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<\/a>Aaron Bean and John Rutherford \u2014 Jacksonville-area lawmakers \u2014 thank President Donald Trump after receiving endorsements backing their re-election bids.<\/p>\nOf Rutherford, Trump says the following: \u201cAs the former Sheriff of Duval County, and now, as a Highly Respected U.S. Congressman, John strongly supports our incredible Law Enforcement, Military, and Veterans, and knows the Wisdom and Courage it takes to Ensure LAW AND ORDER.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both Jacksonville-area legislators were quick to say thanks.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrateful for President Trump\u2019s strong endorsement and continued support. We\u2019ve stood shoulder to shoulder for years fighting for law and order, border security, and the America First values that keep our country strong. I appreciate President Trump\u2019s confidence, leadership, and unwavering commitment to this fight,\u201d Rutherford said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am honored to receive President Trump\u2019s complete and total endorsement. Serving as your Representative for Florida\u2019s 4th Congressional District has been the privilege of a lifetime and one that I do not take lightly. I will continue the fight to cut taxes, stand for law and order, and always put America First. Thank you, Mr. President, for your leadership and strong support,\u201d Bean said.<\/p>\n
ICE-capades<\/p>\n
Have city of Jacksonville employees and Mayor Donna Deegan<\/a> worked to \u201cimpede immigration enforcement?\u201d<\/p>\n Attorney General James Uthmeier<\/a> said Monday his Office of Statewide Prosecution has sent a subpoena seeking to probe whether there was a \u201ccoordinated effort among officials \u2026 to thwart investigative efforts,\u201d amid an ongoing conflict between the Republican government in Tallahassee and the Democratic Chief Executive in City Hall.<\/p>\n And he says federal anti-racketeering laws and even statewide anti-doxing laws could be in play, depending on what state prosecutors find.<\/p>\n \u201cThis morning, the Office of Statewide Prosecution sent a criminal subpoena to the Deegan administration in Jacksonville. If there\u2019s evidence that her administration coordinated to impede immigration enforcement and harbor criminal aliens, we will hold them accountable,\u201d Uthmeier posted on X ahead of a news conference in Green Cove Springs.<\/p>\n Republicans have raised questions about the mayoral administration\u2019s attitude toward ongoing immigration enforcement in the city after a staffer, Yanira Cardona<\/a>, offered advice last month on how to deal with immigration policing \u201ctargeting\u201d them. Uthmeier said Monday that was the reason for the probe.<\/p>\n \u201cLocal officials, they do not have discretion. There is an obligation to use best efforts to facilitate, help the federal government carry out their law enforcement efforts,\u201d Uthmeier said.<\/p>\n The subpoena seeks all records produced by or sent to Cardona between Jan. two and Jan. 16, including those on city-provided devices and personal devices used to conduct city business. Cardona, the city\u2019s Director of Hispanic Outreach, has conflated the two at times, featuring her business card on her personal Instagram.<\/p>\n The city\u2019s Custodian of Records is set to appear at the AG\u2019s Jacksonville office on Feb. 20 to testify on this matter, which the city\u2019s General Counsel Michael Fackler said wasn\u2019t a violation of law.<\/p>\n Deegan, following his lead, said last month Cardona\u2019s only violation was of the city\u2019s social media policy. She was put on leave and then reinstated to her position days later.<\/p>\n After the subpoena was sent, Deegan accused Uthmeier of a \u201cfishing expedition\u201d driven by the election cycle.<\/p>\n Sexual predator victim<\/p>\n A Rhode Island man is accused of being a sexual predator who lured a Green Cove Springs girl into posting illicit sex images online.<\/p>\n AG Uthmeier on Monday announced the arrest of the \u201csicko\u201d man, Justin Adkins, 29, who \u201cdeveloped an online relationship\u201d with a Green Cove Springs girl. He said Adkins initially engaged the girl on the gaming app Fortnite<\/a>, and that relationship later moved to Snapchat. Ultimately, the inappropriate association continued onto the app Roblox<\/a>.