Of Course, He's Smiling...DeSantis Coming Through with Canadian Rx Drugs, Eh.

President Trump’s bestie in Florida is Gov. Ron DeSantis, and what Ron wants, Ron gets.

It seems that everything Gov. DeSantis has asked of his friend and biggest political ally, President Trump comes through in a big way.

DeSantis has been pushing for lower prescription drugs from Canada because U.S. companies have been jacking up the prices, making many drugs unaffordable.

Now it seems as if Christmas came a week early for Floridians as the administration announced that it is on the verge of allowing the drugs to flow in from Oh Canada!

DeSantis keeps winning  CLICK HERE TO READ MORE WINNING

Visit The Floridian

Florida's Water Issue could take center stage in President Trump's reelection bid. Florida is after all the biggest swing state in the country.

“Radical Leftist Enviro Group and Trump Foe Continues to Side with Brian Mast,” OPINION by The Floridian – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is tasked to manage the water flowing in and out of Lake Okeechobee, and as the group continues to plot a path forward and determine Lake Okeechobee’s future water level, a radical George Soros-linked Environmental group that has “proudly” sued the Trump administration 179 times continues to rub shoulders with combat veteran and Republican Congressman Brian Mast (R-FL). Nutrient-filled lake water containing toxic blue-green algae has been causing extensive environmental harm to waterways in Mast’s congressional campaign, so dealing with the Army Corp. about strategically releasing toxic water and maintaining Lake Okeechobee’s water levels. According to a recent story in Southwest Florida’s News-Press, the Center for Biological Diversity, the group that appears to have an attorney on speed to file what seems a daily lawsuit against the Trump administration, is objecting to Lake Okeechobee water levels over health concerns, among others.

Lake Money Cometh

U.S. House of Representatives and Senate appropriators allotting $200 million to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for Everglades restoration as part of their year-end spending deal. Yeah, but Lake 'O' is still a disaster.

More Judicial Appointments

FL Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced five statewide court appointments.

20^th Circuit Court -Shannon McFee

Palm Beach County Court -Sara Shullman & Melanie Surber

Hillsborough County Court - James Moody III & Michael Bagge-Hernandez

Major Announcements Alert >>> DeSantis to make two more "Major Announcements" with his wife, First Lady Casey DeSantis in Gadsen and Calhoun counties.

“House Democrat Rx bill is “dead on arrival” in Senate,” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – Last week, the Democratic-lead House of Representatives passed the Lower Costs Now Act of 2019 along party lines by a vote margin of 230-192. The bill requires that prescription drug prices for Medicare and Medicaid be renegotiated, specifically the maximum prices of certain drugs, but will most likely not see the light of day over in the U.S. Senate. According to the bill, Medicaid and Medicare handlers must negotiate the “maximum prices for (1) insulin products; and (2) at least 25 single source, brand-name drugs that do not have generic competition and that are among the 125 drugs that account for the greatest national spending or the 125 drugs that account for the greatest spending under the Medicare prescription drug benefit and Medicare Advantage (MA).”

“$15 minimum wage amendment makes 2020 Florida ballot,” by the Orlando Sentinel’s Steven Lemongello -Floridians will vote next year on whether to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026, an amendment initiative led by Orlando attorney John Morgan that’s already drawing opposition from Republican leaders and the business community.

The initiative that will be called Amendment 2 made the November ballot after its wording was approved by the Florida Supreme Court in a decision released Thursday.

Court review was the last obstacle to getting the measure on the ballot after Morgan’s Florida For A Fair Wage collected more than 770,000 of the required 766,200 signatures.

The amendment would raise the minimum wage to $10 per hour beginning Sept. 30, 2021, and increase it an additional dollar each year until it reached $15 in 2026. After that, future increases would be adjusted annually for inflation. The current minimum wage of $8.46 is scheduled to increase to $8.56 on Jan. 1. DeSantis attacks $15 minimum wage initiative; Morgan fires back

The proposal already has drawn the ire of business groups such as the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Florida Retail Federation.

“Tax money for stadiums would be eliminated under South Florida lawmaker’s proposal,” News Service of Florida – A South Florida lawmaker will make another attempt to eliminate an unused pool of sales-tax dollars that could help build and maintain professional sports stadiums. Rep. Bryan Avila, R-Miami Springs, has refiled a proposal (HB 6057) for the 2020 legislative session that would repeal a controversial 2014 program that spells out steps for state dollars to become available for stadium funding. The program would make available $13 million a year for work involving professional stadiums or events administered by the Breeders’ Cup Limited and NASCAR. However, amid House opposition, the money has gone unused. No applications were submitted during the annual filing window for the 2020 award cycle, Department of Economic Opportunity spokeswoman Tiffany Vause said in an email Wednesday. That was the second consecutive year no applications were filed.

