Florida
Florida House Speaker, Governor clash over controversial Immigration Bill
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida House Speaker Danny Perez is challenging Governor Ron DeSantis about the true reason behind his opposition to a controversial immigration reform bill. As tensions escalate between the legislative and executive branches over this sweeping policy, Perez says he’s hopeful that the governor will pick up the phone to find a resolution.
Despite a reported lack of dialogue, in a chat about the ongoing infighting, Perez said this week he remains focused on turning that big immigration bill lawmakers passed Tuesday, known as the TRUMP Act, into Florida law.
“The legislature’s bill is significantly more conservative and tougher on crime when it comes to illegal immigration,” Perez said.
The 84-page proposal includes mandatory death sentences for undocumented individuals convicted of capital crimes, the elimination of in-state tuition for DACA recipients, and a half-billion-dollar allocation for state and city police to enforce immigration laws. It also proposes giving Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner the authority to oversee immigration enforcement.
Perez noted not only is the commissioner an elected official, but the post has a statewide network and its own law enforcement.
“This is too important of a position to not be held accountable,” said Speaker Perez. “I wanted to ensure that it was a person elected statewide. The Commissioner of Agriculture’s job here is to make sure that local law enforcement and all levels of law enforcement are cooperating with the federal government and President Trump.”
However, Governor DeSantis has sharply criticized the bill, calling it “a very, very grotesque weak piece of legislation.” According to DeSantis, the bill was crafted too hastily and is potentially unconstitutional due to its siphoning of immigration authority away from the governor’s office.
“You have to do a ‘mother may I’ with the Commissioner of Agriculture about whether you can bring in the federal immigration authorities,” he said during one of four immigration roundtables this week. “How ridiculous is that? How does that help us do what we need to do?”
The controversy has escalated into a public battle, with Republicans openly criticizing each other through TV interviews, podcasts, and across social platforms. Accusations of being “Republican In Name Only” are rampant, along with personal attacks and recall petitions.
“If the governor disagrees by calling the bill weak and liberal and all these other things that are just not true,” said Perez. “At that point, it is hard to collaborate with a partner that is unwilling to communicate.”
When asked what he would say to Governor DeSantis directly, Perez said. “I would ask him, what’s, ‘What’s the real reason that you’re against my bill?’ What is it? What don’t you like about the bill? Be honest about it. There’s no Twitter here. You know, he goes on Hannity and Laura Ingraham and like, three times a week. I would ask him to be honest with me: what is the real problem with the bill? Because this is not a weak bill. He knows it’s not a weak bill.”
DeSantis’s team has consistently said they want more stringent measures, like making illegal immigration a state crime, granting deportation powers to Florida, and establishing an immigration czar under the governor’s authority. DeSantis has threatened to veto the bill, and while lawmakers can override it, the necessary Senate votes might not be there.
Perez acknowledged the potential for a veto, saying, “You have to think about what he’s about to veto. He’s about to veto a bill that gives the death penalty to illegal immigrants that rape children. I mean, put that into perspective for a second. Think about that. We did our job. We made the best, most conservative bill that anyone could have ever imagined, the best in the country, and we passed it with a super majority of Republicans and not one Democrat.”
Despite the possibility of a legislative logjam, Perez remained unfazed about his relationship with the governor, emphasizing that in his mind, the rift isn’t a feud; it’s a “disagreement.”
“There’s nothing wrong with disagreeing with someone,” said the Speaker. “The important part is that once you realize that you are in a disagreement, that you were able to converse in order to try and find a solution. That’s the part that’s missing this disagreement. That’s it, right there. So, I mean, eventually, it has to happen. It’s just a matter of when. I would have it tonight. I’d have it after this interview. I would do it whenever.”
“I’ve gotten exhausted from FEMA. We’re 62 and 72 years old, and we’re on Social Security/Disability. What the hell does this country want from us?”
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TAMPA, Fla. – A federal judge sentenced a Florida dentist to two years in prison with credit for time served after his arrest in June.
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FBI agents reported Richard Kantwill sent more than 100 threats to 40 victims in retaliation to their political commentary.
Kantwill, 61, wrote the threats of injury and death even after FBI special agents intervened and asked him to stop.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland referred to Kantwill’s messages as an “almost year-long campaign of terror.”
Kantwill, who was born in Chicago, served as a U.S. Army combat field medic during the Gulf War and practiced dentistry in Tampa.
Kantwill’s attorneys claimed he lived with untreated post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism.
In November, Kantwill pleaded guilty to four counts of interstate transmission of a threat.
Prosecutors said Kantwill’s victims included an election official in another state, an author, a TV personality, and a religious leader.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven sentenced Kantwill to two years in prison with credit for time served.
Kantwill has been in jail without bond for about eight months. He will be paroled for three years and will have to pay a $10,000 fine and get treatment for mental health and substance abuse.
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President Trump pauses federal aid to Ukraine
World leaders are reacting to President Donald Trump’s decision to pause federal aid to Ukraine.
- Zelenskyy does not live in Florida despite online claims he purchased a mansion in Vero Beach.
- News agencies like USA Today and Reuters debunked the claims.
- President Donald Trump paused aid to Ukraine on Monday following the clash between him, Vice President JD Vance and Zelenskyy on Feb. 28 at the White House.
