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Florida prepares for potential damage. With heavy rainfall of up to 12 inches expected over the next seven days, Florida is bracing for the threat of flooding, along with gusty winds and erosion. Just after 11 a.m. on Friday, the National Weather Service issued a tropical storm warning, meaning tropical storm conditions are expected within 36 hours, for the southwest coast of the Florida peninsula, from East Cape Sable to Bonita Beach. Other areas of the southern and western coasts of the peninsula, as well as parts of the Florida Keys, were under a tropical storm watch, forecasters said. The governor’s order covers Orange County and Osceola County, and travel could be disrupted for the throngs of summer visitors who go to Orlando and the theme parks at Universal Studios Florida and Walt Disney World.

Persons: Ron DeSantis Organizations: Florida, National Weather Service, Universal Studios Florida, Walt Disney World Locations: Florida, East, Sable, Bonita Beach, Orange County, Osceola County, Orlando

☆ Republican lawmakers want to stop businesses in a small Florida town from displaying rainbow stickers to show they are a safe place for LGBTQ+ people
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Republican state lawmakers are attacking a small Florida town's "Safe Place Initiative." The program allows owners to mark their shops safe for LGBTQ+ people by displaying rainbow decals. The lawmakers cited boycotts of Bud Light and Target, which followed the brands' efforts to promote diversity and inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community. Mount Dora's city council approved the Safe Place Initiative last month. Democratic state lawmaker Anna Eskamani posted the Republican lawmakers' letter on social media, saying it "might be the weirdest letter I've ever read."

Persons: Bud Light, Mount Dora, Anna Eskamani Organizations: Initiative, Service, Disney, Orlando —, Orlando Police Department, Orange County Sheriff's, Osceola County Sheriff's, Democratic, Republican, Rights Locations: Florida, Wall, Silicon, Dora, Orlando, Mount Dora's, Mount, Orange County, Osceola County

CNN —Miami GOP Mayor Francis Suarez has filed paperwork to run for president, according to new FEC filings, marking the long-shot candidate’s formal entry to the race. “Conservative mayor Francis Suarez chose a better path for Miami,” the video’s narrator says, highlighting his approach to crime and support for law enforcement. High-profile mayorPrior to his first election as mayor in 2017, Suarez served a Miami city commissioner for eight years. As mayor, Suarez has sought to bring a new era of technology, innovation and entrepreneurship to his city, including promoting industries such as cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence. In 2020, Trump lost Hispanic-majority Miami-Dade County – the state’s most populous county, which includes the city of Miami – by 7 points.

Persons: Francis Suarez, Suarez, Ronald Reagan, ” Suarez, Florida’s, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, Doug Burgum, Asa Hutchinson, Chris Christie, Trump’s, Trump, “, ”, Xavier Suarez, Elon Musk, DeSantis, NewsNation, CNN’s Jake Tapper, Hillary Clinton, DeSantis coasted Organizations: CNN, Miami GOP, Ronald Reagan Presidential, Fox News, Reagan, US, of Mayors, Wednesday, White, “ Conservative, Republican, Florida Gov, United Nations, Tim Scott , North Dakota Gov, Arkansas Gov, New, New Jersey Gov, CBS, GOP, Republican National Committee, Twitter, Disney, Miami Herald, DeSantis, Democratic, Miami, Dade, Miami –, Fox Locations: Simi Valley , California, Cuban, Miami, Florida, Palm Beach, South Carolina, Tim Scott , North, Arkansas, New Jersey, Milwaukee, Central Florida, “, Dade County, Osceola, Orlando, Puerto Rican

☆ Disney's strategy to win its battle with DeSantis is to just wait until he runs for president, says a top Florida Democrat
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Disney will sue Florida for dissolving its self-governing status, predicted Democratic state Sen. Jason Pizzo. Florida lawmakers are deciding Disney's financial fate this week. Ron DeSantis will be to simply run out the clock, a top Florida Democrat predicted Monday. Other areas state lawmakers will consider would allow Florida to transport migrants from other states and to give the state more power to prosecute election fraud. Today, more than 40 lobbyists represent Disney before the Florida legislature, according to an Insider review of lobbying disclosures.

