Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed <a href="https://aboutblaw.com/bknd">suit</a> against Starbucks, claiming they “used DEI to implement illegal race-based policies for hiring and advancement.”
“Using DEI as an excuse to hire, promote, or humiliate an employee based on race violates Florida&#8217;s civil rights law, and we just filed a lawsuit to hold Starbucks accountable,” he wrote on X.
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Starbucks used DEI to implement illegal race-based policies for hiring and advancement. 
Using DEI as an excuse to hire, promote, or humiliate an employee based on race violates Florida&#39;s civil rights law, and we just filed a lawsuit to hold Starbucks accountable. <a href="https://t.co/e3pK0GguQ0">pic.twitter.com/e3pK0GguQ0</a>
&mdash; Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) <a href="https://twitter.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/1998796682289365005?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The suit claims Starbucks implemented policies and programs over the past five years that favor certain racial groups while discriminating against others, including white, Asian, and multiracial employees, in violation of Florida’s Civil Rights Act. The Attorney General emphasized that using DEI as justification for race-based hiring, promotion, or workplace treatment violates the state’s civil rights laws.
The lawsuit, filed in the circuit court of Florida’s 10th Judicial District, details multiple allegations. Starbucks is accused of establishing racial quotas and goals for hiring, paying employees differently based on race, tying executive compensation to race-based mentorship programs and retention of favored racial groups, and excluding certain races from networking and mentorship opportunities.
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Uthmeier notes that civil rights protections extend to all individuals, and promoting diversity does not excuse discrimination against any group. This legal challenge follows previous cases in which Starbucks faced liability for allegedly disfavoring nonminority employees, including a $25.6 million jury award to a white employee.
Starbucks, incorporated in Washington with a certificate to operate in Florida, employs 381,000 people nationwide and operates 934 stores in Florida, including at least one in Highlands County. The suit seeks declaratory and injunctive relief, damages, and civil penalties under the Florida Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employers from discriminating in hiring, compensation, promotions, or other employment conditions based on race. Florida law mirrors federal civil rights protections, which also recognize “reverse discrimination” against nonminority groups as unlawful.
The complaint outlines specific discriminatory practices at Starbucks, including:
<ol>
<li data-start="2180" data-end="2368">Race-based hiring: Starbucks has publicly set hiring goals for people of color in retail, distribution, and corporate roles and tied executive performance to achieving these targets.</li>
<li data-start="2372" data-end="2617">Race-based compensation: Employees of certain races are reportedly paid more than others with comparable experience, and promotion increases can be influenced by race. Executives reportedly plan to maintain these race-based pay policies indefinitely.</li>
<li data-start="2621" data-end="2879">Executive bonuses tied to race metrics: Executive pay has been linked to mentoring BIPOC employees and retaining employees of favored races. Even after 2024 adjustments in language to focus on “belonging,” race-based numerical targets remain in effect.</li>
<li data-start="2883" data-end="3151">Exclusive mentorship and networking: Starbucks created programs explicitly limited to certain racial groups, while reports from Florida employees indicate these policies have caused humiliation, exclusion, and a hostile work environment for disfavored employees.</li>
</ol>
The attorney general argues that these practices have caused substantial harm to Florida residents, including lost wages, denied promotions, and exclusion from professional development opportunities, as well as broader economic impacts. The suit emphasizes that Starbucks’ policies constitute a “pattern or practice of discrimination” affecting thousands of employees across the state.
The lawsuit requests the court to declare Starbucks’ policies discriminatory, permanently enjoin the company from race-based employment actions, impose civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation (potentially amounting to tens of millions of dollars), and award compensatory and punitive damages for the harm inflicted on Florida employees.

MixCollage-10-Dec-2025-01-39-PM-1866

Florida Attorney General Sues Starbucks Over DEI Policies

Florida AG Sues Starbucks Over Alleged Race-Based Hiring, Pay, And Mentorship Policies

Florida

James Uthmeier

Starbucks

A Democrat won the Miami mayoral race for the first time in nearly 30 years, beating the Trump-backed Republican by almost 20 points. 
Democrat Eileen Higgins defeated GOP challenger Emilio Gonzalez in a run-off election on Tuesday, <a href="https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/miami-mayoral-runoff-election-see-the-complete-results-here/3731997/">winning</a> 59% of the vote to her opponent’s 41%. Higgins, a 61-year-old former county commissioner, is the first Democrat to win the mayoral race in Miami since 1997 and the first woman ever elected to lead the city.
“Together, we turned the page on years of chaos and corruption and opened the door to a new era for our city — one defined by ethical, accountable leadership that delivers real results for the people,” she said.
Higgins said her victory was partly due to Miami residents being “done” with &#8220;dehumanizing and cruel” rhetoric against migrants. Throughout the campaign, she has been critical of Trump&#8217;s crackdown on illegal immigration. 
While officially a non-partisan election, Gonzalez was <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115562700432868071">endorsed</a> by President Donald Trump and Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis, while former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Rahm Emanuel, a former Obama chief of staff, campaigned in support of Higgins. 
Higgins&#8217; campaign page said that as mayor, she would address the “permitting process to get our government moving for small businesses and homeowners, protect tax dollars, and make City Hall work for us by building safer neighborhoods and a more affordable future.”
Gonzalez congratulated Higgins on Tuesday evening and wished her the best as she leads the city. 
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“Grateful beyond words for the thousands of Miami residents who stood with us for integrity, safety, and putting families first,” Gonzalez <a href="https://x.com/Emilioformiami/status/1998580897084252352">said</a>. “While this election didn’t end the way we hoped, our fight for accountability, transparency, and a city that works for residents, not insiders, continues. May God bless Miami and our future.”
Democrats said that Higgins’ victory was a positive sign for their party. 
“Mayor-elect Eileen Higgins’ win is a testament to what we can accomplish when we organize and compete everywhere,” Democrat National Committee Chair Ken Martin <a href="https://x.com/kenmartin73/status/1998549377405616146">said</a> on X. “Democrats have now flipped a seat that was in Republicans’ hands for nearly 30 years.”
Democrats have 8,000 more registered voters in the city, which backed former Vice President Kamala Harris over Trump during the 2024 presidential election. As a whole, the state of Florida has shifted to the right in recent years, with Trump defeating Harris by more than 13 points. 
The city’s current mayor, Republican Francis Suarez, was term-limited.

