By Barrington Salmon

Florida Phoenix

“Stupidity is the same as evil if you judge by the results.” – Margaret Atwood

Republicans have long held a stranglehold on the political levers of power in Florida. Yet, in one of the surest signs of hubris, the longer they’ve controlled the direction of state politics, the more they’ve demonstrated the belief that only they have the prudence, political instincts, or sagacity to properly run the state.

In almost three decades of one-party rule, Florida has become a swamp where haughty men and women strut in costumes of arrogance and condescension, foisting partisan political beliefs on the majority; stuffing their pockets and those of their wealthy, connected friends; and protecting the well-heeled while disregarding the will of the people.

“The effects of decades of Republican rule in Florida — accelerated by a legislative supermajority under Gov. Ron DeSantis — have transformed the state into a national laboratory for conservative governance, the Hill reports. “This approach has led to starkly polarized outcomes, marked by significant economic and population growth on one side, and intense legal, cultural, and educational battles on the other.”

And Florida is the worse for it.

DeSantis is the tip of the spear. He has run roughshod over anyone standing in his way — using political muscle to force unpopular conservative policies into law while trying to intimidate those who oppose or criticize him. He has targeted educators, activists, labor unions, political and corporate leaders, young people, Democrats, civil and human rights advocates, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. DeSantis has not been above using cops, the courts, and compliant state employees to achieve his ends.

The governor — now at the tail end of his second term — has glorified culture wars, injecting a toxic stew of anger, resentment, and anti-immigrant bias into the political discourse. He has tried to upend as much of the state’s political infrastructure as possible and reshape it into what he hopes becomes a permanent far-right footprint.

At a time when Floridians are being hammered by inflation — driven in large part by the unprovoked U.S. attack on Iran — runaway rents, and crushing insurance costs, if you can get any, DeSantis and his administration have been on a taxpayer-supported spending spree. They have been appallingly cavalier with taxpayers’ money.

While trying to project himself as the nation’s immigrant crusader, DeSantis has squandered more than $1 billion on immigration detention camps he set up in Florida.

A recent Miami Herald investigation estimates that he misused more than $990 million on these facilities, guiding taxpayers’ dollars to between 55 and 83 companies owned or operated by his political allies, friends, and donors.

Checks and balances

Over the course of a year, DeSantis used the state’s Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund — intended to support natural disaster relief — to pay for his anti-immigrant operation. He circumvented regular channels, ignored or removed checks and balances, and awarded contracts in a no-bid process. Since 2023, DeSantis waived more than 24 state laws and regulations and extended a 60-day emergency to justify access to the emergency fund more than 20 times.

All to pave the way to erect “Alligator Alcatraz,” the detention camp in the Everglades on land sacred to the Miccosukee Tribe. Critics are deeply concerned that there has been no accountability to the Legislature or the public.

Following a tour of the Everglades facility, Democratic U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost called it a project to “funnel our taxpayer money to corporations,” labelling the over-the-top immigration expenses as an “almost criminal use” of tax dollars while Floridians “struggle to afford housing, healthcare, and insurance.”

Jeff Brandes agreed. “State leaders are going to spin it as a success, of course, but it’s all spin. Nobody can say that taxpayer money was well spent,” said Brandes, a former Republican state lawmaker who now leads the nonpartisan Florida Policy Project.

The Miami Herald found that the state signed off on $210 million to three companies affiliated with the Miami-based CDR Cos., whose executives, Carlos Duart and Tina Vidal-Duart, are DeSantis allies and donors to his failed presidential bid. Duart is a DeSantis appointee to Florida International University’s Board of Trustees and Vidal-Duart is a former board member of the Hope Florida Foundation, the embattled charity created in support of Casey DeSantis’ anti-welfare initiative.

Most of the money directed to CDR was for medical facilities and “site prep” at Alligator Alcatraz, according to contracts. Another $100 million was to a new joint venture CDR formed with the private prison company GEO Group late last year to provide staffing for “Deportation Depot,” in Baker County. Other contracts for the sites include $112 million to IRG Global Management, $83 million to Garner Environmental Services, and $79 million to GardaWorld, a company that donated $5,000 to a political committee backing DeSantis’ presidential run.

None of these dozens of contracts were negotiated through a competitive bidding process to ensure the state was getting the best deal.

‘Necessity’

DeSantis has argued that the state-run detention centers were crucial to carrying out Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans.

“I’m doing it out of necessity. I’m not doing it because I just think we should just do it for a press release. We had nowhere else to put these folks. [The Department of Homeland Security] did not have any place to put them. Now they’ve had [a] place to put them and that’s been very, very positive.”

But some experts say the cost of DeSantis’ detention project is much higher than the federally operated immigration detention facilities, and largely on Florida taxpayers’ dime.

Emergency managers told FEMA that it would take $1.7 billion — enough to give every teacher in Florida a $6,000 bonus — to operate both facilities. Since 2022, the Legislature has injected $4.8 billion into the emergency fund. Now the fund’s coffers have dwindled to $6.9 million. During the last legislative session, Republicans allowed the Legislature to add an extra $250 million into the account this fiscal year.

The Phoenix reports that, in total, about $405 million was spent on immigration through the first half of the year alone — considerably more than in previous years, when the total was $49 million. Most of the money went to private contractors through 83 contracts, including multimillion-dollar deals with companies providing toilets, emergency management, and environmental services.

Records show that emergency staff working around the clock spent at least $166,000 on food at more than 50 restaurants and nearly $717,000 on travel, including private jets and hotel stays. Officials say the food was for emergency staff and one expensive jet flight was described as rescuing Floridians in Israel. In addition, DeSantis and the state used the emergency fund to shell out more than $1.7 million to outside law firms fighting lawsuits over environmental rules and detainees’ rights at immigration facilities. If the feds opt not to reimburse Florida, taxpayers will likely be stuck with the bill.

Democratic Senate Leader Lori Berman of Boca Raton offered a proposal to restrict how much the governor’s agencies could pull from the trust but it failed along party lines, the Phoenix’s Liv Caputo reports. “The amendment said that if the governor wants to repeatedly call for the use of emergency funds for anything other than a natural disaster, the Legislature’s joint budget commission would have to approve it. That’s a House-Senate panel that reviews interim spending requests,” Caputo wrote.

“I support the right of the governor to use emergency trust fund dollars to protect our state from hurricanes, natural disasters, and real emergencies,” Democratic Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith of Orlando said. “But that’s not what we have seen. We don’t have the appropriate guardrails on the emergency trust fund. And as a result, the spending has been off the rails.”

As long as Republicans control supermajorities in both legislative chambers, they can ignore calls for accountability and moderation. DeSantis and allied lawmakers and have swatted away every attempt by Democrats to erect guardrails.

Power has gone to the heads of MAGA Republicans in Florida, who have completely embraced Florida’s flirtation with tyranny. DeSantis’ behavior signals America’s descent into a hellish existence. There is no fig leaf, no pretense of civil liberties or due process. Alligator Alcatraz is closing, but detention camps aren’t going away. They are a national multi-billion-dollar enterprise targeting Black and brown people.

For now.

Human costs

DeSantis has never cared about the human cost as detailed by detainees and immigration advocates: the chain link cages, lack of air conditioning, abysmal physical conditions, worms in the food, toilets that didn’t flush, floors flooded with fecal waste, mosquitoes and other insects everywhere.

What is even more infuriating is that after the devastating harm inflicted on largely innocent immigrants, DeSantis announced on June 25 that the administration was closing down the facility because it “had served its purpose.” He claims that the detention center, opened in July 2025, was always only meant to be temporary.

Now, undocumented immigrants and the occasional citizen will be kidnapped by the state and deposited in one of the vast network of detention centers that the Department of Homeland Security and ICE are setting up.

God help us all.

Tomorrow: Corruption by Another Name (Part II)

More Articles by Barrington Salmon

Barrington Salmon lived and wrote in Florida (Miami and Tallahassee) for 20 years. He is a 2017 Annenberg National Fellow (University of Southern California) who freelances for publications including Trice Edney Newswire, and his stories appear in Yahoo, Raw Story, The Miami Times, and the Phoenix. He formerly wrote for The Final Call, NNPA/BlackPressUSA, Al Jazeera, The Washington Informer, and Sputnik News. Salmon was educated in the United Kingdom, Jamaica, and the United States. He lives in the nation’s capital and can be heard on his Livestream video blog, “Speak Freely with Barrington Salmon.” Connect with Barrington on Speak Freely and follow him on Instagram and on his Facebook pages, Barrington M. Salmon & BarringtonSalmonWrites.

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Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization. This story is republished with their permission. To support Florida Phoenix, click here:

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See you soon

I’m on a two-week sabbatical but will be back before the Florida primary election. In the meantime, I hope to use this space to share articles of interest from guest contributors from time to time, such as today’s piece by Barrington Salmon.

I hope you found it thought-provoking. If so, please feel free to share it with friends.

Our democracy as we’ve known it for 250 years is at risk. To save it, we will need a groundswell of support from voters in the coming midterm election.

The purpose of this newsletter—and the accompanying Tropic Press website—is to encourage that engagement through original reporting and commentary as well as shared stories such as today’s.

Currently, Tropic Press reaches more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere, which is great, but there are literally millions of Florida Democrats and independents we are not reaching yet.

You can help spread the word.

Please like this post. Comment if you are so inclined. But, please, also take a moment to share it with people you know.

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With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn our state and this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort.

Thanks.

J.C. Bruce

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Today’s sponsor: The Strange Files

Alexander Strange wants to get to Florida in the worst way. So, he arrives in a coffin. Chilling in its own right but made more so by the prediction of a New Orleans soothsayer that he soon will face death. Little does he know how true that will be. But he’ll find out soon enough at the Devil’s Millhopper.

Book Two of the Strange Files series takes our favorite weird news reporter on a bizarre scavenger hunt all over the Gunshine State. Join him in his journey here:

Tropic Press Books

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By Jeff Brandes

Everyone is talking about property taxes. Almost nobody is talking about power.

That’s strange because power, not taxes, is what this debate is really about. The sales pitch is simple: property taxes are unpopular, homeowners are angry, government has grown, and cutting tax bills will provide relief. Who doesn’t like that? But there is a difference between cutting taxes and changing who controls government. Florida is not debating a tax cut. Florida is debating a fundamental redesign of how local government is financed.

For more than half a century, Florida has embraced home rule. The idea was simple: Local communities should make local decisions. If a city council spends too much, voters can replace it. If a county commission raises taxes, voters can replace it. The people making spending decisions are accountable to the people paying the bills. That system is imperfect, but it is transparent. If your local government fails, you know exactly where to direct your frustration and exactly who to vote against.

Now imagine a different system. Imagine counties and cities that can no longer fund themselves. Imagine local officials traveling to Tallahassee not to seek a grant for a new project, but to keep deputies on patrol, firefighters in stations, and ambulances on the road. At that point, who is really running local government? The answer is not the county commission. The answer is not the city council.

The answer is whoever controls the money.

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That is the part nobody wants to discuss. Property taxes are not simply a revenue source. They are the mechanism that allows local governments to govern themselves. Remove enough of that revenue and local governments do not disappear. They become dependent. And dependency changes behavior. A business dependent on one customer changes its behavior. A nonprofit dependent on one donor changes its behavior. A county dependent on Tallahassee changes its behavior. The money moves. The incentives move. The accountability moves. And eventually, the power moves.

There is an irony here that should give conservatives pause. A proposal intended to shrink government could ultimately centralize it. When counties and cities become financially dependent on Tallahassee, the governor effectively becomes the mayor of communities he was never elected to run. Imagine a future governor deciding which counties receive funding for deputies, which cities receive support for fire services, and which communities must wait. Local government becomes less local. Home rule becomes a slogan instead of a governing principle.

Supporters frame this debate as a battle between taxpayers and government. That is the wrong framework. The real question is whether Florida wants independent local governments or dependent local governments. Because independent local government means paying your own bills.

The numbers involved are staggering. Property taxes generate tens of billions of dollars each year for local governments. State economists have modeled scenarios creating roughly an $18.3 billion hole. Municipal governments receive approximately 43 percent of their general fund revenue from property taxes. Property taxes account for roughly 79 percent of municipal tax revenue. Those are not trimming-around-the-edges numbers. Those are rebuild-the-engine-while-the-plane-is-flying numbers. Yet much of the public discussion proceeds as though this is simply a tax cut. It isn’t. It is one of the largest transfers of financial responsibility in modern Florida history.

