Politics

Big records for landing big fish across Sunshine State in 2025

Published

4 hours ago

December 21, 2025

Both adult and youth categories racked up big catches this year in many categories.

A friendly competitive measure of sport fishing in Florida is catching on with more and more anglers and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is reporting they have registered a record number of records this year.

The were 18 records approved for the Florida Saltwater State Records program this year. FWC officials say they’ve seen a “drastic increase in participation” in both the adult and youth categories for length of catch and weight areas in 2025.

“It has been so exciting to see anglers of all ages taking advantage of these opportunities in the Fishing Capital of the World. The participation we have seen from both adults and youth setting these records and engaging in our angler recognition programs really emphasize the passion Florida has for fishing,” said Jessica McCawley, Director of the FWC Division of Marine Fisheries Management.

This year, there were six records that were set in the adult categories with a new yellow jack all-tackle record at 27.6 pounds caught while spearfishing by Nathanial Campbell. Then a length record set by Watson Eugene Wilson and Renee Knight who both set the new adult record for length for red drum at 38.75 inches and snook at 36 inches respectively. But the snook record was overcome by Carl Caradonna who caught a 40-inch snook late this year.

Red porgy and Atlantic bonito fishing also saw new records. Billy Ray Pierce set the all-tackle record for red porgy by catching a 6.74-pounder and Joel Hierholzer nailed a record by landing a 9.56-pound Atlantic bonito.

Youth anglers were even more successful in setting 12 records for fishing in Florida in 2025. Julia Bernstein set five records alone with youth length records in all-tackle benchmarks for vermillion snapper, crevalle jack, blackfin tuna and mutton snapper. The mutton snapper record was later eclipsed this year by Jeremiah Pelequine II with a 15.7-pounder.

Cash Ward set the record for an all-tackle spotted seatrout at 3.49 pounds. That was another record that was broken later this year in December when Chase Curry landed a 3.7-pound spotted seatrout.

Theo Zellers set a youth record for sheepshead, Harrison Farshid with a black sea bass, Carsin Atcheson for sheepshead and for tripletail and Brandon Canedy for Spanish mackerel.

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Politics

D.C. Reeves officially files for candidacy for reelection to Pensacola Mayor

Published

6 hours ago

December 21, 2025

May Greene

Reeves faces three othe candidates who are seeking the Pensacola Mayoral post.

One of the Panhandle’s more prominent and rising politicians is getting into another run to keep his post in one of the largest cities in the region.

Darcy “D.C.” Reeves made it official this month when he entered his campaign filing with the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Office to seek reelection for Mayor of Pensacola. He joins a growing number of candidates seeking the mayoral seat in Pensacola, which is officially a nonpartisan race.

While it may be a post without party designations, Reeves is a Republican who is steeped in party politics after an initial career in journalism and then a businessman in Pensacola who owns a microbrewery in the city. Other candidates who’ve officially filed with the elections office for a run for the Mayor’s job in Pensacola include Jasmine Brown, Alicia Ann Trawick and Ann Hill.

The only candidate in the Pensacola Mayor’s race who has any campaign contributions that have been officially filed is Hill. According to the elections office, Hill has raised a total of $2,757.44 in in-kind and monetary contributions. None of the other candidates have reported any campaign contributions at all.

Reeves won the mayor’s race in 2022 without requiring a run-off. He clinched the post in the August 22, 2022 primary by nabbing just over 51% of the vote with about 7,700 ballots. That negated the necessity for another vote in the November general election.

Reeves bested three other candidates, none of which garnered more than 20% of the vote. None of those candidates who lost in 2022 have filed for candidacy yet for the 2026 race for Mayor in Pensacola.

Reeves posted on his X social media account he is enthused to seek another term as the top elected official in Pensacola.