Miami To Elect New Mayor In Runoff Election Tuesday

Miami Falls To Democrats In Historic Mayoral Shift

Donald Trump

Elections

Miami

Politics

Ron DeSantis

Eight members of a Philadelphia youth football team, the United Thoroughbreds, were <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15367101/Philadelphia-teens-theft-football-championship-game-Florida-Dicks-Sporting-Goods.html%5d">arrested</a> in Polk County, Florida, after allegedly stealing merchandise from a Dick’s Sporting Goods store while in town for the Prolifix Sportz National Championship.
The teens, all ages 14–15, had traveled from Philadelphia to Davenport for the title game against the Coco Tigers. According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the group Ubered to the store on the morning of December 6 and carried out a “systematic” theft involving 47 items valued at more than $2,200.
Sheriff Grady Judd said the teens split into two groups: one boy bought a single item to obtain a Dick’s shopping bag, while the others selected items to steal. The buyer then met the rest of the group inside, and they filled the bag with stolen merchandise, including hoodies, gloves, and football accessories.
Store staff watched the alleged thefts unfold in real time on surveillance cameras and notified law enforcement. Judd emphasized that “you can’t go anyplace that you’re not on camera,” noting that the group appeared to believe they were getting away with it.
When deputies detained the teens, their coach, Raekwon (Raynone) Bynes, 29, arrived at the store and reportedly pleaded with officers not to arrest them. He then attempted to persuade the store manager not to press charges.
According to Judd, the coach dismissed the seriousness of the alleged crime and asked deputies, “Don’t you have anything better to do?” The sheriff criticized Bynes for failing to hold the teens accountable and for allowing them to leave their lodging unsupervised. Parents were contacted following the arrests.
“I don&#8217;t know if these all were starters or not,” Judd commented. “But I can tell you that we were finishers. We arrested them. We took them to the Juvenile Assessment Center. And we put them in lockup.” 
“I don&#8217;t know how you do things in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,” he remarked. “But in Polk County, Florida, we lock you up for stealing for being a thief. &#8230; We didn&#8217;t choose to arrest you. You chose to be arrested. And that&#8217;s the way it is.”
“And for the coach, you&#8217;re way off base here, buddy,” he declared. “Way off base. You&#8217;re the ultimate loser. If you&#8217;d been coaching these kids upright, if you knew where they were, if you didn&#8217;t allow them to Uber away, they would have played in a ball game Saturday night.”
All eight teens were charged with felony retail theft (over $750) and conspiracy to commit retail theft, then transported to a juvenile detention facility. Though later released, they will be required to return to Florida to face the charges. Authorities said none of the juveniles had prior records.
Judd publicly identified the suspects during a press conference, adding that their actions likely cost the Thoroughbreds their championship opportunity. With eight players jailed, the team lost the title game 26–6 to the undefeated Coco Tigers. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also commented, saying the group had “picked the wrong state — and the wrong county.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
They picked the wrong state — and the wrong county. <a href="https://t.co/NexPk1Zvux">https://t.co/NexPk1Zvux</a>
&mdash; Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) <a href="https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/1998247856441065475?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Sheriff Judd contrasted the disciplined, successful Coco Tigers with the arrested teens, stressing that Polk County has a zero-tolerance policy for theft. “If you don’t steal, we’re your new best friends,” he said. “If you steal, we’re your worst enemy. Merry Christmas.”

Welcome to Florida USA

‘We’re Your Worst Enemy’: Florida Sheriff Lays Down The Law On Philly Teens Accused Of Robbing Store

Crime

Philadelphia

On Monday, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood as “Foreign Terrorist Organizations.”
DeSantis’s move comes after Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott declared the groups terrorist organizations last month, and President Donald Trump signed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-signs-executive-order-targeting-the-muslim-brotherhood">an executive order</a> paving the way for his administration to designate chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations. 
The Florida order says the Muslim Brotherhood’s ideology is “irreconcilable with foundational American principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” and notes the group has a history of supporting violence and terrorist attacks, including political assassinations and attacks on civilians, in pursuit of a global Islamic caliphate. It further notes that members of the Muslim Brotherhood created Hamas in 1987, a United States-designated foreign terrorist organization responsible for killing 46 American citizens in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
The order then links the Muslim Brotherhood to groups in the United States, stating that the Palestine Committee — a group created to raise financial and moral support for Hamas — founded CAIR in 1994. It adds that CAIR was named an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terror-financing case in American history and has been associated with individuals convicted of providing, or conspiring to provide, material support to designated terrorist organizations.
“CAIR was founded by persons connected to the Muslim Brotherhood and was created, in the words of persons affiliated with CAIR, as ‘an official U.S. cover representing the Islamic community’ to conceal ties to Islamic extremist groups,” the order says.
The order directs the Florida Highway Patrol to take all lawful measures to prevent unlawful activities by the designated groups and requires all executive and cabinet agencies to block any terrorist organization listed, or any person known to have provided material support or resources to such an organization, from receiving state contracts, employment, funding, or any other government benefits or privileges.
CAIR, which calls itself “the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization,” fired back, calling the order &#8220;defamatory and unconstitutional&#8221; and accusing DeSantis of being “Israel First.” 
“Like Greg Abbott in Texas, Ron DeSantis is an Israel First politician who wants to smear and silence Americans, especially American Muslims, critical of U.S. support for Israel&#8217;s war crimes,” CAIR National and CAIR-Florida said in a statement. “Governor DeSantis knows full well that CAIR-Florida is an American civil rights organization that has spent decades advancing free speech, religious freedom, and justice for all, including for the Palestinian people.”
The group added that they plan to defeat “Governor DeSantis&#8217; latest Israel First stunt” in court. 
Last week, Abbott <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texas-governor-urges-trump-admin-to-strip-major-muslim-civil-rights-group-of-tax-exempt-status?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Texas+Governor+Urges+Trump+Admin+To+Strip+Major+Muslim+Civil+Rights+Group+of+Tax-Exempt+Status">called on the Trump Administration</a> to strip CAIR of its tax-exempt status for its alleged ties to foreign terrorist organizations. He argued that federal investigators and court filings have identified CAIR as “a direct subsidiary of the Muslim Brotherhood” and as a “front group” for Hamas in the United States. He also cited a recent report that claims CAIR awarded $1,000 cash grants to college students who disrupted classes and intimidated or harassed fellow students “while celebrating Hamas’s October 7th attack.” 
“Americans have generous hearts, and federal law wisely creates incentives to donate to nonprofit organizations that promote the public good,” Abbott wrote. “But charity must not become a backdoor to sponsor terrorism, endanger Americans, and subvert our democracy.”
According to Trump, the “final documents are being drawn” for the Muslim Brotherhood to receive a foreign terrorist organization designation, which will be “done in the strongest and most powerful terms.”

