NIKKI FRIED

The Grinch’s followers will be on the prowl as Santa Claus helpers take advantage of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday online sales.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and other plaintiffs will appeal the dismissal of a lawsuit challenging federal prohibitions on medical-marijuana patients buying and possessing guns, according to a court notice filed Wednesday.

After the months of fire and fury from Democrats declaring outrage over Gov. Ron DeSantis, the number of voters who participated in their party’s summer primary to pick a DeSantis challenger was slightly lower than in 2018.

Charlie Crist is expected to pick as his running mate Karla Hernandez-Mats, the president of the Miami-Dade teachers union, according to CBS Miami.

Mitchell Berger, the prominent Fort Lauderdale lawyer who served as campaign finance chairman for Nikki Fried’s gubernatorial campaign, has been a registered Democrat since 1974, and he’s been heavily involved in political campaigns, candidate fundraising, and government for decades. And he’s intimately familiar with election law. He wasn't able to vote for her in Tuesday's primary, and wants to call attention to what happened.

This past Tuesday, Aug. 23 voters took to the polls to decide the winner of several pivotal primary election matchups. Demmings defeated Brian Rush with 85% of the vote, according to the Associated Press. Sophomore Criminology and Political Science major Kasey Michaud was able to vote for the first time ever in this primary. Salazar is still projected to win in November by roughly 5 points, according to a recent poll by Florida for Economic Advancement. Students registered to vote with their University of Miami address were able to vote at the Watsco Center or St. Augustine Church.

Florida Democrats are proclaiming to the world that they’re unified in the mission to unseat Gov. Ron DeSantis. Their first big statewide unity event, Thursday night in Tamarac, comes after Charlie Crist resoundingly defeated Nikki Fried in the primary for governor.

Abortion rights remains a salient political issue for Democrats, as a special election in New York showed on Tuesday.

In one of Tuesday’s marquee races, Crist, a one-time Republican governor of Florida, won the Democratic primary for his old job, and will face a governor with a national profile

Rep. Charlie Crist defeated Nikki Fried, who staked out a more progressive campaign, in the Florida governor race.

Charlie Crist won a decisive victory over Nikki Fried to become the Democratic nominee to challenge Republican Ron DeSantis.

Florida's important primary race for the Democratic candidate for Governor goes to U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, a former governor as a Republican, who will go up against Ron DeSantis.

Voters will choose Tuesday between U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried for the Democratic gubernatorial nominee.

Polls opened for Florida’s primary elections at 7 a.m. Tuesday.

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist has won the Democratic nomination for governor in Florida, putting him in position to challenge Gov. Ron DeSantis this fall in a campaign the Republican incumbent is eyeing as the first step toward a potential White House run.

Democrats are choosing who will take on powerful Republicans Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Marco Rubio.

Whoever advances through Tuesday’s primary will take on Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in November, and to many Democrats the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Democratic candidates making final stops, pitches ahead of primaries

The most significant race in Florida's primary election Tuesday is between the two Democratic gubernatorial candidates seeking to go against Gov. Ron DeSantis, who's unopposed in the Republican primary.

Tuesday’s primary elections feature two top Florida Democrats squaring off for the right to face Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried spent the last day of early voting in their primary contest for governor courting voters in South Florida, home to the largest concentration of Democratic voters in the state. A major focus for both candidates: Black voters, a critically important Democratic constituency.

“Of course, I get donations from everywhere, but that doesn’t mean that’s what’s empowering me,” Fried said when asked about the donations.

The Florida primary vote offers a lens into Democrats’ strategy against a rising star of the Republican Party.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried on Sunday accused Palm Beach Post reporters who wrote a story on her sugar cane burning policy of being paid by the Sierra Club.

Signs went up early Saturday morning at 23 sites around Broward County as polls opened for early voting in the Aug. 23 primaries.

Arguing that the country has a long tradition of viewing intoxication and firearms as a “dangerous” mix, the U.S. Department of Justice asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried challenging federal prohibitions on medical-marijuana patients buying guns.

