Florida: Last News

not guilty to charges that he engaged in oral sex with a 16-year-old he met on the Growlr gay dating app.If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison for each charge.Under Florida law, the age of consent is 18 years old. Engaging in sex with anyone under 18, even if the victim consents, is considered second-degree “sexual battery.”Parson does not qualify under the state’s “Romeo and Juliet” law, which exempts adults under the age of 24 who have sex with a minor from having to register as sex offenders after serving out their punishment.Broward County Circuit Court Judge Phoebee Francois found probable cause to believe that Parson had committed the crimes he is accused of, and set $25,000 bail for each of the charges.Parson, who was visiting his parents in South Florida in February, turned himself in to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office after learning that a warrant for his arrest had been issued.The 16-year-old claimed he had met Parson on the Growlr app and agreed to meet up at a local gas station after trading explicit pictures.The youth claims he and Parson kissed and engaged in reciprocal oral sex, but that he got nervous about passersby on foot, so Parson agreed to move to another location.The two were driving down a major highway, trailing each other as they looked for a place to turn off.

On Thursday, a group of Florida school-age students, parents of LGBTQ youth, and a teacher filed suit against a recent bill signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis that prohibits LGBTQ-related content or lessons in primary grade classrooms.The lawsuit, filed in U.S.

prohibits instruction on LGBTQ-related content in primary grades. Critics have dubbed it the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, saying it will in practice be used by individual teachers and administrators as justification for suppressing all LGBTQ-related speech — regardless of the bill’s actual text.The unveiling of the billboards in certain state capitals is deliberate, as activists behind the project have targeted states where anti-LGBTQ legislation has either become law or is being debated by lawmakers.

all sexually-related or “age-inappropriate” topics from being broached in primary grade classrooms. But Republicans rejected the amendment, choosing to ban only LGBTQ-specific content. LGBTQ advocates also argue that, in enforcing the bill, teachers will send an implicit message to LGBTQ-identifying students that they have no supportive allies and should closet themselves, which may lead some youth to contemplate suicide due to feelings of isolation or depression.DeSantis, who has been roundly criticized for his support of the bill, slammed LGBTQ advocates and Hollywood elites — who mocked the bill and Florida at the most recent Academy Awards on Sunday — for attacking him, saying: “If the people who held up degenerates like Harvey Weinstein as exemplars and as heroes and as all that, if those are the types of people that are opposing us on parents’ rights, I wear that like a badge of honor.“They don’t want to admit that they support a lot of the things that we’re providing protections against,” he said, according to Fox News.

an escalating employee backlash at the Mouse House threatening to spoil the party.Disney is scrambling to contain the fallout over its response to a Florida bill that would bar teachers from discussing LGBTQ topics like sexual orientation or gender identity with students unless they’re in the fourth grade or higher. The issue prompted an internal battle among company employees who are divided on whether Disney should get political.Left-leaning employees staged walkouts this week, arguing the company failed the LGBT community by initially failing to denounce the bill.

A gay police sergeant from Miami, Florida, has claimed that  he is being victimised by the Tallahassee, Florida Police Department for reporting being robbed on a Grindr date. According to the New Times, Sergeant Tommy Reyes pulled his gun on his Grindr date after the man allegedly stole Reyes’s wallet. “I was a victim and I have nothing to hide but I cannot comment on an open investigation. I was a victim of a crime, and Tallahassee PD victimized me again,” Reyes said.Reyes, explaining the situation, said,  “I will stand strong and tell you my brothers and sisters that I was the victim of a crime, and I am once again being victimized by some of our own people.”The two arranged an anonymous or “anon” meeting in which you meet without showing your faces.

WESH that security footage showed that after a verbal exchange between the two, the attacker walked over to the 16-year-old victim and “proceeded to climb onto the victim and punch him multiple times.”The victim reportedly told the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office that the attacker used homophobic slurs during the attack and claimed that the victim “snitched to the staff” about homophobic name-calling. The sheriff’s office also claimed, in a press release, that the attacker was charged with “violating his probation from a previous arrest for battery.”The victim suffered multiple injuries during the attack, including a black eye “that was swollen partially shut,” bruising to his face, and a possible arm injury.

actively censor depictions of, or references to, same-sex affection in films despite touting itself as an LGBTQ-affirming place to work.CEO Bob Chapek initially defended the decision, claiming that the company “unequivocally” stands with its LGBTQ employees in the wake of the bill’s passage but saying he feared that taking a firmer position on the bill could backfire if any statements were “weaponized” by either proponents or opponents of the bill.But following backlash, both internally and externally, Chapek apologized for the company’s silence, saying in a statement sent to employees that he was sorry for the pain caused by Disney’s inaction.“Speaking to you, reading your messages, and meeting with you have helped me better understand how painful our silence was,” Chapek said in the statement. “It is clear that this is not just an issue about a bill in Florida, but instead yet another challenge to basic human rights.

