Latest news with #FloridaStateGuard
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ahead of anti-Trump rallies, officials say: ‘If you resist lawful orders, you're going to jail'
Anti-Trump protesters stand in front of the Florida Historic Capitol on Feb. 5, 2025. (Photo by Jackie Llanos/Florida Phoenix) Floridians in more than 70 cities throughout the state plan to join nationwide demonstrations to protest the Trump administration on Saturday, prompting Attorney General James Uthmeier and other law enforcement officials to say they won't hesitate to quash protests. The protests, part of the 'No Kings' movement, are set to take place the same day as the multimillion-dollar military parade in D.C. and President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. Uthmeier, who along Gov. Ron DeSantis has been criticizing the protests in downtown Los Angeles against Trump's immigration crackdown, said he wanted to put the public on notice before Saturday. Trump sent the California National Guard into the city despite opposition from Gov. Gavin Newsom, and the California governor rejected DeSantis' offer to send the Florida State Guard, according to the Miami Herald. 'If you want to wreak havoc and destruction in Florida, we have enhanced penalties to ensure you will do time, so we do not tolerate rioting. As groups talk about assembling over the weekend, we haven't seen much of that in Florida,' Uthmeier said during a press conference in Brevard County. However, protests are planned in all the state's major cities, including in front of the Florida Historic Capitol in Tallahassee, according to the movement's website. The messaging from Uthmeier reflects Trump's warnings that those who protest the D.C. parade will be met with 'very heavy force.' 'If you resist lawful orders, you're going to jail. Let me be very clear about that: if you block an intersection or a roadway in Brevard County, you are going to jail,' said Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey. 'If you flee arrest, you're going to go to jail tired because we are going to run you down and put you in jail. … If you throw a brick, a fire bomb, or point a gun at one of our deputies, we will be notifying your family where to collect your remains at because we will kill you.' Uthmeier also announced that Florida Highway Patrol troopers would start patrolling the houses of federal immigration officials who believe they have been doxxed. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
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Business Standard
2 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
New York backs California in opposing Trump's troop deployment in LA
New York Attorney General Letitia James joined California in condemning the Trump administration for deploying troops from the state's National Guard to respond to immigration protests in Los Angeles. In a joint statement with Democratic attorneys general from 17 other states, James said the deployment was 'unlawful, unconstitutional and undemocratic' because it was taken without California's consent. The dispute is the latest flash point in a broader legal fight over the limits of President Donald Trump's executive power. 'The federal administration should be working with local leaders to keep everyone safe, not mobilising the military against the American people,' James said in the statement. 'We oppose any action from this administration that will sow chaos, inflame tensions, and put people's lives at risk – including those of our law enforcement officers.' The Trump administration deployed thousands of National Guard troops in recent days to respond to protests in Los Angeles, over the objections of state and city officials. Trump called the demonstrations 'migrant riots' and said the city would have 'burned to the ground' if not for the soldiers. The president and California Governor Gavin Newsom have traded barbs over attempts to quell unrest in the city. Newsom said the decision to send in troops was illegal, and Trump suggested that Newsom should be arrested for his response to the protests. At least 400 people have been arrested in the greater Los Angeles area since the weekend amid clashes between police and demonstrators rallying in response to increasingly aggressive raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Mayor Karen Bass imposed a nighttime curfew on Tuesday in a one-square-mile section of downtown where tensions have run high during days of demonstrations. She said 23 businesses were looted the night before, many were also vandalised and the area had been covered in graffiti. California is seeking a court order to limit military involvement in the protests over Trump's immigration raids. US District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco set deadlines for each side to file written arguments in the state's lawsuit and scheduled a hearing for Thursday afternoon. Attorneys general from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, and Vermont joined James in opposing Trump's efforts to mobilize troops. Other state leaders have expressed support for Trump's decision, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, who vowed to use National Guard troops if needed in protests planned for June 14 in the state. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, also a Republican, offered to deploy members of the Florida State Guard to assist efforts to respond to the California protests, but Newsom rejected his offer, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Miami Herald
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
House GOP demands text messages, emails from DeSantis administration in spending probe
