http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/fl-news/ en-us Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:12:27 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050808/posts S. Rep. Robert Wexler is Florida’s only member of Congress who does not own a home in his congressional district. The Democratic congressman ostensibly from Boca Raton or Delray Beach is under fire this week after he admitted on national TV that the only house he owns is in Maryland, and that he uses his in-laws’ home in a senior-only community in Delray to meet residency requirements. Wexler said in a statement that such an arrangement was “common.” However, a South Florida Sun-Sentinel survey of Florida’s 25 members of the U.S. House and two in the Senate found that all... Sun-Sentinel.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050808/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:12:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050505/posts Florida: Obama + 2 Minnesota: Obama + 13 Colorado: Obama +3 This is beginning to worry me. Rasmussen Reports http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050505/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:41:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050625/posts Something very good has just taken place on a college campus. After a two-year ordeal orchestrated by a group of mutinous faculty members, the Ave Maria School of Law has been given a clean bill of health by the American Bar Association and can continue with its work. I spoke on the campus last autumn and departed burdened by gloom. I feared the mutineers might win. They were the typical professorial grumblers, and such unhappy philistines so often have the upper hand on campuses. Truth be known, I spend very little time on college campuses. The life of the mind... Jewish World Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050625/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:52:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050450/posts Knowing of your interest in addressing rising energy prices, I want to share with you some thoughts on the current energy situation. There is so much we can do, and I will continue working hard in Congress to lower the cost of gasoline through effective and safe measures. When I came to Congress 14 years ago one of the many issues I began to work on was the critical issue of energy supply. America’s economy was growing and with it was the demand for fuel. At the same time, nations like China and India were throwing off the shackles of... email http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050450/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:01:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050335/posts Bill O'Reilly Nails Robert WexlerTue Jul 22, 2008 at 09:11:12 PM Bill O'Reilly did a good number on "local" Congressman Robert Wexler tonight. And I think Wexler is in a bit of trouble. You see, the longtime Democratic rep says he lives in Delray Beach and he's required to maintain a residence in his district. But he really lives in Potomac MD. The house in Delray that he calls his "offical residence" is owned by Lawrence and Roslyn Cohen, the parents of Wexler's wife, Laurie. And it's in a restricted over-55 community, which makes it impossible for Wexler and and... Broward Palm Beach http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050335/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:55:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050190/posts Congressman Robert Wexler is answering questions after a news report alleges that he doesn't reside in his home district of Delray Beach. It is required that he keep a residence in the district he represents, but, according to the report, his primary residence is in Maryland, not Delray Beach. The Delray Beach condo he has claimed as his primary residence is actually owned by his in-laws, in a 55-and-over senior community. When questioned by a Fox News reporter Wexler insists he has done nothing wrong and is following the established guidelines for a residence in his district. Statement by Congressman... WIOD Newsradio http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050190/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:47:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050059/posts It's unlikely U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler curls up on his mother-in-law's sofa, pundits on the Fox News program The O'Reilly Factor said Tuesday night. Wexler's challenger has accused the six-term congressman of playing a residency shell game, saying Wexler, D-Delray Beach, uses his mother-in-law's address in Delray Beach while flagrantly making his home in a Maryland suburb. Palm Beach Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050059/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:13:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050038/posts TALLAHASSEE -- The citizen panel empowered to put amendments before voters ended its first meeting in 20 years with a bang Friday, asking Floridians to defy the state Supreme Court by allowing tax money to pay for kids to go to private schools. The proposal to allow the state to pay for private school vouchers was the last constitutional amendment -- one of seven -- the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission agreed to put on the November ballot. If 60 percent of voters agree, the measure will undo a 2006 Supreme Court ruling that threw out the vouchers as unconstitutional.... Miami Herald.