Maybe it works. Maybe local governments become dramatically more efficient. Maybe new revenue sources emerge. Maybe the state permanently assumes a larger role. But if that’s the plan, let’s be honest enough to say so. What we should not do is pretend the consequences stop at the property tax bill.

State economists are already projecting structural deficits beginning in fiscal year 2027-28 and growing in the years that follow. If Florida itself is heading toward tighter budgets, is this really the moment to shift even greater responsibility for local government onto the state? Florida may be creating a future where local governments are increasingly dependent on a state government that is itself under growing fiscal pressure.

Then there are the people largely missing from this conversation. Nearly one-third of Floridians rent their homes. If local governments replace property taxes with higher fees, assessments, utility taxes, sales taxes, or state transfers, renters will still pay. Businesses will still pay. Consumers will still pay. The bill does not disappear. It changes addresses.

Milton Friedman often reminded people that government has no money of its own. Every dollar government spends comes from somebody else. That remains true today. The question is not whether Floridians will pay for local government. The question is how. And more importantly, who will decide.

That is the blast radius nobody is talking about.

Because once the dust settles, Floridians may discover they did not merely change a tax system. They changed the balance of power between local communities and the state itself. And unlike a tax bill, that is a change that will be far harder to reverse.

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Jeff Brandes is President of the Florida Policy Project, a nonpartisan public policy research organization focused on Florida’s biggest challenges, including affordability, housing, transportation, and insurance. He served for 12 years in the Florida Legislature, including service in both the Florida House and Senate.

This article originally appeared in Florida Trident and is republished here with their permission. The Trident is an investigative news outlet focusing on government accountability and transparency across Florida. It is a publication of the Florida Center for Government Accountability. You can support this work by donating here:

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Our democracy as we’ve known it for 250 years is at risk. To save it, we will need a groundswell of support from voters in the coming midterm election.

The purpose of this newsletter—and the accompanying Tropic Press website—is to encourage that engagement through original reporting and commentary and shared stories such as today’s article first published in Florida Trident.

Currently, Tropic Press is reaching more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere, which is great, but there are literally millions of Florida Democrats and independents we are not reaching yet.

You can help spread the word.

Please like this post. Comment if you are so inclined. But, please, also take a moment to share it with people you know.

With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn our state and this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort.

Thanks.

J.C. Bruce

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Today’s sponsor: The Strange Files

Alexander Strange wants to get to Florida in the worst way. So, he arrives in a coffin. Chilling in its own right but made more so by the prediction of a New Orleans soothsayer that he soon will face death. Little does he know how true that will be. But he’ll find out soon enough at the Devil’s Millhopper.

Book Two of the Strange Files series takes our favorite weird news reporter on a bizarre scavenger hunt all over the Gunshine State. Join him in his journey here:

Tropic Press Books

The Week Ahead

In Florida, early voting is easy—and safe

The ability to vote before Election Day increases ballot access and encourages voter turnout by making it easier for registered voters to find time to make their way to the polls.

Even easier is mail-in-voting, and in Florida you can do either, as well as show up on primary Election Day, August 18. If you’ve not already requested a mail-in ballot, it may be too late for the primary election, but there is still time to get one for the general election in November.

Early voting for the Florida primary election begins this week. The state mandates that every county open its polling places starting on Saturday, August 8. However, individual counties may decide to extend voting dates and begin earlier in the week. Poll locations vary from county to county.

You’ll want to check your local Supervisor of Elections Office for up-to-date information on early voting days, hours, and poll locations. It’s also where you can request a general election mail-in ballot. Here’s where you can find yours:

Where to Vote

When you land on the website, go to the County List, find where you live, then click on the link to your county. That will take you to your local Supervisor of Elections website. I tested several, and they worked, but be aware that every county has its own format, so you may have to poke around a little bit to find a link to information for your local Early Voting info.

Things to know:

• You can only vote early at locations in the county in which you are registered to vote.

• Voters with a Vote-By-Mail ballot can drop off their Vote-By-Mail ballot at any early voting location during voting hours.

• To vote early, you must provide a valid photo ID including one with a signature. Valid IDs include a Florida driver’s license or ID card, U.S. passport, student, military, public assistance ID, and other IDs. You don’t need an ID to drop off a Vote-By-Mail ballot.

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Coming Next Week

Political commentator Barrington Salmon takes an in-depth look at the impact of decades of Republican rule in Florida in a two-part series. We all have a sense of how corrupt things are in the Sunshine State. Salmon puts it all together. It’s not a pretty picture.

That Was The Week That Was

Trump in the dumps

As public criticism of President Trump’s job performance persists amid the months-long Iran war and resulting strains on the U.S. economy, the president is losing support from some voters in his party, according to a survey released Wednesday.

The latest Quinnipiac University poll found that only 32 percent of all registered voters support how the president has handled his second term in office. Fifty-eight percent of respondents disapproved, and 10 percent did not offer an opinion on his job performance.

Read More

Trump doesn’t want to pay E. Jean Carroll

Trump’s personal lawyers are appealing to the Supreme Court to reject an $83.3 million defamation penalty a jury awarded to writer E Jean Carroll. And Department of Justice attorneys have filed a similar petition.

Both argue that Trump’s statements against Carroll — who claims the Republican leader sexually assaulted her in the Bergdorf Goodman department store — fall within the bounds of his office’s immunity.

“Absent this Court’s intervention, the sitting President is facing nearly a hundred million dollars of personal liability for conduct that was well within the scope of his federal office,” federal lawyers wrote in their filings.

Previous court rulings supporting the idea of presidential immunity, however, only applied to criminal prosecutions. They did not include civil cases like Carroll’s.

Read More

Blanche in limbo

Trump said last week that he wouldn’t object to temporarily withdrawing Todd Blanche as his nominee for attorney general amid resistance from two Republican senators, another major blow to Blanche’s confirmation battle.

Trump said he could renominate Blanche after Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, the primary voices of opposition, have left the Senate in the new year. But that itself is a gamble, as the makeup of the Senate could shift in ways that would make Blanche’s confirmation even more difficult.

Read More

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Meme of the Week

Quote of the Week

“I simply subscribe to the old-school Republican position that government should stay out of your life, out of your doctor’s office, and out of your bedroom. The last person you need sitting on the foot of your bed during hard family conversations is Byron Donalds.”

— David Jolly

Letter of the Week

We need a more representative democracy with proportional representation (if a party gets 30% of the vote, it gets 30% of the seats). It would end gerrymandering and elect more diverse representatives!

— Nick

Looking Ahead

When I’m not writing this newsletter, I also scribble a current events column for Florida Weekly. You should check it out. Here are some snippets, from there and elsewhere, to help guide your week ahead.

Arrghust is International Pirate Month. Did you know that during the Revolutionary War, our fledgling country worked with privateers to raid the British supply routes, and that during the War of 1812, a pirate saved the day during the Battle of New Orleans? You can read more about that in my Florida Weekly column here:

Avast ye swabs...

August 2. On this night in 1943, a Japanese destroyer rammed an American torpedo boat – PT 109—in the Solomon Islands. The boat’s commander, Lt. John F. Kennedy, saved the life of a fellow crew member by swimming with him in tow for 3.5 miles to a nearby island. His heroism launched his post-war political career, and he became the 35^th president of the United States. He spent the rest of his shortened life suffering from a severe spinal injury as a result of that crash. Fortunately, he was spared the agony of bone spurs.

August 3. Grab Some Nuts Day. This is a holiday designed to encourage nuts in our diets for all their health benefits. What else did you think it was?

August 4. National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. Just to state the obvious, the chocolate chip cookie is the very best cookie. In fact, there’s really no point in baking any other kind.

August 5. The first electric traffic light was installed on this day in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1914. The historical record does not reveal the identity of the first unlucky driver to get a ticket for running a red light.

August 6. The Voting Rights Act was signed into law on this day in 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. It banned racial discrimination in voting, and abolished literacy tests as a barrier to vote. The law was significantly weakened earlier this year, however, when a divided Supreme Court ruled that states could ignore racial demographics when drawing congressional districts, the upshot being fewer minorities in Congress.

August 7 is International Beer Day, which isn’t meant to imply that there aren’t also some fine beers brewed domestically. Florida is home to nearly 400 small and independent breweries. Nationwide, more than 13% of beer sales are now from craft brewers. Bottoms up!

August 8. International Hangover Day. Well, it’s the day after International Beer Day, so what do you expect?

August 9. Book Lover’s Day. Need a good book to read? Check out today’s sponsor below.

Last Week’s Tropic Press headlines

In case you missed it, here are some of the stories that headlined Tropic Press this past week. Click on the headlines to read the stories.

Democrats urge Trump administration to rethink Endangered Species Act rollback

We have discovered what Trump and Gollum have in common

This year’s midterms may lean Democrats’ way despite all the Republican gerrymandering

Trump, thwarted by lower courts, appeals to the Supremes to allow him to block mail ballots

Florida’s surgeon general links measles outbreak to abortion opposition

Thanks for your support

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed if you are a rational person living in the Free State of Florida, but there are plenty of smart, reasonable people just like you here. The purpose of this newsletter and the Tropic Press website is to provide a source of news and commentary that shines a light through this irrational fog.

Thank you for your support as a subscriber. It is invaluable. This is especially so for those of you who have chosen to upgrade to paid subscriptions. Your contributions are making this possible.

J.C. Bruce

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Share Tropic Press!

As this newsletter was written, Tropic Press was reaching more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere. But there are literally millions of Florida Democrats and independents we are not reaching yet.

That’s a problem you can help solve.

With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn our state and this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort by sharing this newsletter with friends.

If you are reading this as an email, simply forward it. Or you can use the link below. Thanks.

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Today’s sponsor: The Strange Files

Alexander Strange wants to get to Florida in the worst way. So, he arrives in a coffin. Chilling in its own right but made more so by the prediction of a New Orleans soothsayer that he soon will face death. Little does he know how true that will be. But he’ll find out soon enough at the Devil’s Millhopper.

Book Two of the Strange Files series takes our favorite weird news reporter on a bizarre scavenger hunt all over the Gunshine State. Join him in his journey here:

Tropic Press Books

Subscribe now

Editor’s Note: We take a break from hard news every Saturday morning to let Hermina Hermelinda Obregon, a.k.a. Miss Mingo, share her insights with readers. She’s a recovering newspaper reporter living in a bungalow off Duval Street in Key West. At least that’s what her official biography says, if you can believe that. She answers the pressing questions of the day about life, the news, and the best happy hour prices.

NOTE TO READERS:

I was on my way out the door to catch a boat—off on vacay—when these last-minute questions hit my inbox. I just couldn’t let them sit unanswered while I was off playing. See you in a couple of weeks.

M.M.

DEAR MISS MINGO:

Being an older broad who just loved James Bond Films, I can’t believe no one else has written about the INCREDIBLE similarities between President Donald Trump and the famous villain GOLDFINGER. It’s worth watching the movie again! The HAIR, the FAT BODY, the SLOPPY ILL-FITTING SUITS, the MEANNESS and CRUELTY.

Google GOLDFINGER and read that he was obsessed with all things GOLD…even covering women in gold paint! He amassed all the gold bars that he could and hoarded them in many countries (never paying taxes on them). He was entirely self-centered and also obsessed with…wait for it…..GOLF!! And we can all remember his infamous henchman OddJob.

Oh, I just noticed something. OddJob contains the letters DOJ, another personal henchman!

Regards,
Older broad in Tampa

Dear Older:

While I enjoyed the flicks, I’m actually more of a fan of the original Ian Fleming novels. I would note that while moviegoers may remember that a recurring Bond villain—Ernst Stavro Blofeld—had a white cat that he was constantly petting, the actual cat Fleming wrote about was, in fact, in Goldfinger.

It was not a pure white feline like in the movies, but ginger colored (goldish), and Goldfinger hated it.

Hated it so much that he gave the cat to OddJob for dinner.

So, to continue your brilliant parallels between Trump and Goldfinger, that is also a purrfect fit.

