"House Democrats Pass $1.9 Trillion COVID Relief Bill," by The Floridian's Mona Salama

"Roach’s HB 233 Looks To Cancel ‘Cancel Culture’ in Colleges," by The Floridian's Jim McCool

"Soto Takes Issue With Sloppy Venezuela TPS Story, Fails To Credit Scott And Rubio," by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres

"Murphy Calls Baxley’s SB 90 Banning Drop Boxes “Shameful,” by The Floridian's Daniel Molina

"Rubio Leads In 2022 Midterm Senate Contest, But Not By Much," by The Floridian's Daniel Molina

"Gaetz And Jordan Seek Judiciary Hearing On Conservatorships, Citing ‘Free Britney’ Movement," by The Floridian's Mona Salama

“DeSantis, Florida lawmakers to wield powe rover federal COVID-19 relief” by Tampa Bay Times’ Alex Daugerty and Kirby Wilson – The $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill will send billions of dollars to Florida and its residents, but the state’s Republican governor and Legislature will ultimately have a lot of power over funds that were passed into law by Democrats. The bill, so big its price tag amounts to about 10 percent of the entire U.S. economy, includes a lot of significant policies that will affect millions of Floridians, including an additional $300 per week in unemployment benefits through Sept. 6 and a tax break of up to $10,000 for unemployment benefits. Expanded unemployment benefits in a $900 billion stimulus bill passed in December was set to expire Sunday. And individuals earning $75,000 a year or less will receive a $1,400 stimulus check, with smaller payments for those earning $75,000 to $80,000 per year. Most parents will also receive a child tax credit of $3,000 per year for each child ages 6 through 17 and $3,600 per year for each child under age 6. But the largest fight over the bill from Republicans was on $350 billion in state and local aid. Florida will receive $10.2 billion, cities across the state will receive $1.4 billion, counties will get $4.1 billion and other local governments will get $1.3 billion. A lot of that money, which isn’t allocated for specific purposes, will end up in the hands of GOP elected officials at the state and local levels.

“Florida lawmaker vows to fight against LGBTQ guidelines in Brevard schools” by Fox 35’s Elina Shirazi – Florida State Representative Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, is moving forward with a plan to undo Brevard County public school guidelines for accommodating LGBTQ students. Rep. Fine is co-sponsoring House Bill 241, which "provides parental rights relating to a minor child's education, upbringing, and health care." "We are going to pass laws that do the right things since the local politicians won’t solve it. I think we will pass laws that say bureaucrats don’t come before parents," Fine said. Fine is not the only one upset. Some parents at the latest school board meeting say they are against it. "Girls and boys deserve privacy in their own restroom without overlapping gender. If our K-12 children are still confused, then provide a non-gender specific restroom for those children," said one Brevard parent on Tuesday. The school district said these guidelines were sent out to school staff so that everyone could have a uniform process. "We have had a lot of parents that have had questions, there have been concerns, either about their own children or about the process that is going on in schools. But this is not new, this has been happening for years," said Russell Bruhn, the Brevard County school board spokesperson.

“Florida Will Soon Lower COVID Vaccine Age Eligibility to 55” by NBC Miami’s Adriana Gomez Licon – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that after the state makes people 60 and older eligible for the COVID vaccine on Monday, it will soon lower the age to 55 and then probably open it up to the rest of the population. The governor said at a news conference in Sumterville, Florida that the process of vaccinating those between 60 and 64 may go quicker than expected because of the increase in the weekly supply the state is receiving. He said that each 5-year age group adds nearly 2 million people in population eligible for the vaccine. “It’s all dependent on how we are doing with getting the 60 to 64 (age group). But that will happen relatively soon," DeSantis said. “As we know, a 60-year-old is less at risk than an 80-year-old, but a 60-year-old is more at risk than a 20-year-old. So I think it is important that we are able to get the 60 to 64." DeSantis has faced criticism because some vaccine sites have seen low demand that has prompted administrators to offer the shot to any takers, breaking at random times from the eligibility requirements and then going back to tighter restrictions when demand surges. Hundreds of cars streamed bumper-to-bumper into a Miami vaccination site that appeared to be offering shots to anyone who showed up on Tuesday. The federally supported vaccination site went back to meeting federal and state guidelines on Wednesday, limiting access to people 65 and older, health care workers, teachers, officers and fighters who are 50 or older, and people 16 and older who are extremely vulnerable to the virus and provide a form.

