Free Republic

HILLSBORO BEACH — The allure of South Florida as a destination for would-be migrants was underscored by tragedy once again over the last two days as officials recovered fatalities from the sea and on the beach. "There is a lot of traffic out there right now," said Frank Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. Border Patrol, referring to a spike in the number of Haitians and Cubans trying to reach the U.S.

Kristina Pydynowski, Senior MeteorologistAugust 24, 2014 Tropical Storm Cristobal has taken shape and is expected to become a hurricane and impact the Atlantic beaches of the United States with hazardous conditions. Tropical Depression Four strengthened into Tropical Storm Cristobal at 6:20 a.m. EDT Sunday. Cristobal was churning near the southern Bahamas at that time. Cristobal is forecast to stay east of the U.S. this week. However the Atlantic coast will not be free of impacts from the tropical system. "Even if a tropical storm or hurricane was to stay east of the Atlantic coast of the U.S., a strong system...

As soft television advertisements now hypocritically portray US House of Representatives Democrat incumbent Patrick Murphy as the best friend a Treasure Coast family ever had, an outstanding analysis of the young single man presents an appalling revelation of who and what he really is. A staggering statistic shows that after taking office, Murphy’s yearly net worth jumped from $205,682 to $3,185,011, an unbelievable increase of 1,449% while in comparison, the American citizen’s median yearly income features a net worth decline of MINUS-0.94%. According to outstanding research and source work done by ballotpedia.org, Murphy now ranks as the “102nd wealthiest representative...

Florida Judge Deals a Blow to Democrats on Districting By LIZETTE ALVAREZ AUG. 22, 2014 MIAMI — In a blow to Florida Democrats, a state judge on Friday approved a slightly modified congressional map drawn by the Republican-dominated Legislature and decided that the 2014 election could proceed under the old map, which he had ruled unconstitutional. Two days after a sharply partisan hearing on the new map, Terry P. Lewis, a state judge in Leon County, concluded that the rejiggered boundaries for seven districts, while not perfect, “sufficiently” addressed his constitutional concerns. A coalition of Democratic-leaning voter rights groups had...

Even though the citizens of Florida voted in a 2008 referendum to define marriage as between one man and one woman in their state's constitution, yet another federal district judge has ruled that amendment is unconstitutional because it does not let Floridians marry someone of their same gender. U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle came to the same conclusion Thursday as judges from four other districts in Florida previously found. Hinkle ruled that labeling marriage as only "between a man and a woman" was in violation of 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution as it does not provide a guarantee...

The cloud heading this way is almost as big as the United States, Lushine said. Thought this was out of the ordinary. The size anyhow. http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/nationworld/story/5040423p-4596815c.html

For the parents of a first-grader in Florida, simply asking their son what he did on his first day of school this year was not enough.

Miami Gardens police have charged a second suspect in the death of Qualecia James, a pregnant woman who was killed in a drive-by shooting earlier this year. Police charged Gregory Medy, 18, with one count of first-degree murder of James. James, 21, was shot March 30 as she sat in the back seat of a car at Northwest 182nd Street and 32nd Avenue. Doctors at Jackson Memorial Hospital delivered her baby, but he died five days later.

Rand Paul and Ted Cruz’s differing tone in response to the Ferguson riots could provide clues for the divergent trails they're forging to woo libertarian voters in 2016. Both the Kentucky and Texas Senate Republicans urged that civil liberties be protected in statements following unrest in Ferguson, Mo.. After an officer shot and killed Michael Brown, an 18 year old African American teen, last weekend, riots have erupted and police have been criticized for using overly-aggressive force against protesters and reporters calling for answers. Strategists say Paul struck a more provocative tone against in his TIME op-ed, calling for the...

I watched the images of police in riot gear and protesters looting stores or running from tear gas in Ferguson, Mo., this week and thought: That could have been us. What happened to Trayvon Martin isn't anything for Florida to be proud of. Neither is the state's "stand your ground" law that received so much attention in the wake of Trayvon's shooting death. But Central Florida, specifically Sanford, can take a little satisfaction in knowing that during the tense days after Trayvon was shot, this was a place where protesters peacefully demonstrated and police didn't stand in their way. People...