Governor DeSantis And ICE Announce Largest Joint Immigration Enforcement Operation In Florida History

DeSantis Joins Texas In Designating CAIR And Muslim Brotherhood As Terrorist Organizations

CAIR

Muslim Brotherhood

Terrorism

Florida took legal action on Tuesday against a trio of medical organizations that promote transgender procedures on children, The Daily Wire has learned. 
Republican Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a suit against the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), the Endocrine Society, and the American Academy of Pediatrics over their support of transgender procedures on kids. The suit accuses the organizations of pushing irreversible medical procedures on gender-confused children for financial benefit. 
“For years, these groups insisted the recommendations were settled science, but behind closed doors, they knew the evidence was weak,” Uthmeier said in a video shared with The Daily Wire. “They knew the outcomes [were] uncertain, and the risks very real. Parents were not told the full story. In fact, some parents were told that if they didn’t put their kids through permanent, life-altering, sick procedures, like double mastectomies and castration, their child would commit suicide. Not only is that unethical and dangerous medicine, but it is against the law.”
Uthmeier added that “truth was replaced with political activism.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
In 2023, <a href="https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovRonDeSantis</a> signed legislation to ban so-called &#8220;gender-affirming care&#8221; for kids. Now it’s time for accountability!
Today, my office sued <a href="https://twitter.com/wpath?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@wpath</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/AmerAcadPeds?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AmerAcadPeds</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/TheEndoSociety?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheEndoSociety</a> for mutilating kids and misleading families. <a href="https://t.co/RrbIfYEFEq">pic.twitter.com/RrbIfYEFEq</a>
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) <a href="https://twitter.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/1998433573993398563?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The suit was filed in the 19th Judicial Circuit Court in Saint Lucie County, Florida. It accuses the organizations of violating Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and engaging in racketeering by misleading “patients, parents, insurers, regulators, and courts about the reversibility and efficacy of pediatric sex interventions.”
The organizations’ “immoral actions capitalize on the mental distress of children — as well as the natural affections and fears [of] their parents — to help their members sell lucrative surgeries and drugs that irreversibly mutilate and chemically alter children’s bodies without providing any credible medical benefit,” a copy of the 75-page lawsuit obtained by The Daily Wire states.
The suit lays out a comprehensive history of the development of transgender procedures and how each organization has pushed guidelines that endorsed procedures like puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries that remove the breasts of girls who identify as boys. 
“Defendants have a problem: there is no credible evidence that sex interventions alleviate pediatric gender dysphoria. To convince patients, insurance companies, regulators, and judges otherwise, Defendants initiated a coordinated campaign to develop ‘clinical guidelines’ recommending sex intervention for pediatric gender dysphoria,” the suit reads. 
Uthmeier wants the court to rule that the organizations’ promotion of transgender procedures constitutes unfair trade practices, impose a civil penalty of $1 million against each defendant, block the organizations from advertising the procedures as safe and reversible, and impose a $10,000 penalty for each time a false claim about the safety of transgender procedures was made. 
“Defendants have disseminated multiple misleading advertisements with the same or similar intent (to legitimize and promote sex interventions as treatment for pediatric gender dysphoria), results (the purchase of pediatric sex interventions), accomplices (co-Defendants), victims (minors experiencing gender dysphoria and those paying for their care, such as parents, legal guardians, employers, and insurers), and methods of commission (through representations on their websites and publications),” the suit continues. 
Groups such as the American Parents Coalition, Consumers’ Research, and Do No Harm all praised Uthmeier’s actions. 
“The years-long coordinated campaign by WPATH and other medical organizations to disregard the serious health risks of sex change interventions on minors will go down as the most egregious medical scandal in modern history,” Do No Harm medical director Kurt Miceli told The Daily Wire. “These groups have obfuscated risk and misrepresented the low quality of evidence to support puberty blockers, cross sex hormones, and surgeries for children — interventions that can cause lasting harm.”

National-Conservatism-Conference-in-Washington

Florida Brings Down The Hammer On Medical Groups That Pushed Trans Procedures On Children

Florida Brings Hammer Down On Orgs That Pushed Trans Procedures For Kids

transgender surgery

WPATH

An illegal immigrant woman from Finland is accused of hurling hot coffee at a baby, its mother, and a dog during an altercation in New Smyrna, Florida, last week, The Daily Wire has learned.
Nina Kristina Jaaskelainen, 54, allegedly yelled at the mother for having her dog off leash before she threw the coffee at them, <a href="https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2025/11/17/migrant-in-custody-after-spilling-coffee-on-florida-woman-child-and-dog-deputies-say/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to WKMG. The illegal immigrant claimed that she threw the coffee on the dog because it agitated her own dog, while the mother, baby, and their pet were on her property.
Jaaskelainen first came to the United States on a tourist visa in April 1999 and was required to leave by July that same year, the Department of Homeland Security told The Daily Wire. However, she ignored her visa expiration and remained in the country for 26 years.
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“For over TWO DECADES, Jaaskelainen has been in our country illegally, skirting the law without consequence. Now, this unhinged individual has assaulted a baby, a mother, and their family dog,” Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement shared with The Daily Wire.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has since lodged a detainer with the Volusia County Jail to ensure that Jaaskelainen is handed over to the feds and processed for deportation, DHS said.
The Volusia County sheriff&#8217;s office <a href="https://www.volusiasheriff.gov/news/volusia-county-sheriff/message-from-sheriff-chitwood-on-changes-to-immigration-law.stml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cooperates</a> with federal immigration authorities, making it all the more likely that Jaaskelainen won&#8217;t be released onto the streets.
Jaaskelainen admitted that she threw the coffee at the dog, while denying that she intentionally did so to the mother and baby, according to WKMG. She later pleaded not guilty, <a href="https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/volusia-county-finland-woman-enters-plea-accused-throwing-coffee-in-dispute" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Fox 34.
She now faces two counts of battery, according to WKMG.
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Untitled design – 2025-11-24T141810.314

Illegal Immigrant Accused Of Throwing Coffee On A Baby During Florida Altercation

Department of Homeland Security

illegal immigrants

Illegal Immigration

U.S.

