Florida Takes Devastating hit From Hurricane Ian

Early Wednesday afternoon, Hurricane Ian (now tropical storm) finally made landfall in the Fort Myers—Sanibel area, causing unprecedented storm surge and flooding. Images coming out of the area show the staggering devastation the storm inflicted on Southwest Florida.

There are about 2.5 million Floridians without power, and as the sun rises the morning after, rescue crews and other first responders will be out during their rounds.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will continue to give live updates and is expected to be on the ground in the next day or so to access the damage.

Do all of you brave Floridians who decided not to leave the mandatory evacuation zones, you are luck. Next time don’t be so dumb.

Here are just some of the thousands of images that have come out of the battered area. Remember, tornadoes caused damage across the state, including in Broward and Palm Beach Counties.

Politicking During a National Disaster

Why not, it’s the political season, right?

Well, while DeSantis stopped sending campaign fundraising emails, Charlie Crist did not. Hours before the storm made landfall, Crist sent out a fundraising email hoping the supporters would send him some more cash as the monthly fundraising period closes. READ MORE

More Hurricane Coverage

Also, Gov. DeSantis shut down an overzealous reporter who tried to politicize the storm. READ MORE

The state has activated its official private fund to help Floridians recover from the storm. READ MORE

DeSantis Asks Biden for Federal Aid. READ MORE

Have a tip, story, new job, or announcement for The JUICE?  Reach out: Javier@floridianpress.com

"DeSantis Requests Biden Approve Major Disaster Declaration, Pledge Full Federal Cost Share for Hurricane Ian's Damages" by The Floridian's Mateo Guillamonte—Governor Ron DeSantis’ Press Office has officially requested President Biden approve Major Disaster Declaration and commit himself to 100 Percent Federal Cost Share for Hurricane Ian’s disastrous consequences.

"Democrat Alan Cohn Deletes Radical Views from Congressional Campaign Website" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—Election Day is getting closer by the minute and congressional candidates are making strides to get every last vote they can, whether that means going door-to-door, sending out mail, or completely erasing former views on your campaign website.

"Democrat Bagga Responds to Attack Mailer Put Out by Fred Hawkins" by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich —Despite Hurricane Ian being the biggest news in Florida this week, there is still time for midterm election coverage. District 35 for the Florida House has just generated its own share of news. On Monday, Democratic nominee Rishi Bagga tweeted a response to an attack mailer put out by his Republican opponent Rep.Fred Hawkins. Bagga calls the allegations "so bad we got a good laugh." The mailer calls Bagga "really radical" and claims he is in favor of allowing non-citizens to vote, in favor of releasing criminals, and is against term limits.

"DeSantis Activates Florida's Critical Disaster Relief Fundraising Effort" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres

"Democrat Charlie Crist Fundraises Hours Before Deadly Storm Hits Florida" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres

"DeSantis Shuts Down Reporter Trying to Politicize Ian at Press Conference" by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich —Politico has seemingly politicized Hurricane Ian as it closed in on Florida. A few short hours after the post was published, a reporter at Gov. DeSantis' press conference last night decided to politicize it again. The journalist says concern raises over Florida's supposedly "lax" hurricane response, which DeSantis immediately shuts down. "Stop politicizing it," he demands from the journalist.

"Hurricane Stirs up Political Storm as Democrats Attempt to Harness it to Attack DeSantis" by The Floridian's Mateo Guillamonte—As Hurricane Ian makes landfall on the Western Coast of Florida, Democrats throughout the state have used the impending catastrophe to criticize Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration.

"Christina Pushaw and Rep. Andrade Accuse POLITICO of Politicizing Hurricane Ian" by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich

"Rene Garcia Pushes Cashless Zones Legislation" by The Floridian's Jim McCool

"Residents Urged to Evacuate From 'Vulnerable' Areas" by News Service of Florida's Jim Turner

"DeSantis Warns Floridians to 'Prepare for Impact' From Monster Hurricane" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres

"Wednesday live updates: Hurricane Ian, now a Category 4, will hit Florida today" by The Tampa Bay Times' Christopher Spata

"Florida Democrats Expected to Support Cuba's Legalizing of Same-Sex Marriage" by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich

"Florida Elected Officials Unite in Preparation for Hurricane Ian" by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—Hurricane Ian is blowing its way to Florida, expecting to make landfall this mid-to-late this week. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has already declared a state of emergency for all 67 Counties and called for the deployment of 2,500 National Guard. Monday morning, Gov. DeSantis tweeted a reminder to Floridians to have proper preparation and supplies ready for the coming days.

"Progressive Carlos Smith Voted for DeSantis's Budget While Voting Against Anti-Socialism Bill" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—In one of Florida’s most competitive swing State House seats in the 2020 midterm election (HD 37), Progressive Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith (D) has come out swinging against his Republican opponent Susan Placensia over accusations she has made against him in a campaign mailer.