DEAR MISS MINGO:

Ya know all those seeds that are available to make us healthy, like Apple seeds, Pumpkin seeds, Chia, Flaxseed and on and on. Do you think if the Republicans in the House and Senate dined on Ball Seeds, they might possibly grow a set? Perhaps we could check on availability at the Ball Seed Company.

Best Regards,
Rick Stead

Dear Rick:

I wasn’t sure about printing this letter as I’m always a little squeamish about references to genitalia (yes, I realize this makes me a little old-fashioned). But I do get that this is less literally anatomical than a metaphorical allusion to courage. That said, I would quickly note that while a reference to males, there are plenty of women out there with guts enough to stand up to Trump, including the last Democratic presidential nominee. So, there is a part of me that wishes we could move past this manocentric reference.

That said, I was curious. And I discovered that there is, in fact, a Ball Seed Company, something I did not know. But then, I’m not much of a gardener. So, thanks for the enlightenment.

Okay, I’m out the door.

Got a question for Miss Mingo? About life, the news, or multi-dimensional realities? Write to her at MissMingo@Tropic.Press. She’ll be back from vacation in a couple of weeks.

ASK MISS MINGO

Want to know more about Miss Mingo? How she got her start? And whether she really lives with two cats—Deadline and Dateline—and a pet iguana named Skippy? You can find her official biography, such as it is, here. If you’re bar hopping on Duval Street in Key West and spot an intriguing woman in a pink hat that you suspect might be Miss Mingo, you can always offer to buy her a Cuba Libre. Will it actually be her? Is there an actual her? Life’s a mystery.

Meet Miss Mingo

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The official Tropic Press Store is now open and ready for business. You can order your very own Miss Mingo merch online. All sales are final. Check out the store here:

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By J.C. Bruce

Tropic Press

The most pressing political question of the moment—and likely until November—is this:

Can Democrats capture control of the House?

Earlier, the respected Center for Politics at the University of Virginia noted that even after all the Republican gains in gerrymandering congressional districts, Democrats still have an edge.

The center’s Crystal Ball report just came out, and they are now hedging a bit. It really is worth reading their full report here, but I will summarize:

The situation is dynamic, as you would expect, and between now and Election Day we should expect to see changes, but as of this moment, the prognosticators at the Center for Politics have increased the number of congressional races nationwide that they view as toss-ups, from their previous 15 to 20.

According to their analysis, these races will be key in determining whether Republicans keep control of Congress, or if Democrats take over.

“Our overall topline assessment is basically unchanged, though: Democrats remain favored to flip the House majority in November, but Republicans have a path, too,” the center reports.

Here’s a graphic showing the most recent changes in how congressional districts are leaning. Note that U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor of Florida has seen her district morph from leaning toward Republicans to a toss-up.

As you can see, the movement in their assessments swings toward Democrats. That said:

Democrats seem to be having some trouble converting some Trump disapprovers into Democratic voters, particularly those who just somewhat disapprove of Trump as opposed to strongly disapprove.

For instance, the Pew Research Center recently found Democrats ahead on the generic ballot 43%-37% among registered voters, even as the 12% of voters who just “somewhat” disapproved of Trump were tied at 31% in their generic congressional choice (with nearly 2 in 5 undecided, some of whom will just decide not to vote).

Respondents in the other three approval categories were much more one-sided, with very few strong disapprovers saying they would vote Republican and hardly any strong or somewhat approvers saying they would vote Democratic.

Democrats may benefit from a change to likely voter models in polls; for instance, even in the (most recent) Ipsos poll of registered voters, the Democratic lead was a more robust 8 points among those who described themselves as “absolutely certain” to vote. This enthusiasm problem for Republicans extends even to otherwise reliably GOP voters, according to a report over the weekend from the Washington Post.

That sounds good, except that Republicans could still turn this around if some Democratic candidates perform poorly on the campaign trail, and if Democrats get outspent in campaign advertising thanks to the most recent Supreme Court ruling that allows greater coordination between political action committees and candidates.

Of course, all bets are off if the Supreme Court agrees to allow Trump to take steps to curb mail-in voting.

Absent some curveball like that, the biggest variable will be the state of the economy leading up to Election Day. It consistently ranks as the top voter concern.

And that can affect whether Republicans, disenchanted with Trump, stay home or switch, and whether Democrats muster the enthusiasm they need to generate a groundswell of voters.

Leave a comment

Additional Reading:

Thirteen House Rating Changes Toward Democrats as Seat-by-Seat Assessment Better Aligns with Our November Expectations

This year’s midterms may lean Democrats’ way despite all the Republican gerrymandering

Please share this post — we need to encourage voter turnout

Our democracy as we’ve known it for 250 years is at risk. To save it, we will need, as I mentioned in my article, a groundswell of support from voters in the coming midterm election.

The purpose of this newsletter—and the accompanying Tropic Press website—is to encourage that engagement.

Currently, Tropic Press is reaching more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere, which is great, but there are literally millions of Florida Democrats and independents we are not reaching yet.

You can help spread the word.

Please like this post. Comment if you are so inclined. But, please, also take a moment to share it with people you know.

With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn our state and this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort.

Thanks.

J.C. Bruce

Share Tropic Press: J.C. Bruce

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By J.C. Bruce

Tropic Press

You would think Donald Trump should have more pressing matters on his mind, what with the Mideast exploding, his polls tanking, and the Reflecting Pool still a disgusting mess.

But instead, he asks us to consider his latest insights about LeBron James.

It all started in an Oval Office gaggle with the press when a reporter asked: Who’s the greatest all-time N.B.A. player, James or Michael Jordan?

Trump’s response:

“LeBron is, maybe he’s a racist. Maybe he doesn’t like Trump, I don’t know. But I only like people who like me, so I would say Michael Jordan all the way.”

There is so much to unpack in those few sentences.

But before we get to Trump’s answer, let’s start with the question itself. What’s with the chumminess? A round-ball question? With the world on fire, you ask the commander-in-chief of the world’s most dangerous nation about basketball? Who does that?

The answer is: a Fox News reporter, which pretty much explains all we need to know, right? We’re all pals here. Let’s talk sports, never mind the Epstein Files or the Strait of Hormuz.

So, why does Trump think LeBron is prejudiced? Trump, of all people, accusing someone, anyone else, of being a racist? Really? With his history?

This is the man whose real estate company was sued for discriminating against Black renters, who wanted the death penalty for the (ultimately exonerated) Central Park Five, who led the “birther” movement against Barack Obama, of whom NAACP President Derrick Johnson once said:

The “racism and anti-Black agenda that continues to permeate out of this current White House is a danger to our democracy, livelihood, and safety.”

That Donald Trump?

Moving on, what’s Trump’s beef with LeBron?

Well, LeBron did call Trump a “bum,” and he endorsed Kamala Harris for president. So, yeah, Trump carries a grudge. But does he seriously think their differences are because he’s white? That it’s some odd form of reverse discrimination? That if any person of color criticizes Trump, it’s okay to pull out the race card?

Or is he projecting?

And then there’s this thing the president does, constantly referring to himself by his name as opposed to using a perfectly good pronoun.

As in:

“Maybe he doesn’t like Trump…”

As opposed to:

“Maybe he doesn’t like me…”

What’s that about? Is he pronoun impaired? Pronouns such as “I” or “me” are very short words. Surely, a stable genius can remember them. After all, he’s already mastered “person, woman, man, camera, TV” on those cognition tests his worried doctors keep making him take.

Technically, it is known as an illeism, the act of referring to yourself in third person.

There can be many reasons people do this, some legit, I suppose: For branding purposes, for instance. And Trump is all about branding. Others, according to my research, may involve:

• Using one’s own name or title to project “an elevated self-image, mirroring patterns seen in charismatic or narcissistic communications styles.”

• Trying to “create distance between himself and his actions, which helps avoid deep emotional feelings.”

Said another way:

People who endlessly refer to themselves in third person are acting as if they are talking about someone else even though the person they are talking about is themselves. And even if it sounds odd, we shouldn’t worry about it even if the person who is experiencing this out-of-body moment also has the nuclear codes.

I was unable to determine if anyone has tabulated the history of presidents referring to themselves in third person to see how 47 ranked. The never-wrong internet did say, however, that “linguists and political analysts note it as a very distinct and frequent habit of his compared to modern predecessors.”

Now, even though J.C. Bruce might think Trump’s a weirdo for doing this, J.C. Bruce needs to be fair (that reads perfectly normal, right?) because Trump isn’t the only one.

A little research shows that this third-person self-reference stuff crops up all over the place. Trump finds himself in the company of, for example, Lord of the Rings’ Gollum, Kanye West, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Flavor Fav, Elmo, and even LeBron, who, when he announced his plans to play for the Miami Heat in 2010, said:

“I wanted to do what was best, you know, for LeBron James, and what LeBron James was gonna do to make him happy.”

Other political leaders have also referred to themselves in third person. Among the most notable:

Richard Nixon (the only president to resign from office in disgrace) and Julius Caesar (who lost his job as Rome’s self-declared dictator after starring in the earliest known version of Knives Out).

So, Trump’s not alone.

My fave, though, is Grimlock. In case you’re not familiar with the Transformers movie series, Grimlock is a dinosaur leader who famously refers to himself in third person, bellowing:

“Me Grimlock no bozo. Me king!”

Life imitating art, I would love for Trump to just come out and say what he really believes:

“Me Trump no bozo. Me king!”

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Please share this post

Our democracy as we’ve known it for 250 years is at risk. To save it, we will need a groundswell of support from voters in the coming midterm election.

The purpose of this newsletter—and the accompanying Tropic Press website—is to encourage that engagement.

Currently, Tropic Press is reaching more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere, which is great, but there are literally millions of Florida Democrats and independents we are not reaching yet.

You can help spread the word.

Please like this post. Comment if you are so inclined. But, please, also take a moment to share it with people you know.

With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn our state and this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort.

Thanks.

J.C. Bruce

Share Tropic Press: J.C. Bruce

Today’s sponsor: The Strange Files

Alexander Strange wants to get to Florida in the worst way. So, he arrives in a coffin. Chilling in its own right but made more so by the prediction of a New Orleans soothsayer that he soon will face death. Little does he know how true that will be. But he’ll find out soon enough at the Devil’s Millhopper.

Book Two of the Strange Files series takes our favorite weird news reporter on a bizarre scavenger hunt all over the Gunshine State. Join him in his journey here:

Tropic Press Books

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By Mitch Perry

Florida Phoenix

Florida manatees and panthers are suddenly much more vulnerable, environmentalists say, thanks to the Trump administration’s recently announced rollback of Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections.

Now Florida Democrats are calling on Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to immediately withdraw their agencies’ final “blanket rule,” which they say would eliminate protections for threatened species and revise critical habitat exclusions.

The departments of the Interior and Commerce rescinded the definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act in a rule published earlier this month. That prompted four Democratic members of Congress on Monday to write in a letter to Burgum and Lutnick that removing habitat modification and degradation from the long-held definition of “harm” amounts “to an endorsement of habitat degradation.”

“Given that habitat loss is the leading cause of species extinction, the rule is in direct opposition to the ESA’s stated purpose ‘to provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved,’ a key component for the conservation of species themselves,” says the letter, written by Democrats Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Kathy Castor, Darren Soto, and Maxwell Frost.

“This change will significantly impede efforts to protect and conserve our nation’s threatened and endangered species of fish, wildlife and plants,” the letter adds.

Among the species the ESA has saved from extinction since it was signed into law in 1973 are the Florida panther, the manatee, the American crocodile, and the hawksbill sea turtle.

“The rule change directly threatens the unique habitats that support the plants and animals for which our state is renowned,” the Democrats wrote. “Climate change coupled with unprecedented urban growth in Florida and around the nation has pushed our wildlife to the brink. This rule will significantly weaken the ESA and usher in the often-irreversible loss of habitat, hastening the extinction of plants and animals that are a vital part of our state’s culture and tourism economy.”

Burgum has said the changes are commonsense moves to eliminate red tape and restore landowners’ property rights.

“For years, federal agencies abused the ESA to obstruct lawful land use and burden American families and businesses,” Burgum said in a statement. “That approach turned routine activity into a regulatory trap, drove up costs that impacted people’s lives, and expanded federal authority beyond what Congress intended. This action restores common sense, respects private property, provides much-needed certainty for landowners and follows the statute Congress actually passed.”