The Trump administration unveiled a new plan last week to ramp up offshore drilling off the coasts of Alaska, California, and Florida as the president seeks to usher in a U.S. energy boom. But some members of President Donald Trump&#8217;s party, including the Florida governor, aren&#8217;t thrilled about the administration&#8217;s goal to drill for oil near the Sunshine State&#8217;s beaches and military bases.
The U.S. Department of the Interior <a href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-launches-expansive-11th-national-offshore-leasing-program-advance-us-energy">directed</a> the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management last Thursday to open up seven additional lease areas in the Eastern Gulf for offshore drilling, an area in the Gulf of America around 100 miles off of Florida&#8217;s coast. The Trump administration also plans to open up 21 areas for lease off the coast of Alaska and six areas off the Pacific coast.
Florida Republicans, including Governor Ron DeSantis, Sen. Rick Scott, and Sen. Ashley Moody, are urging the administration to pump the brakes on the new plan. The Florida leaders want the federal government to reconsider the policy President Trump enacted during his first term, which banned offshore oil leasing off the coasts of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina through 2032.
&#8220;President Trump’s 2020 memorandum protecting Florida’s eastern Gulf waters represents a thoughtful approach to the issue. The Interior Department should not depart from the 2020 policy,&#8221; DeSantis <a href="https://x.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1991648106254069903">said</a>. The governor&#8217;s office added that the Gulf coast of Florida does &#8220;not have the same oil and gas reserves as other states in the region&#8221; and that the state &#8220;has active sites where drilling occurs on land.&#8221;
Florida politicians argue that the new oil leases threaten Florida&#8217;s pristine beaches, which attract millions of tourists each year, while also interfering with &#8220;critical&#8221; U.S. military bases on the state&#8217;s coast.
Scott, Florida&#8217;s senior senator and former governor, echoed DeSantis, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RickScottSenOffice/posts/floridas-beautiful-beaches-and-coastal-waters-are-so-important-to-our-states-eco/1386895662794430/">arguing</a>, &#8220;Florida’s beautiful beaches and coastal waters are so important to our state’s economy, environment, and military community, which is why I have fought for years to keep drilling off Florida’s coasts and worked closely with President Trump during his first term to extend the moratorium banning oil drilling off Florida’s coasts through 2032.&#8221;
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&#8220;I have been speaking to Secretary Burgum and made my expectations clear that this moratorium must remain in place, and that in any plan, Florida’s coasts must remain off the table for oil drilling to protect Florida’s tourism, environment, and military training opportunities,&#8221; Scott added.
Senator Moody said the Trump administration&#8217;s move was &#8220;HIGHLY concerning,&#8221; adding that she &#8220;will be engaging directly with the [Interior Department] on this issue.&#8221;
The Interior Department&#8217;s move to free up more areas for offshore drilling is a response to former President Joe Biden&#8217;s &#8220;restrictive&#8221; oil and gas policies, according to the Trump administration.
“Offshore oil and gas production does not happen overnight. It takes years of planning, investment, and hard work before barrels reach the market,” said Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. “The Biden administration slammed the brakes on offshore oil and gas leasing and crippled the long-term pipeline of America’s offshore production. By moving forward with the development of a robust, forward-thinking leasing plan, we are ensuring that America’s offshore industry stays strong, our workers stay employed, and our nation remains energy dominant for decades to come.”
Trump&#8217;s <a href="https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/w-027-8408?originationContext=knowHow&amp;transitionType=KnowHowItem&amp;contextData=(sc.Default)&amp;firstPage=true">2020 memorandum</a> prevented areas off the Florida coast from being considered for &#8220;leasing for purposes of exploration, development, or production&#8221; until 2032. After signing the memorandum in 2020, Trump was criticized by some people who believed the president was seeking to gain political favor among Floridians ahead of the 2020 election.
During his 2024 presidential campaign and after returning to the White House in early 2025, Trump vowed to ramp up American energy production and bring down energy costs for Americans. To accomplish this, Trump said it was time for the United States to &#8220;drill, baby, drill,&#8221; and on his first day back in the White House in January, Trump <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/declaring-a-national-energy-emergency/">declared</a> a national energy emergency.
&#8220;A major focus of our fight to reduce inflation is rapidly reducing the cost of energy. The previous administration cut the number of new oil and gas leases by 95%, slowed pipeline construction to a halt, and closed more than 100 power plants,&#8221; Trump said during his address to Congress in early March.
A group of Florida GOP representatives, including some of Trump&#8217;s most loyal supporters in Congress, also <a href="https://x.com/FBSaunders/status/1991623831610618051/photo/1">signed</a> a letter urging the president to reconsider the Interior Department&#8217;s latest directive.
&#8220;While we wholeheartedly support your push for American energy independence and expanded oil and gas production, the [Eastern Gulf Test and Training Range] is critical to advanced weapons development, flight testing, and joint exercises essential to maintaining America&#8217;s military superiority,&#8221; the letter states.

