Shock Poll: Charlie Crist leads Ron DeSantis Amid COVID-19 Surge
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.
thewestsidegazette.comThis Week in South Florida Podcast: June 19, 2022
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.
This Week in South Florida Full Episode: June 19, 2022
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.
Does Nikki Fried have a path to winning Democratic nomination for governor over Charlie Crist?
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.
sun-sentinel.comCrist and Fried, together in West Palm Beach, agree on substance and harsh words for DeSantis but differ on style
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.
sun-sentinel.comFred Guttenberg, father of Stoneman Douglas victim, endorses Nikki Fried for governor
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.
sun-sentinel.comCandidate for Florida governor denounces ‘traitors’ who rioted at Capitol on Jan. 6
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.”
sun-sentinel.comState Supreme Court justices skeptical of challenge to gun law. South Florida officials want it overturned.
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.
sun-sentinel.comGovernor candidate Nikki Fried calls for massive effort to ‘change the culture of America when it comes to guns’
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.
sun-sentinel.comGun control advocates call on Marco Rubio to join their fight to end gun violence
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.
sun-sentinel.comDemocratic Black Caucus of Florida Endorses Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried for the Democratic Primary at its 39th Annual Conference
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.
thewestsidegazette.comDeSantis’ trifecta: Canceling Disney’s district, masks mandate on planes, and half of Florida’s Black congressional delegation
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.
news.yahoo.comThis Week in South Florida Full Episode: April 24, 2022
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.
‘This Is No Longer a Tragic Accident’: Tyre Sampson’s Mother Issues Strong Indictment Following Report Confirming Ride Operator Changed Safety Sensors on Ride That Killed Her Son
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 […]
news.yahoo.comTropical Audubon asks court to reverse governor and cabinet’s order on SR-836
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.
communitynewspapers.comMayor, governor candidate call for probe of voter ID changes after Local 10 reports
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.
This Week in South Florida Full Episode: January 23, 2022
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.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wanted $100k donations from University of Florida trustees or they'd lose their appointments, Democratic Florida commissioner alleges
Several trustees in the state's university system have already donated to DeSantis's reelection campaign or the state GOP, some with the exact figure.
news.yahoo.comFlorida officials want to pump millions of gallons of mining wastewater into a deep well. Environmentalists say it could be "disastrous."
Officials want to put millions of gallons of wastewater in a deep injection well. But with a long history of incidents and issues, locals and some officials say they have "zero confidence" there won't be any problems.
cbsnews.comThe Florida State Guard was a World War II-era defense force. Here’s why DeSantis wants to revive it.
The defunct Florida State Defense Force was established during the World War II-era administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It was deactivated in 1947. In recent years, various groups have sought its revival, and got their wish when Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he is seeking $3.5 million from the Legislature to bring it back.
sun-sentinel.comNikki Fried releases school mask information she says DeSantis hasn’t made public that shows mandates work
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democratic candidate for governor. said that she compiled publicly available information that proves masks in schools work to keep COVID cases down.
sun-sentinel.comLetter: Why we need something new for Florida
I remember watching Gov. Ron DeSantis’ first ad as a candidate, featuring his two small children. It’s not the use of family that upset me, that’s a common and accepted practice; it was the images of his children building a “wall” with cardboard bricks and reading a book on political division.
news.yahoo.comDeSantis stops pushing COVID-19 vaccines as virus skyrockets in Florida
For most of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Ron DeSantis has followed a set strategy: protect elderly residents at greater risk of serious illness and death but impose no other restrictions and prevent others from imposing their own. Now that strategy is being tested as never before, as cases and hospitalizations surge around the state at numbers near Florida’s peak at the beginning of the year, taxing hospitals and putting pandemic-weary residents on edge as cities, counties, school boards and businesses contemplate reimposing safety protocols.
sun-sentinel.comKraken attorney's fundraising group gets Florida's approval
A group run by one of former President Donald Trump’s most prominent election conspiracy adherents, reacting to accusations it was illegally seeking donations in Florida, has registered with the state and says it will raise $7 million, documents released Wednesday show. The office of Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, which polices charities, said it has approved paperwork filed by attorney Sidney Powell’s Defending the Republic group. Fried's office had filed an administrative complaint last month against the group, accusing it of seeking donations without registering with the state as required.
news.yahoo.comDemocrat Nikki Fried announces modest first-month fundraising in 2022 run for governor
With a strategy of leaning on small-dollar donors, Democrat candidate for Florida governor Nikki Fried announced her first month’s fundraising numbers Tuesday, a modest haul coming in at just under $813,000.
news.yahoo.comBacklash after Florida governor signs bill against ‘indoctrination’ at colleges
Republican Ron DeSantis claims university campuses are ‘intellectually repressive environments’ The Florida governor, Ron DeSantis: ‘It used to be thought that a university campus was a place where you’d be exposed to a lot of different ideas.’ Photograph: Wilfredo Lee/AP Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, sparked backlash this week when he signed legislation cracking down on so-called educational “indoctrination” at colleges and universities, soon after the state banned critical race
news.yahoo.comDemocrat Nikki Fried files complaint against former Trump attorney’s organization
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried on Friday said her office has filed a formal complaint against a charity run by Sidney Powell, a former attorney who joined President Donald Trump’s legal team and spewed false voter fraud claims about the 2020 election.
news.yahoo.com‘Let’s focus on real criminals’: DeSantis pardons remaining local COVID-19 penalties
As part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ continued effort to hamper local governments’ ability to impose pandemic-related infractions, the state’s clemency board on Wednesday pardoned any lingering financial penalties including those against a Broward County gym owner who at one point faced potential jail time.