<\/p>\n Law enforcement in Florida now has thousands of files \u201cwith child sex abuse content,\u201d with many illegal images of the victim they seized from the Snapchat exchanges. Uthmeier said the suspect sent the girl gifts, including an iPhone and digital currency, via Roblox.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s how sick this dude was,\u201d Uthmeier said during a news conference in Green Cove Springs.<\/p>\n Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Green Cove Springs Police investigators traveled to West Warwick, Rhode Island, to make the arrest on Feb. 2. The suspect is expected to be extradited to Florida within days and is already facing two child molestation charges in Rhode Island.<\/p>\n For Uthmeier, the connection to Roblox in the case struck a chord.<\/p>\n He filed a 76-page lawsuit<\/a> in December against the company in the 8th Judicial Circuit Court in Baker County<\/a>. The lawsuit followed several legal maneuvers by Uthmeier in 2025, including a civil action<\/a> and a criminal investigation<\/a> of Roblox in October.<\/p>\n Health summit<\/p>\n As drug prices rise, can Congress continue subsidizing charity care at hospitals?<\/p>\n That was the question at the heart of a panel hosted<\/a> by Bean on Capitol Hill as lawmakers evaluate the future of the 340B Drug Discount program<\/a>. The federal program, in place since 1992, has provided funding to reduce costs.<\/p>\n But Karyn Schwartz, senior vice president of Policy and Research Development for PhRMA<\/a>, said the program over the decades has only driven up medication costs as an increasing number of hospitals take advantage of the program.<\/p>\n \u201cMore than half of all hospitals qualify, including some of the largest hospital systems, some of the wealthiest hospitals in this country,\u201d Schwartz said. \u201cThat actually includes a lot of the hospitals that we see celebrities go to. Both Beyonc\u00e9 and Kim Kardashian had their babies at 340B hospitals.\u201d<\/p>\n Bharath Krishnamurthy, Director of Pharmaceutical Policy of the American Hospital Association (AHA<\/a>), said it was wrong to point the finger at hospitals. And he scoffed at the idea that hospitals should not be eligible if they treat celebrities. \u201cThey go to the hospitals in their community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Krishnamurthy said there were already definitions in federal statute determining which patients are eligible for 340B pricing, even if the pharmaceutical industry doesn\u2019t like the regulations.<\/p>\n He specifically cited multiple Florida hospitals that rely on the program and could suffer a significant impact if the program were to simply go away. He said the AHA specifically addressed Bean constituents who rely on UF Health Jacksonville for care.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat they tell me is that 340B helps them get healthy, nutritious food at the food pharmacy that the hospital will set up for their dietary purposes,\u201d Krishnamurthy said.<\/p>\n One Fine day<\/p>\n Jennifer Jenkins<\/a>, a former member of the Brevard County School Board, is launching a campaign against U.S. Rep. Randy Fine<\/a> in Florida\u2019s 6th Congressional District in east-central Florida.<\/p>\n In taking on Fine, one of the most outspoken members of Congress and a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, Jenkins is betting the formula she used to win big in a Trump +17 electorate in a previous cycle can translate to the wave election Democrats anticipated in 2026, and allow her to do something meaningful along the way.<\/p>\n \u201cMy process of getting into the U.S. Senate race in the first place was not about me personally. It was about where I felt like I could make a big difference. I felt like it was important for us to have a candidate in and have them in early and show that Florida was still viable,\u201d she said, before explaining her decision to run against the first-term firebrand who was elected in a Special Election last April.<\/p>\n \u201cAs I assessed the race and as other competition had come into it, I really focused on what\u2019s important for this party and for the state, which is unifying and moving forward in the right direction. And so, I looked at where I can make the biggest difference right now,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Jenkins believes she can make the biggest difference against Fine, someone with whom she\u2019s had conflicts in the past and someone whom she also believes wouldn\u2019t have been elected last year without a lot of external help.