Ron DeSantis is currently in the midst of the official Totally Not Feeling Out 2024 tour, backed by conservative PAC Turning Point Action. He stopped off in Pittsburgh to lend support to Donald Trump-anointed Pennsylvania gubernatorial hopeful Doug Mastriano on Friday night.
After the rally, no one wanted to talk about DeSantis’ national aspirations. They didn’t want to talk about DeSantis’ ongoing railing against so-called “woke” ideology in schools and businesses. They didn’t even want to talk about Mastriano’s frightening Christian nationalist beliefs or that DeSantis closed his speech by asking the audience to “put on the full armor of God” in their fight against Democrats.
Instead, all anyone could focus on was the fact that DeSantis apparently went to the Donald Trump School of Standing Normal for Big, Beautiful Boys. Social media laid into DeSantis for his odd stance, noting that he appeared to be wearing a snowsuit under his suit suit. Take a look at some our favorite reactions below.
This story was first published at Orlando Weekly
Maurice V. de Castro
Profession: Compliance officer at CitibankOther boards: Member of the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists since 2021
Lived in Hillsborough since: 2020
Notable references: His ex-wife
Registered party: No party afffiliation
Castro touted 21 years in IT and said their role at Citibank is to mitigate risk for the bank in the form of ad-hoc complex, high-risk financial investigations and relationship audits, identifying behavioral patterns, systemic weaknesses, and directly collaborating with law enforcement and other banks.
Jacob Whitworth
Profession: Senior cybersecurity engineer at Modern Technology SolutionOther boards/organizations:
Lived in Hillsborough since: 2022
Notable references: Manager, coworker
Registered party: No party affiliation
Whitworth cites eight years of professional IT experience in nonprofit, government, and private organizations.
Books to look forward to in 2025
’Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros’ The stakes are even higher in the third Fourth Wing book. Yes, there are dragons and sexy times, but the exploration of revisionist history and the moral grayness of military might have me fully engaged. Jan. 21, 2025
’Reign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear by Alexander Freed’ Star Wars has this uncanny ability to provide the stories we need exactly when we need them. Reign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear comes out in February and explores the earliest days of the Galactic Empire through the politicians and figures who will eventually form the Rebel Alliance. Feb. 25, 2025
’Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins’ I am already fully seated for this next Hunger Games book. Sunrise on the Reaping is Haymitch Abernathy’s story and the 50th iteration of the annual dystopian games. March 18, 2025
Robert Emerson
Profession: Self-employed private investor/financial consultantOther boards/organizations: Hillsborough County Republican Executive Committee member 2012-2025
Lived in Hillsborough since: 2012
Notable references: Rep. Mike Owen (R-Apollo Beach), 2024 Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners District 4 Republican candidate and real estate broker Cody Powell, real estate broker Mike Greer
Registered party: Republican
In the application, Emerson wrote that they have deep experience in financial analysis, budgeting, planning economics, investments and insurance risk management at several Fortune 100 companies over many years.
Danielle Ellis
Profession: SVP of Regulatory Risks and Controls for Citigroup Financial ServicesOther boards/organizations: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority member since 2007
Lived in Hillsborough since: 2002
Notable references: Friends and colleagues.
Registered party: Democrat
Ellis’ application touts work managing “complex, error-prone systems while developing sustainable workarounds to meet deliverables and stakeholder expectations” as qualifications for the committee.
Non-Florida authors
These are some of the best and most talked about new books I read in 2024.When the Moon Hatched By Sarah A. Parker’ A sweeping, romantic high fantasy with a deeply immersive, dragon-filled world and intricate magic system. With so much heartbreak and hope, there’s no wonder When the Moon Hatched is a darling of the romantasy genre this year.
’House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas’ Every new Sarah J. Maas book is the must-read of the season, and the hype for HOFAS reached a fever pitch with midnight release parties around the country. The book turned out to be an intense and dizzying conclusion to the Crescent City trilogy.
’The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire by Dr. Chris Kempshall’ Ever wanted to read a Star Wars history textbook? Well, this one charts the events of the Skywalker Saga, delving into the politics and government actions that led to the rise of the fascistic Galactic Empire. Fiction, but eerily parallels some of our own political and cultural issues.
’A Monsoon Rising by Thea Guanzon’ Not Star Wars, but Star Wars inspired with dragons and a unique magic system set in a fantastical, Philippines-inspired world. A Monsoon Rising is the second book in The Hurricane Wars trilogy of high fantasy with simmering romance.
Special mention: ‘Mistborn and the Stormlight Archive’ Love for Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere books hit an all-time high this year thanks to his newest book, the fifth in the Stormlight Archive series. He’s my most-read author for 2024, and his books have literally altered my brain chemistry. Journey before destination.
