TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody is filing criminal charges against two violent organized retail thieves. Raheem Davis Jr. and co-defendant Vayshoun Harris are facing charges for multiple robberies at Home Depot stores across five different counties that involved physical violence against store employees.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “These two criminals committed multiple robberies at Home Depot stores across five counties, violently assaulting employees in the process. In one incident, a defendant even pepper sprayed a cashier in the face. We do not stand for organized retail theft in this state, especially theft that involves violence—I proudly stood with Gov. DeSantis recently as he signed a new law strengthening our statutes against crimes just like these. We will continue to hold these thieves accountable.”  Continue reading →

You may be and don’t know it yet. Let’s see if I’m right. Do you think you should feed the government BEFORE you feed your family? That is precisely what you are doing now under the income tax because of federal withholding from your paycheck. By the use of withholding you are telling the government that they are your highest priority. Under the FAIRtax federal withholding is eliminated. You are only taxed when you spend your money, not when you earn it, putting your family first. Do you think the government should know more about your financial life than you are willing to tell your own children?

Through the income tax forms, the government knows how much you earn, where the money comes from, how much you have invested, how much you gave to charity, how much interest you’ve earned, how much you have in savings, what property you have sold or bought, what depreciation you may have taken, what your mortgage payments are, etc, etc, etc. Under the FAIRtax the only thing the government knows is how much your employer paid you for the year so the Social Security Administration can calculate your benefits upon retirement. Do you think the IRS is an efficient and secure repository for your financial information? First of all, the IRS budget for 2023 was over 12 billion dollars with a request for over 14 billion dollars for 2024. That’s a lot of tax dollars. Continue reading →

Dear Friends,

The Florida Legislature has officially adjourned the 2024 Legislative Session, marking the conclusion of this year’s 60-day regular session. Over those 60 days, Senate Republicans have delivered on key issues that impact Floridians across our state.

The Senate Republican Caucus stood firm in defense of the freedom that every Floridian holds dear. We enacted strong legislation to protect private property rights, passed critical measures to empower American energy production, and called for much needed accountability in Washington.

Senate Republicans introduced and passed vital legislation to expand access to critical health care services, empower neighborhood public schools, crackdown on rampant theft, and protect children from harmful online material. Additionally, the Florida Senate passed a balanced, fiscally conservative budget, while delivering critical tax relief to families and small businesses across the State of Florida. Continue reading →

Winning artwork will be launched into space on an upcoming mission

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Today, Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez announced the launch of the 2024 Florida Space Art Contest. Students in grades K–5 are encouraged to create an art piece inspired by the theme: Suit Up! Florida’s Space Suit of the Future.

“I am thrilled to announce the launch of the Third Annual Lieutenant Governor’s Space Art Contest. Over the last two years, with more than 4,000 original art submissions, Florida’s students have shown their overwhelming support and excitement for this art contest,” said Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez. “This year’s theme gives students creative control to engineer the space suit of tomorrow. I am excited to see the innovative and futuristic designs our young artists will bring to life.”

Space Florida, a sponsor of the Lieutenant Governor’s Space Art Contest, believes supporting Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) education initiatives is an integral part of its mission.  Continue reading →

ORLANDO, Fla.—Today, Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 621, which protects property rights, provides homeowners remedies against squatting, and increases penalties on squatters.

“We are putting an end to the squatters scam in Florida,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “While other states are siding with the squatters, we are protecting property owners and punishing criminals looking to game the system.”

“Florida is once again leading the nation, this time in securing our state against squatters,” said Attorney General Ashley Moody. “Biden has allowed millions of illegal immigrants to flood across the border. After video evidence of their plan to take over homes emerged, we’re ensuring Floridians are protected from this egregious and brazen scheme. I’m grateful to Governor DeSantis for signing this important legislation into law, and to Representative Kevin Steele for carrying this bill through Session.” Continue reading →

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Cammack applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development’s (RD) announcement to invest $317,400,000 to strengthen rural Florida’s power grid and ensure that 32,000 people have access to reliable electricity.

This investment comes from USDA RD’s Electric Infrastructure Loan and Loan Guarantee Program, which makes insured loans and loan guarantees to help rural cooperatives and utilities build and improve rural electric infrastructure and increase electric grid reliability and security.

In central Florida, Sumter Electric Cooperative Inc. will use $317 million to build and improve more than 1,000 miles of power lines and connect 32,000 customers to reliable electricity. Nearly $5 million from this investment will be used to help the cooperative advance its smart grid technologies and install 38.4 miles of fiber line.

Sumter Electric Coop is headquartered in Sumterville, Florida, and provides electricity to an average of 226,501 consumers over 13,330 miles of distribution line in the counties of Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Levy, Marion, Pasco, and Sumter.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Kat Cammack’s Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act (H.R. 2706) passed the House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee markup by voice vote this afternoon.

The bill is named for Charlotte Woodward, an adult with Down syndrome who received a lifesaving transplant over a decade ago. It prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in the organ transplant system and upholds, clarifies, and builds upon rights established in the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.

Additionally, the bill prohibits covered entities from determining than an individual is ineligible to receive a transplant, deny an organ transplant or related service, refuse to refer the individual to an organ transplant center, refuse to place an individual on a waiting list, or decline insurance coverage for a transplant or related service based solely on the fact that the individual has a disability.

The bill’s next step is to be marked up before the whole House Energy & Commerce Committee.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—As spring breakers continue flocking to the state, Attorney General Ashley Moody is warning students about the dangers of fentanyl. At a news conference in Daytona Beach, Attorney General Moody urged spring breakers to never use illicit drugs, since more fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills now contain a lethal dose than ever before.

Flanked by Volusia County first responders, Attorney General Moody also announced that the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, the police departments of Daytona Beach, Deland, Ormond Beach, Ponce-Inlet and South Daytona, as well as the Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue team, are now participating in Attorney General Moody’s Helping Heroes program. The program provides free access to life-saving naloxone for first responders.  Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody filed an amicus brief in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in support of Intervenor States seeking to keep the Biden administration from using shadowy gamesmanship to manipulate the president’s most vulnerable political liability in an election year: the border crisis. The Biden administration, on multiple occasions, used these tactics in an attempt to provide cover from his historical outright failure to protect the sovereignty of the nation. In this case, the Biden administration appears to have abandoned its defense of the “Circumvention of Lawful Pathways” rule, a rule that allows the Department of Homeland Security to turn away some asylum seekers, seeking instead a settlement agreement with pro-illegal immigration organizations, such as the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, an immigration-services nonprofit based in California.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “This administration has repeatedly shown that it cannot be trusted, especially as it relates to defending the sovereignty of our nation and safety of our citizens. This president has turned every state in the country into a border state by allowing millions of unvetted and undocumented aliens into the interior. States have a right to be party to any settlement negotiations that will dictate border policy because we have an interest in protecting the safety of our citizens and the resources of our communities.” Continue reading →