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe that Democrats need to flip the House, that this seat can absolutely be in play with me as a candidate, and I think I\u2019m the right person to win,\u201d Jenkins told Florida Politics on Wednesday, before she officially entered the race.<\/p>\n Jenkins said Fine \u201chas always been divisive (and) provocative\u201d and is a \u201cdanger.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s exactly what we don\u2019t want in politics. He\u2019s exactly the reason why people hate paying attention to politics. It\u2019s all about self-interest and self-preservation, and he doesn\u2019t focus on the issues that actually matter to people.\u201d<\/p>\n Primary among those issues is what Jenkins calls an \u201caffordability crisis,\u201d something Fine doesn\u2019t address.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know if there has been a single instance in which Randy Fine has talked about that issue and has addressed that issue. He\u2019s stuck in culture war fights. He\u2019s constantly just worried about getting press and getting on camera. And having a history with him, knowing his quirks, knowing what actually drives him, I think is really important for a candidate who is running in this race,\u201d Jenkins said.<\/p>\n Jenkins raised a little more than $350,000<\/a> for her Senate campaign, retaining slightly more than $100,000 cash on hand. That number is far below the nearly $1 million<\/a> Fine had to spend at the end of 2025, yet far above the totals amassed by other Democrats in the field.<\/p>\n Tweet, tweet:<\/p>\n That smell<\/p>\n Along party lines, the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee advanced by a 10-5 vote Rep. Dean <\/a>Black\u2019s<\/a> bill (HB 1003<\/a>), which looks to close the loop on ambiguous statutory language regarding open medical marijuana containers and give police the right to follow their nose when investigating potentially impaired motorists.<\/p>\n The Jacksonville Republican\u2019s bill would make it easier for law enforcement to have probable cause to search vehicles, stipulating that the \u201csmell\u201d of cannabis constitutes grounds for a search during a traffic stop or while the vehicle is parked.<\/p>\n First-time violators could have their licenses suspended, while repeat offenders could have their driving privileges revoked.<\/p>\n Black said his \u201cClear Minds and Safe Roads Act\u201d is similar to when banning drinking and driving happened decades ago, changing it to a \u201csocial taboo,\u201d and is necessary given the preponderance of drivers who get high and cause accidents.<\/p>\n \u201cMarijuana,\u201d Black said regarding road safety, \u201cis the biggest problem we face.\u201d<\/p>\n If containers are in locked compartments or passengers in commercial vehicles possess them, drivers are not liable. Passengers with open containers could be subject to non-criminal infractions.<\/p>\n Black said he has seen violations of the proposed law himself recently, including two people in a car \u201cpassing a bong\u201d on Monroe Street in Tallahassee. He said the legislation would remove the temptation to hit a bong in the case of \u201canxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n Easier path<\/p>\n A challenger to House Speaker-Designate Sam Garrison\u2019s re-election has left the race, leaving him only one opponent in August\u2019s Primary.<\/p>\n According to records from the Division of Elections, Cory Jett of Middleburg withdrew last month.<\/p>\n Antonette Harmon<\/a>, a professional commercial office cleaner<\/a> from Orange Park, is still in the race. But she had just $66 on hand as of the end of last September, and has not filed a finance report since, amid questions from the division about her record-keeping in the form of an audit announced in August.<\/p>\n Should he be re-elected, Garrison envisions his two years as Speaker in 2027 and 2028 as opportunities to bring resources to Northeast Florida in general and Clay County in particular.<\/p>\n In 2024, he got nearly 70% of the vote against a Democrat in the General Election. Two years earlier, he received nearly 74%.<\/p>\n No Democrats have filed in the heavily Republican leaning district.<\/p>\n Charter changes<\/p>\n The House State Affairs Committee is advancing two bills from House Speaker Pro Tempore Wyman Duggan that could change how government runs in Jacksonville from now on.<\/p>\n The next stop for each of these proposals is the House floor on Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n HB 4045<\/a> would change the charter of the Jacksonville Aviation Authority<\/a> (JAA) to make it responsible for aerospace development at Cecil Airport. This one-time Navy base has been repurposed for commercial use.