“Florida prison woes: Not enough staff, rising health care costs and crumbling buildings,” by News Service of Florida’s Ana Cebellos – Tallahassee — When state lawmakers talk about Florida prisons, a trifecta of problems often comes up: short staffing, health care costs and crumbling facilities. Heeding Corrections Secretary Mark Inch’s warning that the “status quo is unsustainable,” Gov. Ron DeSantis has called on the Legislature to put more money into the prison system, primarily to boost pay and retain correctional officers.

But as lawmakers consider the governor’s proposals, Senate President Bill Galvano says he would like to spend more money on aging prison facilities, including addressing a lack of air conditioning. “It’s not a popular thing, so that’s why it doesn’t often get the attention financially that it should,” Galvano said in an interview last week. “But it’s really about the big picture, and it goes hand in hand with some of the criminal justice reforms that are being discussed.” In Florida, one of the warmest states in the nation, 18 of the state’s 50 prisons have air conditioning in housing areas. Others use some form of climate control, including fans or exhaust systems, according to the corrections department.

NAS Pensacola Update

“After Pensacola shooting, Pentagon screening of Saudi military trainees finds no imminent threat,” by Pensacola News Journal’s Tom Vanden Brook – Washington – The Pentagon has found nothing indicating a current threat among Saudi military trainees after scouring government and commercial databases in a search for red flags about religious extremism, officials said Thursday. The expedited screening of more than 850 Saudi students at U.S. bases wasintended to thwart attacks like the Dec. 6 rampage in which a Saudi officer gunned down three others at a Navy base in Florida. The Pentagon is working on plans for more stringent background checks for all foreign military students training in the United States, said Garry Reid, a Defense intelligence official. The review, conducted after the shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola, found nothing that would indicate other Saudi trainees pose a threat, according to a senior Defense official who was not authorized to speak publicly because of the ongoing investigation

“Proposal targets Pensacola shooter ‘loophole,’ by News Service of Florida’s Jim Saunders – Tallahassee --- Three U.S. House members from Florida want to close a “loophole” used by a Saudi national to buy a handgun before he killed three people and injured eight others this month at a Pensacola naval base. A bill spearheaded in the House by Democrats Charlie Crist of St. Petersburg and Val Demings of Orlando and Republican John Rutherford of Jacksonville would address foreign nationals who meet current requirements to buy handguns in the United States. It would require them to petition the U.S. attorney general before being able to buy guns and would lead to more-rigorous background checks. Federal law generally prevents people in the United States on non-immigrant visas from having guns. But an exception allows them to have guns if they have valid hunting licenses.…

 

“House Passes Trump’s USMCA Trade Deal,” by The Floridian’s Mona Salama – The House passed President Trump’s amended North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on Thursday by overwhelming bipartisan support in a bitterly divided Congress. The bill to enact Trump’s United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement or USMCA passed 385-41. 38 Democrats, two Republicans and Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.) voting against the deal. Majority of the 38 Democrats that voted no, including the squad — Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) are mostly those who consider the liberal members of Congress. The two Republicans that voted no were Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie and Florida Rep. Ted Yoho. Yoho, in a statement, explained his reason for the ‘no’ vote, stating the new agreement favors Mexican producers over Florida’s produce farmers. “Our great state of Florida is one of the biggest agriculture partners in the world, and our district benefits tremendously from free trade opportunities with other countries. However, international trade should not come at the expense of American farmers and workers,” Yoho said. “USMCA favors Mexican producers over the hardworking Southeastern farmers. Remedies, after that fact, are too late to address our farmers’ needs now. Without the inclusion of trade remedies in USMCA for Florida’s produce farmers, I cannot, in good conscience, support this agreement.”

“Terror group Boko Haram continues persecuting Christians,” by HISPOLITICA – It’s impossible to know exactly what went through the mind of the 12-year-old boy when he refused to become a child soldier of the terrorist group Boko Haram. When the Boko militants came to his village armed with machetes and axes, he and his mother made a run for it. They weren’t successful. As Boko has done with countless children, they demanded that this 12-year-old join their army as a “child soldier.” He was a Christian; they were Islamic militants. We don’t know if it was his faith that led him to say no, but we do know what happened next. The militants hacked him to death. There will be no Christian burial for this 12-year-old boy. There will be no grave. And his name won’t ring through the ages as a monument to the power of one’s conviction in the face of certain death. He will join the ranks of the tens of thousands of anonymous children who have been killed or conscripted by one of the most vicious terrorist groups to ever grace God’s earth.

“Democrats rail against Trump for deporting Cuban nationals,” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – Florida Democrats are pouncing on the Trump administration over the recent reports that more Cubans have been deported by President Trump than by any of his predecessors. The condemnation of the deportations came swiftly, as Democratic Reps. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and Donna Shalala, as well as State Senator Jose Javier Rodriguez, all express their distaste for the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration policies that have resulted in the widespread deportation of Cuban nationals.

