Florida
Who is Florida Lt. Gov Jeanette Nuñez? DeSantis might be Trump’s next pick for Pentagon
Lt. Gov Jeanette Nuñez could be 1st woman, 1st Cuban-American to be Florida governor
Trump mulls replacing Hegseth with DeSantis to run Pentagon
President-elect Donald Trump is considering dropping Pete Hegseth as his pick to lead the Pentagon, choosing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in his place.
Florida government is seeing an abrupt shakeup, with President-elect Donald Trump nominating Reps. Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz and Sen. Marco Rubio to cabinet posts and endorsing state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis to take over Rubio’s seat.
That leaves holes in three important positions, even though Gaetz withdrew his nomination. Before that, Gaetz resigned his seat ahead of a looming House Ethics report on allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use, which the former congressman has denied.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has called for special elections to fill the two U.S. Representative seats and must name replacements for Rubio and Patronis.
Now insiders are saying Trump might name DeSantis to lead the Pentagon, replacing his current nominee, Fox News host Pete Hegseth, who is facing his own allegations of wrongdoing in his personal and professional life.
That would put Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez in charge of the Sunshine State, making her both Florida’s first woman governor and first Cuban-American governor.
Here’s what to know:
Who is Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez?
Miami native Jeanette Marie Nuñez, 52, one of three daughters of Victor C. and Teresita Sánchez, went straight into politics after getting her undergraduate degree in political science and international relations from Florida International University, working as an aide to then-state Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla.
She went on to be vice president of government affairs at Jackson Health System, start her own company (OnPoint Strategies) and work for FIU as an adjunct professor and advisor, where she also completed her Master of Public Administration degree.
In 2010, Nuñez ran for the Florida House of Representatives to replace then-incumbent David Rivera. She ran on job creation, the economy and Medicaid reform and won, and was re-elected in 2012, 2014 and 2016.
During the last two years of her time in the state House, Nuñez served as speaker pro tempore under former House Speaker Richard Corcoran, who later became state Education Commissioner and president of the New College of Florida, the liberal arts college known for diversity and inclusiveness that the governor is remaking into a conservative institution.
During her time in the House, she advocated for a bill to let qualified Florida students pay in-state college tuition rates even if they were in the country illegally.
“Don’t hold these children responsible for something they had no control over,” she said at the time. She walked it back in 2023 as DeSantis’ second-in-command, saying the state could no longer support the number of undocumented Floridians going to college.
Nuñez also kicked off the legislation to make daylight saving time permanent in Florida, filing a bill with then-Rep. Heather Fitzenhagen, R-Fort Myers, in 2018.
She referred to it again last week when Elon Musk was publicly musing on ending “annoying time changes” in his new role as co-leader with entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy in Trump’s newly proposed advisory committee on government efficiency.
“In 2018, I made it happen in Florida,” she posted on X. “It’s time for the federal government to step up.”
When did Jeanette Nuñez become lieutenant governor of Florida?
DeSantis chose Nuñez as his running mate for what was then a longshot bid for governor in 2018, boosted by a Trump endorsement and winning a narrow victory over Democratic candidate and Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum.
She quickly became a voice for Medicaid reform and controlling health care costs and helped DeSantis promote his hard-right policies in the state on topics such as immigration, removing DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) education in colleges and universities and the state’s rejection of math textbooks over supposed “critical race theory” indoctrination.
Nuñez is the highest-ranking Hispanic woman to be elected in Florida history, and the third woman to be lieutenant governor after Toni Jennings and Jennifer Carroll.
It’s “a huge source of pride for me, for my family, but most importantly for my community,” Nuñez told NBC News.
Did Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez call Trump a con man?
“Wake up Florida voters, Trump is the biggest con-man there is,” Nuñez wrote in a Twitter (now X) post in 2016 during the presidential primary, when she backed U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s bid against Trump. “#nosubstance #anti-Israel #supportsKKK #neverTrump VOTE @marcorubio #RUBIO”
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that she deleted the tweet soon after she was named DeSantis’ running mate.