“This office is never about me — it’s about us. I love this community and our 880 amazing city employees who make it great. We’ve hit all-time highs in progress and engagement, but our work isn’t done. I’ve filed to run again to keep Pensacola moving, Let’s ride,” Reeves said in his post issued on Saturday.

The 2026 Pensacola Mayor’s the primary election in Escambia County is set for Aug. 18 and the general election will take place Nov. 3.

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Politics

Russia says talks on U.S. peace plan in Florida for Ukraine ‘are proceeding constructively’

Published

8 hours ago

December 21, 2025

May Greene

A Kremlin envoy said peace talks on a U.S.-proposed plan to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine were pressing on “constructively” in Florida, while the Ukrainian president said they were moving ”quickly.”

The talks are part of the Trump administration’s monthslong push for peace that also included meetings with Ukrainian and European officials in Berlin earlier this week.

“The discussions are proceeding constructively. They began earlier and will continue today, and will also continue tomorrow,” Kirill Dmitriev told reporters in Miami on Saturday.

Dmitriev met with U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram Sunday that diplomatic efforts were “moving forward quite quickly, and our team in Florida has been working with the American side.” This came after Ukraine’s chief negotiator said Friday his delegation had completed separate meetings in the United States with American and European partners.

Trump has unleashed an extensive diplomatic push to end the war, but his efforts have run into sharply conflicting demands by Moscow and Kyiv. Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently signaled he is digging in on his maximalist demands on Ukraine, as Moscow’s troops inch forward on the battlefield despite huge losses.

On Friday, Putin expressed confidence that the Kremlin would achieve its military goals if Kyiv didn’t agree to Russia’s conditions in peace talks.

The French presidency on Sunday welcomed Putin’s willingness to speak with President Emmanuel Macron, saying it would decide how to proceed “in the coming days.”

“As soon as the prospect of a ceasefire and peace negotiations becomes clearer, it becomes useful again to speak with Putin,” Macron’s office said in a statement. “It is welcome that the Kremlin publicly agrees to this approach.”

The statement came after reports that Putin was open to holding talks with the French president if there was mutual political will.

Macron’s office said any dialogue would aim “to contribute to a solid and lasting peace for Ukraine and Europe, in full transparency with President Zelenskyy and our European partners.”

European Union leaders agreed on Friday to provide 90 billion euros ($106 billion) to Ukraine to meet its military and economic needs for the next two years, although they failed to bridge differences with Belgium that would have allowed them to use frozen Russian assets to raise the funds. Instead, they were borrowed from capital markets.

In Ukraine, the country’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, accused Sunday Russian forces of forcibly removing about 50 Ukrainian civilians from the Ukrainian Sumy border region to Russian territory.

Writing on Telegram, he said that Russian forces illegally detained the residents in the village of Hrabovske on Thursday, before moving them to Russia on Saturday.

Lubinets said he contacted Russia’s human rights commissioner, requesting information on the civilians’ whereabouts and conditions, and demanding their immediate return to Ukraine.

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Reblished with permission of The Associated Press.

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Politics

Randy Fine ready to cut immigrant welfare

Published

1 day ago

December 20, 2025

May Greene

If you’re not from the United States, then don’t take taxpayers’ money.

That’s the message of a new bill in the House of Representatives from Florida Republican Randy Fine that posits benefits are “for Americans” and not “for the world.”

“Americans are being robbed,” said Fine. “Somalians, illegals, and even legal immigrants are getting free handouts at the expense of American taxpayers. That is insane, it is immoral, and it must stop.”

Fine’s bill would end welfare eligibility for non-citizens, closing the door to what his office calls “loopholes and carveouts” for this class of beneficiaries that have been in place since President Bill Clinton’s first term.

“Hardworking Americans should not be paying for non-citizens’ healthcare, free housing, food stamps, Medicaid, or anything else for that matter. Citizens come first. Period,” Fine continued. “My legislation will ensure that non-citizens don’t receive any government benefits from the taxpayer. If you want free stuff, then you need to go home.”

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