TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Governor Ron DeSantis announced preliminary estimates from VISIT FLORIDA indicating that Florida welcomed 143.3 million visitors in calendar year 2025: another record-setting performance for the Sunshine State. In the fourth quarter of 2025, an estimated 33.5 million visitors traveled to the state, making it the highest fourth quarter visitation on record.

Preliminary estimates show that domestic travelers accounted for 91.5 percent of all visitors in 2025, with 131.1 million Americans traveling to Florida. Overseas visitation reached 9.3 million, while Canadian visitation totaled 2.9 million, consistent with historical trends where Canadian travel represents approximately two percent of total visitation. Florida also experienced continued growth from key international markets, with strong increases from Latin American countries such as Brazil and Argentina, as well as European markets including the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands. Brazil is now the second-largest international source of visitors to the state. VISIT FLORIDA remains focused on expanding international visitation through strategic marketing efforts.

Florida continues to be the #1 domestic travel destination in the United States and a top choice for international visitors. Continue reading →

The Honorable Brooke Rollins, Secretary U.S. Department of Agriculture

1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, D.C. 20250

Dear Secretary Rollins:

We write in support of Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson’s request for a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Disaster Declaration for counties in the State of Florida impacted by the freezing temperatures that occurred at the end of January and the beginning of February. This declaration will make it clear that the federal government’s resources will be available to Florida’s farmers and ranchers.

Agriculture is the second-largest economic sector in Florida’s economy, and this weather disaster struck during the production seasons for many of our state’s 300 commodities. These plummeting temperatures broke city and county records not seen in decades across the state.1 Already, the USDA has reported in its National Free On Board Review that central Florida will see a shortage of strawberry supply due to the extreme cold weather on February 2-3, 2026.2 More commodities, including avocados, bell peppers, sugar cane, broccoli, celery, sweet corn, cucumbers, radishes, cabbage, citrus, eggplant, green beans, potatoes, squash, tomatoes, apiaries, nurseries, and aquaculture, face threats of production loss that will last for months and in some cases even into future years.

We appreciate your dedication to American agriculture and hope that you will call on Congress and those in the Administration who oversee and operate disaster programs to quickly provide the necessary funds to help our state recover from this tragic event.

Thank you for your consideration and for your continued leadership in supporting American agriculture.

Sincerely,

Kat Cammack

Member of Congress

Scott Franklin

Member of Congress

Washington, D.C. —  Congresswoman Kat Cammack and all 29 members of Florida’s bipartisan congressional delegation are urging U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to immediately approve a USDA Disaster Declaration for Florida counties devastated by historic freezing temperatures in late January and early February.

The freeze struck during peak production for many of Florida’s major commodities, causing widespread and catastrophic losses across the state’s agricultural sector. A disaster declaration would unlock critical federal assistance for farmers and ranchers facing severe and ongoing recovery challenges.

“Florida supplies fresh produce to nearly 150 million Americans during the winter months, and when Florida agriculture is hit, the entire country feels it,” Cammack said. “This is a national security issue. A nation that cannot feed itself, cannot secure itself. This freeze caused widespread, historic, and devastating damage. Farmers are facing wiped-out crops, lost income, and months or even years of recovery through no fault of their own. A USDA Disaster Declaration is essential to get relief on the ground now and protect Florida agriculture and America’s food supply from collapsing under this blow,” said Congresswoman Cammack. Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General James Uthmeier issued a letter of notice to the nearly 80 corporations that are associated with the U.S. Plastics Pact, the Consumer Goods Forum, or the Sustainable Packaging Coalition for their involvement in practices that potentially violate antitrust and consumer protection laws.

“Multiple advocacy organizations have pressured companies into artificially changing the output and quality of their goods and services in way that normal market forces would not otherwise bring about,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “These groups were warned that their activity presents serious conflicts with antitrust and consumer protection laws, and advocacy for a particular agenda is not a basis to mislead consumers.”

These notices follow letters sent on October 29, 2025, led by Attorney General Uthmeier and joined by a multistate coalition of attorneys general to the U.S. Plastics Pact, the Consumer Goods Forum, and the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, raising grave concerns that the policies, targets, and compliance frameworks promoted by these organizations may violate the Sherman Act, state antitrust laws, and applicable consumer protection laws.

The new letters were sent directly to the companies identified as current members of one of these major environmental groups, notifying them that continued participation in or coordination with the initiatives may expose them to antitrust liability. Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that the Office of Statewide Prosecution secured a 120-year prison sentence for Marquett James, 50, of Hillsborough County; the incarceration will be served over 90 years, with some terms running concurrently.

“In a case that the Biden DOJ refused to prosecute, our Office of Statewide Prosecution worked with HSI under the Trump administration to deliver a sentence that ensures this offender will never have the opportunity to exploit another victim,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “Crimes of this nature cause life-long harm and must be met with punishments that reflect their severity. In Florida, there will be no leniency for sexual predators and human traffickers.”

James was convicted in November 2025 on felony charges of Human Trafficking (2 counts), Racketeering, and Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering. He will serve his sentence in the Florida Department of Corrections.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that a multi-circuit drug trafficking investigation targeting affiliates of the Valentine Bloods gang resulted in 51 arrests, as well as the seizure of over 70 pounds of meth and 10 pounds of fentanyl.“This was a highly organized, fentanyl-pushing enterprise operating in Central Florida that had ties all the way to California,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “We will continue dismantling these organizations form the top down. Anyone who traffics these poisons in Florida will be held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent.”

“Traffickers of methamphetamine and fentanyl are literally murdering people and tearing apart families,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. “The men and women who go after these drug dealers are doing a noble, but dangerous job—putting their own lives on the line, to protect their communities from the drug traffickers who are profiting from this destruction.”

“This investigation is a masterclass on how to effectively identify, disrupt, and dismantle drug trafficking organizations that are wreaking havoc across Florida,” said Florida Department of Law Enforcement Special Agent in Charge Mark Brutnell. “Thanks to our investigative teams, prosecutors and the benefit of the S.A.F.E. program, we can continue to ensure the safety of the state of Florida.”

This was a joint investigation between the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the Office of Statewide Prosecution, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The investigation began in August 2025. Investigators uncovered a highly organized drug trafficking operation spanning Polk, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Orange counties, with additional connections to California. Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that the Office of Statewide Prosecution secured a conviction for husband-and-wife duo, Robert and Jaclyn Dell, of St. Petersburg, for running an organized retail theft scheme. Robert, a former pastor at The Rock Church in St. Petersburg, and his wife, Jaclyn, operated a ‘transformation center’ purporting to provide counseling and assistance to individuals recovering from drug addiction.

“These fraudsters hid their true motives behind faith and charity to launder proceeds from a large-scale criminal enterprise,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “I am grateful to Ag Law Enforcement, FDLE, Chief Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Paul Dontenville, and Assistant Statewide Prosecutors Eric Ross and Gianna Fina for ensuring that justice was served in this case.”

“These verdicts show exactly what happens when Florida refuses to be a soft-on-crime state,” said Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson. “Our Agricultural Law Enforcement agents were proud to lead the investigation in this case alongside the Attorney General’s Office, FDLE, and Home Depot to dismantle a long-running retail theft ring that victimized businesses across multiple counties. Organized retail crime drives up costs for everyday Floridians and undermines public safety. We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to protect law-abiding families, support our law enforcement, and deliver real results for the people we serve.” Continue reading →