Connect with us

Florida

Florida GOP picks Sam Garrison as next House speaker

Published

on

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.

play

  • Florida House Republicans selected state Rep. Sam Garrison to be the House speaker after the 2026 elections.
  • As Speaker-designate, Garrison will lead Republican House campaign efforts for the 2026 election cycle.
  • The Fleming Island Republican is an attorney and former prosecutor who was first elected to the House in 2020.

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

“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.



Source link

Advertisement

Florida

Traffic stop goes viral after Florida deputy accuses driver missing right hand of holding phone

Published

on

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.

Leer en español

“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.

Advertisement

“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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

“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.





Source link

Continue Reading

Florida

Blue Origin New Glenn rocket explodes on launch pad in Florida

Published

on

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.”

Advertisement

A Blue Origin rocket explodes on a launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida. May 28, 2026. 

SPACEFLIGHTNOW


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.

Advertisement

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.”  

Advertisement

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.”

Advertisement



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Florida

Florida to pay Sumrall’s assistants a combined $11.2M in 2026

Published

on

Florida to pay Sumrall’s assistants a combined .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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending