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Who is Ashley Moody? Florida voters already know Gov. DeSantis’ pick to succeed Marco Rubio

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Attorney General Ashley Moody will soon go to Washington. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he is appointing the Plant City Republican to replace U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State.

That means Moody will soon introduce herself to colleagues in the upper chamber of Congress. But she has been well known to Florida political observers for nearly a decade, and in some cases longer.

The Plant City native first tasted wide acclaim when she was named the Florida Strawberry Queen in 1993, barely a month shy of her 18th birthday. But she already had ambitions beyond the beauty pageant circuit, attending the University of Florida (UF) and quickly becoming politically engaged. The onetime Democrat joined the Republican Party while Gov. Jeb Bush still held office, and was named as a student representative to the state Board of Regents (later replaced by the State University System Board of Governors).

After earning a master’s degree in international law at Stetson University College of Law, she completed her Juris Doctor at UF. Following a stint at Holland & Knight, one of Florida’s most prominent law firms, Moody became an Assistant U.S. Attorney prosecuting drug, firearm and fraud cases in Florida’s Middle District. Then, at age 31, she ran successfully to become a Hillsborough County circuit court Judge, the youngest in state history.

A few years later, Moody was introduced to more voters outside Tampa Bay when she ran for Attorney General in 2018, the same year DeSantis first ran for Governor. That year, she won the Republican nomination by double digits over state Rep. Frank White and defeated Democrat Sean Shaw in the General Election.

That election cycle, she won more votes than any statewide candidate in Florida, including DeSantis or U.S. Senate candidate Rick Scott. Four years later, in 2022, she repeated that feat, winning a second term with nearly 61% of the vote and attracting more votes than DeSantis or Rubio earned in their own landslide victories.

Moody ran for office with the support of her predecessor, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, another veteran prosecutor with roots in Hillsborough County. That’s especially notable, as Trump nominated Bondi as U.S. Attorney General in his second term. The Senate will hold the first confirmation hearings for Bondi this week.

Over Moody’s tenure as Attorney General, she has remained closely allied with DeSantis. After campaigning together in the lead-up to the 2018 General Election when Florida remained very much a swing state, Moody has rarely taken a position at odds with the state’s Republican executive, and her office has often defended DeSantis’ policies in the courts. That included controversial actions like DeSantis threatening TV stations who ran ads supporting an abortion rights amendments that ultimately fell short of passage on the statewide ballot this year.

Moody’s Office negotiated a state settlement with opioid manufacturers and distributors and this week touted a drop in Florida in opioid-related deaths. Moody also has often taken an aggressive legal stance against policies during Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration, including suing earlier this year to force the release of information on how many criminals were released after illegally crossing the southern border. A year prior, she successfully argued in court the catch-and-release policy violated federal law.

Moody’s Office in 2020 controversially supported a Texas lawsuit challenging the certification of Biden’s electoral victory over Trump in the Presidential Election that year. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the lawsuit days later.


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Disney World’s government settles ride evacuation injury lawsuit for $50K

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Walt Disney World’s government has settled a lawsuit after a boy was injured during a ride evacuation in 2021 at the Magic Kingdom, records show.

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District agreed to pay the boy’s grandfather, Richard McNamara, $50,000 and did not admit any liability for the incident, according to the terms of settlement. Both sides agreed to pay their own legal expenses.

CFTOD, formerly known as Reedy Creek Improvement District, released the settlement this week following a Florida Politics records request made late last year.

The boy, originally from Alabama, had gone through a lot in his 12 years before he came to Orlando on vacation in March 2021.

His teenager brother shot and killed their father before shooting the boy, paralyzing him from the waist down, according to media reports.

An organization that helps children in need provided the boy with a trip to Disney World.

It was on that vacation when the boy rode the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, a popular roller coaster based on “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” when the coaster broke down.

“When the first responders attempted to lift (the boy) to remove him from the ride, they over-extended his leg, snapping his right femur at the knee,” the lawsuit said.

The family sued in 2022 for a claim of more than $100,000.

The lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed last year after the two sides reached a settlement.

McNamara’s attorney, the boy’s attorney and CFTOD either declined to comment or did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

At the time, Disney did not disclose the boy’s injury on the state theme park injury report released every quarter by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Theme parks face little regulation when it comes to disclosing juries to the public. Theme parks are only required to disclose injuries if people are hurt on a ride and require at least 24-hours of hospitalization.


