Guard tower and chain-link fence topped with razor wire at a correctional facility under a bright sky.

News & Views

Tennessee’s botched execution should ‘force reckoning’ in Florida, says attorney

Medical experts tell Gov. DeSantis that William Thompson should not be executed ‘while his body and mind are failing.’

by Mitch Perry and Florida Phoenix October 5, 2026October 5, 2026

News & Views

DeSantis railed against ‘Defund the police.’ Amendment 3 could do just that

“The fact is: it is going to hurt public safety, no matter how you equate it.”

by Christian Casale and Suncoast Searchlight October 5, 2026October 5, 2026

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Chief of Staff James Uthmeier at a "Florida Leads" press conference with the American flag in the background.

News & Views

Florida files lawsuit against Pfizer over COVID-19 vaccine marketing

It seeks monetary damages for each violation of Florida law plus an injunction against future violations.

by Michael Moline and Florida Phoenix October 2, 2026October 2, 2026

Florida State Representative Angie Nixon speaking into a microphone at a clear podium adorned with pink feather boas during a political campaign rally, surrounded by enthusiastic supporters holding pink and white campaign signs.

News & Views

JD Vance to Florida U.S. Senate candidate Angie Nixon: ‘Get the hell out of here. You don’t belong in America’

“Imagine standing on the shoulders of the people who built this country and then telling their descendants they don’t belong here.”

by Mitch Perry and Florida Phoenix October 2, 2026October 2, 2026

An outdoor landscape photograph showing Childs Park in St. Petersburg, Florida. Captured in a medium wide shot through a tree trunk in the foreground, a prominent curved red archway sign reading "CHILDS PARK" in capital lettering stands in a grassy park setting next to a tall, grey rectangular stone pillar monument. In the background, lush green oak trees, palm trees, a residential house, and a light-colored perimeter wall sit under a partly cloudy sky in natural daylight.

News & Views

‘Good enough is not enough for the voters’: SPLC joins call for early voting site in South St. Pete’s Childs Park neighborhood

The SPLC says an area containing a third of St. Pete’s Black population currently has no early voting site.

by Valerie Smith October 2, 2026October 2, 2026

A exterior view of a Wawa convenience store and gas station with canopy lighting and palm trees at dusk in Florida.

News & Views

The last time DeSantis suspended the gas tax was in October 2022, a month before he was up for re-election

Florida Democrats are once again calling on DeSantis to suspend the state gas tax.

by News Service of Florida October 1, 2026October 1, 2026

Row of blue metal student lockers with built-in combination locks along a brightly lit, empty school hallway.

News & Views

Florida Dept. of Education looks to restrict religious head coverings for employees

“The way it is written, it causes a lot of heartburn,” said Bobby Block, executive director of the Florida First Amendment Foundation.

by Ana Goñi-Lessan and News Service of Florida October 1, 2026October 1, 2026

Solar-powered Flock Safety automatic license plate reader (ALPR) camera mounted on a pole against a clear blue sky with palm trees in Fullerton, California.

News & Views

Pinellas County sheriff defends license plate readers after announcing arrests of two officers accused of abusing license plate readers

“Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

by Mitch Perry and Florida Phoenix October 1, 2026October 1, 2026

News & Views

Tampa Rep. Fentrice Driskell calls for IRS investigation into Hope Florida scandal

“We refuse to lift our foot off the gas when it comes to Hope Florida and the abuses of our taxpayer dollars from state officials at the highest levels.”

by Christine Sexton and Florida Phoenix October 1, 2026October 1, 2026

Ashley Moody speaking at a podium with a sign reading "Ashley Moody U.S. Senator for Florida" in front of a seated audience and veterans.

News & Views

‘Where is Ashley Moody?’: Dems rip U.S. Senator for avoiding voters, role in Hope Florida scandal

“Meanwhile, Angie Nixon has been crisscrossing the state, knocking doors, holding town halls, and talking to reporters,” Fried said.

by Ana Goñi-Lessan and News Service of Florida September 30, 2026September 30, 2026

News & Views

Pinellas deputy charged after allegedly searching license plate reader database 300 times for woman he arrested

The Sheriff said that Flock cameras do not track people, and that the deputy searched the database because he was interested in pictures of the back of the woman’s car.

by Valerie Smith September 30, 2026October 5, 2026