NIKKI FRIED

Things are so bad for the Florida Democratic Party that the arrests of its party chair and Senate minority leader could be seen as a positive.

Florida Democrats have selected former state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried to lead their party after a disastrous midterm performance in the onetime presidential battleground state.

Florida lawmakers can fine local government officials who attempt to restrict gun and ammunition sales under a state law upheld by the state Supreme Court.

As Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday approach, Florida leaders shared tips on how to keep your data secure and save money when shopping for deals online.

Primary voters chose Republican Wilton Simpson and Democrat Naomi Blemur to compete for the commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in November’s general election.

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist announced Wednesday that effective at the close of business Aug. 31, he will resign from his position as U.S. Representative for Florida’s 13th Congressional District.

Abortion rights remains a salient political issue for Democrats, as a special election in New York showed on Tuesday.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist has defeated Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried in Florida's closely watched gubernatorial primary.

The most significant race in Florida's primary election Tuesday is between the two Democratic gubernatorial candidates seeking to go against Gov. Ron DeSantis, who's unopposed in the Republican primary.

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist has won the Democratic nomination for governor in Florida, putting him in position to challenge Gov. Ron DeSantis this fall in a campaign that the Republican incumbent is eyeing as the first step toward a potential White House run.

Tuesday’s primary elections feature two top Florida Democrats squaring off for the right to face Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

A new poll conducted by the Public Option Research Lab (PORL) at the University of North Florida finds gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried, Florida’s agriculture commissioner, ahead of former Gov. Charlie Crist in the Democratic primary -- but still seven points behind Republican incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis in a race among registered voters.

Questions are swirling around the FBI’s unprecedented search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida residence.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday released new guidance to prevent the spread of monkeypox.

Governor Ron DeSantis said he will not declare a state of emergency against monkeypox. However, Florida has the third most cases in the nation.

Florida will begin adding gun storage safety tips when it mails concealed weapons licenses to its residents.

The deadline to register to vote or change your party affiliation before next month’s primary election is Monday, July 25. Voters will cast their ballots on Aug. 23.

With both claiming to be Florida Democrats’ best bet to defeat Gov. Ron DeSantis in November, U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried traded barbs Thursday in their only debate before next month’s primary election.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist have held their first and only debate before the Democratic gubernatorial primary.

Invasive giant African land snails that can eat building plaster and stucco, consume hundreds of varieties of plants and carry diseases that affect humans have been detected once again in Florida, where officials say work has begun to eradicate the pests.

Hurricane season began Wednesday and goes through Nov. 30, and we know most Floridians have heard it all before. But we want to keep you safe and make sure you're ready.

The Republican-dominated Legislature might not have the votes yet for Gov. Ron DeSantis to push for a major change in Florida gun laws during a special legislative session this month.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ ongoing fight with Walt Disney World appears to be paying off in the form of campaign donations.

Florida utilities would gradually increase their renewable electricity, reaching 100% by 2050 under a proposed rule unveiled by the state’s agriculture commissioner.

An independent forensic engineering firm hired in the investigation into a teen’s fatal fall from an Orlando drop tower found the operator of the thrill ride manually adjusted the sensors in the seat he was in, which made the ride unsafe.

Inspectors were back at the Orlando FreeFall thrill ride at Icon Park on Monday, testing it yet again and sending the ride carriage into the air, even while leaving the seats on the ground and raising only the top half of the carriage.

A forensic engineering firm has been hired to assist in the investigation into the death of a 14-year-old boy who fell from an Orlando drop tower attraction last week, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Nikki Fried said at a news conference Friday.

The Florida Senate on Wednesday moved the state closer to a ban on abortions after 15 weeks.

In a poll of 685 Florida voters released Thursday by the University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Lab, Republican incumbent Ron DeSantis appears to have strong support in the upcoming gubernatorial race.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made clear in his State of the State speech that he likes teachers, first responders and freedom and he doesn’t like Dr. Anthony Fauci, critical race theory, abortion, illegal immigration and Burmese pythons.

As COVID cases surge in Florida, so does the number of people seeking testing, which in some cases has resulted in multiple hour wait times.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is providing Floridians with tips to avoid travel scams and gas skimmers over the holidays.

During a visit to Jacksonville on Wednesday, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried continued to tout the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act as an important investment in Florida’s infrastructure and economy.

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried on Tuesday touted as “a big deal” billions of dollars headed to Florida for roads, bridges, airports and expanding broadband service in rural areas as part of a $1 trillion infrastructure bill on President Joe Biden’s desk.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has officially filed to run for re-election in 2022.