☆ 'Don't Say Gay' feud advances with new proposed legislation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The notice serves as a procedural step in what has become a closely watched process between Disney and Florida. DeSantis and statehouse Republicans slammed Disney, saying the entertainment giant had become a purveyor of so-called woke ideologies that are inappropriate for children. The squabble marked a rare moment of discord between the state and Disney, one of Florida’s largest employers and a major political donor. It also provided another front in an ongoing culture war that has made DeSantis one of the nation’s most popular Republicans. Having a separate government allows the company to provide zoning, fire protection, utilities and infrastructure services on its sprawling property.

Ron DeSantis will seek to bring Disney's special governing district under direct state control in a bid to end the entertainment giant's multi-decade arrangement with the Sunshine State. In a document posted to the website of Osceola County, which also borders Orange County and Reedy Creek, notice was given that the proposed legislation would leave no current aspect of Reedy Creek untouched. Florida legislators already voted in a special session last year to dissolve all special districts like Reedy Creek in Florida by June 2023. In response, DeSantis and his allies in the Florida legislature announced they would seek to end the privileges Disney had enjoyed through the special district. “The state of Florida has been very important to us for a long time, and we have been very important to the state of Florida,” Iger said last month.

☆ A Fast-Growing Network of Conservative Groups Is Fueling a Surge in Book Bans
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Elizabeth A. Harris | Alexandra Alter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The alliance has a network of more than 250,000 people it can mobilize to flood politicians with letters. Referred to by Mr. Flaugh as “the back office,” this network sprang into action this year to support a bill that requires Florida districts to report all book objections to the state. Some librarians and parents are concerned it will have a chilling effect. The summit also drew other prominent political figures from the right, including Senator Rick Scott of Florida and the Trump administration cabinet members Ben Carson and Betsy DeVos. In her remarks, Ms. DeVos called for dismantling the Department of Education, which she used to run.

☆ A Florida man was arrested for suspected shoplifting at a Walmart store filled with dozens of police officers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A man was arrested after allegedly trying to shoplift from a Walmart store in Florida. About 40 deputies were in the store at the time of the arrest, per Osceola County Sheriff's Office. Osceola County Sheriff's Office, near Orlando, published a post on its Facebook page on Thursday saying it had arrested a man after he was caught trying to steal from a Walmart in St. The Walmart store was filled with nearly 40 deputies alongside the forensics team, the community services officers, the OCSO Majors, and Sheriff Marcos R. Lopez. Osceola County Sheriff's Office didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for more information about the incident.

Rosa Rivera, 31, and her partner, Guillermo Cuero, faced a difficult choice when it came to protecting their 8-month-old baby, 9-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son. Rosa Rivera said her son had asked her, “Mama, are we going to die?”Jennifer Rosa Rivera, her partner and their three children at a wedding a few days before Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida. Courtesy Rosa RiveraThe family lost nearly all of its possessions, including two cars that were submerged up to their windows. For many families, life in Florida was an escape from other climate disasters or extreme violence and poverty. “He lost absolutely everything,” Rosa Rivera said.

☆ 1 killed and 16 injured in Florida crash involving a semitruck, bus and pickup
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Antonio Planas | Antonio Planas Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

A three-vehicle collision on a central Florida highway Wednesday morning resulted in one death and 16 injuries, authorities said. The crash occurred about 6:15 a.m. on State Route 60 in Osceola County, according to the Osceola County Fire Rescue and EMS and a department spokesperson. “The crash involved a semi, transit bus, and pickup truck. A highway crash in Florida on Sept. 21, 2022, resulted in one death and 14 injuries, most were not life-threatening, officials said. Sullivan said the Florida Highway Patrol is investigating.

☆ The DeSantis Florida Tsunami
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-11 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ron DeSantis was expected to win re-election as Florida Governor, but the big news Tuesday was the magnitude of his victory. The Governor won nearly everywhere in the state, and notably in Democratic strongholds. He won by double digits in heavily Hispanic Miami-Dade County, which Joe Biden carried by 85,000 votes and a statewide Republican hadn’t carried since Jeb Bush won re-election 2002. Mr. DeSantis also won Osceola County south of Orlando, which has a heavy Puerto Rican population. He even won in Democratic Palm Beach County.

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