“DeSantis and Florida Cabinet waive fines from COVID-19 restrictions” by Tampa Bay Times’ Lawrence Mower – Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida clemency board announced Wednesday that it would wipe out fines imposed on people or businesses for violating COVID-19-related ordinances. Hours later, DeSantis issued an executive order stating that the waiver applied to fines imposed by local governments from March 1 of last year to Wednesday. Anyone disputing the fines need only refer to the executive order as a defense from paying them, it said. DeSantis’ action Wednesday, which was not on the agenda, appeared to catch people off guard and left local and county officials scratching their heads. It wasn’t clear whether the board had the authority to make such a motion. His action came immediately after approving major changes to the state’s clemency process. Moving at a break-neck pace throughout the meeting, DeSantis said he was making a motion to wipe out “COVID-19 related fines.”

“Florida Hack Exposes Danger to Water Systems” by PEW’s Jenni Bergal – A renegade mouse cursor signaled the danger at the water treatment plant in Oldsmar, Florida. On Feb. 5, a plant operator for the city of about 15,000 on Florida’s west coast saw his cursor being moved around on his computer screen, opening various software functions that control the water being treated. The intruder boosted the level of sodium hydroxide—or lye—in the water supply to 100 times higher than normal. Sodium hydroxide, the main ingredient in liquid drain cleaners, is used to control water acidity and remove metals from drinking water in treatment plants. Lye poisoning can cause burns, vomiting, severe pain and bleeding. After the hacker exited the computer, the operator immediately reduced the sodium hydroxide back to its normal level and then notified his supervisor, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said at a news conference a few days later. Even if it hadn’t been quickly reversed, the system has safeguards and the water would have been checked before it was released, so the public was never at risk, he added. Nevertheless, the Oldsmar breach alarmed state and local officials around the country. “Officials I’ve contacted are nervous. There is great concern,” said Alan Shark, executive director of the Public Technology Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that provides training and other support to local government information technology executives.

“Florida sues to stop Biden’s immigration directives” by Associated Press – The state of Florida is suing President Joe Biden’s administration over new directives that have halted detentions of some immigrants who have served time in prison. Florida’s Attorney General Ashley Moody said on Tuesday that the new guidance has resulted in immigration officials declining to take custody of people who have served sentences for burglary, drug trafficking and other crimes. “Convicted criminals that would have been deported under past administrations, including President Trump, even President Obama, are now walking free in Florida,” Moody said in a video posted on YouTube. “These policy reversals make us less safe.” The complaint seeks to halt new directives issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Feb. 18 that prioritize deporting people who pose national security threats or have been convicted of more serious crimes. Then-President Donald Trump’s administration arrested and removed anyone in the country illegally regardless of criminal history or community ties. Florida’s complaint follows a similar action filed by Arizona last month that Montana joined on Tuesday. That lawsuit was originally filed to stop a 100-day moratorium on deportations, one of Biden’s first actions to undo Trump’s immigration policies. The moratorium was blocked by a federal judge in Texas.

“Florida Sen. Rick Scott implores states to 'reject and return’ stimulus money. Gov. Ron DeSantis wants more.” By Palm Beach Post’s Wendy Rhodes – Florida U.S. Sen. Rick Scott has a message for states and cities poised to receive a collective $360 billion from the American Rescue Act stimulus package: Send it back. Scott's call to to reject money that polls show is popular nationally, even among Republicans, has flared tension between Scott and another Florida GOP leader, Gov. Ron DeSantis. In an open letter to governors and mayors, sent moments after the U.S. House on Wednesday approved the $1.9 trillion bill, Scott called it “massive, wasteful and non-targeted," urging states to follow his lead and send a message to Congress to “quit recklessly spending other people’s money.” “By rejecting and returning any unneeded funds, as well as funds unrelated to COVID-19, you would be taking responsible action to avoid wasting scarce tax dollars,” he wrote. “After all, every dollar in this package is borrowed.” Scott, a former governor of Florida, called his request “simple and common sense,” adding that money slated for state and local governments is “wholly unrelated to responding to the pandemic.” Scott has a history of bucking federal funds. As governor, he refused to allow Florida to accept Obamacare-related money to expand Medicaid health care coverage.