DeSantis said the state’s lawsuit is aimed at protecting Floridian’s right to work and combating federal overreach.

The special session of the Florida Legislature called by Governor Ron DeSantis is less than two weeks away.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is following through with his threat for Florida to legally prevent people in the state from being required to be vaccinated to keep their jobs.

State Sen. Annette Taddeo is entering the Democratic primary for governor in Florida.

Democrat Charlie Crist, a candidate for governor of Florida, said Thursday he supports full marijuana legalization in the state and wants the expungement of all existing charges and sentences for misdemeanors and third-degree felonies for marijuana possession.

Recent algae samples collected by the St. Johns Riverkeeper contained dangerously high levels toxin levels up to 300 times the recreational safe limit.

On Friday, Florida Agriculture Commission Fried called on the White House to continue backfilling school district budgets to make up for financial sanctions about to be imposed by the commissioner of education.

The data complied by Nikki Fried comes from 33 local school district dashboards.

A new poll shows that if a presidential primary were held now, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump would be virtually tied.

A bill regarding abortion in Florida titled the “Florida Heartbeat Act” was filed by Florida Representative Webster Barnaby on Wednesday morning.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner and gubernatorial hopeful Nikki Fried held a moment of silence Wednesday to pay somber respects to the nearly 45,000 Floridians who have lost their lives to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

Florida will start issuing $5,000 fines to businesses, schools and government agencies that require people to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination.

The state’s largest teachers union is tracking school-related cases, quarantines and deaths.

It’s more than a week before a lawsuit attempting to block the state’s opt-out mandate is expected to be ruled on.

Cash is flowing into the 2022 race for Governor, with more than $5 million raised in July alone.

Lila Hartley made national headlines last week when she wrote a letter to the Duval County School Board urging members to consider a mask requirement when the new school year begins.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried on Thursday morning continued her criticism of Gov. Ron DeSantis and his response to the coronavirus pandemic, calling for the Republican governor to increase the number of testing sites in the state and bring back daily case number updates.

Employees working for county governments in Leon and Orange counties will be required to prove they have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Nikki Fried, Florida’s agriculture commissioner and gubernatorial hopeful, challenged Gov. Ron DeSantis at a news conference Wednesday discussing the state’s surging COVID-19 cases.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried on Tuesday announced she has suspended concealed weapons licenses for nearly two dozen people involved in the U.S. Capitol riot.

A group run by one of former President Donald Trump's most prominent election conspiracy adherents is now registered in Florida.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and Agriculture Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried, a Democratic gubernatorial hopeful, are in a food fight over school lunch funding.

Since January, 1,694 fires have burned approximately 91,000 acres throughout Florida.

This week, a big change is coming to online ordering. Up until now, Floridians were required by law to voluntarily submit the tax if it was not collected by the merchant, but a new law now requires out-of-state retailers to collect the tax.

With his only listed income a taxpayer-funded salary of $134,181, DeSantis reported his net worth grew by more than $50,000 between 2019 and 2020, according to a financial disclosure posted Monday on the Florida Commission on Ethics website.

Florida’s Democratic agriculture commissioner, whose office polices charities, alleged Friday that a group run by one of former President Donald Trump’s most prominent election conspiracy adherents is illegally seeking donations in the state.

When DeSantis walked into a South Florida Jewish community center Monday to sign two bills Monday, he was greeted like a rock star.

After announcing that she’s joining the race for Florida governor, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried has drawn attention for updating financial disclosure forms that detail her income before taking office.

A day after Democratic Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried entered the Florida governor’s race, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis made it clear he’s willing to go on the attack.

Speculation about Nikki Fried’s intentions for 2022 ended Tuesday when she officially announced she is running to become the next governor of Florida.

Officials say a firefighting helicopter with four people on board has crashed near an airport in central Florida, killing at least one person.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried this week teased a June 1 announcement for entering the race for governor and former Republican governor turned Democratic congressman Charlie Crist has already announced his bid, but early polling shows Democrats have a lot of ground to make up.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency Tuesday evening in response to gasoline shortages caused the shutdown of a major pipeline by hackers.

After Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that he and other Republicans say will lead to more secure elections, Jacksonville Democrats and a potential opponent in the upcoming governor’s race blasted the new laws, saying they amount to voter suppression.

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, who served as Florida governor for a single term before running other offices, is seeking the state’s highest office once again — this time as a Democrat.