There is no proof Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lives in Florida, much less Vero Beach, despite such rumors circulating since 2023 and many people searching for that information online this week.
A right-wing activist and failed U.S. Senate candidate started the rumor with a social media post, which has been debunked by media outlets such as USA Today and Reuters.
Here’s what to know about the social media claims that Zelenskyy owns a Florida home.
Does Zelenskyy live in Florida?
Lauren Witzke, a Delaware Republican who unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in 2020, claimed Zelenskyy is a U.S. citizen and had bought a $20 million mansion in Vero Beach, according to her post on the social media platform X on Dec. 13, 2023.
Since then, the post has received a community note on X saying the naturalized citizenship document was photoshopped and the photo of the home is not in Vero Beach.
The post includes photos of a mansion in Ponte Vedra Beach, which is in St. Johns County, Florida. Property records for Indian River and St. Johns counties do not list Zelenskyy as a property owner in either location.
The Ponte Vedra Beach home was being auctioned on Feb. 23, 2024, and sold on March 25 for $7.5 million, according to St. Johns County property records. See the home here.
Is Zelenskyy a U.S. citizen?
An aspect of the viral tweet was a naturalized citizenship document for Zelenskyy, which claimed his residence in Vero Beach.
Zelenskyy’s photo in the document is an edited version of an image distributed to media outlets by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, USA Today reported. In both images, Zelenskyy is wearing the same jacket and shirt, and the garments are oriented identically, with the left collar slightly opened.
An authentic certificate of naturalization includes the person’s full name and signature, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The document shown in the post is missing Zelenskyy’s middle name of Oleksandrovych and missing his signature.
Who is Volodymyr Zelenskyy?
Zelenskyy is Ukraine’s sixth president and was elected in April 2019. The 47-year-old unseated incumbent Petro Poroshenko, who had been in office since 2014, with 73% of the vote.
Since Russia invaded in February 2022, Zelenskyy has been the face of Ukrainian resistance, notably for his visibility online and his pleas to other countries for support.
Former U.S. President Joe Biden provided Zelenskyy with billions of dollars in arms, cash and loans for Ukraine to fight the war against Russia. However, President Donald Trump’s approach to Ukraine has been a complete change, with him pausing aid to Ukraine on Monday, March 3.
The pause followed the clash between Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Feb. 28 in the Oval Office after Zelenskyy complained about Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The clash between the world leaders ended with Zelenskyy being asked to leave the White House, and a planned news conference with both presidents was canceled.
The meeting came after Trump opened negotiations in February with Putin to end the war in Ukraine in a dramatic break from longstanding U.S. policy and the Biden administration’s complete support for Ukraine.
USA Today writers Francesca Chambers and Joey Garrison contributed to this report.
Gianna Montesano is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at gianna.montesano@tcpalm.com, 772-409-1429, or follow her on X @gonthescene.
Development comes after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the controversial influencers were not welcome in the state.
Authorities in the United States have announced the launch of a criminal investigation into controversial social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate.
James Uthmeier, the attorney general for the US state of Florida, said on Tuesday that he had instructed his office “to work with our law enforcement partners to conduct a preliminary inquiry” into the brothers.
The Tate brothers – who arrived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on February 27, after Romanian authorities lifted a travel ban against them – are facing trial in Romania for allegedly operating a criminal ring that lured women to the country for sexual exploitation.
“Based on a thorough review of the evidence, I’ve directed the Office of Statewide Prosecution to execute search warrants and issue subpoenas in the now-active criminal investigation into the Tate brothers,” Uthmeier said.
The Tates – who are dual US-British citizens – command millions of mostly young, male followers on social media, who are drawn to their luxurious lifestyle, hyper-masculine image and misogynist rhetoric.
The brothers have been banned from numerous platforms for hate speech, including suggesting women should bear responsibility for sexual assault.
Romanian authorities arrested the Tate brothers in late 2022, and they were formally indicted last year – along with two Romanian women – on sex trafficking charges. Andrew Tate also stands accused of rape.
In a separate investigation, British authorities have also sought the brothers’ arrest on charges of rape and human trafficking.
The Tate brothers deny all allegations against them.
Romanian authorities had placed the Tates under a travel ban while they investigated the case.
Romanian prosecutors announced on Thursday, however, that the travel ban had been lifted and their US passports returned to them.
Their return to the US on a private jet last week came amid accusations that White House officials lobbied Romanian authorities to release the Tates – who have been vocal supporters of US President Donald Trump.
Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Emil Hurezeanu said the brothers were mentioned during his brief hallway meeting with Trump’s special envoy, Richard Grenell, at the Munich Security Conference last month.
Romanian Justice Minister Radu Marinescu has denied that US pressure was a factor in their release.
Upon landing in Florida last week, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis said the brothers were not welcome in the state.
“Florida is not a place where you’re welcome with that type of conduct,” he told reporters.
“I don’t know how it came to this … We were not involved, we were not notified,” DeSantis added, as he called for the attorney general to examine whether state authorities may have any jurisdiction over any of their alleged crimes.
Andrew Tate, 38, in turn accused DeSantis of caving to media pressure and said he had a right to visit the country of his citizenship.
He added that he had broken no laws and had never been tried, let alone convicted, of a crime.
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