ANNALS OF De$ANTI$TAN: Republicans sue Jolly, Dems and TV stations over Hope Florida grand jury ads (Justin Garcia, Tampa Bay Times, October 19, 2026)

From Tampa Bay Times: 

Republicans sue Jolly, Dems and TV stations over Hope Florida grand jury ads

Justin Garcia

Updated Mon, October 19, 2026 at 10:16 AM EDT

3 min read

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Hope Florida is a signature initiative of Gov. Ron DeSantis and first lady Casey DeSantis that aims to steer people toward churches and nonprofits for assistance instead of government services. It is supported by the Hope Florida Foundation. ©Jefferee Woo

The Republican Party of Florida is suing the state Democratic Party, candidate for governor David Jolly and other politicians to stop atelevision ad that mentions a grand jury's findings about Hope Florida.

The court filing out of Highlands County accuses television stations of breaking the law by airing Democratic candidates' ad focusing on the jury's report, which was leaked to CBS Miami and published in August. An appeals court on Oct. 7 ordered the report expunged, saying it was irresponsibly distributed by State Attorney Jack Campbell's office and the jury's findings were incorrect.

The jury said $10 million in public funds from a Medicaid settlementwere "misused for political purposes" in fighting a 2024 ballot measure aimed at legalizing recreational marijuana. First District Court of Appeal Judge Lance Neff, appointedto the seat byGov. Ron DeSantis after the grand jury report was written, authoredthe majority opinion thatruled the millions were "never public money" and lambasted the grand juryreportas being riddled with flaws, including typos.

The party's lawsuit, filed Friday night, addresses the impact the ad could have on the upcoming election.

"RPOF(the Republican Party of Florida) will suffer irreparable harm absent a temporary injunction," the lawsuit says. "Vote-by-mail ballots are already in voters' hands, and early voting starts in many counties as soon as Monday."

A couple ofcandidates named in the lawsuit did not immediately respond to requests for comment. That includes Jolly, a former Republican who is running for governor as a Democrat. The suit says eachnamed candidate approved the ad, which is airing across multiple TV stations.

The Florida Democratic Party said in a news release the case has no standing and that Republicans are trying to get a judge to remove the ads before Democratic lawyers can respond in court.

"Every time Floridians get closer to the truth about Hope Florida, Republicans find another way to bury it," Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried wrote.

Michael Sasso, counsel for the RepublicanParty, cited andechoed the appellate court ruling, saying the grand jury report and ads are "wrong on the law and unsupported by the facts" and that "repeating them by broadcast is a crime under Florida law." The court filing says publishing material from the report is a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and fines.

Among the candidates the party is suing is Democrat Annette Taddeo, who is running for Florida chief financial officer against GOP incumbent Blaise Ingoglia.

"I called for an investigation into who authorized those payments a month ago," Taddeo wrote in an email to the Times. "Now, the Republican Party of Florida, which Ingoglia used to chair, has gone to court to pull an ad off the air before anyone can respond, and is threatening to prosecute TV stations for airing it. That should outrage every Floridian."

The ad linked to the suit criticizes Attorney General James Uthmeier specifically.

A leaked grand jury report found taxpayer money was quietly moved into a dark money political committee that James Uthmeier controlled," the ad says. It shows Uthmeier in front of a black background with his hands on stacks of cash.

The suit names Jose Javier Rodriguez, who is running against Uthmeierfor attorney general.

The lawsuit also targets Fox Television Stations LLC and other communications companies in Tampa Bay and across Florida. Judge Heather Beato, appointed by DeSantis to the 10th Judicial Circuit in 2020, is overseeing the case, a court docket shows.

In 2024, as DeSantis' administration fought against a proposed abortion access amendment, the Department of Health sent cease-and-desist letters to Florida TV stations, demanding they take down an ad in favor of the abortion proposal. The state threatened prosecution if the television stations didn't comply.

A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against the administration, allowing the ads to continue. He dismissed the case after the election.

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Florida counties declare emergency over ‘wildly unusual’ dengue outbreak (Alex DeLuca, WaPo, September 25, 2026)

I will be honored to have your vote for Anastasia Mosquito Control District of St. Johns County, seat 2.  From The Washington Post: 

Florida counties declare emergency over ‘wildly unusual’ dengue outbreak

Mosquito-borne disease has infected hundreds statewide and killed one woman in Tampa.

September 25, 2026 at 2:39 p.m. EDTToday at 2:39 p.m. EDT

3 min

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A female Aedes aegypti mosquito, the primary transmitter of dengue. (James Gathany/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/AP)

By Alex DeLuca

Three Florida counties have declared states of emergency as a growing outbreak of dengue has infected hundreds across the state this year.

Hillsborough and Pinellas counties declared states of emergency Thursday, one day after neighboring Pasco County did the same, as officials in the state’s west-central region ramps up efforts to control mosquito populations and curb the spread of the mosquito-borne disease.

Florida has reported 392 dengue cases among residents this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including both locally acquired infections and cases linked to travel. Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa and has emerged as the center of the state’s outbreak, has reported 177 cases among residents — a rise a county spokesperson described as “wildly unusual.”

The outbreak has also caused at least one death. Florida health officials confirmed that Gay Small, an 80-year-old Tampa woman, was the first known person to die of dengue in the state this year. She died on Sept. 4 after contracting dengue from a mosquito bite near her home, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Historically, most dengue cases in Florida have been contracted during travel abroad, but the state has seen an unusual surge in locally acquired infections since July.

Hillsborough officials said their declaration allows emergency managers to quickly take actions to protect public health and seek federal reimbursement for certain expenses. Hillsborough has deployed low-flying helicopters to spray affected areas.

Pinellas County’s declaration similarly allows officials to approve mosquito-control spending more quickly and seek reimbursement if state funding becomes available. The county said mosquito-control crews have “elevated” their response, with several treatments planned.

“Our crews are currently going door-to-door near our treatment areas offering to assist residents in finding potential mosquito breeding areas and treat them,” Pinellas officials said.

Dengue is a viral infection spread primarily through the bites of infected mosquitoes. Although the disease is common in tropical and subtropical climates, locally acquired cases also occur in parts of the United States, including Florida.

More than 2,000 dengue cases have been reported in the U.S. this year, most of them in Puerto Rico, according to the CDC. More than 2.2 million infections and nearly 1,200 deaths have been reported worldwide this year, according to the World Health Organization.

Most dengue infections cause no symptoms or mild illness, but some people develop fever, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, nausea, or rashes, according to the CDC. In rare cases, the disease can become severe and lead to internal bleeding or death.

To prevent dengue, health officials recommend using insect repellent, wearing clothing that covers the arms and legs, and removing standing water around homes, where mosquitoes can breed.

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