Is Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez married?
Nuñez is married to Adrian Nuñez, and the couple have three children.
Ana Goñi-Lessan of the Tallahassee Democrat contributed to this story.
Florida
2 Florida Memorial University football players arrested in dorm invasion robbery: Cops
A pair of football players at Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens were arrested in connection with a home invasion robbery at a campus dorm, authorities said.
Russell Stroud Jr., 21, and Lelend Johnson, 18, were arrested Thursday on charges of home invasion robbery with aggravated battery, Miami-Dade jail records showed.
Stroud, originally from Tampa, is listed as a sophomore defensive back on the FMU Athletics website, while Johnson, under the name Leeland, is listed as a sophomore linebacker from Gainesville.
Miami-Dade Corrections
Miami-Dade Corrections Russell Stroud Jr. and Lelend Johnson
According to arrest reports, the alleged incident happened around 11 p.m. Wednesday when the victim said he was preparing to shower when he heard someone knocking on his dorm room door.
The victim said he opened his door and saw Johnson, then saw Stroud and two other unknown people who were wearing all black with ski masks push their way into his room, the reports said.
He said Stroud yelled “re-up” and directed the two unknown suspects to hit him before he was pistol-whipped in the head and punched multiple times, the reports said.
The suspects took his bookbag that contained school supplies and his high school diploma, and one of them grabbed his phone but dropped it as they ran out of the room.
He alerted campus security, who contacted police.
The victim said he didn’t know why he was targeted, and had recognized Stroud from his dreadlocks, the reports said.
Police reviewed surveillance footage that showed multiple subjects exiting one dorm room and standing nearby while Johnson, who wasn’t wearing a mask, knocked on the victim’s door, the reports said.
When Johnson was interviewed by detectives, he said he came from Stroud’s room but was alone when he knocked on the door and said multiple people came out of nowhere and he tried to stop them from entering, the reports said.
Johnson and Stroud were booked into jail, and were expected to appear in bond court on Friday.
Florida
Top Florida High School WR Prospect Finally Makes Commitment Official
One of the top wide receiver prospects in the country ended any speculation that he was looking elsewhere by signing with Syracuse University on Thursday.
A day removed from the start of national signing day, Calvin Russell from Miami Northwestern High School put his name on the dotted line with the Orange and head coach Fran Brown.
The 6-foot-5 Russell committed to Syracuse this past July, but opted not to sign on Wednesday as speculation grew that Miami and Michigan were both trying to flip him away from the Orange.
Justin Giangrande, the manager for Russell, posted on social media that he “needed more time to pray” before making a final decision and that he wanted to “make sure he is 100 percent certain with this decision before signing.”
That came on Thursday when he became the 25th member of the Class of 2026 for Syracuse during the early signing period to commit.
Regarded as the No. 2 overall player in the state of Florida by 247Sports, Russell holds 52 offers to play college football. He is the No. 2 wide receiver in the Class of 2026 and the 23rd-ranked player overall in the country.
In nine games reported to MaxPreps this past season, Russell caught 32 passes for 517 yards with seven receiving touchdowns. He also completed 15 of 19 passes for 368 yards and four passing touchdowns.
As a junior, Russell helped the Bulls to a Class 3A Florida high school football state championship under NFL quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, catching 39 passes for 704 yards and 13 touchdowns.
During his sophomore season, Russell saw time at quarterback, with a big rushing game of 144 yards against Miami Central.
As a freshman, Russell hit the field for Miami Northwestern, playing both wide receiver and quarterback. He had seven catches for 91 yards, threw for 217 with a TD and ran 23 times for 160 yards with another score.
Russell’s mom, Chanlvia Broussard, was a standout basketball player at the University of Miami. She was inducted into the school’s hall of fame.
According to 247Sports, Russell has offers to play basketball from several schools including Michigan, Illinois, LSU, Arizona State, Penn State, Florida Atlantic and Tulane.
