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What’s behind delays in qualification for SD 19 and HD 3?

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Fields were supposed to be set on Tuesday in two Special Elections for legislative seats. But hours after a noon qualification deadline, the state had not updated the status for candidates in Senate District 19 or House District 3.

Late on Tuesday, an employee at the Florida Division of Elections said the state intends to update its website regarding both Special Elections and a third, in House District 32, after noon on Wednesday.

Multiple Republican consultants said there was no rational explanation why it would take more than 24 hours to qualify candidates in two elections statewide. But multiple Republican sources believed Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office had ordered the State Department to slow the qualification process for the 17 candidates in the two seats with Tuesday deadlines for candidates. HD 32’s deadline is not until noon on Wednesday.

The Governor’s office did not return a request for comment. A spokesperson for the State Department said only that the paperwork for all candidates was being processed and to continue monitoring the Division of Elections website.

House District 3, vacated by former state Rep. Joel Rudman last year, sits independent in the Florida Panhandle. None of the 11 candidates currently filed for the Special Election there hold another elected office, though certainly many would like to know with certainty that they qualified for the June 10 Special Election.

Considering HD 32 falls entirely within the boundaries of SD 19, that’s a consequential development for any candidate who is considering running in one of those seats but wanted to see the SD 19 field settled before making a final decision. The Senate seat opened up when state Sen. Randy Fine resigned to run for Congress.

But the other two races on the Space Coast presented candidates with options. Many expected former Melbourne City Council Tim Thomas, for example, to run in HD 32, which is open because state Rep. Debbie Mayfield resigned to run in SD 19. But Thomas filed on Tuesday morning for the Senate seat amid rumors Mayfield’s Senate candidacy would be disqualified over term limits.

Most believe that to be unlikely. Mayfield, a former state Senator, did not seek re-election in SD 19 last year, because of term limits, but most say since she has been out of office for months, limits on continuous service no longer apply. Even lawmakers prevented from serving in the Legislature for a period of time over election disputes, for example former state Rep. Jamie Grant, had the clock reset on term limits once legal challenges were settled.

Perhaps more important, it’s unlikely the State Department would unilaterally disqualify Mayfield based on an interpretation of term limits law, instead leaving that to be resolved by courts if someone legally challenges her place on the ballot.

Thomas, for his part, generally praised Mayfield.

“I am all for her running again,” he said. “She is a tremendous politician, very good and very successful. If she has the legal opinions that agree she can serve, all power to her. I hope she is successful. That’s not my decision.”

He said he likely will not run in HD 32 if Mayfield qualifies. But by failing to qualify candidates in a timely fashion, that denies any candidate the chance to change their mind and file for the House seat, an opportunity which would theoretically be open even to Mayfield.

In total, five Republicans — Mayfield, Thomas, Marcie Adkins, Gabriel Goddard and Mark Lightner — filed in SD 19 and appear to have submitted all required checks and paperwork, as has Democrat Vance Ahrens.

In HD 32, four candidates were filed as of Tuesday: Republicans Terry Cronin, Brian Hodgers and Bob White and Democrat Juan Hinojosa.

In HD 3, 11 candidates all filed before the noon deadline on Tuesday. Those included 10 Republicans: Nathan Boyles, Sean Hollonbeck, Hayden Hudson, Rena McQuaig, Wade Merritt, Shon Owens, Joshua Sik, Cindy Smith, Jamie Tabisz-Smith and Jamie Wells. Democrat Dondre Wise also filed.


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Tom Leek bill seeks to name and shame animal abusers

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Floridians who commit animal cruelty won’t have anywhere to hide if a new bill from Sen. Tom Leek becomes law.

SB 494 would compel the Department of Law Enforcement to post on its website in a searchable format the names of people convicted of animal cruelty and those who pleaded guilty or no contest to the same.

If passed and signed, the law would be effective July 1, with implementation required by Jan. 1,  2026.

Florida Statute defines a person who commits animal cruelty in a couple of different ways.

Someone found guilty of animal cruelty as a first degree misdemeanor is one who “unnecessarily overloads, overdrives, torments, deprives of necessary sustenance or shelter, or unnecessarily mutilates, or kills any animal, or causes the same to be done, or carries in or upon any vehicle, or otherwise, any animal in a cruel or inhumane manner.”

Meanwhile, a “person who intentionally commits an act to any animal, or a person who owns or has the custody or control of any animal and fails to act, which results in the cruel death, or excessive or repeated infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering, or causes the same to be done, commits aggravated animal cruelty, a felony of the third degree.”