<\/p>\n JAA would have to provide an economic development plan yearly to the Jacksonville City Council as part of this deal.<\/p>\n The Duval County School Board<\/a> could have its own general counsel next year, breaking with almost six decades of precedent in Jacksonville\u2019s consolidated government.<\/p>\n HB 4049<\/a> seeks a general counsel independent of the one atop local government. However, the Board lawyer would ultimately be \u201csubject to the opinion\u201d of the city\u2019s general counsel and would otherwise be subordinate in litigation and contract preparation, in accordance with a condition to which the Board agreed.<\/p>\n Tweet, tweet:<\/p>\n Temp Prez<\/p>\n The University of North Florida<\/a> has selected a temporary replacement for Moez Limayem<\/a>, who is leaving the top slot at the school.<\/p>\n Angela Garcia Falconetti<\/a> will officially step in as interim president for UNF on Monday. Falconetti has been President of Polk State College in Lakeland and Winter Haven since 2017.<\/p>\n The UNF Board of Trustees will continue a search for a permanent president while Falconetti temporarily takes over the helm at the Jacksonville-based campus.<\/p>\n \u201cThe University of North Florida is on an upward trajectory, and Angela Garcia Falconetti will continue building on that momentum during the transition process,\u201d said UNF Board Chair Steve Moore.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a UNF graduate who grew up in Jacksonville, Angela knows the University, has strong ties to business and civic leaders and will ensure continued focus on ensuring student success, investing in research and innovation, accelerating the success of faculty and staff and expanding and strengthening community partnerships.\u201d<\/p>\n Limayem announced his planned departure in September to return to the University of South Florida<\/a>. The Board of Trustees there hired him as president.<\/p>\n While he landed the president\u2019s job at UNF in 2022, he relocated to Jacksonville after serving as the Lynn Pippenger Dean of the Muma College of Business at USF for a decade.<\/p>\n Falconetti said she has no plans to apply for the permanent presidency at UNF.<\/p>\n Busing business<\/p>\n A transportation company opened a new headquarters in Jacksonville this week.<\/p>\n Daimler Coaches North America (DCNA<\/a>) held its official grand opening on Tuesday. The company produces Daimler Buses and Mercedes-Benz Tourrider motorcoaches.<\/p>\n The company\u2019s new U.S. headquarters is located at 7215 Jones Branch Blvd. on Jacksonville\u2019s Westside north of Interstate 10. The opening was marked Tuesday by a ceremony celebrating the facility, which will not only add jobs to the First Coast area but also represent a long-term commitment to Florida, according to a press release from JAXUSA Partnership, the business development wing of JAXChamber.<\/p>\n Deegan was a featured speaker at the ribbon-cutting event, along with Daimler Buses CEO Till Oberworder and DCNA CEO and President Dietrich Muller.<\/p>\n Tweet, tweet <\/p>\n<\/a>Donna Deegan and James Uthmeier \u2014 Jacksonville Mayor and Florida Attorney General \u2014 clash over subpoena in immigration enforcement probe.<\/p>\n<\/a>Justin Adkins from Rhode Island was arrested after allegedly luring a Green Cove Springs girl into sharing illicit images online.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Aaron Bean hosts Capitol Hill panel examining future of federal 340B drug discount program funding.<\/p>\n<\/a>Jennifer Jenkins launches bid against Randy Fine in Florida\u2019s 6th Congressional District, citing affordability concerns and party unity.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Dean Black advances HB 1003 to allow vehicle searches based on cannabis smell and tighten rules on open medical marijuana containers.<\/p>\n<\/a>Sam Garrison faces one remaining Primary challenger after Cory Jett withdraws from Florida House race.<\/p>\n<\/a>Wyman Duggan advances HB 4045 and HB 4049 to reshape Jacksonville Aviation Authority oversight and Duval County School Board legal structure.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Angela Garcia Falconetti named interim president of University of North Florida as Moez Limayem departs for University of South Florida.<\/p>\n<\/a>Daimler Coaches North America opens Jacksonville headquarters to produce Daimler Buses and Mercedes-Benz Tourrider motorcoaches.<\/p>\n