Officials react to shooting at Florida State University
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
Florida Governor Ron Desantis:
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters:
'Although we are not in the same city, the Jacksonville community is deeply connected to Florida State University. The men and women of JSO stand with the FSU shooting victims, students, teachers, administrators, and loved ones. This incident of senseless violence, a tragedy for all Floridians, cries out for justice. As our law enforcement colleagues conduct their investigation, our agency stands ready to support and assist.'
University of North Florida President Dr. Moez Limayem:
Dear Osprey Community,
Our hearts go out to the Florida State University community as they navigate the tragic events at their student union today. Many of us have family, friends and colleagues who attend or work at FSU. I urge you to offer your support and check on them during this difficult time. I reached out to FSU President McCullough to assure him we are here to help the FSU community in any way we can.
UNF counseling services are available for anyone who needs assistance. Student resources are available through the Dean of Students Office Care Services and additional resources for faculty and staff are available through UNF's Employee Assistance Program.
University of Florida President Kent Fuchs:
Watch: Former Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said his son, who attends FSU, is safe in wake of shooting
Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez:
FSU College Democrats:
'As authorities continue to release information, College Democrats extends our deepest sympathies to the victims, their families, and every member of the FSU student body, faculty, and the Tallahassee community who has been impacted by today's senseless tragedy. We share in your feelings of fear, grief, and disbelief. FSU College Democrats and UF College Democrats are immensely grateful for all first responders who responded bravely in the face of grave danger. Their heroic actions certainly saved lives today. We are relieved to hear that the all-clear has been given. Our thoughts remain with the entire FSU community at this time. Even as we process today's events, we firmly resolve that no student should ever have to experience fear like this on their campus. This is not normal; this is not acceptable.'
Watch: Action News Jax's Jake Stofan speaks with FSU student from Fleming Island as they sheltered in place
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Post
39 minutes ago
- New York Post
Florida AG offers to deport your ex if they're illegal migrant: ‘Happy to assist'
Florida's top prosecutor is encouraging spurned exes to turn in their former partners who are in the state illegally — so he can deport them. 'We recently got a tip from someone whose abusive ex overstayed a tourism visa. He is now cued up for deportation,' Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier tweeted Tuesday. 'If your ex is in this country illegally, please feel free to reach out to our office. We'd be happy to assist,' he offered. Advertisement Social-media users jumped at the idea. 'This is expert level savage,' a person posted on X. 'I love it!' Another user quipped, 'How about Mother-In-Laws?' Advertisement 3 Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said you can report your ex to his office if they are in the country illegally. AP Someone added, 'This is exactly the kind of proactive support victims need. 'No one should have to live in fear thank you for standing up for safety and the rule of law.' One user said to 'expect an increase in the number of reports' to the AG's office after the announcement. Advertisement Florida, with GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis at the helm, has been among the states leading the support for President Trump's unprecedented deportation efforts since he returned to the White House for his second term in January. While ICE arrests have more than doubled nationwide in 2025, they've tripled in Florida, with 64 arrests per day statewide compared to 20 arrests in 2024, according to a New York Times analysis last month. 3 Netizens cracked jokes about the the AG's offer. 3 Migrants were deported by the United States to El Salvador under one Trump administration immigration crackdown. AP Advertisement That puts Florida second for daily ICE arrests only behind Texas, which averages about 142 per day. A state-wide, days-long operation in Florida in April dubbed Operation Tidal Wave — the largest of its kind in ICE's history — netted 1,120 criminal illegal migrants. Florida has also opened its controversial Alligator Alcatraz migrant detention facility in the middle of the Florida Everglades, which was built to help ICE reach its migrant deportation targets. Earlier this month, the US Supreme Court shot down a new Florida law that would bar illegal immigrants from entering the state after it filed an emergency appeal to have it upheld. The law, which makes it a misdemeanor offense to enter Florida as an illegal immigrant, was signed by DeSantis in February. Uthmeier argued that the law was necessary to protect Floridians from 'the deluge of illegal immigration,' in his appeal to the Supreme Court, which was supported by 17 other states.


