. “We have been kept in the dark. How in the world can you protect your children when you don’t know what those dangers are?”

Moody participated in a bipartisan news conference before the Judiciary Committee began hearings into claims that Meta, which owns Facebook, was not doing anything to shield children from sexually explicit material and predatory activity. Accusations stemmed from employees at Facebook who leaked information.

Senators at the news conference renewed calls to finalize approval of what’s been dubbed the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which was originally proposed three years ago but has yet to get approval in the U.S. House of Representatives after the Senate gave its approval in 2024.

State sets Sept. 12 as first day hopeful hunters can apply for Florida black bear hunt

Bear hunters, your first chance to get in line for a Florida black bear hunting permit is 10 a.m. Sept. 12.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, or FWC, said in a press release Sept. 9 that hunters may apply for permits through 11:59 p.m. Sept. 22 for the December hunt.

"Permits will be distributed by random drawing," the press release says. "Only one nontransferable permit may be issued per person, and permits will cost $100 for residents and $300 for nonresidents, plus handling fees."

State Judge Ed Artau elevated to South Florida’s federal bench in Senate vote

Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article312022116.html#storylink=cpy

The Leon County School Board is ready to approve its $647 million spending plan for the 2025-26 school year with millions in new tax dollars, despite a drop in the current property tax rate.

The new budget, which Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna declared "balanced," is a $19 million decrease from last year's $666 million.

The final budget hearing will be held Sept. 9 at 6 p.m., in the Aquilina Howell building, 3955 W. Pensacola St. Members of the public are encouraged to attend.

Initially, the tentative budget was unanimously approved by the school board at its July 30 meeting following a public hearing. No members of the public have attended previous public hearings to speak about the budget.

Despite Hanna's initial alarm of a "financial crisis" for the schools, the board didn't raise its property tax rate.