The rule change is scheduled to take effect on Sept. 14. Two other ESA rollbacks would end automatic protections for newly listed threatened species (such as those on the brink of endangered status) and give more weight to economic factors when considering critical habitat designations.

A coalition of environmental groups filed a lawsuit earlier this month challenging the “harm rule.”

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The reporter of this story, Mitch Perry, has covered politics and government in Florida for more than two decades. Most recently, he is the former politics reporter for Bay News 9. He has also worked at Florida Politics, Creative Loafing and WMNF Radio in Tampa. He was also part of the original staff when the Florida Phoenix was created in 2018.

Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization. This story is republished with their permission. To support Florida Phoenix, click here:

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Please share this post

Our democracy as we’ve known it for 250 years is at risk. To save it, we will need a groundswell of support from voters in the coming midterm election.

The purpose of this newsletter—and the accompanying Tropic Press website—is to encourage that engagement.

Currently, Tropic Press reaches more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere, which is great, but there are literally millions of Florida Democrats and independents we are not reaching yet.

You can help spread the word.

Please like this post. Comment if you are so inclined. But, please, also take a moment to share it with people you know.

With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn our state and this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort.

Thanks.

J.C. Bruce

Share Tropic Press: J.C. Bruce

Today’s sponsor: The Strange Files

Alexander Strange wants to get to Florida in the worst way. So, he arrives in a coffin. Chilling in its own right but made more so by the prediction of a New Orleans soothsayer that he soon will face death. Little does he know how true that will be. But he’ll find out soon enough at the Devil’s Millhopper.

Book Two of the Strange Files series takes our favorite weird news reporter on a bizarre scavenger hunt all over the Gunshine State. Join him in his journey here:

Tropic Press Books

Subscribe now

By J.C. Bruce

Tropic Press

The political prognosticators at Sabato’s Crystal Ball just dropped a refreshing bit of news for everyone interested in regime change.

According to the think tank’s analysis of gerrymandered congressional districts across America, this year’s midterm election may actually favor Republicans slightly less than the last time there was a midterm election with Donald Trump at the helm.

That was in 2018 when Democrats gained 41 seats in the House of Representatives, reaching a 235-seat majority and ending eight straight years of Republican control of the chamber.

This is particularly fascinating in light of Trump having ordered red states to redraw their congressional districts to disfavor Democrats, a ploy to retain G.O.P. control in the House to fend off his possible impeachment.

Florida, of course, was at the epicenter of these gerrymandering efforts. Obeying their Lord and Master, the Republican supermajority in the state House and Senate delivered what Gov. Ron DeSantis insisted upon: a redrawn congressional map that—theoretically, at least—reduced the number of so-called “safe” Democratic seats from eight to four.

You have to look microscopically close at the new map to see any blue at all:

That same story played out in other states, too, most notably Texas, but then Democratic-controlled states such as California sprang back with their own gerrymander counterpoints. There were lawsuits, countersuits, and confusion.

One of the big questions has been: Where has all this shifting around left us?

Now comes The Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, where Larry Sabato’s “Crystal Ball” forecasts winners and losers in congressional, presidential and gubernatorial races nationwide.

Their latest offering:

— Republicans made the House map better for themselves compared to the 2024 map by winning this cycle’s expansive redistricting fight.

— However, comparing this year’s map to the district lines in place in 2018—the last midterm held under President Trump—puts the 2026 House map in a different light.

— By a number of of metrics, the 2026 House map is no more favorable to Republicans than the 2018 map, and it may actually be a little less favorable.

— The median House district by presidential performance is less Republican, the number of districts that voted to the right of the nation for president is smaller, and the number of plausible Democratic House targets based on history is comparable.

Said another way, despite taking their Sharpies to all these congressional maps, Republicans may have, inadvertently, diluted their strength in some of their formerly safe strongholds, a real FAFO moment.

And if this year’s results, in fact, mirror 2018’s, it could be a very good year, indeed, for Democrats running for Congress. That is assuming the Supreme Court ignores Trump’s appeal to curb mail-in voting, as reported yesterday. We will need to watch that very closely.

You can read the full (and very wonky) Center for Politics report here:

Sabato's Crystal Ball

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Are Democrats stealing ‘America First’?

Axios points out that Democrats are increasingly using the “America First” slogan for their own campaigns. With Trump breaking faith with the G.O.P. over his illegal war of choice in Iran, Dems are seizing the opportunity to turn that back on Republicans.

California Rep. Ro Khanna, weighing a possible presidential campaign, said that it was time to “put America first” when he reintroduced a bill to ban gas exports during periods of high gas prices.

Abdul El-Sayed, a Senate candidate in Michigan, told Axios: “I’m the most America First candidate in the country, proudly. When you keep our money here rather than sending it to some other country’s war machine, that’s America First.”

Dan Osborn, running for Senate in Nebraska as an independent against the Republican incumbent, wrote: "We need to be putting America first, not Israel first."

My opinion: This is smart. Democrats have for too long allowed Republicans to get away with wrapping themselves in the flag, calling their supporters “patriots” as if that makes them different from other Americans. Time to take back the flag and use it.

James Fishback stays on ballot

A judge has rejected a lawsuit seeking to remove Republican gubernatorial candidate James Fishback from the August ballot over residency requirements.

It was filed by Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, who is also running in the primary. Both men significantly trail frontrunner U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds of Naples.

A candidate must have lived in the state for seven consecutive years to run for governor, and records show that within the past few years, Fishback bought a home and lived in Washington, D.C.

But despite making that his “primary home,” he never abandoned his Florida residency, Fishback claimed, and Circuit Judge David Frank of Tallahassee bought his argument.

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Please share this post

Our democracy as we’ve known it for 250 years is at risk. To save it, we will need a groundswell of support from voters in the coming midterm election.

The purpose of this newsletter—and the accompanying Tropic Press website—is to encourage that engagement.

Currently, Tropic Press is reaching more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere, which is great, but there are literally millions of Florida Democrats and independents we are not reaching yet.

You can help spread the word.

Please like this post. Comment if you are so inclined. But, please, also take a moment to share it with people you know.

With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn our state and this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort.

Thanks.

J.C. Bruce

Share Tropic Press: J.C. Bruce

Today’s sponsor: The Strange Files

Alexander Strange wants to get to Florida in the worst way. So, he arrives in a coffin. Chilling in its own right but made more so by the prediction of a New Orleans soothsayer that he soon will face death. Little does he know how true that will be. But he’ll find out soon enough at the Devil’s Millhopper.

Book Two of the Strange Files series takes our favorite weird news reporter on a bizarre scavenger hunt all over the Gunshine State. Join him in his journey here:

Tropic Press Books

Subscribe now

By J.C. Bruce

Tropic Press

Donald Trump, who votes by mail, hates vote-by-mail and wants to do away with it.

He hates it because mail-in voting allows more people to vote, and he correctly figures that the more people voting, the less likely things will go his way. You can’t fool all of the people all of the time, after all, so his plan is to make it harder for disbelievers to cast their ballots.

He drapes all this in the mantra of election security, but that’s nonsense. But the owner of Truth Social has never let the truth get in the way.

Now he wants the U.S. Supreme Court to give him a pass to take over elections.

He wants to enforce an executive order that will have the effect of curtailing mail-in voting nationwide.

Presidents have no authority to do that. Voting is the exclusive province of the states. And even if voting procedures were to be federalized, the president—let’s be clear about this even if it upsets Trump—is not a king.

One federal judge has already told him no.

And a federal appeals court has already told him no.

Trump doesn’t like that word, no. So today, Trump asked the Supreme Court to overrule the lower courts and, fundamentally, make him the election czar.

As CNN reports:

Trump’s order would give the US Postal Service and the Department of Homeland Security new roles in screening state voter rolls for potential non-citizen voters.

Signed in March, the president’s directive would require states to submit lists of eligible mail voters to the US Postal Service, which would be barred from sending ballots to anyone not on those lists. It would also require states to use individualized ballot tracking barcodes on ballot envelopes. And it would “prioritize” federal prosecution of state election officials who send or receive ballots to non-citizens or others ineligible to vote.

Here’s what the National Vote at Home Institute has to say about all this:

“In 2024, roughly 30 percent of voters voted by mail, and in 2020—at the height of the pandemic—43 percent of voters mailed in their ballots. The federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) called that election “the most secure in American history.”

“A large majority of Americans support the right to vote by mail, according to the Pew Research Center, and 34 states currently allow vote by mail for any reason. Nine states—Oregon, Washington, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, Hawaii, Vermont, California, and the District of Columbia – have instituted “universal vote at home” where everyone automatically gets a ballot mailed to them at home. This convenience means better turnout—a boon for democracy regardless of the result.

“And as for Trump’s claims of fraud? Even the Heritage Foundation can’t find any. Its “database” of election fraud lists just 138 total cases nationwide, virtually none of them involving mail-in ballots. Government watchdogs called the 2020 election—despite the widespread use of mail-in ballots—“the most secure in American history.”

“Trump’s efforts to end vote-by-mail are an extension of his efforts to control the nation’s elections apparatus in advance of the 2026 midterms and to tilt the system in his favor. And if he succeeds, he could disenfranchise the millions of Americans— including seniors and people with disabilities—who depend on vote by mail to participate in elections.”

Read More:

Why Does Trump Hate Vote-By-Mail?

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Please share this post

Our democracy as we’ve known it for 250 years is at risk. To save it, we will need a groundswell of support from voters in the coming midterm election.

The purpose of this newsletter—and the accompanying Tropic Press website—is to encourage that engagement.

Currently, Tropic Press is reaching more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere, which is great, but there are literally millions of Florida Democrats and independents we are not reaching yet.

You can help spread the word.

Please like this post. Comment if you are so inclined. But, please, also take a moment to share it with people you know.

With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn our state and this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort.

Thanks.

J.C. Bruce

Share Tropic Press: J.C. Bruce

Subscribe now

By Christine Sexton

Florida Phoenix

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has suggested that opposition to abortion could have helped fuel a measles outbreak in Florida since many cases are tied to a private Roman Catholic college.

Federal data show Florida had 141 confirmed measles cases as of July 23, ranking the state fifth in the nation for most infections.

During a press conference in Orlando last week, a reporter asked Ladapo about his level of concern about the measles cases and what he’d tell Florida families about the rising number of cases.

The surgeon general, long known for his vaccine skepticism, initially replied, “Oh, no. Everyone’s got to take a vaccine.”

But he followed, noting that “a lot of those cases” were reported at Ave Maria University, a private Roman Catholic college in Collier County. Ninety-three measles cases were reported in Collier County where the university is located.

“You know, for some people — people may or may not know that the measles vaccines is developed with the cells that are a progeny from … an aborted fetus, and you know whether there’s a connection between the fact that you know some of the students at this university chose not to receive that vaccine, and it happens to be a vaccine that is related to the practice of abortion, I’m not sure.”

Measles vaccines are made from two cell strains that came from human fetal lung tissue in the 1960s. These original tissues were collected from elective abortions, and scientists used them to grow the live measles virus safely. These same fetal cells have continued to grow in the laboratory and are used to make vaccines today. No further sources of fetal cells are needed to make these vaccines.

The Pontifical Academy for Life in 2017 issued updated moral considerations on vaccinations, telling Roman Catholic parents they should vaccinate their children for the good of the children and the community, and they can do so with a “clear conscience,” the Catholic Standard reported.

Ave Maria University did not immediately respond to Florida Phoenix’s requests for comment.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, measles spreads through the air when a sick person coughs or sneezes. The virus can stay in the air for two hours after the infected person leaves. It is so contagious that about nine out of 10 people who come near a person with measles will become infected if not vaccinated.

The best way to avoid measles is with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. To stop the spread of the measles virus and for a population to be considered safe from infection, referred to as herd immunity, 95% of the population should be vaccinated.

According to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 89% of kindergarten students in the 2024-25 academic year had been vaccinated in Florida against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine series.

Meanwhile, Toluwalasè A. Ajayi, M.D., chair of the American Medical Association, urged families Friday to get vaccinated as the number of measles cases surges.

“The MMR vaccine has protected our communities for decades. There is no cure for measles, but vaccination is a safe and effective way to prevent it,” he said in a prepared statement.