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
FL redistricting gamble? DeSantis weighs pushing GOP-friendly map
There's nothing preventing Floridas's governor from calling a special session in the state legislature to redraw the maps. With one redistricting win in the bag, could Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis go for more? Republicans hold a narrow edge in the U.S. House and President Donald Trump is calling for GOP-led states to redraw maps to help the party ahead of the 2026 elections. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has already called his state's legislature in to do so – and Democrats are wary that DeSantis will do the same. More: Texas GOP eyes redistricting, Dems poised to hit back. What to know. DeSantis notched a victory July 17 when the Florida Supreme Court upheld congressional district lines largely drawn by him, cementing GOP-friendly maps. Even with another legal battle pending, there's nothing in state or federal law preventing DeSantis from calling a special session to redraw the maps seven years before the next required redistricting session under the U.S. Constitution. More: Florida Supreme Court upholds DeSantis-backed congressional district maps Such a move, however, carries its own perils. Republicans already have a 20-8 advantage over Democrats in Florida's congressional delegation. Even with the GOP's surging lead in active registered voters, it could be difficult to draw another Republican district, which would likely require splitting a heavily Democratic district into other GOP districts. Drawing new maps to favor your party but ultimately helping the opposing party is called a 'dummymander.' 'There's also a real question of how much they could realistically do. They do risk a dummymander,' said Matthew Isbell of MCI Maps, a Democratic consultant and redistricting expert. 'If you try to divide things up too much in Orlando and Tampa, then you risk making other districts vulnerable, and there probably is a limit to what the (Florida Supreme Court) would allow.' DeSantis, though, hasn't been shy about pushing the legislature to redo Florida's congressional districts. A history of drawing new lines In 2022, the state's GOP-led legislature's first attempt to draw new lines was vetoed by DeSantis, who rejected the original District 5, a minority access district then held by U.S. Rep. Al Lawson, a Black Democrat from Tallahassee. The district stretched from Jacksonville west to Tallahassee, encompassing communities of African-American voters along the way. DeSantis wanted a more compact district based in Jacksonville and claimed the original District 5 was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. When DeSantis called lawmakers in for a special session to redraw the maps, they passed his preferred lines. A group of voting rights organizations sued over the decision to remove the old district, arguing it violated the state constitution's prohibition on removing minority access districts. But the Florida Supreme Court rejected the claim and upheld the maps. Florida was awarded an extra congressional district after the 2020 Census to account for its population increase. Following the passage of the new maps, after the 2022 election, the GOP advantage in Florida's congressional delegation grew from 15-11 to 20-8 over Democrats. 'We helped elect four additional Republicans to the U.S. Congress, and we probably wouldn't have the majority if that hadn't happened,' DeSantis told a crowd in Greenville, South Carolina, on June 2, 2023, when he was running for President. Republicans currently hold a 220-212 advantage over Democrats in the U.S. House. Three House Democrats have died since March. If Democrats hold those seats in special elections, they would need to net three districts in the November 2026 elections to take control of the chamber. Trump told reporters on July 15 that he wanted the new Texas maps to produce five new GOP districts and that he wanted four other states to redraw their maps, too, but didn't specify which states. A spokesman for DeSantis didn't respond to an email seeking comment on whether he'd call a special session for redistricting. But the governor recently said he'd like a new census that excludes non-citizens. DeSantis claimed Florida, despite having a large number of non-citizen residents, missed out on getting an extra district last time because non-citizens were counted. 