Politics

Florida Republicans stand by Donald Trump administration’s authority to strike Venezuelan boats

Published

21 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Florida Republicans spoke forcefully in defense of President Donald Trump’s legal authority to strike drug boats traveling from Venezuela toward the Sunshine State.

After House Democrats brought a privileged resolution on employing war powers to stop the U.S. action, U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, a Stuart Republican who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, led opposition to the measure.

He classified the resolution as “poorly written” and counterproductive. He showed photos of cartel activity allegedly occurring on similar boats, including the beheading of individuals and heavily armed security in line with international gang activity.

“They are kidnapping Americans, extorting families, trafficking women and children, and flooding our towns with fentanyl to maximize death and addiction on American soil,” Mast said.

But U.S. Rep. Gregory Meek, a New York Democrat and ranking member of Mast’s Committee, said the administration has not properly kept Congress abreast of action.

“It’s clear to me that these lethal strikes are not about stopping drugs from entering the country. That stated objective simply does not square with Trump’s recent decisions to pardon the former President of Honduras, who a jury found guilty for helping to smuggle 400 tons of cocaine into the country, or Ross Ulbricht, who ran an online drug marketplace,” he said in a statement after a congressional briefing with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

“To be clear, no fentanyl enters the United States over sea routes. The administration has made clear its real interest is in starting a regime change war with Venezuela and going after its oil.”

Several lawmakers spoke on the issue, but those from Florida, home to 49% of Venezuelans in the U.S. according to the Migration Policy Institute, said taking the actions was critical to U.S. interest. They also said the impacts of fentanyl in the U.S. have been devastating.

U.S. Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, a Hialeah Republican, said the measure — which would treat actions against drug smugglers as military action needing authorization of Congress — would cripple legitimate efforts to combat organized crime. Moreover, he suggested criminal actions sanctioned by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who clung to power despite international observers saying he lost the last election in the country, was wrong-headed.

“I strongly oppose this resolution which limits the United States ability to fight narco-terrorist traffickers in our own hemisphere, where we are most directly impacted,” he said.

“Maduro is not a President. He’s the head of a narco-cartel that has taken over, by force and by terror, a great country, the country of Venezuela.”

U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar, a Hialeah Republican, chairs the House Western Hemisphere Subcommittee. She said there was a long history of presidential administrations taking unilateral action to stop international threats to U.S. security without congressional approval.

“The Founding Fathers vested in Congress the power to declare a war, but they were equally clear that the power to defend the homeland from foreign and domestic threats belongs to the President as Commander-in-Chief,” she said. “President Trump does not need congressional permission to kill terrorists at sea who are bringing cocaine and fentanyl to the streets of Miami, New York or Chicago.”

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Politics

Gov. DeSantis gives state employees the gift of extra paid time off

Published

20 minutes ago

December 18, 2025

May Greene

Gov. Ron DeSantis is playing Santa and giving state employees some extra holiday time off.

State offices will officially be closed on Dec. 26 and Jan. 2, per DeSantis. That’s on top of the normal days off for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The Governor also already gave employees off an extra day on Nov. 26.

“Our state employees have worked hard throughout the year,” DeSantis said in a press release. “I hope they enjoy additional time off with loved ones and friends this holiday season. The First Lady and I are thankful for their continued dedication to the people of Florida.”

Times have been good in the state of Florida this year: There have been no hurricanes, with the season officially ending this month, and surpluses in the budget have been used to pay off the state’s debt early.

DeSantis — and a long line of Florida Governors — have given state employees extended holiday weekends. (Private sector bosses, take note!)

For instance, for this year’s July 4 holiday, DeSantis also shut down state offices on July 3 for the 100,000 people in the State Personnel System.

Former Govs. Rick Scott and Charlie Crist also gave more time off during the holidays.

Florida employees normally get nine holidays off throughout the year: New Year’s, the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans’ Day, Thanksgiving and the Friday after, and Christmas.

However, not everyone benefits when the state offices shut down.

