Neither offered proof of the allegations, and the White House declined to discuss “non-open source information” that had led to their assessment. Scott cited a Diario Las Américas news report linking back to a blog.WASHINGTON — The White House said Friday it has information that individuals linked to Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro have incited violence at protests in the United States spurred by George Floyd’s death.U.S. Sen Rick Scott also highlighted a similar report earlier in the week, promising Wednesday on Twitter that the U.S. government would crack down on any operatives tied to...…Neither offered proof of the allegations, and the White House declined to discuss “non-open source information” that had led to their assessment. Scott cited a Diario Las Américas news report linking back to a blog.WASHINGTON — The White House said Friday it has information that individuals linked to Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro have incited violence at protests in the United States spurred by George Floyd’s death.U.S. Sen Rick Scott also highlighted a similar report earlier in the week, promising Wednesday on Twitter that the U.S. government would crack down on any operatives tied to...WW…

/The question is: Could any Florida city pull it off with such little time?Florida Republicans said they would “welcome” the Republican National Convention if President Donald Trump makes good on a Twitter threat Monday to pull the party’s seminal political event from North Carolina.“The Republican Party of Florida would welcome the opportunity to host the Republican National Convention,” state party Chairman Joe Gruters said in a statement. “Florida is committed to ensuring a safe, secure and successful event for President Trump and all attendees.”The Republican National Committee has been...…/The question is: Could any Florida city pull it off with such little time?Florida Republicans said they would “welcome” the Republican National Convention if President Donald Trump makes good on a Twitter threat Monday to pull the party’s seminal political event from North Carolina.“The Republican Party of Florida would welcome the opportunity to host the Republican National Convention,” state party Chairman Joe Gruters said in a statement. “Florida is committed to ensuring a safe, secure and successful event for President Trump and all attendees.”The Republican National Committee has been...WW…

//The visit will be Trump’s second stint in his home state in three weeks.President Donald Trump is returning to Florida later this month to raise campaign cash.The president is scheduled to head to Tampa on July 31 and then to the Miami area Aug. 1 to raise money for his presidential campaign, according to an alert circulated by a GOP fundraiser and viewed by the Miami Herald. A person familiar with the Miami event said the Aug. 1 fundraiser will be held at the Trump National Doral Miami.Both events offer various levels of access to Trump, with a roundtable, photo and reception with the...…//The visit will be Trump’s second stint in his home state in three weeks.President Donald Trump is returning to Florida later this month to raise campaign cash.The president is scheduled to head to Tampa on July 31 and then to the Miami area Aug. 1 to raise money for his presidential campaign, according to an alert circulated by a GOP fundraiser and viewed by the Miami Herald. A person familiar with the Miami event said the Aug. 1 fundraiser will be held at the Trump National Doral Miami.Both events offer various levels of access to Trump, with a roundtable, photo and reception with the...WW…

/Strategists expect the race for Florida to be a nail-biter come November. But it’s unclear when Trump will be able to return to the campaign rallies and Mar-a-Lago fundraisers. Grappling with a pandemic that has put his leadership under a microscope and kept him far from home, President Donald Trump’s popularity is diminishing in Florida.Throughout the month of April, with the economy, campaigns and society in general upended, polls have found Trump falling behind former Vice President Joe Biden and struggling to win the trust of voters in his home state. Surveys also suggest Trump is...…/Strategists expect the race for Florida to be a nail-biter come November. But it’s unclear when Trump will be able to return to the campaign rallies and Mar-a-Lago fundraisers. Grappling with a pandemic that has put his leadership under a microscope and kept him far from home, President Donald Trump’s popularity is diminishing in Florida.Throughout the month of April, with the economy, campaigns and society in general upended, polls have found Trump falling behind former Vice President Joe Biden and struggling to win the trust of voters in his home state. Surveys also suggest Trump is...WW…

//Florida Republicans are closer to parity in voter registration than they’ve been in decades.Florida Democrats have a problem: there were supposed to be more of them by now.Following narrow losses in 2018 races for Florida governor and U.S. Senate, Democrats emerged from the midterms with a new resolve to register more voters in the nation’s largest swing state as a path to victory in 2020. Former gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, fresh off a stinging 34,000-vote loss, vowed to “flip Florida blue” by registering or “re-engaging” 1 million voters, including 200,000 new Democrats added...…//Florida Republicans are closer to parity in voter registration than they’ve been in decades.Florida Democrats have a problem: there were supposed to be more of them by now.Following narrow losses in 2018 races for Florida governor and U.S. Senate, Democrats emerged from the midterms with a new resolve to register more voters in the nation’s largest swing state as a path to victory in 2020. Former gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, fresh off a stinging 34,000-vote loss, vowed to “flip Florida blue” by registering or “re-engaging” 1 million voters, including 200,000 new Democrats added...WW…

