Florida
Matt Gaetz and Rick Scott face challengers in Florida primaries
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Florida U.S. Sen. Rick Scott has his sights on a GOP leadership role, but first he must get past two candidates in the state’s Republican primary on Tuesday.
Scott, who won his Senate spot by a margin of about 10,000 votes in 2018, is aiming to run for Senate Republican leader to replace retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
If Scott wins the primary, he would face a Democratic opponent in November.
The Democratic frontrunner is former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who got President Joe Biden’s endorsement in April and has campaigned for the past year against Scott.
The senate seat is not the only one in Florida to watch, since some of the state’s congressional races include the most well-known far-right lawmakers.
One such example is U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, who must defeat his primary challenger Aaron Dimmick. That race has been fueled by a barrage of campaign advertisements, with Gaetz accusing Dimmick of being a carpetbagger who moved from Missouri to the Florida Panhandle to promote diversity and inclusion. Meanwhile Dimmick has highlighted allegations of sexual misconduct against Gaetz.
U.S. Reps. Byron Donalds and Mike Waltz are also widely known conservative legislators. Donalds doesn’t have any primary challengers and Waltz is facing John Grow, a software engineer who may struggle to upend the conservative lawmaker. Waltz, however, has spoken at former President Donald Trump’s campaign events, made Fox News appearances and appeared at the Republican National Convention last month.
U.S. Rep. Cory Mills, who is also closely aligned with Trump and has staunchly defended Gaetz in the past, is defending his seat versus former Florida Senate candidate and veteran Mike Johnson.
Each of these congressional members are far-right conservatives in Congress, known mostly for their alignment with Trump. They’ve led charges to defend the former president, stalled appropriations bills and budget deals, upended former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and fought for stricter regulations on abortion access and immigration.
Florida voters will also decide contested primaries in most of Florida’s 28 House districts.
Among the higher-profile House races is in District 13, in Pinellas County along Florida’s Gulf coast. The incumbent is Republican freshman Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a member of the right-wing Freedom Caucus, who faces no primary opposition.
Five Democrats are battling to take on Luna in the fall for a seat that leans Republican but could possibly flip parties. The leader in endorsements and fundraising is Whitney Fox, former marketing and communications director at the county transit authority. Others include former congressional aide Liz Dahan and former Health and Human Services Department adviser Sabrina Bousbar.
FORT MYERS, Fla. – An injured manatee and her calf are recovering after authorities on a boat rescued them from the Orange River near Fort Myers on Thursday.
What we know:
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said its Marine Unit, Advanced Technology Support Unit, drone pilots and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission helped in saving the pair after the mother was found hurt in the water and in need of medical attention.
READ: Missing Florida man found stuck in mud without food or water for days: PFD
Video shows authorities pulling the frantic manatees safely onto the boat in netting before taking them to shore.
Courtesy: Lee County Sheriff’s Office
Both animals will be taken to ZooTampa for evaluation and medical care.
What we don’t know:
LCSO did not say the extent of the mother’s injuries.
By the numbers:
As of Feb. 20, there have been 85 manatee deaths across Florida in 2026, according to the FWC. Last year reportedly saw a total of 632 manatee deaths.
Dig deeper:
Earlier this month, the FWC began investigating a spike in manatee deaths, specifically in Lee County, where officials say 25 were found dead within a week.
READ: FWC investigating spike in manatee deaths over the past week
The FWC believes these manatee deaths could be from several factors: cold stress, a lack of seagrass and polluted waterways.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Trump threatens tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba
Trump warned Cuba to reach an agreement with the U.S. after signing an executive order to impose tariffs on countries that supply the island with oil.
HAVANA (Reuters) – Four people were killed and seven others were wounded on Feb. 25 after a speedboat from Florida entered Cuban waters and opened fire on Cuban forces, who returned fire, Cuba’s Interior Ministry said.
All four dead were aboard the Florida-based speedboat, and another six were injured, Cuba said. In addition, the Cuban commander of border patrol boat was wounded, Cuba said.
The wounded foreign attackers were evacuated and received medical attention, Cuba said.
The incident took place amid heightened tension between Cuba and the United States, which has blocked virtually all oil shipments to the island, increasing pressure on the Communist-run government. American forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on Jan. 3, removing a key Cuban ally from power.
“Faced with the current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its commitment to protecting its territorial waters, based on the principle that national defense is a fundamental pillar for the Cuban state in safeguarding its sovereignty and stability in the region,” the Cuban statement said.
Reporting by Daniel Trotta in Havana.
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