“Florida woman charged with being at US Capitol attack” by Associated Press – Another Florida woman was arrested Tuesday for participating in the January attack on the U.S. Capitol following a rally held by then-President Donald Trump, authorities said. Corinne Lee Montoni, 31, of Lakeland, was charged with tampering or destruction of records and documents, entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, according to federal court records. She appeared Tuesday afternoon in Tampa federal court, where she was released on a $25,000 bond. “We have been in ongoing talks with the Justice Department regarding the government’s allegations,” defense attorney Paul Showalter said in an email. “We stand with Ms. Montoni to help her through this difficult time.” A criminal complaint against Montoni remained sealed Tuesday evening, and prosecutors didn't immediately release details about the case. A mob objecting to the presidential election victory of Democrat Joe Biden broke into the Capitol on Jan. 6 as members of Congress met to certify the results. At least five people, including a Capitol Police officer, died as a result of the violence, and two other officers killed themselves after. More than 300 people have been charged with federal crimes, with at least 20 of them from Florida.

“Florida lawmakers debate political bias on college campuses” by AP News’ Anila Toganathan – Young conservatives fear being ostracized on college campuses, where school officials may be imposing an environment that promotes liberal views while stifling conservative thought, according to Florida Republicans who are spearheading a legislative effort that they argue would protect free speech at the state’s public universities. Florida lawmakers are hardly the first in taking up the fight, which critics say could lead to the amplification of dangerous hate speech. Over the past three years, seven states have enacted measures over free speech on college campuses — not to mention about a dozen states that are currently debating such legislation, according to a database kept by the National Conference of State Legislatures. The proposal wending through the Florida Legislature would require public universities to survey the prevailing political views on their campuses. It would also allow lawmakers to see if students are being presented with opposing ideas on campus. The measure also prevents universities from “shielding” students from differing perspectives even if the broader campus community finds those views to be offensive. It would specifically permit students to record classes when students feel a professor is imposing their political views upon them. The bill cleared a House committee on Wednesday afternoon.

“Trump requests mail-in ballot in Florida” by CNN’s Jim Acosta and Paul LeBlanc – Former President Donald Trump requested a mail-in ballot ahead of a local municipal election in Florida, according to Palm Beach County records, despite his frequent attacks on voting by mail. The records from the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections website show the ballot was mailed on Friday to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, which he made his permanent residence in 2019. Pictures available through Getty Images show Trump was in New York City on Tuesday. CNN has reached out to representatives for Trump for comment. The request marks just the latest instance of Trump voting through the same process he repeatedly sought to discredit throughout the 2020 election without evidence. Trump and then-first lady Melania Trump also requested mail-in ballots for Florida’s primary election in August. In the closing months of his failed reelection bid, Trump claimed that mail-in voting was rife with fraud and an easy target for foreign election interference. Those attacks often took a partisan tinge as Trump had said he believed his party would be hurt by mail-in voting. “With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA,” Trump tweeted in July. “Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???”

“Sabatini Fights Big Tech in Florida with HB-33” by The Floridian’s Jim McCool – Florida State Rep. Anthony Sabatini (R), has had a monstrous week after officially throwing his hat in the ring for the 2022 U.S. Congressional election, promising to ‘Make America First Again!‘ However, this has made it easy to overlook his bill in the Florida House, HB-33 which protects all Floridians from big tech censorship, mainly social media platforms. The bill entitled “Social Media Websites” intends to “authorize” Florida’s attorney general to bring legal action on behalf of website users.” The Floridian reached out to Rep. Sabatini today where he informed us that the bill, “will keep big tech accountable by allowing private citizens to sue big tech when they censor people for their political and religious speech.” Of course, the bill would only apply in the state of Florida. Sabatini then corrected this assertion and clarified, “this would apply to any social media company that enters the stream of commerce in Florida.” HB-33 has just hit its first reading in front of the House a week ago and would take effect on July 1, 2021, if it is signed into law.

“Florida Attorney General Sues Biden Admin Over “Dangerous Immigration Policies”” by The Floridian’s Daniel Molina – Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) announced today that she would be filing legal action to protect Floridian’s from “President Biden’s dangerous immigration policies,” which she argued will jeopardize “the safety of Floridians and immigrant victims.” Moody filed a complaint and a motion for a preliminary injunction against the Biden administration over its directives to suspend the deportations and arrests of certain criminals in the United States that are here illegally. In a statement, Moody argued that “the Biden administration’s reckless policy of refusing to do their jobs and deport criminals, places all those gains and Floridians’ public safety at risk.” She specified that “until President Biden’s inauguration, presidents of both parties detained and deported criminals,” and “this is a radical shift that places Floridians and our law enforcement officers in greater danger, and that is why I filed suit.” In the preliminary injunction, AG Moody notes that “the Florida Department of Corrections reports at least even instances of ICE refusing to take custody of serious criminals upon release from state custody.” The convicts, “a number of whom have already been released, are in the country illegally and served prison sentences for burglary, cocaine trafficking, heroin trafficking, and other crimes.”

