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I have just learned that the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has taken the unilateral step to ban transgender individuals from applying for licenses that reflect their gender identity.
Gender and sex are not the same thing, and they do not always match. Gender is the socially constructed binary built upon a human’s body presentation at birth, but sometimes doctors make the decision of what to do with a body that does not conform to a shallow understanding of human dynamics and realities.
I always support our trans persons in Florida, but with these politicized, authoritarian and heavy-handed steps, I am even more supportive of individual choices and upset with our punitive government actions.
Please vote out this Florida government.
Rebecca Andre’, Delray Beach
As a Florida veterinarian, I have seen many sick pets coming out of so-called shelters for years.
While many pets are relatively healthy, some have major medical issues, yet they are presented to unsuspecting, good-hearted adopters as healthy. Some are presented as young, but the exam tells a different story.
There is a wonderful law in this state that protects the pet and the adopter. It is known as the Florida Pet Lemon Law (Section 828.29). It provides for pets to be seen by a vet, vaccinated and tested for parasites and viruses.
However, it does not apply to nonprofits, which most shelters are. For years I have reached out to our legislators to propose changes in the pet lemon law to include no-profits. I get lots of promises but no action.
While the state legislature is in session, I call upon and challenge our legislators and Gov. Ron DeSantis to step forward and protect our pets and pet adopters. It is unfair not to cover all pets under the so-called lemon law. Please read the law at Myflorida.com to see your rights.
Ed Dworkin, D.V.M., Apopka
Cable TV commentators have decided that if President Joe Biden loses to the twice-impeached, four-times-indicted Donald Trump, it will be because food and gas are too expensive.
They speak of these as “kitchen table issues,” when wealthy Republican voters are motivated by a singular goal of wealth accumulation. Lower taxes, preferred carried interest and an entanglement of tax avoidance trusts, all to assure they die wealthy, are not “kitchen table” issues. They are uniquely Republican — and at the expense of working voters.
Republicans unabashedly favor tamping down wage growth and busting labor unions. Some Republican governors have resisted Medicaid for their underserved voters and have for years lied about having non-existent programs to replace Obamacare. Social Security and Medicare are perpetually on the Republican chopping block.
The ordinary Republican is motivated by social and religious issues. Rejection of abortion, gay and transgender rights, minority voting rights and other social or civil rights issues fire them up. An ordinary GOP voter can’t tell you what their party is actually willing to do to solve purported kitchen table handwringing.
How do more tax breaks and reducing social programs serve lower-income voters? If you think about it long and hard, you likely can’t come up with anything Republicans have ever done for those who are struggling for a better life.
Sheldon I. Saitlin, Boca Raton
Mike Martin (1944-2024) was an iconic figure in college baseball, a man respected and loved throughout the game.
His record of winning the most games in the history of the sport put him at the pinnacle, and his ability to win consistently at the highest level was equally remarkable.
Mike was a tremendous ambassador for Florida State University and loved FSU with all his heart. He lit up a room with enthusiasm and energy. His insistence that his teams always play the game the right way and with class was appreciated.
College baseball has lost one of its all-time greats and we’ve lost one of our greatest Seminoles.
Paul Bacon, Hallandale Beach
Entertainment
MIAMI (AP) — Two South Florida police officers claim Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s recent action thriller “The Rip” used too many real-life details in its fictionalized narrative, causing harm to the officers’ personal and professional reputations, according to a defamation lawsuit.
Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana, sergeants in the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, filed the lawsuit in Miami federal court earlier this month against Artists Equity, a film production company owned by Affleck and Damon. Court filings don’t say how much the officers are suing for, but the civil complaint says they’re seeking compensatory damages, punitive damages and attorney fees, as well as a public retraction and correction.
“The Rip” features Affleck and Damon as South Florida police officers who find millions of dollars inside a house. Parts of the movie were inspired by a real 2016 case, where police found over $21 million linked to a suspected marijuana trafficker in a Miami Lakes home.