Florida Oil Drilling

Florida Republicans Aren’t Happy With Trump’s Offshore Drilling Plan

Florida Republicans Aren't Happy With Trump's Offshore Drilling Plan

Oil and Gas

Republicans

Rick Scott

Florida has accused two massive proxy advisor firms of politicizing American retirement accounts by promoting DEI and ESG, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday.  
The suit from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier accuses Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis of pushing companies to adopt race and sex-based quotas and embrace climate activism. The two firms comprise about 97% of the market for proxy advice in the United States, providing investment managers with guidance and research on how to vote on shareholder proposals. 
“Defendants have used this enormous influence to push their own dogmatic agenda,  one that seeks to require publicly traded companies to strictly adhere to highly controversial—and,  in some cases, illegal policies,” Uthmeier wrote in a copy of the lawsuit obtained by The Daily Wire. 
“Quotas for outright racial balancing, gender ideology that promotes genders beyond male and female, and an insistence that concerns about global climate change should influence every company&#8217;s decision-making are Defendants&#8217; basic requirements,” the suit added. 
Uthmeier&#8217;s suit, filed in the Second Judicial Circuit of Florida, accuses the companies of two counts of violating Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and state antitrust laws. Both firms <a href="https://www.wsj.com/finance/regulation/proxy-advisers-iss-and-glass-lewis-are-facing-antitrust-probes-22f0ff38?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqc1i9ZlMDA8f3aZJiR2l7fRxLMEzpcyYRtsfyc4o8X1sQlk3u_hSRE9vvDqiKE%3D&amp;gaa_ts=691f1ec8&amp;gaa_sig=xwAM0c1b63ROAM2TrL-DyCp8Kzu_81NHpUXhlHCKKdp1uc0l_r4sb2vXNv1yUslNLkGqWHiK6ScdxjQHeJ7Tgw%3D%3D">are currently</a> under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission over how they direct clients on social and climate issues. 
Together, both firms work with hundreds of thousands of Florida employees’ retirement plans worth billions, according to the suit.
The suit states that the firms have pushed left-wing ideology by “recommending votes against corporate board members who are not the right gender or do not fall in line and affirmatively voice support for Defendants&#8217; ideological agenda.”
Examples cited in the suit include Glass Lewis providing <a href="https://perma.cc/9JFW-HKEM">guidelines </a>that include recommending against boards with less than one member of “an underrepresented community” on it. It defines “underrepresented” as non-white people or sexual minorities. It will also generally recommend against a board “that fails to provide explicit disclosure concerning the board’s role in overseeing [climate change] issues.”
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ISS has adopted similar <a href="https://perma.cc/N9TG-B7X9">guidelines</a>, noting that it will generally vote against companies with no women on the board, against boards with no racial or ethnic diversity, and vote against companies it says have not taken &#8220;minimum steps” to address “climate change” risks. 
“Florida is done allowing two unaccountable foreign-owned private corporations to manipulate shareholder votes behind closed doors,” Uthmeier told The Daily Wire. “ISS and Glass Lewis claim to be neutral advisors, but they use their near-total control of the proxy-voting market to push divisive political mandates that threaten retiree savings, distort corporate governance, and undermine the rule of law. That ends now.”
The suit was supported by Will Hild, the executive director of Consumers’ Research. 
“We will continue to encourage and support aggressive enforcement action until ISS and Glass Lewis stop their abuses and commit to transparency, neutrality, and true accountability to the investors and consumers they are supposed to serve,” he said. 
In August 2023, the House Judiciary launched an <a href="https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/letters.pdf">investigation</a> into ISS and Glass Lewis, probing their partnership with climate activist groups and pushing to &#8220;decarbonize&#8221; corporations.

EXCLUSIVE: Florida Sues Major Financial Firms Over DEI And ESG Push

EXCLUSIVE: Florida Sues Major Financial Firms Over DEI, ESG Push

Climate Change

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

finance

Investors

Retirement

A Democratic congresswoman from Florida is facing decades in prison after the Justice Department accused her of stealing more than $5 million in FEMA funds. Prosecutors allege that she diverted the disaster-relief money to support her congressional campaign and enrich her associates.
The Justice Department announced Wednesday that a Miami grand jury had indicted Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick for fraudulently obtaining federal disaster funds, laundering the proceeds, and putting the money toward her 2021 congressional race. According to the Justice Department, Cherfilus-McCormick conspired with her brother, 51-year-old Edwin Cherfilus, to steal a $5 million FEMA overpayment that was sent to their family’s health care company.
“Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “No one is above the law, least of all powerful people who rob taxpayers for personal gain. We will follow the facts in this case and deliver justice.”
The $5 million payment was made in July 2021 after the siblings had a contract with FEMA for COVID vaccinations. The money was routed through multiple accounts to Cherfilus-McCormick’s 2021 congressional campaign and other personal accounts, according to the Justice Department. 
“This individual and her family allegedly stole money from FEMA and then laundered it through friends toward her own personal benefits &#8211; including her campaign accounts,” FBI Director Kash Patel <a href="https://x.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/1991306995366756653">said</a>. “Today the FBI and partners at [the Justice Department] took action. No one is above the law.”
The indictment also accuses 46-year-old Nadege Leblanc, Cherfilus-McCormick’s district chief of staff, of working with the Democrat representative to funnel some of the stolen money to straw donors who then donated back to the campaign.
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An additional defendant is 41-year-old tax preparer David Spencer, who is accused of working with Cherfilus-McCormick to file a false federal tax return. The indictment says that they falsely claimed political spending and personal expenses as business deductions and inflated her charitable contributions. 
Cherfilus-McCormick faces up to 53 years in prison; Edwin Cherfilus faces up to 35 years; Leblanc faces up to 10 years; and Spencer faces up to 33 years, according to the Justice Department. Cherfilus-McCormick&#8217;s legal team <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/sheila-cherfilus-mccormick-indicted-stealing-fema-funds-campaign-rcna244889">said</a> she was &#8220;a committed public servant&#8221; and that they would &#8220;fight to clear her good name.”
Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) is expected to file a motion on Thursday to censure Cherfilus-McCormick and remove her from all committees. She currently sits on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Veteran Affairs. 
“This is one of the most egregious abuses of public trust I have ever seen. Stealing $5 million in taxpayer disaster funds from FEMA of all places is beyond indefensible,” he <a href="https://x.com/RepGregSteube/status/1991317294870392922">said</a>. “Millions of Floridians have relied on FEMA after devastating hurricanes, and that money was supposed to help real disaster victims.”
Cherfilus-McCormick is also under investigation by the House Ethics Committee.

