Florida
Florida GOP picks Sam Garrison as next House speaker
‘I believe with my whole heart that complacency is the single biggest threat to the conservative movement in Florida,’ Garrison said.
House Speaker Danny Perez delivers a stunning rebuke to DeSantis
The Florida Legislature nixed the governor’s special session and created their own, solely focused on immigration.
Florida House Republicans officially selected state Rep. Sam Garrison to take the helm of the chamber as speaker for a two-year term after the 2026 elections.
The Fleming Island Republican was officially picked in a ceremony at the Capitol on Oct. 9.
In his speech, he warned his party – which comprises a supermajority in the Florida Legislature – not to rest on their laurels despite dominating for 30 years and turning the former swing state into a deeper shade of red in the last few election cycles.
“I believe with my whole heart that complacency is the single biggest threat to the conservative movement in Florida,” Garrison told the GOP members. “This is not an external danger. It is internal. Our challenge isn’t the Democrats. It’s us.”
A host of GOP dignitaries, including Gov. Ron DeSantis and Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, who is considering running to replace DeSantis next year, were in attendance.
Garrison will succeed current Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, who repeatedly clashed with DeSantis on several issues. He warned against infighting among Republicans but also said he’ll “always support” Perez.
Most of Garrison’s term as speaker will take place under the next governor, but he hasn’t endorsed anyone in the race to replace DeSantis. When asked if he has a preference for who is governor during his term, he didn’t say.
“But I can tell you whoever he or she is, (that person) is going to have a partner in the House that’s going to work like heck to make them successful,” Garrison told reporters after the ceremony.
Next House speaker is attorney, former prosecutor
According to his House webpage, the 48-year-old was born in Illinois and got his undergraduate degree in international relations from Samford University, near Birmingham, Alabama.
He received his law degree (J.D.) from Illinois University and moved to Florida in 2001. He was an assistant state prosecutor from 2001-2011. He is currently with the Jacksonville-based Driver, McAfee, Hawthorne & Diebenow firm.
First elected in 2020, Garrison is the House Rules Committee chair and one of the notable bills he sponsored was the 2024 legislation to prohibit homeless people from camping in public spaces, including streets, sidewalks and parks. The law required local governments to place homeless people in temporary shelters.
Garrison gave few hints of his priorities once he becomes Speaker, but stressed the importance of drilling down into difficult issues and programs if Republicans want to maintain their dominance in Florida.
“Do we do the arduous work of leading this state and fighting for our people back home, or do we hit the easy button and simply ride the wave, shrug our shoulders, and leave the tough decisions, the intractable problems, and the big dreams to someone else?” Garrison said.
As Speaker-designate, Garrison will also be in charge of helping maintain the GOP’s supermajority in the House. He’ll head up Republican House campaign efforts for the 2026 cycle.
Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer.
Florida
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.
Florida
From the Archives: Hospital has 70-year history in Southwest Florida
The following information comes from a March 3, 2024, article in the Naples Daily News.
Founded in 1953, the first modern medical facility opened on Fourth Street South in March 1956 with the name Naples Community Hospital. The hospital’s first baby was born the next day.
Ten years later, in 1966, the hospital added 50 more beds, an emergency department and several specialized departments. Later that decade, several more departments were added including an intensive care unit.
In 1970, the hospital expanded the original building to six stories and began construction on a new, two-story building next door. This building was later expanded to six stories and was dubbed the “South Tower” while the first tower was called the “North Tower.”
Construction on the Downtown Naples facility continued in the 1980s and on Oct. 15, 1984, The North Collier Health Center opened its doors. This facility was opened as a satellite facility of the main hospital. Shortly after, on Feb. 4, 1985, another satellite facility, which included a helipad, was opened on Marco Island.
In January 1990, North Collier Hospital (the North Naples campus) opened with 50 beds at its location on Immokalee Road in North Naples. The healthcare system, as well as the local population, continued to grow during this decade.
NCH was the only hospital in Collier County until 2001.
NCH, Nicklaus announce Van Domelen Institute for Women and Children
The four-story, 156,000-square-foot center will offer advanced care for families and be housed on the NCH North Hospital campus.
In February 2007, the system expanded once again with the opening of the $64 million Jay & Patty Baker Patient Care Tower at the North Naples hospital.
In 2020, NCH purchased a 186,000 square foot office building on Immokalee Road to relocate some of its administrative support and non-clinical functions which it expects to complete in spring of 2021.
NCH also started a $35 million renovation and expansion of its Baker Hospital emergency room with a two-story, 19,000 square foot addition to expand its emergency room capacity to 47,000 square feet, with expected completion in February 2022.
In 2023, a rebrand changed what NCH stands for, becoming Naples Comprehensive Health.
Information gathered from the Naples Daily News archives, Wikipedia, Collier100.org and Collier County Museum archives.
Florida
Florida Woman, 31, Accused of Peeing on and Damaging More Than $3,000 Worth of Property in Multiple Airbnbs
-
Detroit, MI4 days agoDrummer Brian Pastoria, longtime Detroit music advocate, dies at 68
-
Oklahoma1 week agoFamily rallies around Oklahoma father after head-on crash
-
Georgia7 days agoHow ICE plans for a detention warehouse pushed a Georgia town to fight back | CNN Politics
-
Science1 week agoFederal EPA moves to roll back recent limits on ethylene oxide, a carcinogen
-
Alaska1 week agoPolice looking for man considered ‘armed and dangerous’
-
Movie Reviews4 days ago‘Youth’ Twitter review: Ken Karunaas impresses audiences; Suraj Venjaramoodu adds charm; music wins praise | – The Times of India
-
World1 week agoThousands march worldwide in solidarity with Palestine, Iran on al-Quds Day
-
World1 week agoJamal Rayyan, the first face of Al Jazeera, dies at 73