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Republican Beats Out Dem in Florida Special Election

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Photo Credit: Fox News Republican David Jolly narrowly defeated Democrat Alex Sink on Tuesday in a Tampa-area House race largely seen as a critical test for ObamaCare.

With nearly 100 percent of the vote counted, Jolly had 48.5 percent of the vote to Sink’s 46.7 percent. Libertarian Lucas Overby had 4.8 percent.

The race to replace the late Rep. Bill Young was considered a tossup, and was cast as a political bellwether, and a testing ground for each party’s messaging strategy — which revolves in part around the Affordable Care Act.

Jolly’s election night headquarters in Clearwater Beach erupted into loud cheers as it became clear he was the winner. In his victory speech, Jolly simultaneously struck a conciliatory tone and expressed gratitude for his mentor, Young, and Young’s family. Jolly was introduced by former “Price is Right” game show host Bob Barker, via video. Young’s two adult sons were also onstage with Jolly, and he embraced them at the end of his speech.

Jolly didn’t mention the issue that dominated much of the campaign — the president’s health care package — and instead said that Pinellas County must work together.

Read more this story HERE.

Wrong-Way Car Crashes in Florida and California Kill 11

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Photo Credit: AP Photo/San Gabriel Valley Tribune,Watchara PhomicindaEleven people died early Sunday in two highway collisions, one in Florida and one in California, caused by drivers going the wrong way, authorities said.

Five people died in the Florida collision and six were killed in California.

A Ford Expedition SUV traveling south on northbound Interstate 275 in Tampa, Florida, collided head-on with a Hyundai Sonata just after 2 a.m., killing the SUV driver and all four people in the other car, according to a Florida Highway Patrol news release.

The SUV became engulfed in flames, the patrol report said. The other vehicle was also damaged by fire. The driver and all three passengers in the car were members of the Sigma Beta Rho fraternity at the University of South Florida in Tampa, the patrol said.

The identity of SUV driver has not been confirmed due to extensive damage to the vehicle, the patrol said. It is unclear if alcohol was involved in the crash, the patrol said.

Read more from this story HERE.

Fla. Republican Rep. C.W. ‘Bill’ Young Dies at 82

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Photo Credit: APRep. C. W. “Bill” Young, a Florida Republican who was the longest-tenured Republican in the House and served as the longtime top appropriator for the defense industry, died Friday at 82.

Hospitalized at Walter Reed for a back injury, Young received a call earlier this week from former President George W. Bush thanking him for backing the military.

Young announced in recent weeks he was retiring from Congress.

He did not vote Wednesday night on the bill to raise the debt limit and fund the government.

First elected in 1970, Young became the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee’s panel on defense in 1995, serving until his death.

Read more from this story HERE.

‘Obama Express’ Grocery Store Caught in Food Stamp Trafficking (+video)

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

After Obama’s election in 2009 a small grocery store/convenience store in Florida changed its name to the Obama Express. Several other stores across the country did the same thing. One of those was a location in Baltimore, Maryland. Now, in 2013, the Maryland outlet is under investigation, accused of illegally trafficking in food stamps.

On September 17, WBAL reported that nine retailers in Baltimore County had been arrested for illegally redeeming food stamps for cash and kicking back a portion to food stamp recipients. The retailers did not sell them any merchandise or food.

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Florida ‘Hiccup Girl’ Guilty of 1st Degree Murder

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

A Florida woman who became famous for her uncontrollable hiccupping was found guilty of first-degree murder Friday night and will serve life in prison without parole.

A Pinellas County jury deliberated for four hours before delivering the verdict against 22-year-old Jennifer Mee.

Mee wept in the Clearwater courtroom as the verdict was read. Minutes later, Judge Nancy Moate Ley explained that the only possible sentence for the charge was life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The verdict and five-day trial was a sad end to a chapter in Mee’s short and sad life. Her attorneys said she suffered from schizophrenia and Tourette’s Syndrome, and a court psychiatrist said Mee’s intelligence was “low normal.”

As a 15-year-old, Mee developed a case of the hiccups that wouldn’t go away. She appeared on several TV shows and while on the “Today” show, was hugged by fellow guest and country music star Keith Urban. She tried home remedies and consulted medical specialists, a hypnotist and an acupuncturist, until the hiccups finally stopped on their own, though not for good.