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried called on Gov. Ron DeSantis to uphold the rule of law and drop his “divisive rhetoric” over the FBI search of Donald Trump's Florida home.

Democratic candidates for Florida governor Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried appear at an election forum sponsored by the Orlando Sentinel, Tampa Bay Times, Spectrum News 13 and Bay News 9. See what the duo have to say ahead of their primary this month.

Her plans for Black Floridians – from economic justice to fighting for Civil Rights, and more – are as aggressive as they are necessary. Of course, the fight for Black rights – including our Civil Rights – is far from relegated to history. Our Civil Rights – which many Americans fought, bled, and died for – are under attack once again, particularly at the ballot box. Nikki will always stand on the side of expanding our Civil Rights, not limiting them as Governor DeSantis has done. As Governor, Nikki knows the most important thing she can do is to improve economic outcomes for Black Floridians.

Rep. Charlie Crist has hit rival Nikki Fried with a blistering new mailer that calls her a “Republican lobbyist for big tobacco and insurance companies” and notes her previous friendship with Rep. Matt Gaetz.

Florida will begin adding gun storage safety tips when it mails concealed weapons licenses to its residents

By Dixie Ann BlackThe 2- Minute Warning welcomed Ms. Nadine Hankerson, PhD., Nikki Fried, Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture and guest moderator Corey Shearer to last Thursday’s political discussion. She holds a master’s degree from Clark Atlanta University, Ph.D. in Conflict Resolution from Nova Southeastern University and a Georgia State University Project Management certification from the school of business. Hankerson has participated in her community, first from the age of 13 as a lifeguard with Parks and Recreation. The department of agriculture employs two million people and has a 380-billion-dollar impact on the state. What we do impacts people’s lives every single day.”Fried underscored the help the department of agriculture is giving to local food gardens.

Charlie Crist, one of the Democratic candidates for Florida governor, was in Overtown Friday hoping to secure Black voters.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist have held their first and only debate before the Democratic gubernatorial primary.

The two democrats vying for the right to take on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in November met Thursday night in their one and only televised debate.

Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried had a heated exchange in their only debate before voters pick one of them as the Democratic nominee to challenge Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Fried said Democrats can "keep losing," as she gestured toward her opponent. Crist said Fried showed "the voice of desperation. Unfortunately for Nikki, she’s losing this campaign."

Nikki Fried won some converts among active voters who are sure to vote in the gubernatorial primary with an in-person appearance at a major Broward Democratic Club. "After tonight, I would do anything for her.” Charlie Crist appeared via video, which many in the audience didn't like.

The vast majority of Florida’s Democratic primary voters will have only one chance to see their party’s candidates for governor side-by-side before the Aug. 23 primary. It comes Thursday evening, when the one debate between Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried is broadcast on TV and streamed online.

Regrets, he’s got a few, admitted Charlie Crist, who’s probably held more elective offices during nearly 30 years in public service than the other major candidates running for governor combined.

Nikki Fried says she is liquidating her financial interest in the state’s biggest medical marijuana operator as she faces questions about potential conflicts of interest if she’s elected governor.

Hoping to be the Democratic nominee in the governor's race, Charlie Crist was in Overtown Friday.

Both Nikki Fried and Charlie Crist appeared at separate events in Broward County on Wednesday. Fried made one of her final appointments as agriculture commissioner in Fort Lauderdale and Crist held a campaign event to meet with Haitian faith and community leaders in North Lauderdale.

“You’ve got the fox guarding the henhouse,” said attorney Ed Normand, who is representing the family of a boy whose foot and leg was crushed on a ride.

With the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision released Friday, reaction has been swift on social media.

Ron DeSantis in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup, according to the latest survey from St. Pete Polls. A previous St. Pete Polls survey taken in late May found Crist in a much weaker position. Comparing Crist’s performance in the latest poll to Fried’s shows she is failing to capture independent voters and is capturing fewer Republican voters. The St. Pete Polls survey reached 3,952 respondents over the phone. Real Clear Politics and FiveThirtyEight include St. Pete Polls in their polling aggregations.

