DeSantis sends migrants to California, Texas sheriff recommends criminal charges against governor, Lionel Messi signs with Inter Miami CF
June 11, 2023 — This Week's Top Stories in Florida
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Here’s the latest from Florida…
DeSantis sends flights of migrants to California
Florida is behind two recently chartered flights that have transported asylum-seekers from the Texas border to Sacramento, California, causing controversy and surprise among local officials and aid workers. In four days, 36 migrants, primarily from Colombia and Venezuela, were brought to California’s capital city via two charter flights that sparked the launch of an investigation by California Attorney General Rob Bonta. The latest flights follow Gov. Ron DeSantis’ decision last year to lure 49 Venezuelan migrants onto two private jets from a shelter in San Antonio and send them to the upscale Massachusetts enclave of Martha’s Vineyard. The asylum-seekers who arrived in California were provided with housing and support by local officials and faith-based groups. The Florida governor and other state officials initially remained silent about their involvement until the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) confirmed the state arranged the flights. DeSantis and other officials now face accusations of “state-sanctioned kidnapping” by California authorities for misleading asylum-seekers to board these flights with false promises of jobs. FDEM pushed back and said those relocated did so “voluntarily.” In the latest escalation of an ongoing feud between the Florida governor and California Governor Gavin Newsom, the Democratic governor posted on Twitter, “[Ron DeSantis] you small, pathetic man,” with a snapshot of California’s criminal code regarding kidnapping. The Republican governor of Florida, who is currently running for president, has not responded to the attack and has maintained his vocal criticism of federal immigration policy, including actively promoting the state's involvement in transporting migrants to Democratic-led states. The flights to Sacramento were likely facilitated by Vertol Systems Co., the same company that flew migrants to Martha's Vineyard. In May, DeSantis signed a bill allowing $12 million to be used for Florida’s migrant relocation program.
Texas sheriff recommends criminal charges over Florida’s migrant flights to Martha’s Vineyard last year
A Texas sheriff is recommending criminal charges related to migrant relocation flights last year that were arranged by Gov. DeSantis and sent 49 asylum-seekers from Texas to the affluent Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. The news comes at the same time Florida sent two additional flights from Texas to Sacramento, California, carrying a total of 36 largely Venezuelan and Colombian migrants. Bexar County Sheriff's Office has recommended the filing of charges against those responsible for luring migrants onboard private jets “under false pretenses.” The charges include misdemeanor and felony counts of unlawful restraint, but the local district attorney is still reviewing the case and it remains unclear whether the office will decide to file charges. The sheriff’s office did not name individual suspects as part of the announcement. The DeSantis administration defended last year’s decision to send migrants across the country by arguing that it was strictly “voluntary.”
Lionel Messi joins Inter Miami CF
Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest soccer player of all time, has agreed to join Inter Miami CF in 2023. The 35-year-old Argentine forward will sign a three-year contract with the MLS club. Messi's arrival in Miami is a major coup for the league and for Inter Miami. He is among the most popular athletes in the world and his signing is sure to boost Major League Soccer's profile and popularity. Messi is a six-time Ballon d'Or winner and has won every major club trophy with FC Barcelona. He is also the all-time leading scorer for Argentina. Messi's decision to join Inter Miami is a sign of the club's ambition, with the team owned by former soccer star David Beckham and a group of investors who are committed to building a winning team. Messi is leaving French team Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent and his arrival in Miami is also a sign of the growing popularity of soccer in the United States. The MLS is the fastest-growing soccer league in the world and it is now the fifth-most popular sport in the United States – larger than boxing, golf, WWE, and tennis. Messi's signing is almost guaranteed to attract new fans to the MLS and increase match viewership as people tune in to see how he performs in the league.
