Andrew Gillum, former Florida Democratic candidate for governor, was acquitted Thursday of lying to the FBI in a corruption case. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on charges that Gillum funneled tens of thousands of dollars in campaign money to personal accounts. Gillum has maintained his innocence throughout the case and expressed relief at the jury's decision, thanking his supporters and looking forward to continuing to serve the public.
Posts tagged as “Tallahassee”
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board has voted to sue Walt Disney World in state court in response to Disney's lawsuit against Governor Ron DeSantis and the board. The board is attempting to maintain its oversight of design and construction in the district that governs Disney World's 25,000 acres, and is also defending itself in federal court in Tallahassee, where Disney's lawsuit was filed. The ongoing political feud between Disney and DeSantis has been escalating since the governor's takeover of the district, and the board's lawsuit is the latest move in the dispute.
Hope Carrasquilla, the former principal of Tallahassee Classical School, resigned this week after parents complained about a lesson on Michelangelo's statue of David. The school board chair said Carrasquilla did not follow procedure and was asked to either resign or be terminated. The school board has not yet named a replacement and is looking into the incident to determine if any further action is necessary.
Three Florida high school students, represented by civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump, are threatening to sue Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state of Florida over a recently announced statewide ban on an Advanced Placement course on African American history. The students allege that the state is censoring public education by blocking the course while allowing other AP courses focused on white history. The students are hoping to reverse the decision and allow the course to be taught in Florida high schools through their lawsuit.
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke out against efforts to restrict abortion access on the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, invoking fundamental American values such as freedom to make the case for protecting abortion access. She argued that without the ability to make intimate decisions, families cannot be truly free and detailed fights throughout history for certain liberties. In response, the White House took executive action to protect medication abortion, and Harris called abortion a "fundamental, constitutional right." She also spoke about the next steps in fighting for reproductive rights, in a time when many states are passing restrictive abortion laws.