"Biden Remains Silent When Asked About Border Crisis As Aides Usher Reporters Away," by The Floridian's Mona Salama

"Psaki Refuses To ‘Put New Labels’ On ‘Challenging’ Crisis At The Border," by The Floridian's Mona Salama

Graham: Trump Can Make Republican Party ‘Stronger’ Or ‘Could Destroy It’” by The Floridian’s Mona Salama – In an interview with Axios on HBO, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) spoke about former President Donald Trump’s influence on the Republican Party, saying he thinks Trump has the power that can make the party “bigger” and “stronger,” or he “could destroy it.” “I mean it’s just this bigger-than-life deal. He could make the Republican Party something that nobody else I know can make it. He can make it bigger. He can make it stronger. He can make it more diverse. And he also could destroy it,” Graham told Axios’ Jonathan Swan. Graham warned that Trump had the power to destroy the Republican Party after the former president took aim at “Republicans in Name Only,” or RINOs, in a keynote remarks late last month at CPAC 2021. “The RINOs that we’re surrounded with will destroy the Republican Party and the American worker and will destroy our country itself. The RINOs, Republican in name only,” Trump said at CPAC. “But the Republican Party is united. The only division is between a handful of Washington, D.C. establishment, political hacks, and everybody else all over the country. I think we have tremendous unity.”

fby The Floridian’s Daniel Molina – At the conclusion of CPAC, questions began to arise regarding potential presidential candidates in the upcoming 2024 general election. President Donald Trump (R) did not rule out a third run at the presidency, but he did confirm that he would be involved in the upcoming 2022 midterm election. Another likely candidate is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R), but he recently confirmed that “it’s too premature” to be thinking about a presidential run. However, another candidate that has been touted as a potential presidential candidate is Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz (R), who has scored his first endorsement in Roger Stone. The veteran political operative recently called Rep. Gaetz “a scrapper” and “a brawler.” In an interview with Steve Malzberg, Stone was asked about being under investigation and whether or not he believes that President Donald Trump will attempt to challenge President Joe Biden (D) in 2024. “As far as whether the president is going to run again, he seems to be teasing that he may, if he does he can count on me,” Stone admitted. He added that he “will be there” for the President should he need him to be.

“DeSantis Not Considering 2024 Presidential Run, Says “It’s Too Premature”” by The Floridian’s Daniel Molina – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) received damning condemnation from the press and Democrats for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and mounting criticism from Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D) regarding his vaccine rollout. This comes as the Governor prepares for his 2022 reelection campaign. However, as his support from Floridians begins to rise above 50%, and as support for a presidential run looms over him, the Governor says he’s not “considering” the idea as he focuses on vaccine distributions across the Sunshine State. In an interview with FOX News, Brian Kilmeade followed the Governor to vaccine distribution sites, asking DeSantis if he himself had taken the vaccine. “I’m not eligible… I’m not gonna jump the line,” DeSantis answered, assuring that the goal is to provide the vaccines to the elderly and that he’ll get the vaccine once those at high-risk have been able to get it. In response to the criticism he has received for his handling of Florida during the pandemic, Governor DeSantis disregarded the comments from Democrats, saying that they’re “invested in lockdowns” when he believes that lockdowns have been detrimental to the American people.

“Miami Beach Plans So Florida's Pour Decision Isn't A Poor Decision For Spring Break” by NPR’s Ari Shapiro – NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber on what spring break looks like one year after the pandemic interrupted last year's celebrations. For the second time in a row, spring break will take place during a pandemic. Last year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis limited crowds on beaches, shut bars and told partiers to go home. This year, the state has no travel restrictions or statewide mask mandate, and businesses are open. That makes life difficult for city leaders in some popular travel destinations, like Miami Beach. Dan Gelber is mayor of Miami Beach, and he joins us now. Welcome. DAN GELBER: Hey, how are you? SHAPIRO: All right. To begin with, describe what Miami Beach looks like right now. I mean, is the scene a typical spring break like from before the pandemic? GELBER: At least. We're getting a lot of people coming here. Obviously, it's sort of the alignment of a lot of different trends that are happening. The first is we're one of the only places open. Other places are either closed or too cold or both. There's a lot of discount flights out because of air traffic. There's discount rooms available. People have been sitting around for a year or so. Lots of folks want to get out and go somewhere. And it's also the time when college kids are making their annual, you know, pilgrimage somewhere, and we're one of the more popular destinations. So we're getting a lot of activity, probably...