DeSantis on Monday said state health departments will not ever offer COVID-19 vaccines to kids under 5.

On the latest episode of the This Week in South Florida podcast, hosts Glenna Milberg and Michael Putney are joined by Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, MSD parent and gun control activist Max Schachter and Urban League of Greater Miami President T Willard Fair.

On the latest episode of This Week in South Florida, hosts Glenna Milberg and Michael Putney are joined by Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, MSD parent and gun control activist Max Schachter and Urban League of Greater Miami President T Willard Fair.

A big question heading into this year's primary elections is who will be the Democrat elected to oppose Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in November.

With less than 10 weeks until the Democratic primary, gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried’s campaign is portraying her as a viable alternative to her much better-known competitor, Charlie Crist, with a path to victory that will defy conventional wisdom about the contest.

Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried didn’t do much exchanging of ideas Wednesday night at a candidate forum. Instead, the two Democratic candidates for governor agreed, again and again. Their greatest agreement: repeated condemnations of the man they want to run against, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Fred Guttenberg, one of the most recognizable, outspoken parents of children killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre, is endorsing Nikki Fried for the Democratic nomination for governor. Guttenberg has become one of Florida’s most prominent activists on gun issues since his daughter, Jaime, was killed, along with 16 other people, at the Feb. 14, 2018, massacre at her school.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried forcefully denounced the participants in the violent Jan. 6, 2021, protests at the U.S. Capitol, calling them “seditious traitors” who surrendered the right to be called “fellow countryman.”

Florida Supreme Court justices expressed skepticism about a challenge by led by South Florida cities and counties to a 2011 state law that threatens stiff penalties if local officials pass gun-related regulations. The potential penalties are so harsh they prevent, for all practical purposes, even discussing actions that could improve public safety by dealing with guns, local officials say.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried wants to see a massive effort to “change the culture of America when it comes to guns,” along the scale of the efforts that turned cigarette smoking into something that’s less glamorous – and thus less popular – than it was decades ago. Fried said the newly retooled race for the Democratic nomination will help voters see clear distinctions between her and Charlie Crist but declined to directly say if third candidate Annette Taddeo's decision to drop out would benefit her.

The Democratic primary is now largely a two-person race between Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried.

In impassioned speeches, a group of moms, teachers, students, and gun control advocates called on Sen. Marco Rubio to join their fight to end gun violence, even if it would mean turning his back on his donors at the National Rifle Association.

Endorsement season has kicked off in the race between U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried for the Democratic nomination for governor.

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist is signaling he will only agree to one debate before voters select a Democratic candidate for governor.

By Louis C WardThe Democratic Black Caucus of Florida (DBCF)endorsed Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried for the Gubernatorial Democratic Primary, provided viable workshops and roundtables, and culminated its 39th Conference with an entertaining and enlightening Gala. Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried and Senator Annette Taddeo both delivered informative and persuasive presentations at the Gubernatorial Candidate Forum. “This endorsement,” said Commissioner Fried, “means everything to me, my team, and our supporters fighting to beat Ron DeSantis. “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now,” said DBCF President Mallory, citing the Theme of the 2022 DBCF Conference. Ms. Francine Garcia, Treasurer of Lake County Democratic Black Caucus, said, “I thought this year’s conference was one of the better ones.

The main message from all three was that Democrats could not afford to lose the governor’s office again to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

It’s Monday, April 25, and this week political dominoes will start to fall as politicians start lining up for down-ballot races because of the now-enacted congressional map.

On the latest episode of This Week in South Florida, hosts Michael Putney and Glenna Milberg speak with Florida Rep. Randy Fine, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, filmmaker and activist Billy Corben and former Miami Marlins President David Samson.

There are only four months left until the August primaries, and the race for governor is ramping up.