Dear Readers,The coronavirus pandemic has caused widespread disruption to the lives of everyone in Tampa Bay and to so many businesses in our community. Here at the Tampa Bay Times, we continue to provide free, up-to-date information at as a public service. But we need your help. Please consider supporting us by or , and by sharing our work. Thank you./“Florida, we’re not in good shape,” said Rep. Shevrin Jones, a Democrat and Biden campaign surrogate. “We have a leadership that took weeks to issue a shelter-in-place order after you and many other Democrats urged him to do so.Florida’s...…Dear Readers,The coronavirus pandemic has caused widespread disruption to the lives of everyone in Tampa Bay and to so many businesses in our community. Here at the Tampa Bay Times, we continue to provide free, up-to-date information at as a public service. But we need your help. Please consider supporting us by or , and by sharing our work. Thank you./“Florida, we’re not in good shape,” said Rep. Shevrin Jones, a Democrat and Biden campaign surrogate. “We have a leadership that took weeks to issue a shelter-in-place order after you and many other Democrats urged him to do so.Florida’s...WW…

/“This is probably the only state where a Republican should fear a primary challenge from a Trumpist candidate, and Marco’s first in line,” says one GOP consultant.At a weekend rally organized by Republicans outside Miami’s Freedom Tower, a crowd unified by the false belief that the 2020 election was stolen from President Donald Trump gathered and waved Trump 2020 banners, American flags — and, in one case, a sign asking “Where’s Marco?”Marco Rubio, Florida’s senior Republican U.S. senator, was not expected to attend the event, one of many protests planned around the country by Trump’s most...…/“This is probably the only state where a Republican should fear a primary challenge from a Trumpist candidate, and Marco’s first in line,” says one GOP consultant.At a weekend rally organized by Republicans outside Miami’s Freedom Tower, a crowd unified by the false belief that the 2020 election was stolen from President Donald Trump gathered and waved Trump 2020 banners, American flags — and, in one case, a sign asking “Where’s Marco?”Marco Rubio, Florida’s senior Republican U.S. senator, was not expected to attend the event, one of many protests planned around the country by Trump’s most...WW…

/Trump is indicating that when he leaves the White House next month, he will decamp to Mar-a-Lago, the private Palm Beach club he declared in late 2019 as his full-time private residence.As President Donald Trump’s last-ditch efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election fail, his actions and words are increasingly pointing to one likelihood: When his presidency ends, Trump will return to South Florida and remain a force in Republican politics.“If I lost, I would say, ‘I lost.’ And I’d go to Florida,” Trump told a crowd of thousands Saturday in Georgia during a political rally on...…/Trump is indicating that when he leaves the White House next month, he will decamp to Mar-a-Lago, the private Palm Beach club he declared in late 2019 as his full-time private residence.As President Donald Trump’s last-ditch efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election fail, his actions and words are increasingly pointing to one likelihood: When his presidency ends, Trump will return to South Florida and remain a force in Republican politics.“If I lost, I would say, ‘I lost.’ And I’d go to Florida,” Trump told a crowd of thousands Saturday in Georgia during a political rally on...WW…

//The start of in-person voting today is expected to trigger a conservative wave that will build over the next two weeks and crest on Election Day. A record-breaking surge of mail-voting Democrats in Florida has handed Joe Biden a massive lead over President Donald Trump in his must-win home state.But here come the Republicans.The start of in-person voting Monday is expected to trigger a conservative wave that will build over the next two weeks and crest on Election Day. Around two-thirds of participating Florida GOP voters are likely to cast a ballot in person this fall, raising the...…//The start of in-person voting today is expected to trigger a conservative wave that will build over the next two weeks and crest on Election Day. A record-breaking surge of mail-voting Democrats in Florida has handed Joe Biden a massive lead over President Donald Trump in his must-win home state.But here come the Republicans.The start of in-person voting Monday is expected to trigger a conservative wave that will build over the next two weeks and crest on Election Day. Around two-thirds of participating Florida GOP voters are likely to cast a ballot in person this fall, raising the...WW…

/Still, many expect Florida will know before the sun rises on Nov. 4 whether Donald Trump or Democratic nominee Joe Biden has won the state.A mail voting surge in Florida — a must-win battleground state for President Donald Trump — could lead to tense days after the Nov. 3 election, during which thousands of ballots may remain uncounted and the outcome of the presidential race unknown.And that’s okay.While Election Day is often treated like the Super Bowl, as if the winner will certainly emerge before bedtime, Florida law gives local elections officials several days to submit unofficial...…/Still, many expect Florida will know before the sun rises on Nov. 4 whether Donald Trump or Democratic nominee Joe Biden has won the state.A mail voting surge in Florida — a must-win battleground state for President Donald Trump — could lead to tense days after the Nov. 3 election, during which thousands of ballots may remain uncounted and the outcome of the presidential race unknown.And that’s okay.While Election Day is often treated like the Super Bowl, as if the winner will certainly emerge before bedtime, Florida law gives local elections officials several days to submit unofficial...WW…