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick

Florida Democrat Indicted For Turning FEMA Funds Into Campaign Cash

Congress

Department of Justice

FEMA

House of Representatives

kash patel

Pam Bondi

One of the world&#8217;s largest banks was notified on Monday morning that its cooperation with the Biden administration&#8217;s partisan Arctic Frost probe is now under investigation by Florida&#8217;s attorney general, The Daily Wire can first report.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier told JPMorgan Chase in a Monday morning letter reviewed by The Daily Wire that it had &#8220;grave concerns&#8221; about the bank&#8217;s actions relating to Trump Media, the Florida-based company that operates Truth Social.
The investigation was prompted by information released by the Senate Judiciary Committee, which <a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/rep/releases/new-jack-smith-subpoenaed-records-for-over-400-republican-targets-as-part-of-arctic-frost">disclosed last month</a> that Special Counsel Jack Smith&#8217;s Arctic Frost investigation into Donald Trump had targeted hundreds of Republican individuals and entities with subpoenas.
&#8220;I write to express grave concerns about the explosive revelations regarding the Biden Administration’s pursuit of its political adversaries, and [JPMorgan Chase&#8217;s] ensuing actions in the shadow of this operation, codenamed &#8216;Arctic Frost,'&#8221; Uthmeier wrote in a letter to JPMorgan Chase, first obtained by The Daily Wire.
In the letter, which was sent Monday to JPMorgan Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon, Uthmeier notes that the Biden DOJ subpoenaed JPMorgan on March 28, 2023. That subpoena called for any and all records of Trump Media Group including &#8220;records covering a time period before [Trump Media] existed,&#8221; the Florida attorney general noted. 
&#8220;In addition to spying on Republican Senators,&#8221; the letter states, &#8220;the Biden Administration subpoenaed sensitive banking information from several Florida individuals, organizations, and business entities including Trump Media &amp; Technology Group Corp. (TMTG), a Florida corporation.&#8221; 
Uthmeier suspects that JPMorgan Chase was providing sensitive banking information to the Department of Justice and Smith as part of the &#8220;malicious prosecutions&#8221; into the president, the attorney general told the Daily Wire. He also said the bank was &#8220;asking many questions of Trump Media, its client, questions seemingly unrelated to its business.&#8221;
JPMorgan did not directly address the Monday letter, but spokeswoman Lauren Bianchi told The Daily Wire on Monday afternoon that the company will &#8220;follow the law in responding to subpoenas from the government and will continue to do so.&#8221;
JPMorgan alerted shareholders last week that it was &#8220;responding to requests from government authorities and other external parties regarding, among other things, the firm’s policies and processes and the provision of services to customers and potential customers,&#8221; an apparent reference to debanking. President Trump signed an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-prepares-executive-order-targeting-politicized-debanking">executive order in August</a> demanding that regulators look into “politicized or unlawful debanking” by the big banks.
JPMorgan says it supports the executive order on debanking.
“This is a step in the right direction,” a JPMorgan spokesman told The Daily Wire in August. “Preventing regulatory overreach and reforming laws that have led to debanking are welcome efforts. The industry has been involved in identifying solutions to this problem for years and looks forward to continuing to work this Administration and Congress to get this right.”
Dimon himself has been vocal in his support of the Trump administration&#8217;s efforts to end debanking, noting that JPMorgan and other financial institutions were strong-armed into debanking individuals by the Biden administration.
“The rules and requirements are so onerous and it does cause people to be debanked who, in my opinion, should not be debanked,” Dimon <a href="https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025/02/jamie-dimon-regulators-pretty-much-to-blame-for-debanking-00204094">told reporters</a> in February.
Bianchi, the spokeswoman, reiterated Dimon&#8217;s statement that it&#8217;s against any discrimination in the banking industry based on politics.
&#8220;It’s terrible that people can lose their bank accounts because of broken policies that encouraged banks to be overly cautious,&#8221; Bianchi told The Daily Wire. &#8220;It’s not fair and it shouldn’t happen, and it’s great that this administration is finally brining needed regulatory change we’ve been requesting for years.&#8221;
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_998153" style="width: 923px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-florida-ag-probes-jpmorgans-cooperation-with-arctic-frost-as-it-debanked-trump/us-news-fla-ag-trump-endorsement-os" rel="attachment wp-att-998153"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-998153" class="wp-image-998153 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2239430764-913x576.jpg" alt="" width="913" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2239430764-913x576.jpg 913w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2239430764-300x189.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2239430764-768x485.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2239430764.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 913px) 100vw, 913px" /></a>Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier in St. Cloud, Florida, on Aug. 19, 2025. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)</div>
The Florida attorney general&#8217;s letter also states that immediately after the &#8220;Biden DOJ’s fishing expedition began,&#8221; JPMorgan Chase started questioning Trump Media about its transactions from years prior. &#8220;[JPMorgan Chase] insisted this fact-gathering was merely &#8216;due diligence,'&#8221; the Florida attorney general said. &#8220;These inquiries, however, appear to be pretextual and unrelated to their stated purpose.&#8221;
Immediately after Trump Media closed a merger in March 2024, the letter says, JPMorgan Chase notified Trump Media that it was closing its bank accounts — timing that raises &#8220;obvious, troubling questions,&#8221; according to the Florida attorney general.
&#8220;This activity may implicate numerous Florida criminal and civil anti-fraud laws and de-banking prohibitions, as well as a breach of the basic, fundamental duties owed to your banking customers,&#8221; the letter states. &#8220;Rest assured, this office will be investigating to ascertain the nature of these secret and suspicious circumstances.  I have directed my Office of Statewide Prosecution and Enforcement Division to begin investigating this matter immediately.&#8221;
JPMorgan is asked in the letter to initiate a litigation hold to preserve all documents relevant to the matter.
Uthmeier told The Daily Wire that he&#8217;s committed to protecting Florida-based companies, especially when it believes there was &#8220;intent to harm.&#8221;
&#8220;We think it&#8217;s wrong that companies were just coughing things up to the Department of Justice when there was not real probable cause, and we think it&#8217;s wrong that companies are debanked, especially at such important times,&#8221; Uthmeier said. 
&#8220;So we&#8217;re going to investigate further,&#8221; the attorney general said. &#8220;We protect Florida-based companies like Trump Media Group. We protect our consumers and where there&#8217;s discriminatory banking practices taking place, especially those with intent to harm, we will fight back and hold wrongdoers accountable.&#8221;
Uthmeier also pointed out to The Daily Wire that the matter also appears to be related to Jack Smith&#8217;s January 6 investigation, and he noted that Trump Media Group&#8217;s Truth Social was launched in in February 2022, more than a year after January 6, 2021.
&#8220;Any notion that this company was somehow involved in whatever criminal activity that the Department of Justice alleged, wrongfully alleged, surrounded the J6 events,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Clearly, Truth Social would not have been a part of that.&#8221;
&#8220;It shows the full scope of the weaponization and the efforts to go after anybody related to Trump or the conservative cause.&#8221; 
Devin Nunes, the former congressman who’s now CEO of Trump Media, appeared on Fox News on Sunday <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFo4R24PSHs">where he also raised questions</a> about JPMorgan Chase&#8217;s treatment of Trump Media in relation to Arctic Frost.
&#8220;One would think that Trump Media would not have been caught up into Arctic Frost at all, largely because&#8230;we just became a public company in 2024 and we were nowhere around in 2021 on January 6. So why would Trump Media be subpoenaed at that time during this investigation? It doesn&#8217;t make any sense.&#8221;
&#8220;Should [JPMorgan Chase] have complied with this, knowing that we weren&#8217;t around? They had to know that our company wasn&#8217;t around on January 6. We were never notified&#8230;did this break laws in the state of Florida?&#8221;
JPMorgan &#8220;inexplicably&#8221; debanked Trump Media &#8220;right at the time we were going public,&#8221; he argued, &#8220;right at the height of the campaign,&#8221; a move that &#8220;looked political at the time,&#8221; but now looks even more suspicious.

