Politics
Ashley Moody says fentanyl deaths are on Democrats’ ‘hands and heads’
U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody is tired of Democratic moves to “obstruct and delay” confirmations for President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees, especially given that new Attorney General Pam Bondi needs help combatting the scourge of drugs brought in the country by illegal immigrants, she said.
“She needs her people in place to effectuate these things. She needs the Director of the (Federal Bureau of Investigation) ready to go. Her passion to secure this nation based on her decades as a prosecutor and Attorney General? I mean, it is still lore back in Florida when she went into lawmakers’ chambers and said, this amount of fentanyl will kill you,” Florida’s newest Senator said Thursday.
She then offered a chilling warning and possible blame about potential fentanyl casualties if FBI Director nominee Kash Patel, who is stalled in Judiciary, and others aren’t confirmed in a timely fashion.
“And remember, that is the number one killer of working and fighting age Americans right now. There is no more time to waste, and if Democrats stand in our way, it is on their hands and heads if we cannot control the crime and devastation that was the result of the Biden administration.
The Plant City Republican made the comments on “The Faulkner Focus” Thursday.
As Attorney General, Moody focused heavily on the fentanyl surge, with statistics backing her read.
“The New England Journal of Medicine reported that after more than a decade of remaining relatively stable, overdose deaths among 14- to 18-year-olds more than doubled. Since then, the issue has intensified, with the national teen overdose rate climbing to 22 deaths a week. Fentanyl is now involved in at least 75% of adolescent overdose deaths,” read a release from her former office last year.
She issued Spring Break advisories, partnered with McGruff the Crime Dog and warned about vape usage.
And she emphasized the danger to young users specifically, messaging that fentanyl could harm children and teenagers in ways they wouldn’t suspect, especially in light of evidence that children under the age of 14 are most likely to suffer fentanyl poisoning.
In May, she blamed President Joe Biden’s border policies after a report highlighted that Florida leads the nation in fentanyl seizures.
During Thursday’s interview, Moody said Trump was “charging ahead” to “protect this house” and make it “safe and secure,” in contrast to what she and other Republicans view as the previous administration’s permissive detente on border crossings.
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On the heels of a record-breaking year of hosting more travelers than ever, Jacksonville International Airport (JIA) is adding more flights to its schedule.
JIA announced Thursday the airline hub will add more Southwest Airlines flights to Austin, Texas, this year. Officials with the airport also are adding flights to St. Louis, Mo., aboard Allegiant Airlines.
Both destinations will involve direct, nonstop flights. The St. Louis flights will take travelers to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport. The St. Louis route isn’t so much a new one. Rather, it’s a return of the service on Allegiant. It begins again in March.
The Austin route will exchange travelers with Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Those flights won’t begin until October, though. The service on Southwest Airlines will depart from JIA at 11:58 a.m. and arrive in Austin about 12:35 p.m. Then the flights from Austin will depart about 12:50 p.m. and arrive in Jacksonville about 4:15 p.m. That flight schedule will be offered every day except for Saturdays when Southwest begins the service in the fall.
“Southwest is a beloved airline with strong brand loyalty,” Jacksonville Aviation Authority (JAA) CEO Mark VanLoh said. “We have no doubt that their service to Austin will be successful.”
It’s the latest addition of First Coast flight service being offered involving JIA and Southwest. The carrier already offers nonstop travel to Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Nashville and St. Louis. That’s on top of another addition beginning later this year as Southwest will begin Saturday-only service from JIA to Kansas City on June 7.
The new routes and flights come as JIA just marked a record-setting year for travelers in 2024.
JIA officials announced in January the airport broke records again as more than 7.6 million travelers passed through the facility in 2024. That’s up from the 7.45 million passengers who used the airport in 2023. Passenger travel in 2024 was up 2.4% over 2023, smashing the record that had already been set in 2023.
Jacksonville International Airport officials had noted expanded service and new flights were a significant part of the reason for record-breaking use of the facility.
“Our passenger volume continues to increase as Northeast Florida and the local economy grow,” Jacksonville Aviation Authority (JAA) CEO Mark VanLoh said. “Airlines have taken note, adding frequencies, cities and larger aircraft at JAX.”
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A Spring Hill Republican thinks 16 years is enough time in the state Legislature, and he hopes voters agree.
Sen. Blaise Ingoglia’s SJR 536 would give voters the chance to limit lawmakers to eight years each in the Senate and the House, and foreclosing their path to return to a seat they previously held after being out of it for a period of time.
“Let’s stop the practice of people continually running for the same office and bouncing back and forth between chambers. Serving the people of Florida should be a privilege, and an honor, not a career,” Ingoglia, a former chair of the Republican Party of Florida, said Thursday.
The bill would take effect in November.
The matter is relevant given state Rep. Debbie Mayfield, elected again to the House after eight years in the Senate in November, wants to replace Sen. Randy Fine as he pursues a seat in Congress.
The Secretary of State ruled her ineligible to run citing term limits, saying her candidacy would violate the Constitution because a person cannot run for Florida Senator “if, by the end of the current term of office, the person will have served (or but for resignation, would have served) in that office for eight consecutive years.”
Mayfield claims Gov. Ron DeSantis used “the executive branch to punish me for endorsing Donald J. Trump for President (and) weaponized the Department of State just like Joe Biden weaponized the Department of Justice against Donald Trump.”
She has appealed to the Florida Supreme Court for redress. The state of Florida is compelled to respond to her pleading by end of business Monday.
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Jacob Ogles contributed reporting.
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Politics
Randy Fine endorses ‘America First patriot’ Terry Cronin for House District 32 to ‘deliver on President Trump’s promise’
Sen. Randy Fine wants Dr. Terry Cronin representing Brevard County in the state House.
“As an America First patriot, I know that Dr. Terry Cronin is the only candidate that can deliver on President (Donald) Trump’s promise to Make America Great Again,” Fine said in a statement backing the Melbourne Republican for House District 32.
“I have been fighting for the Space Coast for nearly a decade in the Florida Legislature and by electing Dr. Terry Cronin for the state House, I know he will continue fighting every day for America First principles.”
Cronin, a physician and owner of the Cronin Skin Cancer Center in Melbourne, is one of three Republicans running for HD 32. He is the immediate past President of the American Academy of Dermatology and has long advocated for skin cancer patients in D.C. He was also recently appointed as an Ambassador to the 26th World Congress of Dermatology.
“I’m incredibly thankful to have the support of my longtime friend Sen. Randy Fine. I’m running for the Florida House to help President Trump secure our border and keep our nation safe. Like many of you know, Sen. Fine has been an America First leader for our community and I look to follow in his footsteps to continue delivering for Brevard County,” Cronin said.
Cronin faces Brian Hodgers and Bob White in the April 1 Republican Primary for HD 32, which opened during the shuffle created by Mike Waltz giving up his seat in Florida’s 6th Congressional District to become National Security Adviser to Trump.
Fine is the Trump-endorsed candidate running to replace Waltz, and current HD 32 Rep. Debbie Mayfield resigned to replace Fine in Senate District 19, although her qualifying paperwork was rejected earlier this week.
The winner of the Republican Primary will advance to a June 10 election against Democrat Juan Hinojosa. That’s forecast to be a noncompetitive contest based on the district’s demographics — Mayfield won the heavily Republican district in November with more than 64% of the vote. The same night, about 59% of voters in the district supported Republican Donald Trump for President and GOP U.S. Sen. Rick Scott’s re-election.
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Florida Politics reporter Jacob Ogles contributed to this post.
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Jacksonville International Airport adding direct flights to Austin, St. Louis
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