An attorney for Artists Equity declined to comment when reached Monday by The Associated Press. But in a March 19 response to the plaintiffs’ demand letter, Leita Walker, an attorney for Artists Equity, wrote that the film does not purport to tell the true story of that incident or portray real people, which had been stated by a disclaimer in the film’s credits.
Although Smith and Santana aren’t named in the film, the lawsuit claims that Santana was serving as the lead detective assigned to the real case, and Smith was the sergeant who supervised the investigative team. The film’s inclusion of real details about the case gives the impression that the characters are based on the plaintiffs, the suit said.
And this, the lawsuit claims, has given friends, family members and colleagues the impression that the plaintiffs committed the criminal acts that appear in the film, which include (SPOILER ALERT) conspiring to steal seized drug money, murdering a supervising officer, communicating with cartel members, committing arson in a residential neighborhood, endangering the lives of civilians, repeatedly violating core law-enforcement protocols and executing a federal agent rather than making an arrest.
Walker wrote in March that the plaintiffs haven’t even identified which particular character is supposed to be based on Smith or Santana, so even if “The Rip” was actually about a real-life narcotics team, there’s no way to connect any of the characters to the plaintiffs.
“The Rip,” directed by Joe Carnahan, debuted in January on Netflix. It’s currently rated 78% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
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Brevard County couple gets married in NICU after birth of premature twins
A Florida couple, told they may not be able to have children, welcomed premature twins and had an impromptu NICU wedding.
Provided by AdventHealth for Children
Ben and Danielle Cassidy were told they likely wouldn’t be able to have children.
But this year they will celebrate Mother’s Day just months after having an impromptu wedding in the AdventHealth for Children hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit shortly after Danielle gave birth to twins prematurely — a week before the Palm Bay couple was scheduled to get married.
Both babies, Joshua and Rhett, are doing well despite arriving nine weeks ahead of schedule on Jan. 19, 2026, just one day after their scheduled baby shower. With a proper wedding out of the question with two premature babies in the NICU, a nurse took action.
Issabel Kenkel, the nurse behind the ceremony, said she was already in wedding planning mode for her own upcoming nuptials when she found out the Cassidy family’s ceremony would be interrupted.
“I couldn’t just let them do something small. They needed decorations and something fun, so I spoke to the music therapist and the chaplain,” Kenkel said. In short order, a wedding was being planned for their hospital room and the couple was saying their vows in the company of their safely delivered newborns.
“When we found out we could request staff members to be on our team, that’s when we requested Issabel and having that kind of consistency from someone who has such a big heart and is so kind,” Danielle said.
The hospital ceremony was all the more special because of the Cassidy family’s own health struggles.
“I have five autoimmune diseases and didn’t really think I would have kids. It’s been a rough journey. When Ben and I met, we were floored at how much a miracle it was to have kids,” Danielle said.
Ben, who battled and beat cancer, said he was worried that his prior treatment would result in negative health outcomes for his future children. Having twins for him was an unexpected blessing.
“When we found out we were pregnant, we found it so shocking. We said, wouldn’t it be great if it was twins? It filled out our hopes and dreams list,” Ben said. “They’ve been miracles for sure.”
The Cassidy couple said there was so much fear and uncertainty when their twins were born nine weeks early. Being able to get married right away just made them feel all the better about the future.
“It was nice getting married because we didn’t have to wait any longer to make it official. It made it that much harder for her to get rid of me,” Ben said.
“The unknown made it scary,” Danielle added. “We had no idea how long we would be in the hospital. Our wedding was going to be at the beach with immediate family and parents. Having NICU babies, we realized we’d never be able to get to the beach. It was really special having the people who care for our babies be part of the ceremony.”
The couple hadn’t even planned to have a band at their wedding ceremony and now the hospital’s music therapist was performing live for them and the chaplain was conducting the ceremony, something nurse Kenkel said was just part of her job.
“The babies are going to have the best outcomes if the families are taken care of and going home happy,” she said. “Being in the NICU is already so stressful. This is just one more thing I could do to take care of my patients.”
Tyler Vazquez is the Growth and Development Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-480-0854 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com. X: @tyler_vazquez.
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