deployment of tear gas against protesters, the shoving of a kneeling protester, the shooting of a woman with a rubber bullet, and controversies stemming from the use of facial recognition technology to identify protestors — which critics have said has difficulty making accurate identifications of people of color.At the time, Scirotto said he wanted to ensure the department fostered better relations with people in the community who have historically been suspicious of, or had fraught relations with, police — a goal that many felt was a positive step. But in the fall, Scirotto promoted a list of minority employees, which led three white officers and one Hispanic officer to file complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging that he was promoting people in a biased manner.The subsequent investigation into Scirotto’s actions found that “almost every witness,” out of 21 interviewed, “was dissatisfied” with Scirotto’s approach to promotions and “most believed that Chief Scirotto made clear his intention to promote based on race, gender or sexual orientation.”“Some believed it was about time changes were made, but stated if promotions were based on things such as race it would even hurt or undermine the people promoted,” the report said.The investigation report accused Scirotto of saying that photos on a conference room wall were “too white” and vowing: “I’m gonna change that.” It also alleged that, in a separate incident, Scirotto passed over a white man with 20 years tenure with the department for a promotion, instead narrowing the field down to two candidates of color, saying: “Which one is blacker?”Lagerbloom defended his decision to fire Scirotto, telling The Associated Press: “There’s everything we

has listed for $699,900. But more than just property, a new owner stands to own some pieces of cinematic history.The Tampa Bay Times reports that the home, at 1774 Tinsmith Circle in Lutz, comes with a yard landscaped to replicate how it appeared in the movie — and memorabilia connected to the flick that’s included in the asking price.“Don’t miss the chance to own such a fun and interesting, one of a kind home that comes with ALL the priceless collection of memorabilia from the movie!” said listing representative, Megan Hartnell of Century 21 Affiliated, in the property’s description. Collectibles include authentic and reproduced props, as well as documents.

demonstrate outside Disney theme parks in Florida and California urging the company to denounce the proposed bill, which President Joe Biden has slammed as “hateful.” Further exacerbating the public backlash against Disney was an Orlando Sentinel report that Disney, despite casting itself as an LGBTQ-affirming place, gave money to every single sponsor and co-sponsor of the bill, including the bill’s Senate sponsor, Sen. Dennis Baxley (R-Belleview), who has proposed multiple pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation during his time as a politician in Tallahassee.In response to stories about Disney’s political donations, Abigail Disney, the 62-year-old granddaughter of the company’s co-founder Roy O.

signaled his support for the bill.Under the bill, sponsored by Rep. Joe Harding (R-Williston), teachers would be prohibited from “encouraging discussion” about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels — which in Florida, is defined as preschool through third grade — or broaching the topic “in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.” The bill also allows parents to sue school districts for failing to consult them regarding “critical decisions affecting a student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being.”While supporters largely intend for the bill to discourage teachers from affirming a child’s gender identity or acknowledging sexual orientation without first consulting the parents, during a Senate hearing on a nearly-identical bill proposed by Sen.

“Don’t Say Gay” bill, highlighting the serious harm it could cause to LGBTQ youth.The Republican-backed bill, which is working its way through Florida’s legislature, would ban discussions of LGBTQ issues “in primary grade levels or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.”Florida Republicans claim that the bill is a “parental rights” measure which will alert parents to topics that they might otherwise object to. However, Democrats have criticized the legislation, saying it will be interpreted and enforced by school districts in a way that effectively gags any discussion about LGBTQ-related topics, even in passing.Appearing on CNN Newsroom last week, Buttigieg was asked by host Jim Sciutto whether the “Don’t Say Gay” bill is “dangerous.”“Absolutely,” Buttigieg responded.

Facebook Live video in which Wright went on a stream-of-consciousness rant about his campaign signs being stolen, claimed that city officials had “blood on their hands” for their response to an officer-involved dirt bike crash that killed a 13-year-old, the lack of economic opportunity, political corruption, and his hatred of political correctness.As part of the broadcast, Wright expressed horror at opponent Ty Penserga’s “big purple, pink signs,” adding: “He’s gay. He wants to make this a gay city. That’s not Boynton culture.“I’ll call him what I will, and I tell his gay butt this, if you’re gay, you’re gay.

Florida, meaning from preschool up to Grade 3), or “in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.”Buttigieg recently attacked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Twitter over the bill being pushed by DeSantis’ fellow Republicans, claiming that its would “kill kids” by making it harder for LGBTQ children to acknowledge their identities.

nearly identical companion bill has been introduced in the Senate by Sen. Dennis Baxley (R-Belleview), using much of the same language.Some parents praised lawmakers for moving to protect parental rights.

mocking of a pandemic that has claimed more than 400,000 American lives.However, an aide for U.S. Rep.

Ricky Martin has publicly voiced his disappointment in seeing continued support for President Donald Trump’s reelection bid from those within the Latino community.In an interview for the Variety and iHeart podcast The Big Ticket, the singer criticized the group Latinos for Trump, saying it was “really scary” to think that Latino voters are supporting the president.“It is super sad,” he said. “I think there’s a lot Hispanics that will vote him out.

began reopening mid-May following a full shutdown during the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, and the event had been scheduled to kick-off on Sept. 10, through Nov.

Universal Orlando Resort announced Tuesday it will reopen its popular CityWalk entertainment and food complex “on a limited basis” beginning Thursday, May 14.

But what does he REALLY think?