"Gallego Calls Salazar "Hypocritical" Despite Lacking Evidence" by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—The Hispanic and Latino community is becoming contentious voting demographic in the 2022 midterms. Thursday, Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27) tweeted that "Hispanics are law-abiding, God-fearing, hardworking people" who are "rejecting the extremist, socialist policies of the radical Democrats."

"Joe Biden Alleges Congressional Republicans Will Jail Doctors for Doing Their Jobs" by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—Last week, Charlie Crist's pick for Lieutenant Governor Karla Hernandez-Mats mockingly compared the Florida legislature to special education students. She describes herself as trained to work with emotionally handicapped students, thus is qualified to deal with the "dysfunctional" legislature.

"Kat Cammack Introduced JASON Act, Looks to Curb Illegal Immigration" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—As the nation debates whether the southern border is secure, a Republican member of Congress from Florida has brought forth legislation in hopes to curb entry of undocumented immigrants in the case of a mass influx scenario.  Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) introduced the Justified Action for Securing Our Nation (JASON) Act.

"Rubio Sends Letter to Blinken, Yellen Demanding Sanctions on North Korea" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—As the world watches statesmen navigate the geopolitical issues that concern the United States such as our relations (or lack thereof) between nations such as China and Russia, many forget to include North Korea and the threat it poses to countries around the globe. However, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) alongside Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) sent a letter to Secretary of State Tony Blinken as well as the Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen...

"Republican Leaders Appear to Side with DeSantis over Trump in Potential 2024 Matchup" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres

"Rick Scott Demands Biden Prosecute Iranian President Raisi for Assassination Plots Against US Citizens" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—As the Islamic Republic of Iran’s government continues cracking down on protestors, killing many demonstrators for denouncing the regime’s recent killing of Mahsa Amini, Florida Senator Rick Scott has called on President Joe Biden to prosecute Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi “horrific crimes” committed and for planning assassinations.

"Greg Steube Champions 'Commitment to America' Policy" by The Floridian's Jim McCool

"Karla Hernandez-Mats Doubles Down on Comparing Legislature to Special Education Students" by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—Last week, Charlie Crist's pick for Lieutenant Governor Karla Hernandez-Mats mockingly compared the Florida legislature to special education students. She describes herself as trained to work with emotionally handicapped students, thus is qualified to deal with the "dysfunctional" legislature.

"Scott, Steube Condemn New 'Woke' Air Force Academy Diversity Training" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—As the United States appears to become more and more “woke” and commonly used words and phrases are changed on a regular basis, many Americans fear when the wokeness creeps into our armed forces. Recently, Fox News has reported that the Air Force Academy has instructed their cadets to use more gender-neutral language such as “parent or caregiver” rather than mom and dad. “Color conscious” is now preferred over colorblind as well.

"Rubio Team Says Demings is in ‘Hiding’ by The Floridian's Daniel Molina—Since the midterm general election is fast approaching, Democrats across the country are vying to campaign with President Joe Biden (D). However, the Rubio campaign is warning that Florida Rep. Val Demings (D) is avoiding campaign stops with the president. Saying that Rep. Demings will be “hiding in her office in Washington,” the Rubio campaign inferred that her voting record could come back to haunt her in November.

"Taddeo Challenges Salazar to 4 Debates" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina

"DeSantis Moves to Prohibit Communist China From Buying Farmland, Land Around Military Bases" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres

"Rep. Stephanie Murphy Endorses Ultra-Progressive Karen Green" by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—With just under two months until voters head to the polls, retiring Rep. Stephanie Murphy's (D) will not be facing the Republican congressional nominee Cory Mills .

"Senator Rick Scott joins Senator Roger Marshall to Introduce the Drug Cartel Terrorist Designation Act" by The Floridian's Mateo Guillamont—Washington – U.S. Senators Roger Marshall, M.D. (KS) and Rick Scott (FL) introduced the Drug Cartel Terrorist Designation Act to formally designate certain drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

"Wasserman Schultz Slams Tlaib over Antisemitic Remark" by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—Progressive Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) recently spoke at an event saying "that you cannot claim to hold progressive values yet back Israel’s apartheid government." Rep. Tlaib further added, "we will continue to push back and not accept this idea that you are progressive except for Philistine [sic] any longer."

"Rubio Defends DeSantis, Outlines Media Hypocrisy After Martha's Vineyard Illegal Immigrants sue" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—Democratic senatorial nominee and Rep. Val Demings is accusing Senator Marco Rubio of pulling a “shameless and cynical stunt” for posting a video outlining the fact that illegal immigrants from Venezuela are now suing because they were flown to Martha’s Vineyard after breaking U.S. immigration law.