“Choosing to vaccinate protects not only you and your family, but also babies, people with weakened immune systems, and others who can’t be vaccinated. Protecting yourself helps protect your entire community. If you have questions about measles, please talk with your doctor.”

Ladapo and his boss — Gov. Ron DeSantis — held a press conference last year calling on the Legislature to eliminate all vaccine mandates from Florida statutes.

A bill that would specifically have made it easier for parents to opt out mandated school vaccines was killed by the Florida House. DeSantis, who is term-limited out of office, promised to keep the issue on the front burner during his last months in the Governor’s Mansion.

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This story’s reporter, Christine Sexton of the Florida Phoenix, has spent more than 30 years covering Florida health care, insurance policy, and state politics, and has covered the state’s last six governors. She lives in Tallahassee.

Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization. This story is republished with their permission. To support Florida Phoenix, click here:

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Related Reading:

Centers for Disease Control on Measles

Amid measles uptick, infectious diseases specialist says Church recommends vaccination

Please share this post

Our democracy as we’ve known it for 250 years is at risk. To save it, we will need a groundswell of support from voters in the coming midterm election.

The purpose of this newsletter—and the accompanying Tropic Press website—is to encourage that engagement.

Currently, Tropic Press is reaching more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere, which is great, but there are literally millions of Florida Democrats and independents we are not reaching yet.

You can help spread the word.

Please like this post. Comment if you are so inclined. But, please, also take a moment to share it with people you know.

Share Tropic Press: J.C. Bruce

With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn our state and this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort.

Thanks.

J.C. Bruce

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Thanks to today’s sponsor

Check out YouTube’s newest and newsiest current events podcast, based right here in the Sunshine State. Get your day started every Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. I’ll be on the air with Dave today at 8:15 a.m. Check it out here:

The Dave Elliott Show

The Week Ahead

The leaders of two war-torn regions will be traveling to Washington this coming week to meet — separately, we are told — with President Donald Trump, the White House has announced.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with the president on Tuesday to discuss reviving stalled diplomatic talks with Russia.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu will also have a confab with Trump on Tuesday, the first time the two of them have met in person since Trump invited Netanyahu to the Situation Room back in February to pitch the idea of going to war with Iran.

And we all know how well that went.

Expect headlines from both of these gatherings. Photo ops, too, as both Zelenskyy and Netanyahu plan to attend a memorial service for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham — all on the same day.

That Was The Week That Was

Florida leans less Republican for the moment

Larry Sabato, the highly regarded prognosticator of political fortunes at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, has a fascinating update for the Sunshine State.

He’s moved the Florida gubernatorial race from “Safe Republican” to “Likely Republican.”

Why? Because polling suggests that the race is narrowing to single digits.

On August 18, Florida voters will cast their ballots in the Florida primary election, but the likely candidates for governor are already well known.

The frontrunner for the G.O.P. is U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds of Naples, a staunch Trump supporter who has won the president’s endorsement.

The almost certain Democratic nominee will be David Jolly, also a former congressman and a Republican-turned-Democrat.

The most recent poll from the University of North Florida shows Donalds ahead by a mere 5 points over Jolly, while the liberal-leaning Change Research poll shows Jolly ahead by 6 points.

The same Crystal Ball report also shows the gubernatorial races in two other states moving toward the Democratic candidates, as you can see in the chart above. Here’s the national outlook:

Is Fishback even qualified?

While Byron Donalds is the clear frontrunner based on polling that shows him well ahead of his nearest Republican rivals in the governor’s race, there are, in fact, other candidates.

You’ll note a hilarious social media meme later in this report from one of those candidates, Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, who notes that while he was enlisting in the Army, Donalds was busy getting arrested.

Collins has also filed a lawsuit against another rival, James Fishback, who admitted in court last week that within the past seven years he lived in Washington, D.C., and voted there. Florida law requires candidates for governor to have lived in the state for seven years.

The outcome of that suit could determine Fishback’s eligibility to be on the ballot.

Here’s the story from the Orlando Sentinel (it may require a subscription to read), but now you know the gist of it.

BTW, there is no runoff election in Florida’s primary. Donalds’ own internal polling shows him with 53% of the Republican vote. Even if he dropped below 50%, but still had the lead, he’d win.

Crist tries for a comeback

As Politico reported last week, “Charlie Crist has been a U.S. House member, governor, state attorney general, education commissioner and state senator. He has also lost some pretty big races in Florida — including the most recent, his nearly 20-point defeat to Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022. Now he’s looking for another political reset of sorts, asking voters to elect him as the next mayor of St. Petersburg.”

Crist is a Democrat now, but he’s been all over the map when it comes to party affiliations. He’s also been a Republican and an independent.

Guy just can’t stop running for office. Any office, it seems. If he doesn’t win the mayor’s race, I guess we could look forward to his campaign for the Mosquito Board. Or something.

Here’s the full report:

Politico Florida Playbook

Should all voters get to vote in Florida’s primaries?

Last week, we posed this question to Tropic Press readers. Under current Florida law, voters registered as having No Party Affiliation are barred from voting in the major political party primary elections. Here are the results:

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Meme of the Week

The Republicans are fighting…

Quote of the Week

“Secretary Hegseth, despite your failure to win this war, you are back now before Congress asking for almost $70 billion in additional funding. You’re asking the American people for a blank check, because once again, the Trump administration’s efforts have been an utter and complete failure to win this war to this point.”

—Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

Letters of the Week

Fear is the driving force behind the climate change deniers and the MAGAS. They are so afraid of what is happening that they go all in denying that there are serious threats to our survival as a species and as a democracy in this country. They can’t handle the scientific truths and obvious dismantling of our constitution so they refuse to acknowledge it. Denial is a very powerful defense mechanism when faced with facts that are frightening and or threatening. As a result they seek reassurance from leaders that assuage their fears with the reality that makes them feel safe. My experience has been that the less educated the person is the more they are in denial.

—Eileen Hoffman

Whoever said “you can’t fix stupid” seems to have predicted the end of the human race and most of the rest of the planet. Between climate change and AI both appear to be accelerating us towards Armageddon. The only hope is that perhaps AI might stop us first in a self preservation move. Reading this week’s news about AI “breaking out and hacking another company’s system alerts me to how little we really know about what is happening behind the curtain that the Wizard of OZ hides behind.

—Alan Margulies

Looking Ahead

When I’m not writing this newsletter, I also scribble a current events column for Florida Weekly. You should check it out. Here are some snippets, from there and elsewhere, to help guide your week ahead.

July 27. Today is Take Your Houseplants for a Walk Day. Conveniently, it’s also Take Your Pants for a Walk Day. Wearing pants while walking with a shrub is probably better than not.

July 28. Buffalo Soldiers Day celebrates the creation of the first peacetime all-Black Army regiment in 1866. Legend has it they got their nickname from Cheyenne and Comanche warriors who likened the soldiers’ fierce fighting spirit and dark, curly hair to the revered American bison. They trained with Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders in Tampa before heading to Cuba and the charge up San Juan Hill.

July 29. Thunder Moon. It’s July’s full moon, so named because summer—especially here in Florida—brings frequent thunderstorms.

July 30. Paperback Book Day. Take a break from your Kindle or Nook and hold a real book printed on actual paper in your hands. Here’s where you can get some excellent reading material:

The Strange Files

July 31. Spider-Man: Brand New Day: The highly anticipated Marvel blockbuster starring Tom Holland hits theaters worldwide.

Last Week’s Tropic Press headlines

In case you missed it, here are some of the stories that headlined Tropic Press this past week. Click on the headlines to read the stories.

While Trump obsesses about his ballroom, Americans worry about the cost of living

DeSantis drained the state’s emergency funds for Alligator Alcatraz and other boondoggles

‘An Inconvenient Truth’ 20 years later: Inconveniently, too many people still in denial

Major statewide races tighten up as the countdown to the primary election begins

Florida Democrats can win in November because the state is ‘ready for something better’

Please share this post

Our democracy as we’ve known it for 250 years is at risk. To save it, we will need a groundswell of support from voters in the coming midterm election.

The purpose of this newsletter—and the accompanying Tropic Press website—is to encourage that engagement.

Currently, Tropic Press is reaching more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere, which is great, but there are literally millions of Florida Democrats and independents we are not reaching yet.

You can help spread the word.

Please like this post. Comment if you are so inclined. But, please, also take a moment to share it with people you know.

With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn our state and this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort.

Thanks.

J.C. Bruce

Share Tropic Press: J.C. Bruce

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Editor’s Note: We take a break from hard news every Saturday morning to let Hermina Hermelinda Obregon, a.k.a. Miss Mingo, share her insights with readers. She’s a recovering newspaper reporter living in a bungalow off Duval Street in Key West. At least that’s what her official biography says, if you can believe that. She answers the pressing questions of the day about life, the news, and the best happy hour prices.

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DEAR MISS MINGO:

As someone who supports all things democratic – you know, activities that are related to protecting our democracy – and also someone who is deeply concerned about the environment, I understand that these are not necessarily acceptable under the current administration in Washington.

However, I have relatives who live in the Chicago and Buffalo areas, and I am concerned about the wildfires in Canada and their impact on the air quality in these two cities amongst others.

I was going to strongly encourage Mr. Trump (alas it is difficult to refer to him as President when he is so unpresidential) to abandon his plan to impose tariffs on Canada, and instead to fund the construction of wind farms along the US/Canadian border to blow the smoke from those wildfires back into Canada.

However, I remembered that Mr. Trump doesn’t like wind farms.

Therefore, an alternative that might intrigue him would be to install giant gold fans (instead). It could be called Trump Wind!

Do you think this will work?

Pat

Dear Pat:

It’s certainly true that Trump has made it very clear that he does not like windmills of any sort.

It started when those pesky Scots constructed wind turbines offshore from one of his golf courses, and he objected to them ruining the ambience of his links.

Appearances are very important to Trump. Witness how impeccably he dresses with his vast selection of red ties, and how carefully he applies his hand makeup, glues down his combover, and maintains his amazing orange tan.

He’s a disaster as a leader, but he knows about show business and looking the part, and for him it’s always just an act. He should have stuck with filming The Apprentice; it was perfect for him. He could pretend he knew what he was doing, bask in the limelight, and never have any real responsibility.

But I digress.

I really think you are onto something about those gold fans. He has this Midas-like obsession. Not so sure about blowing wind back to Canada, but maybe if the Acme Wind Farm Co. came up with a line of gigantic gold-plated fans, he’d go for it.

Especially if it was named after him. Good call! He’s already plastered his name on everything else, why not the atmosphere?

I’ll bet he’d immediately forget about how windmills cause cancer, how they’re responsible for the diarrhea epidemic, and most likely his low poll numbers, too. Flattery will get you anywhere with that narcissist.

DEAR MISS MINGO:

I read in the newspaper that the U.S. House of Representatives has voted to end the war in Iran, but that the Senate won’t go along with that idea. Why not?

Puzzled in Pinellas Park

Dear Puzzled:

Republicans control both the House and the Senate. In the House, a small handful of Republicans jumped ship and joined with the Democrats in opposition to the undeclared—and, in my opinion, illegal—war.

There are not enough votes in the Senate, however, where Trump has done an effective job of threatening Republicans with the end of their political lives if they don’t toe the line.

Many of those Republicans are in desperate need of spine replacements or plexiotomies.

DEAR MISS MINGO:

I get the reference to spine replacements, as in, they are spineless, but what the heck is a plexiotomy? I couldn’t find it anywhere on Google.

You Can Call Me Gray

Dear Gray:

Cute. As in Gray’s Anatomy? Or is it a typo and you’re really Gary? Whatever. A plexiotomy is a surgical procedure in which a sheet of Plexiglass is used to replace the skin and musculature of the abdomen.

It allows people who are walking around with their heads up their derrieres to see where they’re going.

DEAR MISS MINGO:

Okay, that was funny. Did you just make that up?

Curious in Clearwater

Dear Curious:

No. It’s an old joke. Speaking of old jokes, have you heard this one:

Q: Do you know what the secret is for senior citizens to have a smoking hot body?

A: Cremation.

DEAR MISS MINGO:

Isn’t that ageism?