Florida’s Medicaid purge
Approximately 250,000 Floridians have lost their Medicaid health coverage since mid-April when the Department of Children and Families began an eligibility review for over five million people enrolled in the program. This review was prompted by the increase in Medicaid enrollments during the pandemic. The state is expected to continue the review, leading to more low-income recipients losing their health coverage. State officials had already identified around 900,000 individuals who would no longer qualify for Medicaid once the federal public health emergency ended, and an additional 850,000 have not responded to requests for eligibility information. The coverage loss is a result of the federal government encouraging states to provide Medicaid insurance during the early stages of the pandemic, even if people experienced income increases or found new jobs that would typically make them ineligible. In return, the federal government provided a higher share of funding to states to cover medical expenses. However, now that the public health emergency is over, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has allowed states up to a year to return to pre-pandemic operational levels, which includes reviewing individuals' income to determine whether they are no longer eligible for Medicaid benefits. Over 500,000 people in 11 states have lost their Medicaid coverage since the expiration of the continuous enrollment provision on May 1.
NOAA forecasts 5 to 9 hurricanes this season
The 2023 Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be near-normal, with 12 to 17 named storms, including a total of five to nine hurricanes, of which one to four are predicted to reach major hurricane strength with winds of 111 miles per hour or greater, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The hurricane season officially began on June 1 and ends on November 30. Meteorologists say the confluence of moderate ocean temperatures and a likely El Niño climate pattern will contribute to a less active hurricane season than in recent years. The past three hurricane seasons saw La Niña oceanic and atmospheric conditions that increased named storms, but this year’s predicted El Niño tends to dampen storm development. NOAA says there is a 40% chance of storm activity being near-normal and a 30% chance of being below or above normal, respectively.
DeSantis issues first vetoes of 2023
Gov. DeSantis vetoed two bills last week, marking his first vetoes of 2023. One of the bills, HB 385, dealt with professional counseling services and Florida’s status as a member of the Professional Counselors Licensure Compact, which allows licensed professional counselors (LPCs) from other states to practice in Florida without having to obtain a separate license. The bill would have allowed other states in the compact to collect fees in Florida. HB 385 had received unanimous approval from lawmakers. The other bill vetoed, SB 230, was sought by Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and aimed to regulate the titles and professional designations used in healthcare practitioners' advertising. Specifically, the bill would have restricted optometrists from referring to themselves as “physicians,” required practitioners to wear name tags or display licenses when treating patients, and mandated practitioners to verbally identify themselves by name and profession to new patients. SB 230 sparked more controversy during its journey through the House and Senate, including opposition from the Florida Optometric Association.
DeSantis’ presidential campaign begins with audio leak from donor event
Gov. DeSantis’ presidential campaign was recently unnerved by an unfortunate audio leak from a strategy meeting with big donors in Miami that discussed challenges ahead for his just-launched bid. Leaked audio and presentation slides showed aides trying to put a positive spin on poll data that clearly showed rival former President Donald Trump has an advantage in the 2024 primary and that a large chunk of Republican voters will only consider supporting Trump. Nearly all polls have DeSantis trailing Trump by double digits, with the latest polls from crucial early-voting states, including Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina showing Trump up anywhere between 15 and 25 percentage points. The event also disclosed that primary voters find DeSantis to be more conservative than the former president, with 43% to 50% of respondents in early states considering him “very conservative.” Despite the political friction ahead, when presenting to donors, pollsters demonstrated that DeSantis boasts greater favorability ratings. Still, pundits say that’s because the candidate only recently entered the race and hasn’t faced a deluge of attacks yet. All in all, despite campaign staffer’s optimistic outlook at the Miami donor, the leaked data highlighted a narrow path to victory for the Florida governor and pointed more towards Trump securing the GOP nomination. The purported leaker of the audio clip was invited to the donor meeting by a campaign staffer he met on a dating app.
Tampa, Miami lead metro areas with the greatest increase in home prices
Miami and Tampa have continued to lead the nation in the greatest housing price increase year-over-year when compared to other metro areas, according to data from S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices. Home prices in Miami and Tampa rose by 7.7% and 4.8% respectively in March 2023 versus March 2022. Miami took the No. 1 spot on the list for the eighth consecutive month, followed by Tampa and Charlotte, North Carolina, which saw a 4.7% increase. The Southeast region as a whole saw the largest year-over-year increases in home prices, while decreases were seen in western U.S. cities such as Seattle and San Francisco. According to Redfin, the median sale price of a home in Miami was $575,000, whereas in Tampa, the median home price is $420,000.
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