Nikki Fried is taking aim at gas station skimmers, throwing her support behind a bill that seeks to put new safeguards in place to protect consumers in the state.

On Wednesday, Florida lawmakers will vote to spend $3 million to begin diverting nearly a half-billion gallons of wastewater into deep wells before it can leak into Tampa Bay.

A mandatory evacuation order near a leaking Florida wastewater reservoir that affected more than 300 homes and additional businesses has been lifted.

The Florida Department of Health is pushing back after media reports grabbed national headlines suggesting the state has undercounted deaths due to COVID-19.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After visiting a federal vaccination site at the Gateway Mall on Monday, the next stop for Vice President Kamala Harris was at a local food bank to highlight food insecurity and how the coronavirus relief bill aims to address the issue. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried helped facilitate a discussion between Harris and other local lawmakers about the issue during a roundtable at Feeding Northeast Florida. “The president, he says it all the time, which is: The most important thing that we can do when people are suffering is to see them, to hear them and to help them,” Harris said. “And when we think about the issue of food insecurity, let’s be clear, we are talking about hunger in Americans. Fried said that 40% of Black families and 39% of Hispanic families in Florida are experiencing chronic hunger.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Vice President Kamala Harris visited Jacksonville on Monday as part of the Biden administration’s “Help is Here” tour of the nation promoting the $1.9 trillion relief package. She visited the federally-run Gateway Mall vaccination site before stopping by a Northwest Jacksonville food distribution warehouse. “I’m glad to be in Jacksonville,” Harris said. “Tap away!”Jennifer Chase was getting her second shot as Harris came to the Gateway site and talked to the people getting shots. Harris visited last visited Jacksonville in October for a socially-distanced rally at the University of North Florida in advance of the November election.

The Associated Press interviewed each of the Cabinet members to discuss their 2021 legislative priorities:CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER JIMMY PATRONISOne of Patronis's top priorities reflects an issue supported by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican legislative leaders: Passing a bill to shield businesses from lawsuits related to COVID-19. He said he was inspired by a California law that went into affect last year in that state. A wide ranging food insecurity bill would create a tax credit of up to $5,000 for farmers who donate food to charities. “It makes sure that we can go after those folks like guardians and other fiduciaries that are exceeding their scope and taking advantage and exploiting seniors,” Moody said.

Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet, acting as the Board of Executive Clemency, did away with the waiting periods on Wednesday. It opens the door for thousands of so-called “returning citizens” to have their rights restored. It also may wipe out a backlog of thousands of cases awaiting review. Osiris said the decision by the Clemency Board “steps in the historical stream” of the civil rights movement. “(It) is doing something that we have been fighting for, for years, so I think it is time to celebrate,” Osiris said.

Supporters of restoring Florida felons' voting rights march to an early voting precinct, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition led marches to the polls in dozens of Florida counties. The clemency board is slated to consider DeSantis’ plan on Wednesday. DeSantis defended the state law, and called the constitutional amendment a “mistake.”But Neil Volz, deputy director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, praised DeSantis’ proposed clemency revamp. Fried, Florida’s only statewide elected Democrat, has pushed DeSantis and other clemency board members to make it easier for felons to have their rights restored.

Ron DeSantis announced Monday that the state will lower the age for people to get a COVID-19 vaccine from 65 to 60 next week. “That will apply across the board at all of the state pods, all of the pharmacies, all of the different drive-thru sites that are being operated,” DeSantis said. “If you’re 60 plus, you will be able to get sign up and be able to get the vaccine.”The age change is effective March 15. The change comes as the demand from seniors is decreasing and the federal vaccination sites throughout the state continue to see a low turnout of eligible people. DeSantis also said the increased supply also makes appointments to get a vaccine at grocery stores and pharmacies easier to obtain.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – On this edition of “This Week in Jacksonville,” Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis weighs in on what can be accomplished during Florida’s 2021 legislative session. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried shares her thoughts on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ State of the State address. And University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Lab Director Dr. Michael Binder explains recent poll results.

Democrats hope to make deeper strides in changing their fortunes in a state that has become friendlier place for Republicans. And that was despite $100 million spent by Michael Bloomberg to help Democrats in the state. When the spending tally is complete, the last election cycle in Florida is expected to rank as among the most expensive in state history. Ad“I don’t know anybody who’s happy with investing $100 million and not winning,” said Manny Diaz, the new chair of the Florida Democratic Party. Diaz, the state party chairman, is trying to reverse the slide in its voter registration advantage over Republicans.