We Are Still Talking Impeachment

“Pelosi, Democrats worse than Pontius Pilate in Trump Impeachment “sham,” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – As the debate over the articles of impeachment of President Trump rages on in the House of Representatives, many, many floor speeches have been made to make or break the Democrats’ case for impeachment. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opened the debate wearing a funereal black dress, setting the tone for what was to follow. As expected, Democrats kept to their talking points for impeachment, as did Republicans in defending the president from what they call a “sham” and “un-American, unconstitutional” impeachment inquiry. The line of argument of the day came from Georgia Congressman Barry Loudermilk (R) when he invoked Jesus Christ and saying that Speaker Pelosi and Reps. Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler were worse than Pontius Pilate.

“Trump will target Mucarsel-Powell, other Florida House Democrats,” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – Hours before the long-anticipated vote to impeach President Donald Trump, the president’s eldest son Eric held a conference call with reporters to update then on the campaign, the rally in Battle Creek, MI, and impeachment, of course. President Trump likes to call out Democrats by name, so we asked Eric Trump if he would like to see his father target House Democrats in Florida who are in congressional seats deemed “vulnerable.” We specifically mentioned Reps. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, Charlie Crist, and Val Demings, all who hold seats that could go either way next November. Except for Rep. Crist, Reps. Demings and Mucarsel-Powell who sit on House Judiciary Committee, have been unapologetic supporters Bottom of Form.Trump said that Florida was a state that they did “very well in” and “clearly a very important state” come 2020.

“Trump gets impeached, but still gets the last laugh,” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – After hours of debate (arguments) over the impeachment of President Trump, Democrats finally had their moment, their career-making or breaking moment when they voted to impeach the president on the two articles of impeachment. Trump held a rally in Battle Creek, Michigan at the same time the vote was happening, laughing at the “sham” of impeachment by telling the thousands of loyal supporters, “it doesn’t really feel like we’re being impeached.” As for the vote, the biggest surprise of the night came from Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D), who voted “present” on both counts of impeachment. Gabbard’s statement for voting “present” not only gutted the Democratic case for bringing forth the two articles of impeachment but echoed the “partisan process” argument Republicans have been making.

“Post impeachment, Scott and Rubio focus on Senate agenda,” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – With the Democratic-led House of Representatives having impeached President Trump, Florida’s congressional delegation all chimed on whether they supported the impeachment of the president or not. It was clear that the vote in the House came down along party lines, so now the measure will go over to the Senate, but with Speaker Nancy Pelosi threatening to hold up the delivery of the articles to the Senate, it is anyone’s guess when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) will be able to address the impeachment trial. Florida’s two U.S. Senators, Rick Scott and Marco Rubio, both responded to the impeachment votes but did it in their own distinct ways.

“Rep. Jeff  Van Drew Confirms Democratic Party Departure,” by The Floridian’s Daniel Molina – New Jersey Rep. Van drew criticism when it was rumored that he would be switching parties for his disapproval of the impeachment effort against President Trump. This week, after a week of speculation, the New Jersey lawmaker confirmed during a meeting with the president that he would in fact be joining the Republican party. Explaining his reason as to why he is switching parties after voting against the impeachment of President Trump, Van Drew commented that “this is just a better fit for me. There were other times in my life when I thought about this.” In response, President Trump praised Van Drew, saying that he is a “tremendous asset to the party.” And, Van Drew simply assured the president, “I’m with you.”Bottom of Form Van Drew has received widespread condemnation from Democrats, and he’s responded by likening the impeachment effort to how “third-world countries operate.” He expressed that “this impeachment is going to do a tremendous amount of harm to the country. It’s really going to create more division, more hardship, more hate, more civil unrest.” And, he added that “it’s going to disfranchise thousands and thousands of people who voted.”

“Trump’s Democratic Support Grows,” by the Floridian’s Daniel Molina – As Democrats get fired up because President Trump was impeached by the Democratic party-controlled House, Republicans are disregarding the impeachment effort as a waste of time and effort. In fact, Republicans are assuring that this will only strengthen the president’s base while also drawing new supporters who don’t agree with impeachment. While President Trump will not be removed from office because the Republican-controlled Senate has not voted to impeach him, Republicans have been rallying to support the President and his reelection campaign. Brad Parscale, the campaign manager for President Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign, took to twitter this week to comment on an “incredible rally… in Battle Creek Michigan!”

President Donald Trump @realDonaldTrump - The reason the Democrats don’t want to submit the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate is that they don’t want corrupt politician Adam Shifty Schiff to testify under oath, nor do they want the Whistleblower, the missing second Whistleblower, the informer, the Bidens, to testify!

