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Florida
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody weighs in on Tallahassee city commission race
‘Staying engaged in the mayor and council affairs, as it relates to that, is more important now more than it ever has been,’ the attorney general said.
In front of a group of local business leaders, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody weighed in on the need to “back the blue,” using the city of Tallahassee as an example.
At a lunch meeting of the Network of Entrepreneurs and Business Advocates (NEBA), Moody praised the City Commission’s move to increase the police department’s budget but noted that the vote narrowly passed 3-2.
“A council’s engagement with and support for their law enforcement men and women and making sure that they have the resources and training and support that they need to do the job is probably one of the most vital things to a successful city,” Moody said.
Moody focused little on election issues: There were no mentions, for instance, of the constitutional amendments on the November ballot that would legalize marijuana and guarantee access to abortion in her speech.
Instead, Moody – a former circuit judge who has been the state’s chief legal officer since 2019 – spent about 20 minutes echoing Gov. Ron DeSantis’ efforts to make the Sunshine State the “law and order” state.
“I will not lose sight of making sure we stay that strong and safe state that attracts people from all over the nation,” she said. “And I hope that you will not lose sight and the will, and the enthusiasm, and the persistence to make sure that Tallahassee is a strong and safe city. Because Florida is strong when our cities are.”
Last year, city commissioners voted to increase their property tax rate some 8.5% — with millions in proceeds going to the Tallahassee Police Department. The tax hike, which inched the city’s 2024 budget to $1.12 billion, passed 3-2 along the usual lines, with Mayor John Dailey and City Commissioners Curtis Richardson and Dianne Williams-Cox voting in favor and Commissioners Jack Porter and Jeremy Matlow voting against.
The 3-2 voting dynamic has become a hallmark of the City Commission, with tit-for-tat remarks about almost every major issue, sometimes resulting in acrimonious, hours-long meetings. Porter and Richardson are both running for re-election this year in races that are shaping up to be contentious.
At the time of the property tax vote, some Tallahassee locals, including Evan Power, then-chair of the Leon County Republican Party and now the head of the state GOP, criticized the commission over the tax increase, noting they could support police by checking what he called “out-of-control spending” rather than raising taxes.
“Disgraceful,” Power said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The almost $10 million collected with the tax increase is slated to go to TPD for 20 new officers, higher police salaries and advanced technologies like artificial intelligence.
A few weeks after the vote, City Manager Reese Goad spoke to NEBA to defend the tax hike, saying it was necessary to fight violent crime in the city. With Police Chief Lawrence Revell by his side, Goad said the city has seen a “stubborn, sticky rise” in violent crime over recent years. At the same time, he said, police staffing levels have dropped to half the national average.
On Tuesday afternoon, Moody said the city’s efforts to support police helped Revell lower the department’s vacancy rate to 4%.
Supporting the police “will ensure the prosperity and stability and environment for businesses to flourish if you support the blue and make sure that they feel supported from others like you and the community,” she said.
“Staying engaged in the mayor and council affairs, as it relates to that, is more important now more than it ever has been.”
Ana Goñi-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network – Florida, can be reached at agonilessan@gannett.com.
Florida
Traffic stop goes viral after Florida deputy accuses driver missing right hand of holding phone
PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Video of a traffic stop in Palm Beach County is going viral over an awkward exchange between the driver and a deputy who accused her of holding a phone while driving.
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“You drove past me holding a phone with your right hand, manipulating that phone,” the deputy tells 36-year-old Kathleen “Katie” Thomas.
“Obviously not,” Thomas says while laughing and holding up her right arm, showing that she’s missing her right hand.
“So you wanna call this a day?” she asks.
“I don’t want to call this a day. You had a hand up, manipulating,” the deputy responds.
“You just said my right hand,” Thomas counters.
“Well, I thought I saw your right hand,” the deputy says.
“So you didn’t,” Thomas responds.
Thomas posted the bodycam footage on Instagram and TikTok where it gained millions of likes.
In the video, although she shows the deputy she doesn’t have a right hand, the deputy doubled down.
“I’m asking you now; did you or not have your phone in your hand?” the deputy asks.
“I did not,” Thomas responds.
