Florida

Florida Democrats seek guardrails on immigration enforcement

Published

2 months ago

January 27, 2026

Florida Democrats seek guardrails on immigration enforcement

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — As cities across the country see growing protests over immigration enforcement, Florida Democrats are pushing bills they say would protect residents and undocumented migrants — and counter Republican proposals to expand enforcement across the state.

“We stand at a crossroads where we need to decide what world we live in,” said Rep. Dotie Joseph, D-North Miami.

One measure, Senate Bill 316, known as the Visible Act, would ban the public use of masks, require police officers to identify themselves and create safe zones around schools and houses of worship.

“We are not a dictatorship,” said Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville. “Secret police belong in the history books, not Florida streets.”

Democrats are also spearheading efforts to grant in-state college tuition to recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, often called DREAMers. Florida lawmakers ended that benefit in 2025.

“I dream and I dream big.I will always work as hard as I have to make my dreams come true,” said Alexander Vallejos, a DACA recipient and student at the University of Central Florida. “I love my beautiful Sunshine State of Florida, and I’m a Florida kid through and through.”

Republicans argued in-state tuition diverted state funds from legal residents during the 2025 debate.

“I don’t think it’s fair to ask hardworking Floridians who are struggling to make ends meet to spend $45 million subsidizing the education of people who shouldn’t even be here,” said U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, a former state legislator.

Gov. Ron DeSantis defended Florida’s continued cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, calling it “positive cooperation” that “has certainly made a difference here in Florida.”

Tensions over enforcement have deepened nationally after ICE agents in Minneapolis fatally shot two U.S. citizens, drawing condemnation from lawmakers and activists.

“They feel they can do anything they want — even including executing a United States citizen in broad daylight,” said Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando.

The Visible Act must pass three committees before it can reach the full Senate floor for a vote.

Source link

Click to comment

Florida

Judge cites ‘stand your ground’ law in clearing 3 more Florida officers in shooting of a UPS driver

Published

8 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Judge cites ‘stand your ground’ law in clearing 3 more Florida officers in shooting of a UPS driver

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A South Florida judge on Monday cleared three more police officers of wrongdoing in the shooting death of a UPS driver who had been taken hostage during a 2019 robbery.

Broward Circuit Judge Ernest Kollra ruled that Miami-Dade police officers Richard Santiesteban, Leslie Lee and Rodolfo Mirabal — who had been charged with manslaughter in the death of UPS driver Frank Ordonez — could not be prosecuted because Florida’s “stand your ground” law justified the shooting. The same judge cleared officer Jose Mateo in September for the same reason.

The Broward State Attorney’s Office said it will appeal all four rulings.

“Immunity from prosecution is not the same as a defense presented to a jury from this community,” the state attorney’s statement said. “It is our belief that Stand Your Ground immunity does not apply in matters involving innocent bystanders, like Frank Ordonez and Richard Cutshaw, who presented no danger to officers. In this incident, two innocent men were killed, and the lives of numerous other innocent bystanders were endangered.”

Cutshaw was also killed in the barrage of gunfire that afternoon.

Ordonez, 27, had been delivering packages in Miami-Dade County on Dec. 5, 2019, when police said two would-be jewelry store robbers abducted him and forced him to drive from the scene. A rush-hour police chase ended at a busy intersection in neighboring Broward County.

Prosecutors said Mateo fired the shots that killed Ordonez. The two robbers and a passerby were also killed in a hail of gunfire at an intersection in Miramar, Florida.

Footage from a body camera that was played in court showed Mateo’s pursuit of the UPS truck that afternoon. His partner could be seen in the passenger seat with a long gun drawn. The video also showed Mateo approaching the UPS truck. He emptied his firearm’s magazine, reloaded and then pulled Ordonez from the vehicle.

The judge ruled the officers had reason to believe deadly force was necessary to end the confrontation.

The four officers are currently suspended from the their jobs.

Source link

Florida

South Florida to enjoy plenty of sunshine, warm weather this week with low rain chances

Published

20 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

South Florida to enjoy plenty of sunshine, warm weather this week with low rain chances

March 23, 2026 / 7:43 AM EDT
/ CBS Miami

After a beautiful weekend across South Florida, the warm weather continues for the workweek.

A cool start mostly in the lower to mid-60s will lead to a warm and sunny afternoon with highs in the lower to mid-80s.

The forecast high temperatures in South Florida over the next seven days.

CBS News Miami

Afternoon highs linger in the lower to mid-80s each day for the workweek with changes not arriving until the weekend.

Beachgoers can expect excellent conditions with a low rip current risk as water temperatures remain in the mid-70s.

The beach forecast on Monday, March 23, 2026.

CBS News Miami

The NEXT Weather Team will continue to monitor an enhanced fire weather risk due to dry air and the ongoing drought conditions.

While there are no major wildfires being reported in South Florida, light north and northwesterly winds overnight have been bringing smoke from ongoing fires along the Gulf Coast and the Southeast U.S. into South Florida, lowering our air quality for the morning hours.

Conditions improve by midday as the wind shifts.

Warm temperatures and plenty of sunshine are expected in South Florida on Tuesday.

CBS News Miami

No significant rain chances will be found throughout the workweek with just a slim 10% shower chance Wednesday through Friday.

However, rain chances will be on the rise over the weekend as our team monitors a possible disturbance bringing the potential for scattered showers on Sunday.

These showers could help lower afternoon highs to upper 70s by the end of the weekend.

The forecast in South Florida over the next seven days.

CBS News Miami

In:

Source link

Florida

Florida takes lead in ICE arrests this year

Published

1 day ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Florida takes lead in ICE arrests this year

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Florida has become the country’s busiest hub for immigration arrests this year, with ICE agents in the Miami Field Office — which oversees Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands — logging more detentions than any other region in the nation according to our news partners at the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

According to figures reported by the New York Times, agents under the Miami office are averaging about 120 arrests a day, totaling nearly 9,900 arrests as of March 10. That pace puts Florida well ahead of other regions experiencing federal “surge” operations, including Minnesota, where a high-profile enforcement push drew national scrutiny after two U.S. citizens were killed.

Source link