Woke in Wauchula

Dear Woke:

You are, of course, politically correct. My apologies. I really don’t know what gets into me sometimes. I’m thinking maybe I need a vacay.

In fact, now that this has come up, I believe I will do just that. I’ve got a couple weeks’ worth of paid leave accumulated. I’m outta here until August 15.

Send me your questions, so I have something to come back to. See you then!

Got a question for Miss Mingo? About life, the news, or multi-dimensional realities? Write to her at MissMingo@Tropic.Press. She’ll be back in action on August 15.

ASK MISS MINGO

Want to know more about Miss Mingo? How she got her start? And whether she really lives with two cats—Deadline and Dateline—and a pet iguana named Skippy? You can find her official biography, such as it is, here. If you’re bar hopping on Duval Street in Key West and spot an intriguing woman in a pink hat that you suspect might be Miss Mingo, you can always offer to buy her a Cuba Libre. Will it actually be her? Is there an actual her? Life’s a mystery.

Meet Miss Mingo

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And now, some shameless advertising…

The official Tropic Press Store is now open and ready for business. You can order your very own Miss Mingo merch online. All sales are final. Check out the store here:

Tropic Press Merch

And when your shirt arrives, take a selfie and email it to Miss Mingo to be included in her column.

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By J.C. Bruce

Tropic Press

While the economy tops voters’ concerns in public opinion polls, Donald Trump seems more fixated on building a magnificent ballroom, remodeling the capital’s Reflecting Pool, and constructing a triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery.

There seems to be a disconnect here between what the country is worried about and what our commander-in-chief spends his time on.

And a majority of people don’t like it, according to a Washington Post/Ipsos poll released this week.

More than 2,600 people were asked about Trump’s obsessions and how they feel about them. Respondents were asked if they were “Enthusiastic,” “Satisfied,” “Dissatisfied,” or “Upset.”

This will not come as a shock:

Two out of three Americans are either dissatisfied or upset with the president, mirroring overall job approval ratings, which show that 61 percent of Americans give him a thumbs down.

Also unsurprising:

Republicans score Trump higher than Democrats. That said, while nearly 7 in 10 members of the G.O.P. approve of Trump’s vanity projects, 9 out of 10 Democrats do not, reflecting a far more passionate negative reaction.

Maybe a little surprising:

Among Republicans, interestingly, poll respondents identifying themselves as “MAGA” were far less critical than party members overall. While only 11% of MAGA Republicans expressed dissatisfaction, 31 percent of Republicans overall are unhappy. That level of G.O.P. dissent surprised me a little, I confess, seeing as how Republicans usually march in lockstep to Trump’s bidding.

Of course, not everyone polled identifies as a member of either political party, as the number of independent voters has continued to grow. (In Florida, for instance, nearly 25% of voters have no party affiliation.) Among independents in the Post/Ipsos poll, 73% view Trump’s pet projects negatively.

(There’s a link below to the Post’s coverage.)

Thinking about some of Florida’s headline election races, this disdain for Trump’s pet projects should cause some Republican candidates a little heartburn.

For instance, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds of Naples, who is running in the Aug. 18 primary for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, is heavily dependent on Trump’s coattails for his lead in the polls and fundraising. He owes his standing almost entirely to Trump’s endorsement.

Similarly, Ashley Moody, appointed to fill former U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s Senate seat, will face aggressive competition in November from one of two Democratic primary frontrunners—Alex Vindman or Angie Nixon. Moody’s claim to fame hinges on being an obedient Trump sycophant.

Trump in the dumps is not the best news for either candidate.

Meanwhile, according to Gallup polls, ballrooms and arches and reflecting pools are not voters’ top concerns.

Topping the list, to no surprise, are the economy and the cost of living, including gasoline prices, corporate corruption, the trade deficit, and wages.

When asked about non-economic problems, the number one item on a long list was “the government and poor leadership.”

This is just one person’s opinion, of course, but I think it would be fair to say that when the people who voted you into office think you should be paying more attention to the cost of living than gold-plated ballrooms, that could qualify as “poor leadership.”

Related:

We asked 2,600 Americans about Trump’s ballroom, pool and arch projects.

Gallup: Most important problem

Please share this post

Our democracy as we’ve known it for 250 years is at risk. To save it, we will need a groundswell of support from voters in the coming midterm election.

The purpose of this newsletter—and the accompanying Tropic Press website—is to encourage that engagement.

Currently, Tropic Press is reaching more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere, which is great, but there are literally millions of Florida Democrats and independents we are not reaching yet.

You can help spread the word.

Please like this post. Comment if you are so inclined. But, please, also take a moment to share it with people you know.

With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn our state and this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort.

Thanks.

J.C. Bruce

Share

Thanks to today’s sponsors and contributors…

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By J.C. Bruce

Tropic Press

It’s been 20 years since former Vice President Al Gore’s global warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, captured the public’s attention with its message about the perils of man-made climate change.

Unfortunately, there’s a difference between “capturing the public’s attention” and actually persuading people to learn.

This comes to mind as a result of an article in The Guardian this week in which a public opinion survey shows a majority of American voters now believe that extreme weather is increasing and that climate change is the cause. And nearly half of all Republicans now say climate change worsens heatwaves.

At first blush, when I read that, I was elated. Finally! People get it, I thought.

However, on closer examination, the root problem hasn’t changed much in the two decades since Gore’s Oscar-winning documentary was released.

While there now does seem to be more acceptance that a warmer climate and extreme weather are linked, a depressing number of people have yet to connect the dots between pollution and why our atmosphere is heating up—that it is caused by man-made activity.

Gore even hinted at why this would be such a challenge during An Inconvenient Truth, which I just rewatched, by quoting Mark Twain:

“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”

It’s hard to get people to change their beliefs, especially when they are continually spoon-fed misinformation (witness the number of election deniers who still believe Donald Trump was cheated out of the 2020 election).

And Trump, of course, is one of the cheerleaders denying global warming, calling climate change a “con job” and a “hoax.”

I do take some small comfort, at least, in that more people now recognize that extreme weather is increasing. Here are a couple of graphics that show the results from the polling firm Data for Progress, which were shared exclusively with The Guardian:

But recognizing the obvious—yes, it is hotter; yes, the weather seems more extreme lately—is not, sadly, the same as grokking that there’s a connection to human activity—that it is man-made air pollution that makes it harder for heat to leave the atmosphere.

The Pew Research Center has been tracking this for the past two decades, and here’s what their research shows about the public’s attitude:

… Democrats and Republicans have grown further apart in their views, eroding areas of common ground between the parties…

Consider climate change. In 2009, Democrats were already 36 percentage points more likely than Republicans to say climate change is a major threat to the U.S. (61% vs. 25%). But by 2022, that partisan gap had grown to 55 points: 78% of Democrats, but just 23% of Republicans, considered climate change a major threat.

Globally, people in many advanced economies tend to have similar levels of concern to U.S. Democrats. A median of 75% of adults across 19 countries we surveyed in 2022 said climate change is a major threat to their country.

The Guardian spoke to Jennifer Marlon, a senior research scientist at Yale who studies climate communications. She noted:

“This is probably the biggest misconception out there – many Americans still think the warming is due to some kind of natural cycle. But it isn’t…a spring survey from Yale Program on Climate Change Communication found 27% of people think that the changes are mostly natural.”

When your president is calling it a hoax and warning that windmills cause cancer, and that coal is “clean and beautiful,” and that scientists are “stupid people,” it isn’t surprising—just sad—that so many Americans still have blinders on.

It’s also dangerous.

As Gore noted on the 20th anniversary of his film:

"It really is insane that we are continuing to use the sky as an open sewer and we're trapping so much heat every day it's equal to the amount that would be released by 800,000 Hiroshima-class atomic bombs exploding every day on the Earth."

That certainly sounds like it leads to something far worse than mere inconvenience.

Leave a comment

Related:

Majority of US voters link extreme weather to climate crisis, study finds

‘Scientists were dead right’: Al Gore says on 20th anniversary of ‘An Inconvenient Truth’

How U.S. Public Opinion Has Changed in 20 Years of Our Surveys

Please share this post

Our democracy as we’ve known it for 250 years is at risk. To save it, we will need a groundswell of support from voters in the coming midterm election.

The purpose of this newsletter—and the accompanying Tropic Press website—is to encourage that engagement.

Currently, Tropic Press is reaching more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere, which is great, but there are literally millions of Florida Democrats and independents we are not reaching yet.

You can help spread the word.

Please like this post. Comment if you are so inclined. But, please, also take a moment to share it with people you know.

With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn our state and this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort.

Thanks.

J.C. Bruce

Share

Thanks to today’s sponsors and contributors…

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The Guardian

Subscribe now

While we delight in sharing the silly holidays that populate the calendar these days, some are more frivolous than others.

I give you the upcoming Take Your Houseplants for a Walk Day, which arrives on July 27.

While I rarely acknowledge this, I do try to observe some of these annual events, no matter how ridiculous, as a dutiful journalist.

So, for instan…

Read more

As a tropical storm bore down on Florida’s Panhandle, state records show that Gov. Ron DeSantis used funds designed to help Floridians recover from natural disasters—such as storms and hurricanes—for his pet immigration projects like Alligator Alcatraz and Deportation Depot. Reporter Liz Caputo of the Florida Phoenix has the story, and it is reprinted here with permission of the Tallahassee-based news service.

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By Liv Caputo

Florida Phoenix

The DeSantis administration spent nearly two-thirds of Florida’s emergency fund last fiscal year on fighting illegal immigration, dwarfing spending for severe weather, international rescues, and other emergency missions for which the fund was created.

State records show that the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM), the agency in charge of the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” and “Deportation Depot” lockups, shelled out $890 million in taxpayer dollars between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026.

Of that, $564 million — about 63% — went to immigration enforcement, meaning emergency managers spent more on immigration than all emergency missions combined last year.

The rest paid for assistance to counties and other states, costs associated with rescuing Americans from Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, and severe weather — including snow in the Panhandle, storms in Northwest Florida, and heavy October rainfall.

The spending represents a significant shift in the purpose of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund, a trust created in 2022 to allow Gov. Ron DeSantis to quickly pay for disasters like hurricanes, floods, and more without legislative approval.

But in 2023, the trust became a financing vehicle for one of DeSantis’ top priorities: immigration. Gearing up for a presidential run and enjoying an iron grip over the GOP Legislature, DeSantis declared a state of emergency on immigration — one that he’s renewed at least 20 times since.

This opened the fund’s dollars to immigration enforcement, allowing FDEM to spend $573 million out of it since 2023 — 98% of which was paid for in the past year. This is largely because of the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” and “Deportation Depot,” facilities, state-run detention centers erected last summer, lauded by President Trump, and mirrored by Republican states nationwide.

But these costs represent just a fraction of the total to be spent on immigration. As the Phoenix previously reported, immigration contracts signed by FDEM are valued at roughly $1.01 billion. This doesn’t include isolated immigration costs like food, supplies, or travel.

FDEM still owes the vendors that built and ran the facilities at least another half a billion dollars.

Despite those outstanding costs, the fund has under $7 million left. Lawmakers approved another $250 million for the trust in June, but FDEM hasn’t asked for the money yet.

The agency also missed the deadline for a new quarterly report detailing the fund’s health and cash projections, a requirement lawmakers added this year. Representatives of the Senate president and House speaker told the Phoenix they had not received the report, which was due five days ago. FDEM did not respond to questions about when it would submit the information.

Immigration spending from the fund last fiscal year exceeded the individual costs of several past emergency responses, including Hurricane Idalia, Hurricane Debby, Hurricane Nicole, and evacuation flights for Americans from Israel and Haiti.

The estimated $1.01 billion in immigration-related contracts, meanwhile, would rank as the third-largest use of the trust since its creation, behind only Hurricane Ian ($2.5 billion) and Hurricane Milton ($1.5 billion).

The reporter on this story, Liv Caputo, covers immigration for the Florida Phoenix. She’s had her work cited in The New York Times, the Miami Herald, and the New York Post, as well as having been republished here at Tropic Press. She worked previously at The Floridian Press and The Florida Standard. A Florida native, she graduated from Florida State University.

Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization. This story is republished with their permission. To support Florida Phoenix, click here:

DONATE

Please share this post

Our democracy as we’ve known it for 250 years is at risk. To save it, we will need a groundswell of support from voters in the coming midterm election.