Screenshot 2025-11-10 at 9.25.42 AM

EXCLUSIVE: Florida AG Probes JPMorgan’s Cooperation With Arctic Frost As It Debanked Trump

Arctic Frost

JP Morgan

A Florida real estate agent says the rumors are true: wealthy New Yorkers are already fleeing the city in droves following the election of Zohran Mamdani to the office of mayor on Tuesday.
Kourtney Pulitzer, a Sotheby&#8217;s International Realty agent based in Palm Beach, Florida, described the phenomenon on her TikTok.
“I’m not gonna lie, I did not think exactly this was going to happen – I thought this guy was gonna win in New York City. I thought that our market was going to pick up. But I didn’t think it was going to happen the next morning,” Pulitzer said in the clip.
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@kourtneypulitzerpb/video/7569351090769071390" data-video-id="7569351090769071390">
<section><a title="@kourtneypulitzerpb" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@kourtneypulitzerpb?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@kourtneypulitzerpb</a> Post Mamdani real estate market… like literally day 1 AM= After Mamdani <a title="luxuryrealestate" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/luxuryrealestate?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#LuxuryRealEstate</a> <a title="palmbeachliving" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/palmbeachliving?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#palmbeachliving</a> <a title="palmbeachrealtor" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/palmbeachrealtor?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#PalmBeachRealtor</a> <a title="realtorsoftiktok" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/realtorsoftiktok?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#realtorsoftiktok</a> <a title="kourtneypulitzerproperties" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/kourtneypulitzerproperties?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#kourtneypulitzerproperties</a> <a title="♬ original sound - KourtneyPulitzer" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7569351000440474398?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">♬ original sound &#8211; KourtneyPulitzer</a></section>
</blockquote>
<script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>
“It’s 3 or 4 o’clock … I’ve literally been on the phone since 7 a.m. Nonstop, back-to-back calls. I had showings scheduled for listings that haven’t had showings in a month. And yeah, I was wrong, because it literally turned on like a light bulb. Literally blew off like a firecracker. And the post-socialist New York City political market is here on our shores, in Palm Beach.”
This anticipated mass exodus to the Sunshine State is being reported across news outlets nationwide, from local affiliates to The New York Times.
Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer didn’t mention Mamdani by name while speaking with WPBF News, but he did allude to NYC’s upcoming changes under the new mayor, saying people were drawn by lower taxes and safer streets.
&#8220;Even this morning, I’ve gotten inbound calls of businesses looking to leave New York to come to our low-tax, safe, vibrant community,&#8221; Singer <a href="https://www.wpbf.com/article/new-yorkers-move-florida-mayor-election-zohran-mamdani/69266997">said</a>.
Stuart Elliot, editor in chief and CEO of The Real Deal, a national real estate publication, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/us/south-florida-real-estate-mamdani.html">told</a> NYT that the topic was “all that people are talking about” at a forum event Wednesday morning.
Developer Isaac Toledano of Miami-based BH Group <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/nyc-election-fears-drive-100m-florida-real-estate-surge-nervous-new-yorkers-flee-south">told</a> Fox News Digital that the trend started before Mamdani won and is expected to continue.
&#8220;If this thing is going to happen and we’re going to see this big wave of New Yorkers and companies relocating, across our portfolio we have a lot of branded residences, luxury condos, mixed-use projects. … We welcome our friends and investors and buyers from New York to come to Florida,&#8221; he told the outlet, echoing what others have said about finances and safety being the main draws.
&#8220;We offer stability, the freedom to grow,&#8221; he added. &#8220;The fact that you can walk at night with [an] expensive watch on your hand, driving an expensive car, go to a restaurant, walk on the street, have a coffee at 11 o&#8217;clock at night and nobody will disturb you. … The law is very strong here. People feel safe.&#8221;