Bruce Rauner, last week gave the Florida governor's campaign committee $250,000. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried joined Democratic U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist in calling for federal officials to probe the DeSantis administration’s vaccine distribution programs. AdDuring a Thursday news conference, DeSantis expressed no misgivings about the early vaccinations at the exclusive Key Largo community. In recent weeks, other reports have surfaced of wealthy retirement communities getting exclusive access to vaccine doses through pop-up vaccine sites. Bruce Rauner to the Florida governor's campaign committee.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Each year following the Governor’s State of the State address, the party in the minority responds with a counter vision of where they see the state headed. While the Governor said Florida did a better job than other states when it came to its pandemic response during his State of the State address, Florida Democrats immediately responded with a different take. “We’ve lost loved ones, jobs and income,” said Rep. Andrew Learned. AdIn it, they demanded changes to the state’s unemployment system. While Democrats are voicing their objections, they don’t have the votes to stop anything the Governor and Republican-led legislature want to do.

(AP Photo/Julie Smith, File)FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Palm Beach County defied Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday, refusing to lower its courthouse flags to half-staff in honor of the late conservative broadcaster Rush Limbaugh — a move that the governor's office called “petty.”The county's courthouse flags remained at full staff, ignoring Gov. He also ordered the Town of Palm Beach and the State Capitol in Tallahassee to fly their flags at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Wednesday. Officials in the Town of Palm Beach, the wealthy island enclave where Limbaugh lived for two decades, issued a statement saying its policy is to comply with governor's orders to lower the flags. Trump also lives in Palm Beach at his Mar-a-Lago club and he and Limbaugh were close friends.

Ron DeSantis is moving ahead with plans to honor recently deceased conservative radio broadcaster Rush Limbaugh by lowering flags to half-staff despite protests from some public officials who don’t see Limbaugh as worthy of the honor. A longtime resident of Palm Beach, Limbaugh, 70, died of lung cancer last Wednesday. DeSantis called Limbaugh a legend during a news conference two days later and indicated that he would direct flags to be flown at half-staff to honor him. Town of Palm Beach officials and Palm Beach County court officials didn't immediately reply to emails asking if they planned to follow the order. A year ago, President Donald Trump awarded Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, during his final State of the Union address.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said she is ordering state offices she controls to ignore an upcoming order to lower flags to half-staff to honor conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh, who died last week. “Lowering to half-staff the flag of the United States of America is a sacred honor that pays respect to fallen heroes and patriots. “Therefore, I will notify all state offices under my direction to disregard the Governor’s forthcoming order to lower flags for Mr. Limbaugh – because we will not celebrate hate speech, bigotry, and division. The statement from the commissioner marks the latest in an ongoing back-and-forth between Fried, the only Democrat elected to a statewide office, and DeSantis, a Republican. It’s expected that Fried will challenge DeSantis for governor when he is up for reelection in 2022.

Florida will lower flags to half-staff after funeral plans are set for conservative media icon Rush Limbaugh, a Palm Beach resident who died Wednesday after a battle with cancer, Gov. “When there’s things of this magnitude, once the date of internment for Rush is announced, we’re going to be lowering the flags to half-staff,” DeSantis said during a campaign-style press event at the Hilton Palm Beach Airport in West Palm Beach. Not everyone thinks giving Limbaugh the same honor as police officers and longtime elected officials is a good idea. “@GovRonDeSantis is lowering Florida’s flags to half-staff for Rush Limbaugh. DeSantis sent out a tweet offering condolences a day after Lewis died.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – One of four federally-supported vaccination stations to open in Florida next month will be at Gateway Mall on Jacksonville’s Northside, Gov. Additionally, each site will have two smaller, mobile satellite sites that will conduct 500 vaccinations per day in underserved areas. The current public vaccination site in Jacksonville run by the Florida Department of Health at Regency Square is averaging 1,000 vaccinations each day. Residents of the area were pleased to hear there’ll be a vaccination site nearby. AdAlso Friday, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried announced that her agency is launching a bilingual vaccine education campaign to encourage COVID-19 vaccination among the state’s farmworkers.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Lawmakers shifted $4.34 million on Thursday to cover a projected deficit caused by an uptick in people applying for concealed-weapons licenses. Without comment, the Joint Legislative Budget Commission, made up of House and Senate members, approved the funding request from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Division of Licensing, which oversees permitting for concealed weapons. “This translates to an annual projected total of over 400,000 background checks to be processed through June 30, substantially above any prior fiscal year.”AdThe fiscal year began July 1 and will end June 30. The division had been authorized to spend up to $9.9 million for criminal history background checks for concealed-weapons license applicants, Poucher noted. In the two years that Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried has been in office, the number of concealed-weapons licenses issued by the state has grown from 1.95 million to 2.26 million.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – In a possible prelude to Florida’s upcoming gubernatorial campaign, the state’s only Democrat holding statewide office took a shot at Gov. “This is a signal: Game on,” said Susan MacManus, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of South Florida. In her video, Fried calls it “a dark, painful time for our state" because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Republican Party of Florida, however, returned fire. DeSantis, Florida got it right.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Capitol will be illuminated amber on Tuesday as part of the Biden-Harris inauguration’s national moment of unity and remembrance for the more than 397,000 American lives lost to COVID-19. Florida's Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried requested the capitol lighting, according to a news release from her office. State capitols and town halls across the nation are set to illuminate on Tuesday alongside the first-ever lighting display around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Poll in Washington. More than 24,136 Floridians have died from COVID-19 since the coronavirus began in March. “It’s my honor to request that Florida’s Capitol be lit in their memory, with hope for brighter days ahead,” Fried said in the news release.