“Real estate agent abducted, robbed and shot to death. The suspect: A 15-year-old boy.”

By Sun Sentinel’s Wayne K. Roustan and Eileen Kelley – With two college degrees and an ebullient personality, Stefano Barbosa dabbled in accounting and investing before making the jump into the world of South Florida real estate. He was living out that passion the day his life came to an end. Barbosa, 37, had just obtained signatures from a customer when a 15-year-old boy approached him with a gun on the afternoon of Feb. 1. Barbosa, a skilled athlete with an unflappable nature, dropped his clipboard and raised his hands when the teen approached. The youth, with a long criminal record even at his age, forced the real estate agent to drive about a mile to a Bank of America, where Barbosa made two withdrawals of $500 each. Back in the car, Barbosa continued to drive when, police say, the teen shot him in the upper chest. Barbosa plowed the vehicle through a chain-link fence before hitting a tree. The teen raced off, though freedom would be fleeting. Despite the boy’s dark clothes and black ski cap, people at his school and in his neighborhood were able to identify him. The teen was arrested Friday while in custody in an unrelated case and was charged with second-degree murder and armed robbery. The South Florida Sun Sentinel is not identifying him because of his young age.

“Controversial Florida medical marijuana bill one step closer to becoming law” by Tampa Bay Times’ Kirby Wilson – If Florida doesn’t make significant reforms to its medical marijuana program, it could have another opioid crisis on its hands, a Republican lawmaker argued in a House committee Tuesday. Rep. Spencer Roach, R-Fort Myers, made this case while advocating for a bill he’s sponsoring which would limit the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in medical marijuana products offered to Florida patients. “We do know that people, doctors and patients, are taking advantage of our medical program to do two things: get rich, and get high,” Roach told the House Professions and Public Health Subcommittee. “We have seen this play out here before in Florida, and we know how it ends. We don’t need a sequel.” Opioids have killed tens of thousands of Floridians. Medical marijuana has killed zero. And when asked, Roach could provide no evidence of any adverse reactions to high-THC marijuana among Florida’s more than 500,000 medical cannabis patients. Roach’s bill cleared the committee with every Republican voting in favor of it, and every Democrat voting against it. The measure will need the approval of at least two more committees — both of which are controlled by Republicans — before it heads to the House floor. The Senate version of Roach’s bill, SB 1958, has yet to be heard in a committee. Proponents of the bill say even if patients aren’t overdosing on medical marijuana, high-potency versions of the drug come with consequences. They argue prolonged use of high-potency marijuana is associated with cases of psychosis. Cannabis that has high amounts of THC — the active ingredient in marijuana which primarily causes the drug’s euphoric effects — also has a negative effect on the developing brain, they argue. (The bill’s THC caps would not apply to terminal patients.)

“Deloitte: Florida's Flawed Unemployment Claims System Not Our Fault” by Spectrum News’ Justin Soto – The company that helped build CONNECT, the state of Florida's flawed unemployment benefits website, says the system's major problems during the pandemic is not its fault. The conversation with Deloitte on Monday was part of a meeting of the Florida Senate Select Committee on Pandemic Preparedness and Response. Deloitte leaders said they're sympathetic to the challenges Floridians have and are still facing with unemployment during this pandemic. When questioned by state legislators, Deloitte officials said the system was working well when it first launched in 2013 and was stress-tested to handle hurricanes and a financial crisis. But the pandemic caused a drastic spike in demand. For almost a year, Spectrum News has been reporting extensively on the issues with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity's CONNECT system, including delayed benefits and issues accessing the site. Deloitte leaders said they fulfilled their contractual obligations with the state. "These challenges are unrelated to our work on CONNECT which began 10 years ago and concluded in May of 2015. CONNECT was designed to comply with Florida specific rules, requirements and policies, many of which were new and coincided with the launch of this complex system in October of 2013," said John Hugill, a consulting principal at Deloitte Consulting. A state report shows CONNECT was not tested to meet the demands of the pandemic, and many issues went unaddressed years after the system first started.