According to media reports, OPS, or the “part-time employees hired to fill temporary staff shortages,” won’t get the extra paid time off and are essentially furloughed.

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Politics

Florida’s initial unemployment claims fall nearly 16% in second week of December

Published

51 minutes ago

December 18, 2025

May Greene

The number of people filing first-time unemployment claims declined in the Sunshine State for the week ending Dec. 13, according to new numbers provided by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).

There were 5,214 people who submitted new jobless filings for unemployment benefits in Florida last week, according to the latest DOL report. That’s down by 975 from the 6,189 claims reported for the week ending Dec. 6, or a 15.75% decline.

It’s another sign that holiday hiring at businesses and retailers is robust to prepare for shoppers buying gifts for Christmas Day.

It’s also another indicator that Florida has remained fairly stable in the employment picture since the Summer months. There have been only a few weeks where the number of weekly unemployment filings have increased in the past half-year, though there’s still about a month of weekly claim reports missing due to the federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1 and lasted into early November.

The general unemployment figure remains at 3.8% last reported for August. But that figure also hasn’t had any updates from FloridaCommerce due to the government shutdown. FloridaCommerce is the state agency that handles the general unemployment rate reports.

As for the latest report on first-time claims, Florida’s decline reflected the national employment picture. But the number of new claims across the country decreased at a greater percentage than the figure in Florida.

There were a total of 255,012 initial claims in the U.S. for the week ending Dec. 13. That’s a substantial 19% decrease of 59,903 filings from the previous week. That figure outpaced the projected decrease that was forecast by DOL economists, who expected a 14.2% drop. That would have amounted to a decline of 44,785 claims.

While the week-to-week decrease is notable, the year-over-year comparison remains stubborn. DOL officials said there were 252,071 filings for the same comparable week in December 2024. That means the latest unemployment claims report signals about a 1.2% increase in the annual comparison, according to the DOL figures.

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Politics

‘Most dominant’ ever? Byron Donalds’ campaign boasts $40M, massive polling leads since launch

Published

1 hour ago

December 18, 2025

May Greene

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds’ gubernatorial campaign has reported raising $40 million since launching earlier this year.

In a memo outlining accomplishments in 2025, Rapid Loop Consulting President Ryan Smith argued the Naples Republican will enter the election year as “the most dominant gubernatorial candidate in Florida history.”

“Our campaign will serve as the tip of the spear in keeping Florida red in 2026 up and down the ballot,” Smith wrote. “Not only will our resources be effectively used to deliver a decisive victory for Byron; but they will also be invested in the voter registration and turnout efforts required to send the Democrat Party in Florida into extinction.”

Outside of money, Donalds’ campaign boasts endorsements from President Donald Trump, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, House Speaker Mike Johnson and outsized political supporters such as billionaire Elon Musk, golf legend Phil Mickelson and, months before his political assassination, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.

The memo also notes the support of Florida Sheriffs, now 27 of them, and from 17 members of Florida’s congressional delegation and 63 total members of the U.S. House.

“Byron enjoys unmatched grassroots support from Republicans across Florida. In 2025, the campaign visited 41 counties and held 75 political events, punctuated by hour-long photo lines and homemade ‘Donalds for Governor’ swag,” Smith wrote.

A range of political polls have also shown Donalds with a major lead in the Republican Primary for Governor. Smith points to a recent poll from The American Promise that shows Donald leading with 38% to Lt. Gov. Jay Collins’ 9%, with that lead shifting to 50% to 7% if respondents were informed of Trump’s endorsement of the Congressman. Donalds also faces former House Speaker Paul Renner and Azoria CEO James Fishback in a GOP Primary.

Smith suggested that lead will only grow after Donalds’ campaign goes on air.

“These polling numbers come after allies of one potential opponent spent over $6 million statewide to boost his name ID. Sadly for that mystery donor — or donors — that multimillion investment was lit on fire,” Smith said.

“The state of the race remains unchanged, and now, the sugar high will wear off. Byron Donalds maintains a commanding lead without spending a dime on TV ads. Our lead will only increase once we do.”