An investigation into the accidental death of a Black teen in an Orlando, Florida, amusement park has found a park employee tampered with the ride’s […]

Florida utilities would gradually increase their renewable electricity, reaching 100% by 2050 under a proposed rule unveiled by the state’s agriculture commissioner.

If built, the extension would breach the county’s Urban Development Boundary (UDB) and intrude into Everglades Wetlands and the county’s West Wellfield from which the county draws drinking water. “As South Florida’s Voice of Conservation, filing this appeal, honors Tropical Audubon Society’s legacy of protecting wetlands habitat that birds and other wildlife rely on, and safe-guarding clean drinking water that Miami-Dade County residents rely on,” said Tropical Audubon Society president José Francisco Barros. “The cabinet’s order defies the county’s CDMP and the state’s Everglades Restoration plans. If upheld, it would be a huge loss for our county’s wildlife and human residents.”The governor and cabinet’s decision, if upheld, would risk the region’s drinking water supply, jeopardize Everglades Restoration and threaten crucial habitat for birds and other wildlife. It would deepen the community’s dependence on single-vehicle commutes, and create insurmountable pressure for more development in West Kendall.

The Orlando Free Fall drop tower changed sensors on the ride, “resulting in it being unsafe,” Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said.

14-year-old Tyre Sampson from St. Louis, Missouri, fell to his death in a freak accident on a 430ft high ride at the ICON Park, Orlando, Florida.

State and local leaders are calling for an investigation into possible election interference after Local 10 News reported this week that South Florida senior citizens learned their political party was unknowingly changed to Republican.

Governor Ron DeSantis has added some new merchandise to his campaign website.

On the latest episode of This Week in South Florida, hosts Michael Putney and Glenna Milberg welcome Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, Broward County Elections Supervisor Joe Scott, State Sen. Shevrin Jones and State Rep. David Borrero.

The big news of the week involved Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried, not for what she did but for what she said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made clear in his State of the State speech that he likes teachers, first responders and freedom and he doesn’t like Dr. Anthony Fauci, critical race theory, abortion, illegal immigration and Burmese pythons.

Three Democrats are running for the right to run against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Florida's new daily cases of COVID-19 have once again surpassed previous records.

Florida's Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried claims that unused COVID tests are due to expire and blames the state's governor for the stockpiling.

A Florida ethics panel on Wednesday announced it has found probable cause that Democratic candidate for governor Nikki Fried violated state law for failing to properly disclose her income on financial forms.

Senator Rick Scott, in Miami to mark Versailles Restaurant’s 50th anniversary, served up scathing criticism of the bill Tuesday.

Delta-8 THC is sold in several forms, including vapes, tinctures, candy gummies and versions that can be smoked.

Democratic Florida gubernatorial primary opponents agree Gov. Ron DeSantis shouldn’t be getting in the way of public health measures such as face mask requirements and COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

“This is the highest death toll we’ve seen in a single report. It should shock us to the core,” tweeted state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' mask mandate ban has led to a major battle.

Florida’s only Democrat elected statewide has suspended concealed carry weapons permits for 22 people involved in the U.S. Capitol breach.

A group run by one of former President Donald Trump's most prominent election conspiracy adherents is now registered in Florida.

Florida's only statewide elected Democrat has announced her intention to run for governor.

A day after Democratic Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried entered the Florida governor’s race, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis made it clear he’s willing to go on the attack.

Democratic Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is running for Florida governor, calling Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis an authoritarian who’s putting his party and political ambition ahead of Floridians.

Nikki Fried stood at a gas station on Monday in Hialeah to announce her support of a proposed bill against credit card skimmers who exploit gas station pumps in Florida.

A mandatory evacuation order near a leaking Florida wastewater reservoir that affected more than 300 homes and additional businesses has been lifted.

On the latest episode of the This Week in South Florida podcast, hosts Michael Putney and Glenna Milberg are joined by Deputy Secretary for the Florida Department of Health Dr. Shamarial Roberson, state lawmakers Sen. Annette Taddeo and Rep. Daniel Perez, Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Nikki Fried and South Florida Water Management District board member Ron Bergeron.