The purpose of this newsletter—and the accompanying Tropic Press website—is to encourage that engagement.

Currently, Tropic Press is reaching more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere, which is great, but there are literally millions of Florida Democrats and independents we are not reaching yet.

You can help spread the word.

Please like this post. Comment if you are so inclined. But, please, also take a moment to share it with people you know.

With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn our state and this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort.

Thanks.

J.C. Bruce

Share

Thanks to today’s sponsor…

Check out YouTube’s newest and newsiest current events podcast, based right here in the Sunshine State. Get your day started every Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Check it out here:

The Dave Elliott Show

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By J.C. Bruce

Tropic Press

In less than a month, Florida voters will put the finishing touches on who will be on the midterm election ballots in November.

The August 18 primary will almost certainly be a coronation of David Jolly as the Democratic candidate for governor, and Byron Donalds as the Republican nominee.

And new poll numbers show the race surprisingly close, although much can change between now and the Nov. 3 general election.

According to a University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Lab survey, Donalds only leads Jolly by five points, 46% to 41%, with the remainder undecided or going to other candidates. Which is interesting considering the lopsided margin by which Republicans lead Democrats in the state.

As you can see from the graphic below, there are fully 1.5 million more Republicans than Democrats. That’s a 58% to 42% advantage among the pool of voters registered to the two major parties.

So, why is the Donalds/Jolly margin so much narrower?

Clearly, it’s the influence of Republican voters crossing over, and voters who have either no party affiliation or who are registered to minor political parties. They are leaning against the Republican candidate.

Donalds’ popularity is largely driven by President Donald Trump’s endorsement, but that is a two-edged sword. Candidates running on Trump’s coattails are also enduring Trump’s plummeting popularity in the polls, where barely 37 percent of voters approve of his performance.

If you’re a Democrat like Jolly, this is a cause for optimism.

Similarly, in the other highest-profile statewide race, polling shows a surprisingly tight contest for the U.S. Senate.

Currently, Florida’s Senate seat up for grabs in November does not have an elected incumbent. Former Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody was appointed to the job by Gov. Ron DeSantis when Marco Rubio resigned to become Secretary of State.

Moody will face either Alex Vindman, the former Army officer and whistleblower who provided evidence for Trump’s first impeachment, or Angie Nixon, a state representative from Jacksonville.

Both Vindman and Nixon are running close to Moody. In possible matchups, Moody leads Nixon by 8 points and Vindman by 10.

That said, support in the polls for either Nixon or Vindman may be somewhat diluted because of their primary election competition. The question is: Will the victorious primary candidate in this tight race be able to rally the support of Democrats who may have voted for his or her opponent?

Seem likely, which also makes it seem plausible that the winner of the Aug. 18 primary may find they are able to close that gap with Moody even more.

This makes the Nixon/Vindman the most interesting statewide primary race to watch next month. Vindman is vastly outraising Nixon in campaign donations, $16.7 million to $625,000.

“These races are notably closer than we’ve seen in recent election cycles, somewhat unsurprising given that the party that controls the presidency usually struggles in midterm elections,” said the poll’s faculty director, Sean Freeder.

“Despite very different ideological approaches, the two Democratic Senate candidates do about as well as one another, suggesting the party’s internal debate over whether to move left or stay centrist may not much affect the behavior of voters, or at least that they aren’t paying attention yet.”

Getting voters’ attention is where that edge in fundraising could play to Vindman’s advantage.

And about that property tax proposal…

The pollsters also asked respondents how they felt about Amendment 3, which will be on the November ballot. This is the proposal by the Legislature to reduce property taxes by increasing homeowners’ homestead exemptions.

It takes 60% of voters to approve it, and at the moment it is favored, according to the poll, by 61%

However, when poll respondents were informed that the measure would result in a budget shortfall of more than $11 billion, support plummeted to 45%.

The Florida Democratic Party has voted to formally oppose Amendment 3.

“We need real affordability relief, but Amendment 3 would hurt our local communities and cut local services while giving huge tax breaks to billionaires and corporations,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried. “This is a scam that would either raise other taxes on working families or rob their communities of essential services like public hospitals, EMTs, fire rescue, disaster preparedness, road maintenance, children’s services, libraries and parks.

Leave a comment

Candidate information:

David Jolly

Byron Donalds

Alex Vindman

Angie Nixon

Ashley Moody

Please share this post

Our democracy as we’ve known it for 250 years is at risk, as you can see from today’s newsletter.

To save it, we will need a groundswell of support from voters in the coming midterm election.

The purpose of this newsletter—and the accompanying Tropic Press website—is to encourage that engagement.

Currently, Tropic Press is reaching more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere, which is great, but there are literally millions of Florida Democrats and independents we are not reaching yet.

You can help spread the word.

Please like this post. Comment if you are so inclined. But, please, also take a moment to share it with people you know.

With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn our state and this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort.

Thanks.

J.C. Bruce

Share

Thanks to today’s sponsor…

Check out YouTube’s newest and newsiest current events podcast, based right here in the Sunshine State. Get your day started every Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Check it out here:

The Dave Elliott Show

Subscribe now

Subscribe now

By Mitch Perry

Florida Phoenix

LAKE BUENA VISTA — A series of special and local election victories over the past year have boosted Florida Democrats’ confidence they’ll continue that winning streak into the November midterm elections.

But with more than 1.5 million more registered Republicans than Democrats in the Sunshine State, it won’t be easy.

Pete Buttigieg acknowledges that reality.

The former Department of Transportation Secretary and 2020 presidential candidate was the keynote speaker at the Florida Democratic Party’s Leadership Blue gala at the Coronado Springs Convention Center at Walt Disney World Resort.

Ours was the 29th state he has visited since leaving the Biden administration and preparing for another potential presidential run in 2028. He acknowledged a “blue wave” could be in the offing for Democrats this fall, but emphasized that is “not automatic,” noting how congressional redistricting in red states like Florida and Texas could mitigate any gains in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“But even with that tilted playing field, I see enormous opportunity for Democrats,” Buttigieg told a group of reporters minutes after finishing his speech in front of the more than 900 people.

“I see us competing in places that would have been written off just a few months ago,” he continued. “We’re talking about states and individual districts. And we’ve seen some wins. The fact that Mar-a-Lago is now represented by a Democratic legislator right here in Florida, the fact that Miami just voted for a Democratic mayor for the first time in a generation, shows you that different things are possible. It will never be easy or automatic in more conservative areas, but it’s absolutely within reach.”

Buttigieg was referencing Eileen Higgins’ victory in the Miami mayor’s race in December, the first Democrat to win that seat in decades, and Emily Gregory‘s March win in House District 87, which had gone for Republican Mike Caruso by 19 points just a year-and-a-half before.

More stunning than that was Brian Nathan’s victory on March 24 against Republican Josie Tomkow in the state Senate District 14 seat, where he was outspent 10:1 in a district won by Republican Jay Collins by nearly 10 points in 2022.

Expectations

Buttigieg kicked off his speech by saying, “I know we can compete and win in Florida because I feel how many people here and across the country are ready for something different and ready for something better.”

Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried’s stated electoral goals sounded relatively modest — she wants to lift her party out of the superminority status it holds in both chambers of the Florida Legislature. (It would need six victories in the House and two in the Senate to get that accomplished, she said).

Other speakers during the evening included incoming Senate leader Tracie Davis, incoming House leader Christine Hunschofsky, and Orlando Democratic U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, fresh off being re-elected last month after no Democrat or Republican filed to challenge him before the qualifying deadline. The 29-year-old Frost brought the most energy by far of any of the speakers who took the stage at the Coronado Springs Convention Center.

“Florida Democrats, let’s be honest with ourselves, many in this nation look at our state and they don’t really see us, they see what we’re up against,” he said. “Today, many think the state’s not worth fighting for.”

The next chapter in Florida won’t be written by those “naysayers,” he continued, but by the individuals sitting in the audience. And he stressed that Democrats can’t get tripped up when labeled “socialists” or worse, such as the invective thrown their way at the Republican Party of Florida’s “Sunshine Showdown” conference at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood last month.

“Our opposition, they’re going to call us every name in the book,” Frost said. “I don’t care if you’re a progressive, I don’t care if you’re a moderate, they’re going to call you every name in the book. Please, Florida Democrats, don’t take the bait. Every second you spend saying, ‘No, I’m not,” it’s a second you’re not talking about the issues that most Floridians care about.”

Buttigieg puts Florida Republicans on blast

Buttigieg’s appearance in Florida comes as he is prominently mentioned as a top contender for the Democratic nomination for president in 2028. Just last week, a poll by The Detroit News and WDIV-TV in Detroit of 500 voters in the battleground state of Michigan placed Buttigieg in second place, trailing only former Vice President Kamala Harris.

The former Transportation secretary touted some of his accomplishments in office while serving in the Biden administration during his 23-minute address, noting his agency had helped fund more than 70,000 infrastructure projects, including modernizing terminals at airports in Orlando and Tampa as well as adding new truck parking spaces along the I-4 corridor.

Then he turned to Florida Republicans. He “took pleasure,” he said, in working with Republican leaders across the country to implement the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, “but not so much Republicans here in Florida,” none of whom supported that legislation.

He could always count on Florida GOP officials “to take credit for something that they voted against,” he said, specifically mentioning a press event held by U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan with House Speaker Mike Johnson at the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport in November 2023.

As the Phoenix reported at the time, “The two men spoke in a new section under construction for the airport’s new terminal expansion project, a $100 million investment that includes a five-gate terminal, a four-lane security checkpoint and five boarding hold rooms which will seat nearly 1,000 people.”

Buttigieg noted how Gov. Ron DeSantis rejected $320 million in federal transportation funding “because the word ‘carbon’ was in the title of the program,” but later ended up taking the money. (FDOT officials called the funds “politicization of our roadways” and initially declined the money).

He laid into Florida U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, the GOP’s likely nominee for governor this fall. He began by noting that Donalds “was ranked the second most far-right wing conservative in the entire U.S. House of Representatives,” referring to a 2024 “report card” by GovTrack.us.

“He tried to pass a national abortion ban, voted to overturn the 2020 election, and repeatedly voted against commonsense background gun checks for gun safety, including voting no on a safety bill that his own Florida Republicans had come to pass after the Parkland massacre,” Buttigieg said. “He wants to be your governor. I think we can do better than that.”

U.S. Rep. Randy Fine of Florida’s Space Coast was another target.

“With the cost of living out of control, our nation at war, Rep. Fine committed his time in Washington to developing unique legislation like — I’m not making this up — Protecting Puppies from Sharia Law Act.”

He then noted a November 2025 poll from Florida Atlantic University’s Business and Economic Polling Initiative reporting that nearly half of Floridians say they have considered moving out of the state due to the cost of living.

“That is not bad luck,” he said. “That is what happens when you have 27 years of one-party rule.”

When it’s proven something doesn’t work, one usually tries something else, Buttigieg said. But Republicans aren’t doing that — “They’re just trying to change the rules,” he continued, referring to the congressional redistricting that went into law in May, designed to add up to four Republican seats to the 28-member party congressional delegation.

In advance of his appearance, the Republican National Committee issued a press release blasting Buttigieg and saying all Democrats, “especially Alex Vindman, Jared Moskowitz, Darren Soto, and Kathy Castor, should be asked if they agree with their new spokesman” about a variety of alleged transgressions, specifically listing “open border and mass amnesty for illegal aliens,” “taxpayer-funded healthcare for illegal aliens,” and “Bernie Sanders-style socialist healthcare.”

The Democrats’ confab took place exactly one month before the Aug. 18 primary elections. The deadline to register to vote in that election is today.

The reporter of this story, Mitch Perry, has covered politics and government in Florida for more than two decades. Most recently, he is the former politics reporter for Bay News 9. He has also worked at Florida Politics, Creative Loafing and WMNF Radio in Tampa. He was also part of the original staff when the Florida Phoenix was created in 2018.

Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization. This story is republished with their permission. To support Florida Phoenix, click here:

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Our democracy as we’ve known it for 250 years is at risk, as you can see from today’s newsletter.

To save it, we will need a groundswell of support from voters in the coming midterm election.

The purpose of this newsletter—and the accompanying Tropic Press website—is to encourage that engagement.