news.yahoo.comDeSantis blew a chance to prove the Everglades are more important than roads | Editorial
For all of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appalling political stances — from making it harder to vote by mail to picking a fight with the cruise industry over “vaccine passports” — he’s consistently been on the right side of one issue: protecting the Everglades.
news.yahoo.comBefore Nikki Fried announced run for governor, she amended 2017, 2018 financial filings
Four days before she filed her paperwork to run for governor, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried amended two forms to disclose she made a substantial amount more as a marijuana lobbyist than previously reported.
news.yahoo.comAs pandemic wanes, Florida's DeSantis seizes national stage
As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis struggled to contain the coronavirus pandemic, Democrats readied to pounce. The state's economy was in tatters, infections and deaths were on the rise and there were doubts about the Republican's plan to lead Florida out of crisis. Now that the pandemic appears to be waning and DeSantis is heading into his reelection campaign next year, he has emerged from the political uncertainty as one of the most prominent Republican governors and an early White House front-runner in 2024 among Donald Trump's acolytes, if the former president doesn't run again.
news.yahoo.comFlorida firefighting helicopter crashes; no survivors found
One body was recovered Tuesday night and no survivors have been found, Leesburg Fire Rescue said in a Facebook post. A search and rescue effort began immediately after the crash, but the crash site couldn't be cleared because of hazards in the area, the Leesburg Police Department said in a news release Wednesday. “We are deeply saddened by this tragedy within our wildland firefighting family,” said Florida Forest Service director Erin Albury.
news.yahoo.comThis Week in South Florida Podcast: April 4, 2021
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.
This Week in South Florida Full Episode: April 4, 2021
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.
Sunshine State dims for Dems amid election losses, cash woes
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.
Florida Gov. DeSantis faces growing charges of vaccine favoritism
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.
Palm Beach County refuses to lower flags for Rush Limbaugh
(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.
Did Nikki Fried fire first shot against Ron DeSantis in upcoming race for governor?
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.
DeSantis bragging about Florida’s vaccination program upsets Nikki Fried
“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.
Florida downplays reports of medical tourism for vaccines
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.
This Week in South Florida Podcast: December 13, 2020
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
This Week in South Florida Full Episode: December 13, 2020
PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Joining the latest episode of This Week in South Florida 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. The full episode can be viewed at the top of this page.
This Week in South Florida: Nikki Fried
PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – The lone Democrat elected statewide is often the voice of opposition and it again at it this week. Nikki Fried, Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, has been a vocal critic of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ direction on coronavirus health and safety. This week, she was one of the first to come to the defense of data analyst Rebekah Jones, who was fired for insubordination last spring and was recently targeted with a search warrant. Fried joined This Week in South Florida hosts Michael Putney and Glenna Milberg to discuss, and their conversation can be seen at the top of this page.
Concealed weapons license requests hit all-time high in Florida
38,349 new CWL applications were received in October in addition to 8,590 CWL renewal applications. FDACS has received at least 36,000 new CWL applications every month since July 2020. FDACS received 202,698 new CWL applications in 2019 and 188,900 new CWL applications in 2018. It is currently processing approximately 10,000 CWL applications per week. Under Fried’s leadership, she said, the Division of Licensing reduced initial review times by up to 98 percent for new applications.
Biden-Harris supporters hold drive-up rally in Wynwood on final day of early voting
WYNWOOD, Fla. – The cars and people showed up by the dozens in a last-ditch message to voters. “The only way that we take back our country and take back the White House is if Miami-Dade votes,” said Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried. “This is the only way,” said rally attendee Etiony Aldarondo. “We don’t want anyone to be left out, we don’t want anyone left behind,” she said. “The idea is to get everybody excited and wanting to go out and vote,” said rally attendee Maria Crespo.
Former President Barack Obama in North Miami speaks about pandemic, Trump and urges vote for Joe Biden
NORTH MIAMI, Fla. – “Now listen, you delivered twice for me, Florida, and now I am asking you to deliver for Joe and deliver for Kamala,” former President Barack Obama said Saturday at a drive-in rally at Florida International University’s Biscayne Bay campus in North Miami. The Biden campaign’s most high-profile surrogate, was in South Florida to stump for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris. [RELATED: President Trump casts ballot in person in West Palm Beach]Obama talked much about the pandemic, President Trump, Obamacare, healthcare, the economy, and, of course, why people should vote for the Biden-Harris ticket. We can’t find it,” which elicited much car-horn “applause.”The full video of Obama’s speech can be seen below:Obama speech North Miami WATCH LIVE: Former President Barack Obama speaks at a drive-in campaign rally for Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden in North Miami. “I looked at the crowd that was — that President Obama had.
Miami-Dade County first place in U.S. where invasive snail from India found, it’s not good news
Found in India, it is a horntail snail (Macrochlamys indica), UF scientists discovered and FDACS confirmed it. Miami-Dade County is the first known place where a horntail snail has been found in the United States. Research is continuing to gather further information about the horntail snail, according to Commissioner Nikki Fried, who heads the FDACS. “The horntail snail is an invasive pest with the potential to cause serious health implications for Floridians,” she said. Inspectors combed the area where it was found and discovered more of the snail sites in Miami-Dade County.
Hundreds evacuated as wildfires rage in Florida Panhandle
The 2,000-acre (809-hectare) fire in Santa Rosa County, located just east of Pensacola, prompted the evacuation of 1,100 homes Wednesday. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said in a news conference Thursday afternoon that fire officials are working around the clock to contain the wildfires. Rich Aloy, with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, was patrolling Wednesday when he and other deputies rescued an older couple trapped by a burning power line. The Santa Rosa County fire began Monday when a prescribed burn by a private contractor got out of control, Fried said. Crews from other areas of Florida, including Jacksonville, are assisting firefighters who've been working long hours since Monday.