'My legislature will redistrict those lines, we'll get it to where it's fair,' DeSantis said July 1. That would depend on an unprecedented redo of the U.S. Census, though. Strained relationship between DeSantis, House could hinder redistricting push Whether the state legislature would go along with any DeSantis push for redistricting is another question. DeSantis' once-mighty sway with the GOP-led legislature has given way after his loss in the presidential primary to a testy relationship with Republican legislative leaders, especially House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami. Perez initially resisted DeSantis' call for a crackdown on unauthorized immigrants earlier this year, offering his alternative before reaching a compromise, and his move to enact a sales tax cut was slammed by DeSantis as crowding out his push for property tax cuts. Perez is unlikely to acquiesce to DeSantis on redistricting – unless Trump directly calls for it. 'It's really about the legislature, and it's really probably then about Trump,' Isbell said. 'If Trump calls on the lawmakers to do it, then I think there's a risk. But if DeSantis says it, the legislature's going to tell him (no).' In the meantime, Democrats are taking notice of the GOP redrawing push. 'Well, two can play that game,' Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on X in response to the news that Trump wants five new GOP districts out of the Texas redistricting session. But California has an independent redistricting commission, and it's unclear how Newsom would maneuver his state legislature to produce more Democratic maps. Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried is also alarmed. 'We are next. Instead of (focusing) on the affordability crisis that Trump is making worse, DeSantis and Florida Republicans will continue to bend a knee,' Fried posted, also on X. No, just the seats we can steal…wtf.'A couple of other states' aka Florida. We are next. Instead of focuses on the affordability crisis that Trump is making worse, Desantis and Florida Republicans will continue to bend a knee. Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@ Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer.


CBS News
3 hours ago
- CBS News
DeSantis announces audits of local government spending, starting with Broward
Cities, counties and law enforcement agencies across Florida will now undergo state audits, with Broward being up first. That's according to Governor Ron DeSantis who made the announcement Tuesday morning in Fort Lauderdale with the state's newly sworn-in Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia. DeSantis said their spending just doesn't add up. "Their county government has increased property tax burdens by the tune of $450 million, in addition to ad valorem collections, that's an increase of close to 50% just since 2020, but yet the population of Broward has barely grown at all, less than 5%," he said. The governor said the county is spending as if the money belongs to someone else. "I think it was, was it $800,000 for the Rose Bowl? They did a float in the Rose Bowl. The county administrator here makes almost half a million dollars a year. So there's a lot of things that really deserve scrutiny," he said. Ingoglia, who was sworn-in as CFO on Monday, said they're going to begin auditing municipalities and agencies on July 31st with a team on the ground and using artificial intelligence. If the municipalities and agencies don't comply, DeSantis said not only will the state withhold funding, there will also be fines. "For example, if we send a letter to a city and say, you know, provide us information on these 100 things, and they don't do it, then each individual item would be a daily fine of $1,000, so that'd be 100,000 a day," he said. The governor said they are starting with areas where they've gotten a lot of complaints and little compliance. So where does Miami-Dade stand? "I don't think they fully got on board, but we do have some of the commissioners that are helping on that. So I would say that they've been better than some, but not good enough. So, I think it's very possible that you'll see an announcement on Miami-Dade within the next couple weeks," DeSantis said. At Ingoglia's swearing-in ceremony, the governor announced that a top priority of the CFO would be audits of local government spending. The focus on such spending comes amid a push by DeSantis to ask voters in 2026 to reduce or eliminate taxes on homesteaded properties. Local governments rely heavily on property taxes. In addition to local government audits, Ingoglia said he will focus on ensuring insurance companies follow requirements. "If they're slowing stuff, we're going to have conversations with them," Ingoglia said. "I'm not going to sit back. I'm not going to allow anyone to game the system, whether it is on one side or the other side, whether it is trial attorneys gaming the system or insurance companies gaming the system." Critics have accused some property insurers of not properly paying claims and have raised questions about carriers sending money to shareholders and affiliated companies while seeking rate increases. In his remarks during Monday's ceremony, Ingoglia called the appointment to the Cabinet post an "honor that has been bestowed upon me."