State officials have moved quickly to disavow such scuttlebutt. Ron DeSantis said stories of people flying to Florida, getting vaccinated and returning home are overblown. “We are seeing lines all across the state of Florida. She praised Florida officials for allowing outsiders to get shots. This has nothing to do with where you’re from.”___Lush reported from St. Petersburg, Florida, and Calvan from Tallahassee, Florida.

Ron DeSantis to mobilize the National Guard to help distribute the COVID-19 vaccine. In a letter to DeSantis, Fried said distribution has been characterized in media reports as “very chaotic” and that there is a lack of “clear direction” for health-care professionals on vaccination procedures. “Instead of efficient, centralized distribution management by the state of Florida, distribution has been left to hospitals and county health departments,” Fried, the only statewide elected Democrat, wrote. Fried asked that health and emergency-management officials be present at a Feb. 2 state Cabinet meeting to answer questions about vaccine distribution. “The COVID vaccine supply is limited,” DeSantis said Wednesday while at a senior complex in Delray Beach where 300 residents were being inoculated.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is touting improved wait times for those seeking concealed carry permits, despite the pandemic and record applications. “The wait times were inordinately long,” said Charlie Strickland, owner of Talon Tactical Outfitters. The faster wait times come despite the ongoing pandemic and a record 305,000 applications in 2020. “We’ve modernized the department, we’ve uploaded different forms right onto our website, we’ve modernized the website for the entirety of the department. Wait times aren’t back to their pre-pandemic average of between one and 25 days, but the department is hopeful it can get back to a similar speed within three to six months.

The newest wave of infections is reigniting calls for a statewide mask mandate in Florida and the idea is now garnering bipartisan support. State Rep. Mike Caruso, R-Delray Beach, has joined with Democrats who have been calling for a mandate since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Ron DeSantis to issue a statewide mask mandate back in June. Tampa’s “Choose Your Mask” campaign is pushing a flier that implies the choice between wearing a face mask or ventilator. Rep. Caruso has said he intends to push his fellow Republicans to enact a statewide mask mandate in the 2021 session, but a legislative mask mandate would have to survive the governor’s veto pen.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Hemp is blazing among Florida’s agriculture inventory in the seven months since it was first allowed to be legally grown in the Sunshine State, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried told business leaders Tuesday. Fried said 22,078 acres are currently licensed for hemp, nearly equal to the acreage in Florida of tomatoes, watermelon and snap peas, and double the strawberry production. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services first issued hemp cultivation permits on April 27. Industrial hemp can be used in numerous products and is different from euphoria-causing marijuana, which remains illegal under federal law. Florida lawmakers in 2019 passed a bill to take advantage of the federal farm law, creating a program to regulate cultivation of hemp.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Democrats have held a historic lead in pre-election day voting, outpacing Republican returns by hundreds of thousands, but the GOP is beginning to cut into that lead. Republicans are hoping to recreate the victory scored in Florida in 2016 with Election Day turnout at the center of the strategy. That was on Vice President Mike Pence’s mind as he spoke in Tallahassee over the weekend. And even Monday morning, the site pitched by the vice president wasn’t exactly bustling with activity and prospective voters. In 2016, Trump won Florida by just 112,911 votes, defeating Hilary Clinton by 1.2 percent of the popular vote.