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Scott Franklin to head House Environment Subcommittee

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Another Florida lawmaker will have a gavel for one of the U.S. House science subcommittees

U.S. Rep. Scott Franklin, a Lakeland Republican, will chair the House Environment Subcommittee.

House Science, Space and Technology Committee Chair Brian Babin, a Texas Republican, picked the Florida lawmaker for his expertise in the fields and the role the subcommittee would play on policy affecting the Sunshine State.

“I’m excited about our SST Committee assignments for this Congress,” Babin said. “The valuable expertise and diverse backgrounds that each member brings will be instrumental in strengthening U.S. leadership and competitiveness in science, space, and technology. We have a full agenda ahead that will prioritize advancing critical scientific research, fostering technological innovation, leading the world in space exploration, addressing regulatory burdens across industries, and more. Through our shared efforts, I am confident we can achieve our objectives and drive meaningful progress in our scientific endeavors. Let’s get to work!”

Franklin said he was enthusiastic about the assignment.

“I’m eager to tackle environmental research related to weather forecasting and ensuring disaster readiness,” Franklin said. “I thank Chairman Babin for this opportunity and look forward to advancing America First policy priorities to remain at the forefront of innovation and boost job growth.”

Babin praised Franklin’s conservative record on business issues.

“I’m confident Congressman Franklin will provide strong leadership for our Environment Subcommittee this Congress,” Babin said. “He has been a steadfast advocate against burdensome government regulations that stifle innovation and fail to address states’ needs. His perspective will be critical as we consider key weather legislation in the months ahead. I look forward to working with him to advance commonsense environmental policies and legislation.”

The same day, Babin assigned Rep. Mike Haridopolos, an Indian Harbor Beach Republican, to head the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommitee.

“Since the earliest days of our space program, Florida’s Space Coast has been the launchpad for America’s journey to the stars,” Haridopolos said. “From the Apollo missions that first carried Americans to the Moon to today’s groundbreaking private sector launches, our skies have always been at the forefront of space exploration. Space is central to our district’s identity and economy, providing countless high-paying jobs and opportunities.”

He praised Haridopolos’ knowledge of the Space Program.

“Over the past several years, the SST Committee has diligently worked to support and advance our nation’s space endeavors,” Babin said. “As the representative of Florida’s Space Coast, the Congressman brings valuable expertise and leadership that will undoubtedly enhance our efforts to keep America at the forefront of exploration and development. I am excited to work alongside him to propel our space agenda forward.”


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Disney plans to convert Star Wars hotel into Imagineers’ offices

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It’s going to be an office far, far, away.

Disney World is converting the shuttered Star Wars hotel into office space for the famous Imagineers who will be designing new lands and projects at the theme parks.

The hotel’s update was reported by The Wrap and confirmed by other media outlets.

Disney closed the hotel September 2023 less than two years after it opened. The company had said it took a $300 million tax write off for shutting down the hotel after it reportedly had low occupancy.

At the hotel near Hollywood Studios, guests who were willing to pay nearly $5,000 for a two-night stay could pretend to be in their own Star Wars story at the hotel. Lightsabers included.

“Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is one of our most creative projects ever and has been praised by our guests and recognized for setting a new bar for innovation and immersive entertainment. This premium, boutique experience gave us the opportunity to try new things on a smaller scale of 100 rooms,” Disney said in a statement when it announced it was closing.

Why did it fail?

YouTuber Jenny Nicholson explained the list of reasons in a four-hour video called “The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel” which captured 11 million views. The cost, the marketing, and not fully embracing the cosplay concept all likely hurt the hotel, she said.

The Wrap reported Disney had been considering using the empty hotel for a dinner theater-type experience but Disney ultimately settled on keeping the space closed to the public.

The Imagineers’ new office space comes as Disney World is starting a major expansion across several of its Orlando theme parks. Disney plans to build a Villains land and add “Cars” attractions at the Magic Kingdom as well as “Encanto” and Indiana Jones to Disney’s Animal Kingdom and “A Monsters, Inc.” land at Hollywood Studios. Disney is closing several longtime attractions in the process.


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