Florida
Election 2024: Civil rights attorney Daryl Parks considers challenge to Sen. Corey Simon
A number of Leon County Democrats say they believe they have found a candidate with the star power to match Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, and take back a state Senate seat they had held for more than a century.
But that potential candidate has of yet declined to officially declare while generating speculation with comments to Tallahassee activists.
Prominent civil rights attorney Daryl Parks, a Florida State University Law graduate, confirmed this week to the Tallahassee Democrat he is considering challenging Simon, a former football player who was on FSU’s 1999 national championship team and first elected in 2022.
A whispering campaign about Parks’ potential candidacy surfaced after a Feb. 19 meeting of the Democratic Club of North Florida.
Ryan Ray, chair of the Leon County Democratic Executive Committee, told a reporter afterwards that Parks had said he’s going to make a run and that the possibility of Democrats taking back the seat had put a “pep in his step.”
Reached the next day Parks would not confirm the conversation and said Ray did not speak for him. Ray then retracted his statement.
Now, Parks said he is taking a serious look at launching a Senate campaign against the incumbent Simon.
“Over the last few weeks, I received calls and texts from people from all walks who are fed up with what they see happening in the capital. Republicans, Independents, and Democrats, all fed up with our Senator siding with insiders and actually working against us,” said Parks.
For Simon and Parks to stage a showdown for a Senate seat between two prominent FSU alumni, Parks first has to get past Gadsden County Commissioner Kimblin E. NeSmith, and the Florida Education Association’s executive director Sheria Monique in the Democratic primary – they both have announced their candidacy and are raising money, though their totals are dwarfed by the hundreds of thousands in Simon’s campaign account.
Nesmith has $20,000 in a campaign account. Griffin $11,000.
“Looks like they’re going to have a crowded primary. Whoever emerges will have to make a case against Sen. Simon’s strong record of delivering for the district,” said Simon’s spokesperson Erin Isaac
Democrats think Simon benefited from Gov. Ron DeSantis’ coattails, a redrawn district led by the governor and the GOP’s significant financial advantage to win the 2022 election against former Sen. Loranne Ausley, D-Tallahassee.
The sprawling 13-county Senate District 3 marries a Tallahassee area dominated by two universities and growing professional and medical communities with 11 counties blanketed with forests and farms.
The sparsely populated rural counties in recent years have voted Republican with more than 60% of the vote, while the more populated Tallahassee area of Leon and Gadsden counties back Democrats by the same margin.
Two years ago, Simon trimmed 2% points (19,000 votes) off the Democrats vote total in Leon and Gadsden counties while pulling in three-quarters of the vote in the in the remaining 11 counties to win by six points.
Both Simon and Parks have strong ties to the community as FSU graduates and through community service.
Parks, a civil rights and personal injury attorney and his former partner Ben Crump gained a national reputation when they represented the families of Trayvon Martin, killed by George Zimmerman in 2012, and became the lead attorneys in a number of other wrongful death cases.
Daryl Parks and Ben Crump call on Eric Holder to investigate DOC death
Daryl Parks and Ben Crump call on Attorney General Eric Holder to inviestigate Florida DOC desth of Latandra Ellington
Sean Rossman/Democrat
Simon earned his celebrity on the football field at FSU and later with the Super Bowl winning Philadelphia Eagles.
Both returned to Tallahassee to work in the community after being in the national spotlight.
Parks has been involved with the Sickle Cell Foundation, the Bethel Community Development Corporation, Legal Services of North Florida and the Tallahassee Urban League.
Simon volunteered with youth football groups, the Boys and Girls Club, and led Volunteer Florida.
His first term in the Senate has been highlighted by an increase in the amount of money secured for local projects, support for school vouchers, and voting to preempt local wage ordinances.
Parks said the Simon platform puts “corporations that gouge us above,” the people he is supposed to represent.
Parks said he will decide soon whether he will challenge Simon. He has until June 14 to file the paperwork and designate a treasurer and bank, and begin to raise campaign money.
Simon has already file, has $302,689 in his campaign account and so far this election cycle has spent nearly $10,000 on voter outreach, campaign T-shirts, and media services.
James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com. Follow on him Twitter: @CallTallahassee
TAMPA, Fla – New SNAP restrictions will start Monday in Florida.