"Waltz, Ernst Introduces the PUNISH Act" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina—Florida Rep. Mike Waltz (R) has introduced the Preventing Underhanded and Nefarious Iranian Supported Homicide (PUNISH) Act. The bill would enact stricter sanctions against the Iranian Regime.

"New Polling Suggests Most Americans Support Banning Late-term Abortions" by The Floridian's Mateo Guillamont—Novel polling recently published by the Trafalgar Group demonstrates that most Americans do not agree with late-term abortions.

"Florida Democrat Accuses Crist of Supporting Defunding Police" by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich—Democratic gubernatorial nominee Charlie Crist aka "Chain gang Charlie" continues to work hard in displaying his progressive credentials in the weeks leading up to the 2022 midterm elections. In August, the Republican Party of Florida posted a video from a May 2022 interview conducted by the podcast "Your Brother John," where Crist says he is in favor of St. Pete police chief Anthony Holloway's initiative to reallocate funds for policing to creating a unit of social workers to respond to nonviolent calls.

"Tennessee Transgender Health Clinic Sparks National Outrage" by The Floridian's Mateo Guillamont—Last Tuesday, political figure Matt Walsh published investigative results regarding gender-transition surgeries performed on minors.

"DeSantis Proves Relocation to Martha's Vineyard was Voluntary" by The Floridian's—Florida Rep. Mike Waltz (R) has introduced the Preventing Underhanded and Nefarious Iranian Supported Homicide (PUNISH) Act. The bill would enact stricter sanctions against the Iranian Regime.

"Report Targets Funding Shift to Private Schools" by News Service of Florida

"DeSantis Jabs at Crist's Running Mate for Opposing U.S. Embassy Moving to Jerusalem" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—Florida Governor Ron DeSantis spoke to several hundred supporters at an “Education Freedom Event” hosted by Florida’s Jewish and Faith Communities, where he took a solid jab at Democratic gubernatorial Lt. Governor nominee, Karl Hernandez-Mats. In a video captured by South Florida activist Chris Nelson, Gov. DeSantis needles Hernandez-Mats for her show of sympathy for the late Dictator Fidel Castro, and for her opposition to moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem in Israel.

"DeSantis Takes Victory lap, Lands Endorsement from Key Democratic Elected Official" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—As the American electorate progresses deeper and deeper into election season, endorsements are becoming more and more apparent to Election Day hopefuls. However, major endorsements usually don't come from politicians across the aisle. Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has just secured one of those endorsements. While former President Donald Trump (R) won the state of Florida by about 3%, it was now-President Joe Biden (D) that claimed Palm Beach County by about 13 points in 2020.

"Jay Collins' Senate Bid Endorsed by Ashley Moody" by The Floridian's Jim McCool—Wounded combat veteran Jay Collins (R-14) who is running for Florida state Senate, has just solidified his campaign even further after receiving the endorsement from Attorney General Ashley Moody (R-FL) today.

"Embattled Progressive Texas Sheriff Investigates DeSantis Over Immigration Flights, Promotes Open Borders" by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—Embattled Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar’s recent declaration that he is criminally investigating Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for flying 48 illegal immigrants or aliens to Martha’s Vineyard, appears to be politically motivated.

"Florida Appears to see Drop in Veteran Suicides, But Number is Still Tragically High" by The Floridian's Grayson Bakich

"Fight Over Suspended Prosecutor Andrew Warren Headed to Trial" by News Service of Florida

"Rubio Questions USAID About Wuhan Practices" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—The U

.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is being accused by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) of paying the EcoHelath Alliance in taxpayer dollars in order facilitate funds (including federal grants) to foreign researchers such as the Wuhan Institute for Virology. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the research activities at the Wuhan Institute were “serious bio-safety concerns.”

"Texas Authorities Open Criminal Investigation into DeSantis" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina

"30+ GOP Senators Call for Special Counsel Investigation into Hunter Biden" by The Floridian's Jackson Bakich—On Monday, over 30 Senate Republicans called for the investigation of President Joe Biden’s (D) son, Hunter Biden, due to his documented nefarious actions including alleged felonious offenses. The GOP members, including Florida’s Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), wrote Attorney General Merrick Garland asserting that U.S. Attorney David Weiss be given “special counsel protections and authorities to conduct the investigation into Hunter Biden.”

"New DeSantis ad Tackles Illegal Immigration" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina—A new advertisement supporting the reelection effort of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has been released. The advertisement titled Protecting Florida discusses the issue of illegal immigration.

"Salazar Calls Biden Hypocrite on Immigration" by The Floridian's Daniel Molina—Florida Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R) has issued a letter to President Joe Biden (D), calling him a hypocrite on the issue of immigration. The Florida Republican alleged that the president is “pointing fingers at others on immigration,” adding that Biden has not provided any solutions.