Nancy Pelosi @SpeakerPelosi - Whether it is John McCain or John Dingell, clearly the President is uncomfortable with true statesmen. Let’s be clear: cruelty is not wit, and tearing these men down does nothing to lift him up.

 

 

 

 

Rick Scott @SenRickScott -The TRACED Act has officially passed the Senate and heads to the President’s desk! This is great news for all Americans, specifically our seniors & veterans, who are victims of fraudulent robocalls. This bill will increase penalties for those who are caught scamming.

Marco Rubio @marcorubio - Today picked up on a new tactic to pressure people into undertaking a task that is necessary but unpleasant & therefore they would prefer to avoid Refuse to assign them the task they didn’t want! Be aware this tactic is very powerful & should only be employed with great caution

Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell @RepDMP - Honored to highlight a few of the 400+ bills @HouseDemocrats passed this year! We’ve been doing our job working #ForThePeople. In the New Year, I'm hopeful that the Senate will put people over politics & do their job & pass some of these important bills! #DoYourJob @senatemajldr

Ron DeSantis @GovRonDeSantis -With the support from leaders like President @realDonaldTrump and Secretary @BetsyDeVosE, we are working every day to ensure that the many families, educators and students impacted by Hurricane Michael fully recover.

Jimmy Patronis @JimmyPatronis -Big win for Florida firefighters! This is not only legally but also morally the right thing to do. These heroes deserve their benefits and that’s why we’ll stand on their side and support them in this fight. #DoTheRightThing

Commissioner Nikki Fried @NikkiFriedFL - It's deeply disappointing that seasonal protections were not included in this #USMCA legislation. Florida remains committed to continuing our fight through all available channels to protect our vital seasonal produce industry, and to put Florida’s and America’s farmers first.

AG Ashley Moody @AGAshleyMoody - The U.S. Senate passed the TRACED Act and now this important consumer protection legislation heads to the desk of @realDonaldTrump. The Act will give Florida and states across our nation more authority to combat illegal robocalls and protect consumers from scams.

Shevrin Jones @ShevrinJones - This was a GREAT year for Floridians. I am just happy to have a seat at the table to bring change to the people I serve. It’s an honor to be on this list with some pretty amazing people. @nikkifried @RepValDemings @JaneCastor

Anthony Sabatini @AnthonySabatini - The Democrats have again embarrassed our Nation

Senator Lori Berman @loriberman -It’s time for Florida to tap into its unbridled solar power potential by encouraging K-12 schools to #GoSolar. Our students represent the future, and so too does this #RenewableEnergy source.

 

 

 

“Florida man exposes himself to cheerleaders handing out candy canes at middle school deputies say,” by ClickOrlando – Steven Lopez Cortina arrested after incident at Galaxy Middle School in Deltona

DELTONA, Fla. – A 22-year-old Deltona man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of exposing himself in front of two Galaxy Middle School cheerleaders who were handing out candy canes in the school pickup and drop-off loop.

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said Steven Lopez Cortina was arrested two counts of of lewd and lascivious exhibition.

Lopez Cortina was taken into custody at his home without incident following the incident, which happened around 9 a.m. on the school campus, sheriff’s officials said.

Deputies said cheerleaders, 13-year-old girls, were handing out candy canes for the holidays when Lopez Cortina drove up with the passenger-side window down. According to deputies, the girls thought he wanted a candy cane, but then realized he was exposing himself.

The girls immediately notified school staff and Lopez Cortina drove away, officials said.

Lopez Cortina was also charged with violating his probation from a prior case…

“Eustis police captain shooting suspect dead,” by The Daily Commercial’s Frank Stanfield – The suspect, Jayson A. Colvin, 38, was shot and killed by Lake County Sheriff's Office deputies

8:30 p.m. update: During the multi-agency manhunt, Colvin was shot and killed by Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies. The incident is under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

5:30 p.m. update: Eustis Police Department spokesman officer Lauren Brown said the manhunt is still on for shooting suspect Jayson Colvin, but that Capt. Gary Winheim is expected to make a full recovery. Brown also urged the public to call 911 if they come across Colvin, who is considered to be armed and dangerous.

EUSTIS – Police this afternoon are searching for a gunman who shot Eustis Police Capt. Gary Winhem in the Winn-Dixie parking lot on State Road 19.

“He was flown out to ORMC (Orlando Regional Medical Center) and he is stable condition as we speak,” Eustis officer Lauren Brown said at a 3 p.m. press conference.

The suspect is Jayson A. Colvin, 38, and he’s still at-large and considered to be armed and dangerous. Colvin is believed to be driving a dark SUV, at least he was when the shooting occurred at 12:15 p.m., Brown said.

Police from several area cities, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Highway Patrol were out in force in the Umatilla area this afternoon.