Miami Northwestern will play Bishop Moore on Friday night in the Class 3A Florida high school football playoffs semifinals. The winner meets either Raines or Booker for the state championship later this month.
Florida
Florida drug bust seizes 92,000 pounds of 7-OH, arsenal of guns and explosives, sheriff says: “‘Breaking Bad’ on steroids”
In what is considered the largest bust of its kind in the country, a young man is facing serious charges after a Central Florida drug and explosives seizure unveiled an operation that authorities referred to as “‘Breaking Bad’ on steroids.”
In a Facebook video shared Wednesday, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey and Palm Bay Police Chief Mariano Augello announced they arrested 26-year-old Maxwell Horvath on several charges after local and federal law enforcement agents seized approximately 92,000 pounds of an illegal substance believed to contain concentrations of 7-OH — a byproduct of the kratom plant said to be just as addictive as opioids — with a street value of around $4.7 million.
Earlier this year, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued an emergency rule banning the use of 7-OH, calling it an “immediate danger.” Uthmeier is looking to have a judge toss out a challenge to a rule banning the sale and manufacture of the kratom byproduct.
“This is what danger looks like right here,” Ivey said, detailing the dozens of weapons and boxes shown throughout the video. “Everything that you see behind us, everything you see in front of us, is a red flag for disaster.”
Augello added that along with the drugs, agents seized an arsenal of firearms and explosives, including five improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on the property where the warrant was searched, along with grenade simulators and 50 pounds of precursor chemicals to make explosives.
“We’re not just talking about drugs, we’re not just talking about illegal substances out in the street, we’re talking about explosive devices,” he said. “Things that the military and other countries are utilizing all over the world to take out populations of people.”
Ivey chimed in, calling the situation “terrorist activity across the board.”
“This guy was either looking to engage in war or looking to arm those or furnish to those who are,” Ivey said.
A month-long investigation unveils a “Breaking Bad” operation
The bust came after a month-long investigation that began in September involving the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the Palm Bay Police Department.
According to Ivey, Horvath ran a Palm Bay business called Overseas Organics, where agents bought drugs and military-grade weaponry from him during the investigation, and at one point even toured his facility.
“This thing looked like ‘Breaking Bad’ on steroids is what it looked like,” he said. “[Horvath] had it lined up with all sorts of different chambers and rooms, sterile environments, everything else.”
Ivey added that Horvath would allegedly take and extract 7-OH, then put it into compression machines before shipping it outside of Florida, believing it would not violate the new state law surrounding the substance.
“Well, trick-or-treat, he is,” he said. “Not only is he violating the law for that, but all the weapons, all the explosive devices, everything else that he has, is going to land him in prison for the rest of his life.”
According to Ivey and Augello, Horvath is a “career offender” with a criminal record going as far back as when he was only 17. Ivey said that in 2017, Horvath had served two years in federal prison for possession of an explosive device, trafficking MDMA and served two years of federal probation.
Horvath is currently in custody, where he is facing a plethora of charges, including 36 counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, one count of possession of a short-barreled rifle, two counts of possession of a short-barreled machine gun, and more charges related to the explosives. Additionally, Ivey said Horvath also has pending federal indictments.
-
Politics3 days agoTrump rips Somali community as federal agents reportedly eye Minnesota enforcement sweep
-
News3 days agoTrump threatens strikes on any country he claims makes drugs for US
-
Technology1 week agoNew scam sends fake Microsoft 365 login pages
-
World3 days agoHonduras election council member accuses colleague of ‘intimidation’
-
Ohio2 days ago
Who do the Ohio State Buckeyes hire as the next offensive coordinator?
-
Politics1 week agoRep. Swalwell’s suit alleges abuse of power, adds to scrutiny of Trump official’s mortgage probes
-
News1 week ago2 National Guard members wounded in ‘targeted’ attack in D.C., authorities say
-
Ohio1 week agoSnow set to surge across Northeast Ohio, threatening Thanksgiving travel