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050038/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:38:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050012/posts For nearly two years, the South Florida middle school art teacher forced the boy to have sex in a classroom supply closet. Sometimes, Aaron Mohanlal would call in sick to work, take the boy to his home for sex and drop the seventh-grader back off at school at the end of the day. To keep the abuse secret, Mohanlal bought the 13-year-old a cell phone and created nicknames for their genitalia. When police arrested him, the teacher was caught on hidden video trying to destroy letters threatening the boy if he ever told. Last summer, a Broward County jury convicted... CNN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050012/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:47:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049990/posts MIAMI-DADE, Fla. -- A homeowner shot a would-be burglar in Southwest Miami-Dade on Sunday, police said. Police said the man shot was one of two thieves who tried to burglarize a house in the 2400 block of 117th Avenue about 2 a.m. Related Content: Images He was taken to Ryder Trauma Center, where he was listed in stable condition. The second man apparently got away. Neighbors said the house, which sits on the side of the street nearest the interstate, has been hit by thieves before. Police said two children, ages 5 and 9, were inside the house when the... NBC6.net http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049990/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:10:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049744/posts A fisherman turned drug smuggler turned retired old salt, Floyd Brown claims he can find his way back here – one of the last Florida frontiers – without a compass from anywhere in the Gulf of Mexico. It's a skill, he says, he put to use more than once when he ferried bales of marijuana from Latin America to the Shark River in the 1970s. A direct descendant of the 19th century pirates who first settled here in these 10,000 islands, Brown is like many residents in Everglades City. Together they've managed to engineer a modern day coup in Florida:... Christian Science Monitor http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049744/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 03:12:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049663/posts According to the Fox O'Reilly Factor He lists his mother-in-laws' residence in an elderly area that doesn't allow children...Wexler has three teenagers. He actually lives in Maryland and claims to own a home in Florida which is a lie. I wonder where he pays taxes? If at all. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049663/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:12:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049641/posts PALMETTO – An 18-year-old Palmetto man is accused of having sex with a 12-year-old girl who he picked up after she ran away from home around noon Sunday. Gavino Guitierez, of 4003 3rd Ave. Blvd. E., told authorities he had sex with the girl three times. He also admitted that he is an illegal immigrant from Mexico, according to a Manatee County Sheriff’s report.The girl returned home at about 6 p.m. Sunday and deputies were waiting to question her about where she had been. The girl said she was with Guitierez and had sex with him, according to a report.Guitierez... HeraldTribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049641/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 23:26:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049114/posts Tony Snow may be gone, but his legacy will live on in The Villages. The Buffalo Scholarship Foundation established a fund in his name to be awarded to graduates of The Villages High School. “The scholarship is just really heartwarming for us. What a wonderful way to commemorate someone’s life and what an example it represents,” said John Davis, a member of the foundation’s board of directors. An anonymous donor contributed $20,000 to the Tony Snow scholarship fund; all scholarships presented from these donations will be done in Snow’s name. The most important part of the scholarship is the significance... The Villages Daily Sun http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049114/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:44:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048881/posts Just days after The Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel admitted it was cutting 20% of news staff but not reporting it, The Sun-Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale, another Tribune paper, revealed it was reducing staff under a similar plan. Sun-Sentinel Editor Earl Maucker told E&P Monday that his paper also plans to cut 20% of its news staff -- now at 290 -- by the end of July. He said the cuts are coming through a combination of voluntary and involuntary departures. "A number of people have approached asking for consideration in the last three or four weeks," Maucker said, noting he told... Editor & Publisher http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048881/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:45:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048274/posts It's pitiful to read the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. You are so pro-Obama that it is sickening. No such thing as an impartial paper. The Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, FL http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048274/posts#comment Sun, 20 Jul 2008 06:30:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047628/posts DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- A demand for special coffee cost a police officer his job on Wednesday. Lt. Major Garvin, a 15-year officer with the Daytona Beach Police Department, was fired, accused by police of intimidating Starbuck's employees. A report from the Daytona Beach Police department said he went to the coffee shop in the Oceanwalk area up to six times a night while on duty demanding to get free specialty coffee or that area wouldn't be protected by police. Police officers are able to get free coffee, but police said he demanded a special type. The police department said... 2 welch.