Slip of the tongue? Yesterday on CNN’s “The Situation Room” Hillary Clinton spoke about what she would do about licensing illegal immigrants when she is president again. Watch:

WFTV in Orlando, Florida reported Friday about a callous, violent robbery of an elderly white woman by three young black men that left the woman hospitalized with a serious brain injury and a broken clavicle. The Publix surveillance videos released to the media show rare, clear before, during and after video of the victim, the perps and the robbery. There will be no protests, no candlelight vigils, no statement by President Barack Obama, no Justice Department investigation, no visits by Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson. The race ‘healers’ won’t descend on Ocoee like they are doing in Ferguson this week...

<p>The doctor who conducted the autopsy on Trayvon Martin, and who later raised eyebrows with his uneven testimony during the trial of George Zimmerman, has released a 37-page e-book in which he argues prosecutors “hoped to lose the case.”</p> <p>Despite that claim, “Dead Men Can’t Lie,” e-book by Dr. Shiping Bao, offers no proof.</p>

Charlie Crist, the Democratic nominee in Florida’s governor race in November, says the Obama administration shouldn’t require proof of immigration status for Obamacare sign-ups. “We need to make this law work for the people depending on it, and the President should suspend this requirement so that no American citizen loses their health insurance due to a bureaucratic requirement,” Crist spokesman Brendan Gilfillan told Politico Thursday. Over 310,000 Obamacare customers have failed to provide proper documentation on their citizenship or immigration status to the Obama administration, after the federal government contacted them between five and seven times about discrepancies in the...

Charlie Crist flew in a private jet from Tampa to Tallahassee to hold a press conference about the importance of reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Ironically, the private jet Crist used for his climate presser is owned by James Finch, who has repeatedly been forced to pay fines to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for unlawful pollution. Finch’s company paid fines for unlawfully polluting water in the Gulf of Mexico near Apalachicola Bay and the Apalachicola National Forest. Crist has recently criticized a new initiative by Scott to spend $1 billion to improve water quality in the state, with a...

<p>The lunches students bring from home are often filled with unhealthy packaged foods and sugary drinks and little that would win any nutrition awards, according to a new study by university researchers. Missing from those lunches, they said, were fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy, whole grains and, nearly 25 percent of the time, anything that resembled an entree.</p>

This was, of course, inevitable. Democrats across Florida heard a mysterious recorded call over the weekend that seemed aimed at attacking likely Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist. The voice in the recording? Charlie Crist. “Hi, this is Charlie Crist calling to set the record straight. I’m pro-life. I oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants, I support traditional marriage, and I have never supported a new tax or big spending program. It’s sad that in his fourth try for governor my opponent has resorted to distortions and untruths. … Floridians need a consistent, conservative governor that they can trust. I would appreciate...

What state is adding technology jobs at the greatest rate? My guess would have been Washington, where Seattle has become a center for cloud computing....[but it is behind]....No. 1, Texas, No. 2, Florida,

a Pew Research Center report released today shows that a new wave of Puerto Ricans leaving their island's severe economic woes has been finding its way to Central Florida and rapidly changing the ethnic and political makeup of the country's largest swing state. Florida, which has played a crucial role in the past two presidential elections, has 29 electoral votes that could play a crucial role in the 2016 presidential race.

Last year, George Zimmerman was acquitted of murdering 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. But before that decision was handed down the public got the chance to hear from the young woman who was the last person to speak with Trayvon before he died, his friend Rachel Jeantel. As she testified during the case, Rachel became a public figure as the media and audiences bullied her with harsh criticisms and unfair labels. As a result of the humiliating ordeal, Rachel received an overwhelming amount of support to better her own needs and accomplish her dreams as a young woman. Now, just one year...