Florida real estate

Escape From New York: Home Demand Explodes In Florida After Mamdani Victory

New York City

Real estate

Zohran Mamdani

Just a few years after waltzing across the border illegally, Indian national Harjinder Singh allegedly killed three people while making an illegal U-turn on a Florida turnpike as he sat behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler in August.
Singh came into the country in 2018 and was handed a Commercial Driver&#8217;s License (CDL) in Washington in 2023, according to the Department of Transportation. He received his license despite having &#8220;failed his written exam 10 times, and he took his behind-the-wheel training course at a private CDL school in Washington,&#8221; Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier recently <a href="https://x.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/1981535048063938692" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> as part of his ongoing investigation into California&#8217;s issuance of trucking licenses to illegal immigrants.
Singh also failed an English language proficiency test in the aftermath of the fatal collision, &#8220;providing correct responses to just 2 of 12 verbal questions and only accurately identifying 1 of 4 highway traffic signs,&#8221; according to the Department of Transportation.
The incident brought national attention to a string of crashes involving illegal immigrant drivers, some of whom barely speak English. The Trump administration has pledged to crack down on these drivers, but Americans have been left wondering: how does this keep happening?
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Trucking industry experts told The Daily Wire that while federal law requires that the road testing needed to obtain a CDL has to be done in English, the regulation is often not enforced. The written portion of the testing is offered in many languages in some states.
&#8220;There&#8217;s no good checks and balances to be perfectly honest with you,&#8221; Lewie Pugh, Executive Vice President of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, said.
&#8220;A lot of states allow third party testing to do the CDLs and I would say that&#8217;s how most of these people get through,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;These people should&#8217;ve never gotten a license in the first place,&#8221; Pugh said.
The Trump administration has already taken steps to ensure the pattern of crashes stops.
&#8220;Until Trump said we&#8217;re gonna enforce it &#8230; no one was taking that seriously, there was no enforcement there, there was no audit there,&#8221; said John Esparza, president and CEO of the Texas Trucking Association.
Non-domiciled CDLs were introduced in 2019 to allow truck drivers to work out of their home states while the industry faced a need for drivers with a high turnover rate, Pugh said.
&#8220;Unfortunately, it&#8217;s opened the floodgates to allow all these folks to come in from all over the world and get CDLs very easily,&#8221; Pugh said.&#8221;This mess has just gotten bigger and bigger.&#8221;
California then granted Singh a non-domiciled CDL in 2024, allowing him to work across state lines. The California State Transportation Agency, however, defends that Singh was &#8220;entitled to receive&#8221; his CDL &#8220;given the federal government&#8217;s confirmation of his legal status,&#8221; <a href="https://abc7.com/post/pomona-high-school-coach-wife-among-3-killed-chain-reaction-crash-10-freeway-ontario-suspect-jashanpreet-singh-expected-court/18062397/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to ABC7.
&#8220;It all comes down to cheap labor, they want the cheapest people behind the wheel and unfortunately by doing that &#8230; what we are getting now is carnage on the highway,&#8221; Pugh said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The alleged semi-truck driver who killed three people while making a U-turn at an “Official Use Only” turn on the Florida Turnpike is an ILLEGAL MIGRANT who was granted a commercial driver’s license by the State of California. 
<a href="https://t.co/Ky7w9hsojX">pic.twitter.com/Ky7w9hsojX</a>
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href="https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1957118057563750441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
Indian national Jashanpreet Singh, 21, crossed into the United States illegally in 2022 and received his work permit the next year, which allowed him to obtain a commercial driver&#8217;s license in California in 2024, <a href="https://x.com/TriciaOhio/status/1981811109939286059" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Department of Homeland Security.
Illegal immigrants can apply for a work permit 180 days after they apply for asylum. Their asylum claims don&#8217;t have to be granted or denied in order to have received work authorization, even if they crossed into the United States illegally.
Earlier this month, while driving a semi-truck on an Ontario, California, freeway, Jashanpreet allegedly caused a multi-car pile up that killed Pomona High Red Devils assistant basketball coach Clarence Nelson, his wife, Lisa, along with another unidentified victim, <a href="https://abc7.com/post/pomona-high-school-coach-wife-among-3-killed-chain-reaction-crash-10-freeway-ontario-suspect-jashanpreet-singh-expected-court/18062397/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to ABC7. Jashanpreet was allegedly under the influence of an unnamed drug when the crash occurred.
The crash left six-year-old Dalilah Coleman in a coma for three weeks, according to Homeland Security. When Coleman awoke, she was unable to walk, talk, eat orally.
While hospitalized for six months, Coleman underwent a craniectomy, which left her without half of her skill for four months. She also had a broken femur, skull fractures and now has diplegic cerebral palsy, global developmental delay, and will need therapy for the rest of her life.
Coleman&#8217;s stepfather was also hospitalized for critical injuries, along with several others.
Dalilah&#8217;s father, Marcus Coleman, a truck driver himself, has called for more industry regulations and enhanced punishments on trucking companies that hire illegal immigrants since the collision.
&#8220;There&#8217;s a lot that we&#8217;ve been robbed of and United States citizens are getting robbed of it everyday and these car accidents are behind it, these trucking accidents,&#8221; Marcus Coleman <a href="https://x.com/DHSgov/status/1982856583190049139" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on Newsmax Monday. &#8220;And there are easy fixes, it&#8217;s not difficult to fix this, it&#8217;s super easy. There&#8217;s laws that can be put into place, there&#8217;s regulations that can be put into place, a lot of these truck drivers that are operating illegally &#8230; the trucks need to be seized. The trucking companies need to understand that the United States isn&#8217;t gonna play around.&#8221;
&#8220;They need to take the truck away &#8230; for 30 days, they need to be fined, the broker for hiring them needs to be fined, everybody needs to be held accountable for this,&#8221; he said.
The Trump administration has already taken steps to stop illegal immigrants from obtaining CDLs, including by requiring English proficiency, launching an audit of states issuing non-domiciled CDLs. The worst offender is California, where more than 25% of non-domiciled CDLs reviewed by the feds were improperly issued, <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-takes-emergency-action-protect-americas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Department of Transportation.
“California’s reckless disregard is frankly disgusting and an affront to the millions of Americans who expect us to keep them safe,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
“California must get its act together immediately or I will not hesitate to pull millions in funding. To every other state around the country – find all improperly issued CDLs and revoke their licenses now. We owe it to the American people to ensure only lawful, qualified drivers are operating big rigs on our highways,&#8221; Duffy added.
Duffy gave California 30 days to stop issuing CDLs to illegal immigrants, threatening to withhold nearly $160 million in the first year and doubling it the next if Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom fails to comply.
Newsom&#8217;s office <a href="https://x.com/GovPressOffice/status/1978642641656177126" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defended</a> that California CDL holders have a lower fatal crash rate than the national average.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently limited the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs to foreigners, only if they possess either an H-2B, H-2A or E-2 visa.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has also targeted illegal <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/10/06/washington-us-department-homeland-security-dhs-today-released-following-statement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">immigrant</a> truckers as part of President Donald Trump&#8217;s historic mass deportation campaign, arresting 91 of them in a recent operation along I-40 in Oklahoma.

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