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047628/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:52:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042305/posts The domestic violence industry operates under the cloak of secrecy and anonymity, maintaining such policies are necessary to shield victims from their abusers. But every now and then a crack appears in the façade, revealing a sordid panorama of corruption, fraud, and abuse. On February 28, 2007 the Naples, Fla. citizenry opened their morning newspapers to the jolting headline, "CEO Out at Women's Shelter: Investigation into Battery Complaint Prompts Departure." Over the next several months, details would spill out of a woman's rights activist who had evolved into a self-serving "tyrant," as one of her colleagues later described her. The... Renew America http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042305/posts#comment Tue, 8 Jul 2008 11:51:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047235/posts The governor of Florida would consider going to court to guarantee his right to permit offshore oil exploration around FloridaÂ’s coasts. But Charlie Crist, who has been cited as a possible running mate for presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain, told the Financial Times that in preference to court action it would be “more productive” for Congress to overturn its ban on offshore drilling. Oil exploration in all but a few sectors of US coastal waters has been prohibited since the 1980s by separate congressional and presidential bans. However, George W. Bush on Monday lifted the White HouseÂ’s moratorium and called... FT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047235/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:53:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047204/posts WASHINGTON, July 17, 2008 – War fighters from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom are testing new battlefield systems that can discern friend from foe during the “Bold Quest Plus” joint military demonstration conducted at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The demonstration’s purpose is to provide warfighters with combat-identification technologies that maximize mission effectiveness while minimizing the chances of fratricide, John Miller, operations manager for coalition combat identification at U.S. Joint Forces Command, based at Norfolk, Va., said today during a conference-call interview with reporters. The command is sponsoring the demonstration at Eglin, which began July 11. Miller... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047204/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:55:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047114/posts More than 300 Palm Beach Post employees have applied for buyouts and all have been accepted, according to an internal memo obtained by the Pulp. Though the newspaper announced it would cut 300 jobs, there will be additional layoffs. According to the memo: The number of applications was more than expected. However, we received too many in some areas and not enough in others, So we still expect to begin a small number of involuntary separations, or layoffs, the week of Aug. 18 in some departments as needed. Thanks to all who applied. You have greatly reduced the number of... Broward-Palm Beach New Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047114/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:40:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047099/posts Woman gives judge earful, lands in jail Obscene outburst nets Sarah Muller contempt charge in jury selection By Suevon Lee Star-Banner Published: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at 6:30 a.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at 5:35 a.m. OCALA — A Summerfield woman said she blurted without thinking a couple choice words for a county judge during jury selection at the Marion County Courthouse Monday morning—ones which had landed her in jail by the end of the day. ALAN YOUNGBLOOD/STAR-BANNER Sarah E. Muller comments on her case during an interview at the Marion County Jail. click to enlarge Judge R.... Star-Banner (Ocala, FL) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047099/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:56:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046976/posts ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- A woman accused of not reporting her daughter missing for five weeks refused to answer a judge's question of where her daughter was in a bizarre missing person case that continues to frustrate investigators. Casey Anthony, 22, was taken into custody Wednesday after her daughter's grandparents called Orange County sheriff's deputies over concerns about the well-being of Caylee Marie Anthony, 2. Detectives said when they contacted Casey Anthony it was determined that she apparently never told anyone that Caylee has been missing for more than a month. Thursday, Judge John Jordan asked Anthony where her daughter... Local 6 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046976/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:49:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046824/posts Media General Inc (MEG.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) reported a second-quarter loss on Thursday, hurt by a severance charge and a 17 percent drop in newspaper advertising revenue, and said it would take a writedown of as much as $550 million. The publisher of the Tampa Tribune and Richmond Times-Dispatch posted a second-quarter preliminary loss of $129,000, or a penny a share, compared with net income of $5.1 million, or 22 cents a share, in the second quarter last year. The results do not include the effects of the expected non-cash writedown. Revenue fell to $204.8 million from $228.2... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046824/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:16:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046509/posts PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. -- About 30 fish were spotted "walking" through a Florida neighborhood, shocking homeowners who said they've never seen anything like it. "I was like, 'No way there's fish in the street,'" homeowner Dianna Fernandez said. "And I kept going further and further and seeing fish everywhere -- in driveways. I've never seen anything like it." The walking catfish were spotted in the road near a Pinellas Park subdivision Tuesday. The fish used their pectoral fins to walk or shuffle around the streets. Video showed the fish moving through the neighborhood. A scientist with the Florida Fish and... Local 6 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046509/posts#comment Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:05:09 GMT