“You did not have your phone in your hand?” the deputy asks again.
“I did not,” Thomas responds.
“Hand to God, you didn’t have a phone in your hand?” the deputy asks.
“Hand to God,” Thomas says.
Court records show Thomas was given a $116 citation despite the presented evidence, but it was later dismissed at the request of the deputy involved.
Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.
Florida
Blue Origin New Glenn rocket explodes on launch pad in Florida
A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket exploded Thursday night on a launch pad at Cape Canaveral in Florida.
The explosion occurred at about 9 p.m. ET. Blue Origin said there were no injuries from the incident.
“We experienced an anomaly during today’s hotfire test,” Blue Origin said in a statement. “All personnel have been accounted for. We will provide updates as we learn more.”
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station also confirmed in a separate statement that “all personnel have been accounted for and there were no injuries/fatalities.”
Blue Origin was scheduled to fuel the rocket Thursday evening ahead of a planned test firing of the rocket’s engines.
Blue Origin, which is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, successfully launched its third New Glenn rocket last month.
This rocket was being prepared for the fourth New Glenn mission as soon as June 4 to launch 48 satellites for Amazon’s Leo internet service, which competes with Elon Musk’s Starlink.
The 48 satellites were not aboard the rocket during the test. It was not immediately clear how much damage the launch pad and ground equipment sustained, or how long it might take to repair it.
Space Launch Complex 36, where the explosion occurred, is the only launch pad equipped to launch New Glenn rockets.
The New Glenn rocket is key to Blue Origin’s and NASA’s moon base plans, and the explosion will likely be a setback. Next year, the New Glenn is supposed to launch another Blue Moon lander as part of the Artemis III mission in low Earth orbit.
In a social media post, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman wrote, “Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult. We will work with our partners to support a thorough investigation of this anomaly, assess near-term mission impacts, and get back to launching rockets.”
The New Glenn rocket had just been cleared on May 22 to return to flight after being grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration after an anomaly with the second stage during an April 19 launch.
In a statement Thursday, the FAA said it was aware that the rocket had “experienced an anomaly during a static fire test on the pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida,” adding that the “test was not within the scope of FAA licensed activities.”
The FAA also noted that “there was no impact to air traffic” from the explosion.
Bezos wrote on X Thursday night, “It’s too early to know the root cause but we’re already working to find it. Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it.”
Musk wrote: “Sorry to see this, I hope you recover quickly.”
Florida
Florida to pay Sumrall’s assistants a combined $11.2M in 2026
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida coach Jon Sumrall’s assistants will make a combined $11.2 million in 2026, a significant investment for a program desperate to win more often.
Offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner tops the list after signing a three-year, $6.6 million contract to leave Georgia Tech and join Sumrall in Gainesville. Faulker will get $2.1 million in 2026 – the first $2 million coordinator in school history – and has a $100,000 raise set for each of the next two years.
Only six college offensive coordinators were paid $2 million or more in 2025, according to CBS Sports. Fifteen defensive coordinators topped $2 million.
Florida defensive coordinator Brad White signed a three-year, $5.85 million deal that starts at $1.85 million and also includes a $100,000 raise in 2027 and 2028.
The Gators released the contracts Thursday in response to a public records request.
Sumrall signed a six-year, $44.7 million contract last year that averages $7.45 million annually. The Gators will dole out more than $20 million to Sumrall, his staff of 15 assistants and a front office led by new general manager Dave Caldwell.
Four of the assistants are scheduled to earn at least $1 million during their deals.
Defensive line coach Gerald Chapman and offensive line coach Phil Trautwine will join Faulker and White in the seven-figure club. Chapman, the lone holdover from former Florida coach Billy Napier’s staff, will make $950,000 this year and $1 million in 2027. Trautwine, meanwhile, starts at $750,000 and jumps to $1 million. Both signed two-year deals.
Their salaries show Sumrall’s commitment to rebuilding the team along both lines of scrimmage in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference.
Napier’s 12-man coaching staff was paid a combined $7.5 million in 2025. The Gators posted three losing seasons in Napier’s four years.
The rest of Sumrall’s staff range between making $350,000 and $600,000 annually, all of them on two-year contracts.
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