Diane Rado
The Florida Phoenix
Citra, FL, United States
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Past articles by Diane:
On the first day of the 2023 session, GOP lawmakers file a 6-week abortion ban in Florida
The GOP-controlled Florida Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a 15-week abortion ban last year. On Tuesday, lawmakers filed a bill to reduce the ban to six weeks, creating significant new abortion restrictions in the state. State Sen. Erin Grall, who has been at the forefront of abortion restrictions in Florida, filed the Senate bill, […] → Read More
Three years of COVID-19 and it's still here
It was three years ago this week, when Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on a Sunday evening, March 1, 2020, that “two individuals” in Florida tested “presumptively positive” for a coronavirus called COVID-19. It would become a global pandemic, with millions of people becoming ill or dying. Many people have moved on from COVID, shedding masks […] → Read More
Nikki Fried is the new chair of the FL Democratic Party
Former Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democrat who had hoped to become the first woman governor of Florida but didn’t win in the 2022 gubernatorial primary race, has been elected as the new chair of the Florida Democratic Party. Florida Democrats on Saturday posted a celebratory tweet: “The Florida Democratic Party congratulates @NikkiFried on being […] → Read More
Parkland tragedy: 'The 5th anniversary of one of Florida's darkest days'
Tuesday, Feb. 14, will mark the 5th anniversary of the mass shootings at Broward County’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, where 17 students and staff were killed in 2018 by a teen with an AR-15-style rifle. Gov. Ron DeSantis has directed the following related to “Marjory Stoneman Douglas Remembrance Day”: “In memory of […] → Read More
Former Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran to be interim president of New College of Florida
Richard Corcoran, a former House Speaker and Florida Education Commissioner and a current Board of Governors member of the state university system, is expected to be the interim president at the public New College of Florida in Sarasota. The news came in a series of tweets and clips from Florida-based newspapers on Tuesday afternoon and […] → Read More
Lawsuit expected against Gov. DeSantis on the rejection of AP African American studies pilot
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump — who has represented the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and others — plans to announce a lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis over the rejection of an Advanced Placement African American studies pilot course that has led to an outpouring of criticism from Black Democratic lawmakers, activists […] → Read More
VP Harris in Tallahassee: 'Can we truly be free if a woman cannot make decisions about her life?'
In a direct challenge to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to his back yard Sunday to announce that President Joe Biden was signing an executive order designed to guarantee access to abortion rights, including abortion-inducing medications. During a roughly 20-minute address in Tallahassee marking what would have been the 50th anniversary […] → Read More
Prior to VP Harris' remarks in Tallahassee Sunday, Biden provides a statement on abortion rights
Sunday, on what was going to be the 50th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision on Jan. 22, 1973, President Joe Biden provided a statement from the White House: “Today, instead of commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, we are acknowledging that last year, the Supreme Court took […] → Read More
Vice President Kamala Harris expects to be in GOP DeSantis territory on Sunday in Tallahassee
Vice President Kamala Harris is set to deliver remarks Sunday in Florida’s state capital of Tallahassee, ahead of what would have been the 50th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade, which granted access to abortion care. The high court overturned Roe v. Wade on June, 24, 2022, led by […] → Read More
FL's Byron Donalds votes for Kevin McCarthy for U.S. House Speaker after all
During a continued drama over who will be the next U.S. House Speaker in Congress, Florida’s Byron Donalds had catapulted to national prominence this week, as a possible nominee for the Speaker’s job. Several lawmakers, including himself, voted for Donalds over several days. But by Friday afternoon, Donalds decided to vote for embattled GOP leader […] → Read More
Jan. 6 attack: 3 FL extremist groups formed an alliance 'to work together to shut this sh** down'
The final report of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol is 845 pages long — similar to more than two or three books outlining the terror of historic events. The excerpts related to Florida are often chilling. The publication released last week showed the force of extremist […] → Read More
Ag Commissioner Fried asks U.S. Department of Justice to monitor FL's 'broken' prison system
In a Twitter post and a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland this week, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried asked the Department of Justice “to monitor our broken system and hold our governor to account.” The concerns came at a time when the Florida Phoenix was writing a lengthy story about prison conditions at Lowell […] → Read More
How prayers set the stage when Florida lawmakers are in session
On the first day of a special session on property insurance reforms and other issues, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo took a few minutes to ask Senate colleagues to send prayers: A state senator’s spouse was undergoing heart surgery Monday. Following those prayers, State Sen. Shevrin, of Miami-Dade, whose religious affiliation is listed as Christian (non-denominational), […] → Read More
DeSantis' local press conference diverts to comments on China's 'draconian' COVID policies
What began as a news conference in Jacksonville about a multi-million railway project led to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ international comments on China, where protests have erupted over lockdowns, quarantines and other Zero-COVID policies that aim to eradicate the virus. DeSantis, just reelected as governor this month but considered a top presidential pick in 2024, took […] → Read More
President Biden is scheduled to travel to South Florida Nov. 1
Earlier this month, President Joe Biden was in Florida to help rebuild the Southwest region of the peninsula following the devastating impacts of Hurricane Ian. In about 10 days, the president is scheduled to come back to Florida, as the Nov. 8 midterm elections loom. This time, President Biden is scheduled to be in South […] → Read More
Ian death toll rises: 72 fatalities in 12 counties
Ian’s death toll in Florida has risen to 72 fatalities, with 46 deaths in Lee County, where the massive storm battered the southwest part of the peninsula. In all, there are now 12 counties with fatalities due to Ian, according to data from Florida’s Medical Examiners Commission (MEC), which reports hurricane deaths following an autopsy […] → Read More
Hurricane Ian death toll: 68 fatalities in 11 counties in FL
Ian’s death toll in Florida has risen to 68 fatalities, with 45 deaths in Lee County, where the massive storm battered the southwest part of the peninsula. In all, there are now eleven counties with fatalities due to Ian, according to data from Florida’s Medical Examiners Commission (MEC), which reports hurricane deaths following an autopsy […] → Read More
Hurricane Ian's death toll is now at 58 fatalities, in eight counties
Ian’s death toll in Florida has risen to 58 fatalities, with 42 deaths in Lee County, where the massive storm battered the southwest part of the peninsula. In all, there are now eight counties with fatalities due to Ian, according to data from Florida’s Medical Examiners Commission (MEC), which reports hurricane deaths following an autopsy […] → Read More
President Biden, First Lady, scheduled to travel to FL on Wednesday following aftermath of Ian
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are scheduled to travel to Florida on Wednesday, as the death toll for Ian continues to rise, hundreds of thousands of residents still have no power and the state faces a monumental task of fixing the damage from the massive storm. The White House did not say […] → Read More
Hurricane Ian's death toll has nearly doubled in one day, with 44 fatalities
Saturday morning, there were 23 confirmed fatalities in six counties from Hurricane Ian’s monstrous trajectory across Florida. But by Saturday evening, the figure had nearly doubled to 44 deaths, with 30 in Lee County, where Ian had battered the southwest coast of the peninsula. In all, there are now seven counties with fatalities due to […] → Read More