Florida House Republicans on Friday issued letters to Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration, demanding text messages, emails and records that stretch back years as the chamber tries to investigate possible wasteful government spending in the executive branch. The House is demanding administration officials turn over the information by May 16, according to the letters obtained by the Herald/Times through a public records request. If they do not provide answers, the possibility of using subpoenas is on the table, House Speaker Daniel Perez told reporters last week. 'I am confident that you, as a public agency, share our commitment to full transparency and accountability in the spending of public funds,' House Budget Chair Lawrence McClure wrote in the letters issued on Friday. 'In that spirit, I look forward to your cooperation in responding fully and promptly to this request.' When asked about the demand letters, the governor's office said 'Florida's agencies have already spent hundreds of hours in meetings and document production—only to get hit with another performative request from the House.' The office did not immediately say, when asked, whether state agencies intend to respond. The information House leaders are requesting is expansive. They are asking five state agencies and the executive director of the Florida State Guard, a state militia under the governor's control, for emails, text messages, accounting records, contracts, meeting transcripts and more. In some cases, the information sought stretches back to July 2017. House leaders want to know more about 2,279 state vehicles that are worth a collective $57 million and that are nowhere to be found, according to a state audit. They are inquiring about top state agency officials' travel expenses. They are asking for information about the money being spent to train and deploy Florida State Guard members. And they are demanding state agencies turn over 'all communications and documents' related to Hope Florida, a key initiative of the first lady, and the charity that supports it. Earlier this week, DeSantis criticized House Republicans who raised questions about his wife's initiative, calling them 'liberal legislators.' The governor also defended state officials steering a $10 million donation to the charity created to fund Hope Florida. The donation was part of a $67 million settlement reached between a state agency and Florida's largest Medicaid contractor. Centene could have chosen to make the contribution separately to the charity. But the fact that it was included in a negotiated settlement may run afoul of a state law requiring settlement money be deposited in a trust fund or the state's general revenue fund, where lawmakers can oversee it. Perez told reporters on Wednesday that the transaction 'looks as if it could be illegal.' The demand letters issued Friday are also demanding state agencies and the Florida State Guard turn over information about settlement agreements or proposed settlement agreements, and their communications with Hope Florida and its charity. The request signals that House leaders want to know if the administration has reached other state settlements that they do not know about. More broadly, the letters come as House Republicans have expressed frustration about a lack of cooperation by officials in the DeSantis administration during committee hearings that have taken place in recent weeks. While some of those meetings were 'productive,' McLure said state officials have not yet provided all the information and records they need to 'continue our oversight function of state agencies.'
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘A lot of possibilities,' DeSantis says when asked if First Lady will run for governor
Gov. Ron DeSantis (Photo via governor's office) Gov. Ron DeSantis is still not ruling out another DeSantis seeking the governor's mansion after being asked, again, Thursday about speculation the First Lady is gearing up to run in 2026. 'I think there's a lot of possibilities,' DeSantis said about Casey DeSantis running for governor against U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump and entered the Republican primary earlier this week. DeSantis disses Donalds, touts First Lady, when asked about 2026 governor race The governor will be term limited from running for the office again in 2026. He discredited the former state lawmaker's contributions to conservative initiatives. During a news conference at Camp Blanding Training Center in Starke highlighting the Florida State Guard, DeSantis mostly did not expand beyond that on the gubernatorial race, instead touting efforts his administration and the Legislature have made toward immigration enforcement. 'Donald Trump has been in office for like five weeks. Why aren't we working to make sure that his vision and the mandate is delivered for the people that voted for him?' DeSantis said, later noting the 2026 election is a 'lifetime away.' DeSantis again advocated for getting rid of property taxes, using the argument that homestead exemptions are 'too weak' and with taxes 'you never really own your property.' He said he wants people to have a discussion about property taxes and 'it's something that would be on the ballot in '26.' Changing tax language in the Florida Constitution would require a popular vote. 'I haven't proposed a specific amendment because we're going to continue to work with people,' DeSantis said. He complained of a 'huge, huge problem with growth of local governments throughout Florida,' emphasizing his recently announced 'Florida DOGE' efforts to 'look into' local government spending. Thursday morning, news outlets began reporting that controversial influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan were flying to Fort Lauderdale from Romania, where they have faced charges of rape and human trafficking since 2022. DeSantis said Florida has 'no involvement' in the Tates' plans but that Attorney General James Uthmeier will examine whether the state can exert jurisdiction. 'But the reality is, no, Florida is not a place where you're welcome with that type of conduct,' DeSantis said. The Florida State Guard was rebooted in 2022 and is expected to reach its statutorily authorized size of 1,500 commissioned, enrolled, or employed volunteers during the next fiscal year, its executive director, Mark Thieme, said Thursday. DeSantis said the Florida State Guard has reached a 287(g) program agreement with ICE, authorizing cooperation with the federal government in making immigration arrests. State law says only a special unit of the guard may conduct law enforcement. 'And I think it's good, and I think they will play a role. But I also know that, just functionally, the state agencies that are going to play the biggest role are going to be the Highway Patrol, because they're going to be interacting with illegal aliens more than anybody else' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