On the latest episode of This Week in South Florida, hosts Michael Putney and Glenna Milberg are joined by Deputy Secretary for the Florida Department of Health Dr. Shamarial Roberson, state lawmakers Sen. Annette Taddeo and Rep. Daniel Perez, Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Nikki Fried and South Florida Water Management District board member Ron Bergeron.

Florida's only Democrat elected statewide is Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Nikki Fried.

Democrats hope to make deeper strides in changing their fortunes in a state that has become friendlier place for Republicans. And that was despite $100 million spent by Michael Bloomberg to help Democrats in the state. When the spending tally is complete, the last election cycle in Florida is expected to rank as among the most expensive in state history. Ad“I don’t know anybody who’s happy with investing $100 million and not winning,” said Manny Diaz, the new chair of the Florida Democratic Party. Diaz, the state party chairman, is trying to reverse the slide in its voter registration advantage over Republicans.

Bruce Rauner, last week gave the Florida governor's campaign committee $250,000. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried joined Democratic U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist in calling for federal officials to probe the DeSantis administration’s vaccine distribution programs. AdDuring a Thursday news conference, DeSantis expressed no misgivings about the early vaccinations at the exclusive Key Largo community. In recent weeks, other reports have surfaced of wealthy retirement communities getting exclusive access to vaccine doses through pop-up vaccine sites. Bruce Rauner to the Florida governor's campaign committee.

(AP Photo/Julie Smith, File)FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Palm Beach County defied Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday, refusing to lower its courthouse flags to half-staff in honor of the late conservative broadcaster Rush Limbaugh — a move that the governor's office called “petty.”The county's courthouse flags remained at full staff, ignoring Gov. He also ordered the Town of Palm Beach and the State Capitol in Tallahassee to fly their flags at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Wednesday. Officials in the Town of Palm Beach, the wealthy island enclave where Limbaugh lived for two decades, issued a statement saying its policy is to comply with governor's orders to lower the flags. Trump also lives in Palm Beach at his Mar-a-Lago club and he and Limbaugh were close friends.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – In a possible prelude to Florida’s upcoming gubernatorial campaign, the state’s only Democrat holding statewide office is taking a shot at Gov. Ron DeSantis in a campaign-style video that casts the Republican as unempathetic amid a deadly pandemic and beholden to former President Donald Trump. In her 1-minute video, Florida Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried did not do what many expect her to do sometime in the coming months: Announce a bid to challenge DeSantis for the governor’s mansion in next year’s election. But even if she fell short of making an announcement on a bid, it set off more speculation and could accelerate the jockeying within a Democratic field considering a run against DeSantis.

“If you look at what Florida has done, we have done by far the most for senior citizens,” DeSantis said. Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried, a Democrat, accused the Republican governor of mismanaging the vaccine distribution. “This is not a positive roll-out ... Don’t call it a success,” Fried said. Vaccinations next week in South Florida are iffy because there are no new shipments of vaccines scheduled. So far, in Miami-Dade County more than 100,000 people have been vaccinated, more than 77,000 in Broward County, and about 3,000 in Monroe County.

State officials have moved quickly to disavow such scuttlebutt. Ron DeSantis said stories of people flying to Florida, getting vaccinated and returning home are overblown. “We are seeing lines all across the state of Florida. She praised Florida officials for allowing outsiders to get shots. This has nothing to do with where you’re from.”___Lush reported from St. Petersburg, Florida, and Calvan from Tallahassee, Florida.

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Joining the latest episode of the This Week in South Florida podcast are FIU infectious disease expert Dr. Aileen Marty, Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried, Feeding South Florida President Paco Velez, and journalists Nancy Ancrum from the Miami Herald and Steve Bousquet from the Sun Sentinel. Subscribe to the weekly TWISF Podcast on iOS or Android