What we know:
These changes will ban the purchase of many sugary sodas, energy drinks, candy and ultra-processed, shelf-stable prepared desserts.
Hunger Free America, an advocacy group, is against these restrictions.
Joel Berg, the CEO, said some regulation is a good thing, but he wants to see it support access to healthy foods as a choice.
“We do support mandates to mandate that healthier food is available in stores that do accept SNAP,” Berg said. “So, it makes a lot more sense to make it easier to get healthier food.”
Berg said these restrictions are unnecessary in achieving a healthier America.
“We should make America healthier again by making healthy food more affordable, convenient and physically available,” Berg said. “We shouldn’t micromanage the eating patterns of adults to try to achieve that goal.”
The other side:
This is part of the Make America Healthy Again initiative.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said, “Under the MAHA initiative, we are taking bold, historic steps to reverse the chronic disease epidemic that has taken root in this country for far too long.”
What they’re saying:
Berg said that these changes, on top of cuts to the program nationwide, will increase hunger.
“It’s not that low-income Americans don’t want healthier food; it’s that they can’t afford healthier food,” Berg said.
This coincides with the announcement that there will be cuts to WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, which supplies food to mothers and young children.
“President Trump’s budget just announced that he’s proposing taking away fruits and vegetables from the WIC program for pregnant women and children under five,” Berg said. “So, they’re taking away healthier food.”
The WIC cuts would take away $1.4 billion in fruit and vegetable benefits from 5.4 million people.
Big picture view:
The SNAP changes come as part of the MAHA movement and include more than 20 other states that will implement changes over the next two years.
The Source: Information in this story comes from WIC, SNAP and interviews done by Fox 13’s Danielle Zulkosky.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The engines are revving for one final day of high-stakes bidding and family fun at the South Florida Fairgrounds.
Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach auction reaches its grand finale today with an action-packed “Super Saturday” lineup, promising to close out the weekend with a full slate of collector car sales, live entertainment, and fan attractions.
“Super Saturday,” presented by Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, officially kicks off at 8 a.m. when gates, food courts, and the exhibitor marketplace open to the public.
What to expect
- 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: The Fantasy Bid presented by Dodge begins early, running in tandem with the automobilia auction in the arena.
- 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Thrill-seekers can catch Dodge thrill rides on the Barrett-Jackson Performance Track.
- 10:00 a.m.: New amenities open to the public, including the Stella Artois, Staging Lanes, and Food Court patios, which offer shaded seating and auction views.
- 10:45 a.m.: The national anthem will be performed in the auction arena, signaling the start of the main collector car auction at 11 a.m.
- Afternoon Entertainment: DJ sets run from noon to 5 p.m. across the various patios, and a detailing clinic by Adam’s Polishes is scheduled for 2 p.m. near the South Showcase.
For those unable to attend, the whole event will be livestreamed throughout the day on the Barrett-Jackson website and the HISTORY channel from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Today’s finale comes on the heels of a high-energy Friday that saw significant sales and notable celebrity interest.
Star power was evident throughout the day, particularly with vehicles tied to the Busch family. A 1957 Ford Thunderbird Convertible owned by Samantha Busch and a 1969 Oldsmobile 442 Custom Coupe were among the day’s heavy hitters, each fetching $159,500. Kyle Busch’s 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Custom Coupe also drew a strong bid, selling for $143,000.
Other Friday highlights included:
- 1968 Ford Mustang Eleanor Replica: $137,500
- 2004 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Mamba Edition: $132,000
- 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazer Custom SUV: $126,500
- 1957 Ford Thunderbird Custom Convertible: $121,000
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With a festival-style atmosphere and high-profile sales driving momentum, organizers expect a busy crowd for the final push at the auction block today.
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A quiet Monday turned into a frantic race against time when a deputy stepped in to save a choking 1-year-old’s life.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a call about a 1-year-old baby choking. Upon arrival, the responding deputy performed life-saving procedures to help the child breathe again.
See also: Two arrested after 6-year-old arrives at Florida school with bruises, deputies say
Body camera video shows a deputy holding the baby, flipping it over on its stomach, and beginning to pat the baby’s back.
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When the baby begins to cry, the deputy is heard saying, “he’s good.”
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