Covering All Things Florida
The $5 million settlement awarded to Ashli Babbitt’s family in May 2025 is a hollow gesture for the unarmed Air Force veteran gunned down by Capitol Police Lieutenant Michael Byrd on January 6, 2021. It’s not justice—it’s a Band-Aid on a wound that festers with questions. Byrd, concealed behind a wall, chose a bullet over a baton, pepper spray, taser, handcuffs or a simple shove when Babbitt, a 5’2” woman, poked her head through a broken Capitol window. No warning, no de-escalation—just a .40-caliber Glock fired at near point-blank range. Contrast that with New Jersey Democrats like Rep. LaMonica McIver, who, on May 9, 2025, stormed a gated and guarded ICE facility in Newark, assaulted federal agents, and walked away with arrests, not in body bags. Why the double standard?
Governor Ron DeSantis has officially signed Senate Bill 1388, dubbed the “Boater Freedom Act,” into law. This new legislation aims to enhance the boating experience in the Sunshine State by reducing governmental restrictions and ensuring that boaters can enjoy Florida’s waters with greater ease and autonomy.
Brain-computer interface (BCI) pioneer Synchron announced it will be the first company to achieve native integration with Apple’s new BCI Human Interface Device (HID) profile, unveiled this week. This milestone allows people implanted with Synchron’s BCI to control iPhones, iPads, and Apple Vision Pro using only their thoughts—no touch, no voice, no physical movement required.
SpaceX CEO Elon Must posted on X yesterday that he plans to give a talk explaining the game plan for Starbase and the company’s plans to go to Mars next week ahead of Starship’s 9th flight. This confirms that Starship is slated to fly next week! Up to this point, SpaceX has not officially listed a Starship launch date, only that final checks are in progress.
The U.S. Air Force has taken a monumental leap in military aviation with the Boeing F-47, the world’s first sixth-generation fighter jet, selected as the cornerstone of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. Announced on March 21, 2025, by President Donald Trump alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Air Force Chief of Staff General David Allvin, the F-47 promises to reshape air superiority with unmatched stealth, speed, and technological innovation.
Back in my know-it-all days, I’d sling sarcastic zingers like, “If guns kill people, then spoons make people fat, cars drive drunk, and pencils misspell words.” Obesity? Diabetes? Your problem, pal—stop scarfing down Twinkies. But you might say I’m “woke” now and I’m spitting mad. Big Food—Kraft Heinz, PepsiCo, Nestlé—and their corporate cousins in tobacco, vaping, and beverages aren’t just giving away the “spoons” for free; they’re force-feeding us addictive, poisonous junk designed to maximize profits while turning us into a nation of for-profit livestock. From cancer to diabetes, they’re raking in billions on our misery, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement is our best shot at breaking their stranglehold.
If you are a fan of classic movies like I am, you’ll love this. You can still step aboard and even take a ride on the original African Queen. While Humphrey Bogart won’t be there to constantly kick the boiler, it’s still a great chance to relive cinematic history. Docked at the Marina Del Mar in Key Largo, Florida, this storied steamboat invites guests to experience in real life the magic of the 1951 film that starred Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn.
Florida’s controversial “Social Media Use by Minors” bill, which among other things sought to mandate encryption backdoors in social media platforms, has failed to pass into law. The legislation, known as SB 868/HB 743, was indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration in the Florida House of Representatives earlier this week, despite having previously passed the Senate with a 34–3 vote.
If you are on active duty or are a former military member visiting the Tampa Area between now and July 6th, here’s a free ticket deal you might not want to miss. But hurry! You have to claim this offer by May 11th!
In an unusual turn of events, residents of St. Cloud, Florida, were somewhat surprised on Monday afternoon when a kangaroo was spotted hopping along Hickory Tree Road, a busy thoroughfare in Osceola County. The sighting prompted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to leap into action leading to the safe capture of the marsupial and filing charges subsequent charges against its owner.