The statute as written specifically addresses equine abuse. A person who “intentionally trips, fells, ropes, or lassos the legs of a horse by any means for the purpose of entertainment or sport commits a felony of the third degree.”

Animal abuse continues to be in the crosshairs of the Florida Legislature this year after Floridians were shocked last year by the story of a dog that would come to be known as Trooper, who was tied to a pole as Hurricane Milton approached last year and rescued by a member of the state Highway Patrol.

SB 150, filed by Sen. Don Gaetz, holds that a “person who during a state of emergency … in an area included in the state of emergency” commits “animal cruelty … commits a felony of the third degree.”


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Valentine’s Day shopping to break records, not hearts this year

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More Floridians are expected to buy gifts for loved ones this year than ever before.

Love is in the air and Floridians will be breathing it in on Valentine’s Day this year, if sales expectations are any indication. The most romantic day of the year this Feb. 14th will also be profitable for businesses in the Sunshine State.

The Florida Retail Federation (FRF) projects a record number of people in the state plan to celebrate cupid’s holiday in some way this year. About 56% of Floridians will buy make a Valentine’s Day purchase to show their affection for a significant other, up three percentage points from last year.

All that love will amount to an estimated $14.6 billion in spending across the country, a record according to a National Retail Federation (NRF) survey recently published. Gifts for family members and to the windfall, with another $4.3 billion spent.

“Consumers across the state are breaking records all around this Valentine’s Day with many planning to show their love through gifting to significant others, family and friends,” FRF President and CEO Scott Shalley said. “Don’t forget to show some love to your Florida retailers (with) ‘Find It In Florida‘ while shopping this Valentine’s Day season. Florida retailers are stocked and ready to help shoppers find the perfect Valentine’s Day gifts.”

Across American, the total amount to be spent on Valentine’s Day is expected to reach $27.5 billion, another record that’s up from $25.8 billion last year just slightly over the previous Valentine’s Day spending record of $27.4 billion set in 2020.

The NRF projects each person in America buying Valentine’s Day gifts will spend about $188.81 each, up $3 from last year.

The most common Valentine’s Day gift is candy, with 56% of shoppers reporting that as an expected purchase. Another 40% say they’ll purchase flowers or greeting cards, while 35% say they’ll take their loved one out for dinner or entertainment. Another 22% say they’ll buy jewelry.

In Florida, 38% of Valentine’s Day shoppers say they’ll buy gifts online, while 34% say they’ll go to department stores and 29% plan to bargain shop at discount stores.


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Disney’s Lightning Lane Premier Pass will ‘build over time;’ Disney Treasure gets rave reviews

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In a world where skipping theme park lines is no longer free (goodbye forever FastPass), Disney theme parks rolled out in October its latest pay-to-play invention: The Lightning Lane Premier Pass.

With the premier pass, Disney World visitors could pay up to $450 per person to use all the Lightning Lanes for an entire park to wait in shorter lines than everyone else that day. The fee was extra on top of the theme park ticket price.

The Walt Disney Co.’s chief financial officer Hugh Johnston gave an update on the all-access premier pass when asked about it Wednesday during the company’s quarterly earnings call.

“Remember it is a premium product. It is a product that we are learning how to use, so we are marketing it very gently,” Johnston told investors. “It’s going to build over time, but it’s certainly very much (in the) early days.”

He did not say how much the premier pass is generating in revenue for the company but acknowledged, “It is very much in line with our expectations.”

“We are moving slowly with that product in order to make it a great experience, both for the purchasers of Lightning Lane and for the rest of our guests in the park,” he said.

For the media giant, Disney Experiences continues to be a moneymaker. Quarterly revenue for the division jumped 3% to $9.42 billion, which includes theme parks and resorts, Disney Cruise Line and consumer products. For the company’s domestic theme parks, operating income fell 5% to $1.98 billion because Walt Disney World closed for one day and a cruise canceled because of Hurricane Milton in October.

Overall, the entire company’s revenue rose nearly 5% to about $24.7 billion.

Disney Treasure, the newest Disney Cruise Line ship with a Haunted Mansion themed bar and shows based on popular Disney characters, is “off to a spectacular start” since it went to sea in December, Johnston said.

“We’ve done terrifically well. The feedback and guest experience, the high percentage of people are rating it excellent, very much in line with the rest of our ships,” Johnston said. “As we’ve said before, our expectation is for the ship to be profitable in the first quarter … And frankly, that is very much our expectation from here going forward.”

When asked about how Universal Orlando’s new Epic Universe theme park opening in May will impact Disney World, Johnston predicted a “small impact” but maintained he is confident in Disney parks business.

Summer bookings are up year-over-year, he said, which is similar to what Disney disclosed in November.


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