Read more from this story HERE.

Horrific Spree of Mass Rape and Terror in Tampa Hits a Pivot Point when a Woman of Faith Does One Bold Thing (+videos)

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Photo Credit: WTVJ-TV

Photo Credit: WTVJ-TV

Police say Charlie “Chris” Bates had just finished raping four women at gunpoint after tying up the four men who were with them in a Tampa, Fla. apartment.

Bates then found what he thought was his next victim, a woman sitting on her porch at another apartment complex.

Police say Bates forced the woman inside her unit, made her undress and kiss him, and was about to rape her, according to the Tampa Tribune.

Then she did something amazingly bold and faithful: She began praying.

And she recited John 3:16 from the Bible, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

__________________

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Florida Police: Maintenance Man Uses Dying Man’s ATM Card before Calling 911

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Photo Credit:GainesvilleThe maintenance man at a Gainesville apartment complex has been arrested after police allege he found a tenant either dead or dying and, before calling 911, used the man’s ATM card to withdraw more than $600.

Police did not learn of the theft until three weeks after the man’s death on July 1, when the tenant’s brother called to say that on the day of his brother’s death, ATM charges were posted against his Bank of America account minutes before paramedics arrived.

Clarence Davis, 52, of 106 NE Rally Ave. in Micanopy, called authorities on July 1 to report a death at the University Commons apartment complex on Southwest Archer Road, the Gainesville Police Department reported. Shortly after police arrived, emergency medical personnel pronounced J.W. White dead of an undisclosed medical condition, police said.

On July 22, White’s brother contacted police to report the ATM transactions, which took place across the street from White’s apartment at 8:19 a.m. and 8:20 a.m., eight minutes before White was found dead.

Video footage from the ATM showed Davis conducting a balance inquiry and making two withdrawals from the victim’s account for a total of $611.90 including transaction fees, police reported.

Read more from this story HERE.

Massive Explosions Rock Propane Plant; Watch Raw Video Here

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Photo Credit: YouTubePropane explosions at the Blue Rhino LP gas plant rocked the Tavares area on Monday night, injuring eight people.

A massive emergency response was called to the plant, which is located at the 300 block of County Road 448, after multiple injuries were reported.

All employees on staff at the time of the explosion were accounted for by 2 a.m., Lake County spokesman John Herrell said.

“Plant management is comfortable saying they are accounted for,” Herrell said.

Eight people were hurt — some of them critically injured, according to Tavares Fire Chief Richard Keith.

Read more from this story HERE.

Congressional Black Caucus Now Lining Up Behind Jesse Jackson’s “Boycott Florida for Trayvon” Campaign

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Photo Credit: david_shankboneA number of House Democrats are lining up behind the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s threat for an economic boycott of Florida following the not-guilty verdict in the death of Trayvon Martin.

The lawmakers, all members of the Congressional Black Caucus, are fierce critics of the process that led to George Zimmerman’s acquittal in the fatal shooting last year of the Florida teenager. Exerting pressure on Florida’s economy as Jackson is suggesting, they said, could help overturn the state’s controversial stand-your-ground laws that many contend contributed to the tragedy.

“That’s probably the best strategy, because people understand dollars and cents,” Rep. Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) said Friday. “And they understand, if there’s a significant drop-off in revenues – at conventions, at Disney World and Universal Studios – that that will get the attention of the powerful.”

Clay said he’d like to see “a multi-pronged strategy” that includes legislation, “getting laws overturned by courts, as well as an economic boycott.”

Rep. Bennie Thompson echoed that message. The Mississippi Democrat called the verdict “a travesty” that “does not speak well for this country,” and said he would “absolutely” support an economic boycott of the state.

Read more from this story HERE.

Federal Surveillance Drone Crashes in Florida, Shuts Down Highway (+video)

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Photo Credit: APA Florida highway was closed on Wednesday after a crash involving a fallen drone from an Air Force base, according to reports.

The Associated Press reported that the drone, from Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Fla., crashed on the U.S. 98 highway in Florida’s Panhandle.

The stretch of highway affected is an a rural part of Florida, but officials said the road could be closed for as long as 24 hours.

The drone has a 24-hour battery life and will become inactive after that, according to the AP.

Read more from this story HERE.