Currently, Tropic Press is reaching more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere, which is great, but there are literally millions of Florida Democrats and independents we are not reaching yet.

You can help spread the word.

Please like this post. Comment if you are so inclined. But, please, also take a moment to share it with people you know.

With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn our state and this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort.

Thanks.

J.C. Bruce

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The Week Ahead

Voter registration deadline is fast approaching

If you have not yet registered to vote in the upcoming Florida primary election, you still have time. But just barely

The deadline is tomorrow, Monday, July 20. This is also the deadline to change your party affiliation, if you choose to do so, for the August 18 primary.

In Florida, unlike many other states, you must either be registered as a Republican or Democrat to vote for candidates in the major party races. Independents—also known as NPAs or No Party Affiliation—are barred from voting in the two major parties’ primaries even though all Florida taxpayers pay the bill for these elections.

In the Sunshine State, that means 3.3 million NPAs will only be allowed to vote in nonpartisan races, such as judges or school board candidates. There are also nearly half a million other voters registered to minor parties.

To register, check your registration, or change your registration, go to:

RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov.

That Was The Week That Was

Trump wins ‘Participation Trophy’

The war in Iran was over, then it was back on. The Strait of Hormuz was open, then closed. It has been so confusing. But one thing seems clear—at least to many Americans—and that is that Donald Trump lost this unnecessary war.

In his honor, an organization known as Secret Handshake erected a 10-foot-tall “Participation Trophy” on the National Mall. Since then, dozens of other fake trophies mocking the president have been added.

The plaque reads:

“We hereby award President Donald J. Trump this participation trophy for his enthusiastic involvement in the Iran War. While some concern themselves with military strategy, diplomacy, or measurable outcomes, President Trump demonstrated the courage to participate regardless of the final score. As recipient of this prestigious award, President Trump joins the ranks of children everywhere who receive recognition for simply showing up. We join you in celebrating this remarkable achievement.”

Trump acts like he’s the only president snubbed by networks

Trump, angry that so many television networks and news channels did not broadcast his speech to the nation live last week, has threatened to cancel their broadcast licenses.

“Fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses,” he declared Thursday.

For the record, it has always been common for networks to determine whether or not to preempt regular programming when a president asks. It depends: Is this an emergency, or is this just politicking?

Clearly, Trump was just propagandizing on Thursday when he rehashed his hurt feelings about losing the presidential election in 2020, and he pretended to have new evidence—which has largely been debunked—that the integrity of our elections is in peril.

Trump acts like he’s being singled out. That is yet another lie.

In 2022, major broadcast networks did not carry President Joe Biden’s prime-time speech that he also timed to deliver right before the midterm elections, just like Trump.

In 2014, for example, the networks also declined to interrupt their regular programming for President Barack Obama. Reagan had similarly been turned down.

That doesn’t mean the threat to broadcasters isn’t real, though. Trump has stacked the Federal Communications Commission with loyalists who have shown no hesitancy to obediently do his bidding.

For a hilarious send-up on all this, check out TikTok influencer Matt Randolph, a.k.a. @MrGlobal, and his take on it here:

Mr. Global

We’ll have to wait for the Todd Blanche vote

The Senate Judiciary Committee held two days of hearings on the nomination of Trump’s former personal attorney to become the nation’s next attorney general.

Todd Blanche has had “acting” before his title ever since he replaced Pam Bondi, who was fired earlier this year.

During his testimony, Blanche referred to himself as still being Trump’s personal lawyer, which was a slip, he said. A Freudian slip, actually.

The Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on July 30.

Fort Lauderdale cops hire psychic consultant

Police in Fort Lauderdale are paying a psychic $1,500 to help them investigate the cold case of a missing 15-year-old girl who disappeared in 2017.

“Psychic profiler and medium” Alejandra Tabor offered her services to see what happened to the girl, and the cops have taken her up on it, hiring her on a 90-day contract, according to the Miami Herald.

Military needs more testosterone

So says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has launched a screening program to ensure that the men and women in the armed services are sufficiently “vigorous.”

Whether from anabolic steroid use or testosterone replacement therapy, too much of the hormone can lead to severe acne, hair loss, sleep apnea, moodiness, blood clots and heart issues.

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Meme of the Week

Quote of the Week

"The Attorney General of the United States is supposed to defend the American people, not the president. Todd Blanche has made his priorities clear—and they are disqualifying."

— Democratic Party official statement

Letter of the Week

If there are enough idiots in this country to be hoodwinked by Donald Trump and his lackeys AGAIN, we, and the world, are truly in Deep Trouble. VOTE, and get everyone you know to vote, as if the life of our democracy depended on it. This time it really may.

— Nancy

Looking Ahead

When I’m not writing this newsletter, I also scribble a current events column for Florida Weekly. You should check it out. Here are some snippets, from there and elsewhere, to help guide your week ahead.

July 19. The World Cup championship game between Spain and Argentina is today. Game time is 3 p.m. E.D.T.

July 20. Moon Day. It was on this day in 1969 that astronaut Neil Armstrong, having rocketed to space from Florida, became the first person to walk on the moon.

July 21. Invite an Alien to Live With You Day. Neil Armstrong tried to bring one home from the Moon but was intercepted by ICE agents. The whereabouts of the alien are a government secret.

July 22. Ratcatcher’s Day. The Pied Piper of Hamelin used a flute to rid the village of rodents, but, when he wasn’t paid, turned his musical gifts on the town’s children and lured them away forever. Somehow this has turned into a day honoring pest control people.

July 23. Vanilla Ice Cream Day. You’ve heard the expression “plain vanilla.” It’s supposed to mean dull. But true ice cream aficionados know that vanilla is the BEST flavor of ice cream.

July 24. Tell an Old Joke Day. Here’s one: What’s the prize old people can win for aging? Atrophy.

July 25. Threading the Needle Day. This is about the virtues of precision and patience, not pushing a camel through the eye of a needle.

July 26. World Tofu Day. It was invented by the ancient Chinese. However, whipped avocado and tofu’s first sighting on a menu was in Australia in 2015.

July 27. Take Your Houseplants for a Walk Day. It’s also Take Your Pants for a Walk Day. I’m combining both into a stroll around the ‘hood.

Last Week’s Tropic Press headlines

In case you missed it, here are some of the stories that headlined Tropic Press this past week. Click on the headlines to read the stories.

Fact-checking Trump’s lying diatribe about election security

If Donald Trump had his way, his new title would sound like ‘Sickness’

Is Trump about to ramp up efforts to undermine our elections?

You have questions, we have answers about Trump’s slush fund a Miami judge just trashed

BREAKING NEWS: Miami federal judge rebukes Trump’s self-dealing slush fund

BREAKING NEWS: Sen. Lindsey Graham is dead at 71 after ‘brief and sudden illness’

Please share this post

Our democracy as we’ve known it for 250 years is at risk, as you can see from today’s newsletter.

To save it, we will need a groundswell of support from voters in the coming midterm election.

The purpose of this newsletter—and the accompanying Tropic Press website—is to encourage that engagement.

Currently, Tropic Press is reaching more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere, which is great, but there are literally millions of Florida Democrats and independents we are not reaching yet.

You can help spread the word.

Please like this post. Comment if you are so inclined. But, please, also take a moment to share it with people you know.

With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn our state and this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort.

Thanks.

J.C. Bruce

Share

Thanks to today’s sponsor…

Check out YouTube’s newest and newsiest current events podcast, based right here in the Sunshine State. Get your day started every Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. I’ll be on the show Monday at 8:15 a.m. Check it out here:

The Dave Elliott Show

Editor’s Note: We take a break from hard news every Saturday morning to let Hermina Hermelinda Obregon, a.k.a. Miss Mingo, share her insights with readers. She’s a recovering newspaper reporter living in a bungalow off Duval Street in Key West. At least that’s what her official biography says, if you can believe that. She answers the pressing questions of the day about life, the news, and the best happy hour prices.

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DEAR MISS MINGO:

You appear to be the Miss Manners expert on how to approach our MAGA legislators. Please advise me regarding if I should abandon trying to shame mine into any sense of decency. It appears all those serious Republicans with an intact conscience have already left the building.

While my local U.S. Representative appears “decent” (well, we are the district that spawned Randy Fine), he is utterly spineless as evidenced by his refusal to give any sort of pushback against the current administration’s massive grifting and corruption. The last straw was the former history professor’s letter to constituents, along with some twisted historical justification, in full support of Trump’s taxpayer-funded billion-dollar ballroom.

Should I just stop banging my head against the seawall?

Miffed in Merritt Island

Dear Miffed:

You are not alone. I, myself, have tried various strategies to get through the thick skulls of several Republicans I know. When reason failed, I turned to less traditional methods.

First, I tried wearing strings of garlic around my neck and advancing upon them with outstretched silver crosses. No joy. In fact, one of them snatched it out of my hands and now refuses to return it. This has cost me a friendship since, not being particularly religious myself, I had borrowed it.

It occurred to me that there had to be more than stubbornness at play here, so I wondered about demon possession. I consulted a Wiccan friend of mine to see if she could perform an exorcism but, it turns out, she doesn’t believe in devils or such. My next step is to consult a priest. I will report back.

You can’t fix stupid. And you can’t cause someone to grow a conscience. People who have decided to put their own selfish interests above their oaths of office are the very definition of what it means to be dishonorable.

If exorcisms fail, the only thing left is to vote them out.

DEAR MISS MINGO:

What’s up with Congress? Shouldn’t they be called back if they are not in session to vote on this war out in the Middle East?

Mary Anne

Dear Mary Anne:

Events in the news move swiftly these days, and while this is my first chance to reply to your letter, Congress has, indeed, reconvened, but your concern remains because they have yet to do anything to rein in Trump’s reign of terror.

Worse, House Republicans are pushing a bill to give Trump $73 billion to re-stockpile his depleted weapons supply to continue his war. But that could face a rocky road in the Senate, especially as the midterm election nears and voting to extend war funding could backfire on Republicans fighting to save their phony-baloney jobs.

Stay tuned.

DEAR MISS MINGO:

Are your attorneys allowing you to reveal your part in the Flamingo Revolution, the largest protests in Albania for decades? Jared Kushner‘s company paid $110 million for land that Miami “businessman” claims was owned by his family since the days of the Ottoman Empire. Albanian protesters are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama due to concerns about the environment and about corruption.

So, Miss Mingo, can you disclose your part in organizing this Flamingo Revolution? And how much of the $110 million have you received for your role in brokering the deal?

Greg in Austria

Dear Greg:

Bob Brecha, whose correspondence from Europe frequently graces Tropic Press reports, has written extensively about this issue, and I would direct you to his latest post, which you can find on our website.

As he notes:

Albanians have been more bold than US citizens in taking to the streets in an uprising up against politicians involved in questionable real estate deals. It seems that Albanians are upset that a sensitive nature reserve (flamingoes and other creatures) is being eyed as the next private luxury development by the Trump/Kushner Clan. Although the project proposal has been around for a couple of years, matters rose to a head after Ivanka Trump told a podcaster that, “We were on a friend’s boat, and we stopped for a swim, effectively, that’s how we found it. We swam to the islands, we went on a hike barefoot all the way up to the top, and we were just captivated,”(CNN) How Christopher Columbus of them.

To your question, I have no direct involvement in this matter. I did not broker the deal. I did not lead the protest following the deal. That’s the sort of thing arms dealers do, right? Stir up conflict then sell guns to both sides? Good business model, I suppose, but that’s not me. But I do love the idea of a “Flamingo Revolution.”

Maybe we can get one started here in Florida. I would be happy to carry the banner for that.

Got a question for Miss Mingo? About life, the news, or multi-dimensional realities? Write to her at MissMingo@Tropic.Press

ASK MISS MINGO

Want to know more about Miss Mingo? How she got her start? And whether she really lives with two cats—Deadline and Dateline—and a pet iguana named Skippy? You can find her official biography, such as it is, here. If you’re bar hopping on Duval Street in Key West and spot an intriguing woman in a pink hat that you suspect might be Miss Mingo, you can always offer to buy her a Cuba Libre. Will it actually be her? Is there an actual her? Life’s a mystery.

Meet Miss Mingo

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And when your shirt arrives, take a selfie and email it to Miss Mingo to be included in her column.

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