In a series of political shifts and legal controversies in Florida, the GOP has made significant gains, flipping seats in local elections and defeating nearly half of the Democratic 'Take Back Local' candidates. Among the notable outcomes, the Delray Beach mayoral seat and Clearwater City Council seats have turned Republican. Meanwhile, legal issues have surfaced involving a Florida City Commissioner under investigation for allegedly stealing over $100,000 from an elderly woman and Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who was arrested for money laundering and bribery. Furthermore, Florida lawmakers have passed a law prohibiting ethics boards from launching investigations, a move criticized by some as an attempt to make it harder to investigate unethical politicians in Miami-Dade. Additionally, a Florida pastor has won a mayoral seat, appointing members of his church to city boards and launching an initiative to help conservative evangelical Christians gain majorities on municipal commissions in the county.
Florida GOP Chair @EvanPower: "There’s not a single Democrat who represents the City of Clearwater [after local election flips]." https://t.co/Rt1EHafuLg
Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla was arrested for money laundering and bribery after the Miami-Dade ethics board launched an investigation. Florida lawmakers have now passed a law prohibiting ethics boards from launching investigations. https://t.co/0YfSZiCR36
Couple at the center of money laundering & bribery case against #Florida city commissioner said they didn't know how $245K from their business’s account ended up in the commissioner’s political committee coffers https://t.co/LbX4uET63s via @tessriski, @joeflech & @Blaskey_S
A Florida lawyer has been disbarred for continuing to represent immigration clients while he was suspended for his behavior when he was working as a public defender in the Jacksonville area. https://t.co/1o5UhGHDZD #ethics #legalethics
Centners downplay ties to arrested Miami commissioner, say they ‘sprinkle money around’ ✍️ w/@tessriski & @Blaskey_S https://t.co/zGhxVzbS27
Delray Beach mayoral seat flips Republican https://t.co/pLy5IQEmB9
Democrats flunk out on nearly half of priority candidates, lose Clearwater City Council seats and Delray Beach mayoral race https://t.co/BHRbibcpfB
.@FloridaGOP Chairman @EvanPower says party isn’t slowing down after Tuesday election flips, will prioritize mail-in voting and turnout https://t.co/Rt1EHafuLg
A woman is accused of defrauding an elderly person in her care. https://t.co/zUjyDTJOZj
#Florida city council OK's city attorney's call to seek sanctions against mayor for perjury in filing bar complaint about him. City atty is also a member of FL Legislature. https://t.co/tKFLQFNFiX via @TomMnwfdn
#Florida city commissioner didn't report his ties to park developer, officials say https://t.co/Tkhii5Roxv via @vanityhack
#Florida pastor wins seat as mayor, has appointed members of his church to city boards & launched an initiative aimed at helping conservative evangelical Christians gain majorities on all municipal commissions in county. https://t.co/qkfoQgUJ6D via @garywhite13
Florida City Commissioner Under Investigation for Allegedly Stealing Over $100,000 from 96-Year-Old Woman via @gatewaypundit https://t.co/1UGO9phiQd
Florida GOP defeats nearly half of Democratic ‘Take Back Local’ candidates, flips blue seats https://t.co/BHRbibcpfB
Florida lawmakers try to make it harder to investigate unethical Miami-Dade politicians | Opinion https://t.co/mL3MU0209E