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Central Florida Leaders Call Out Governor DeSantis and Republicans for Failed Leadership on Unemployment

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FLORIDA– Yesterday, Central Florida leaders called out Governor DeSantis’ failed leadership on Florida’s broken unemployment system and COVID. Representative Geraldine Thompson, HD-44; Representative Anna Eskamani, HD-47; Representative Jennifer Webb, HD-69; Representative Joy Goff-Marcil, HD-30 highlighted how the Republicans in Tallahassee and Governor DeSantis have not put the needs of Floridians first.
They also focused on how many of the problems we are facing right now are not new problems, but things that were broken before and have been exacerbated by the pandemic. The Republicans designed the unemployment system to fail and now Floridians are paying the price.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE CALL
Representative Geraldine Thompson, HD-44
“[The unemployment system] has been broken for a very long time, and COVID has just put the spotlight on the problem…we knew that it was inadequate [in 2011], and it is abysmal now”
“Rather than focusing on fixing this broken unemployment system…the governor wants to change the subject and to talk about a law that would criminalize peaceful protest and say that people cannot exercise their 1st Amendment right to raise their voices when the government is not listening.”
“I came up through the civil rights movement, so I know about civil disobedience, and I know about marches and protests because the leaders were not listening then and they are not listening now.”
“The governor has failed. His leadership is wanting, and he is following the Trump playbook, and we need real leadership here in the state of Florida…”
“We would want to address unemployment and we would want to address a mask mandate in any special session.”
Representative Jennifer Webb, HD-69
“This crisis has been a series of highlighting how we’ve divested from our families and our local businesses…”
“[The unemployment system] was designed to be harder to apply for unemployment than it was to find any kind of work…that is unconscionable during any time, but especially during a pandemic.”
“…having an executive order that says one thing, enforcement that says another, and then [Governor DeSantis’] talking points saying a third, totally unrelated thing really made [my constituents] feel very jerked around and made it very hard for them to plan how they were going to be responsible in facing this crisis head-on.”
“When the Governor reopened the state, I heard from small businesses all across my district saying ‘we weren’t told; we weren’t ready for the influx of people.”
Representative Joy Goff Marcil, HD-30
“Because of the Governor’s way of presenting the masks and saying that local governments cannot enforce or have any penalties or fees if [people] do not wear a mask…my constituents are not feeling comfortable going to local businesses…the businesses that they’re going to go to…are bigger corporations because they have the manpower to make [mask-wearing] happen.”
“The Governor and leadership in Tallahassee will make you think that we are out of the pandemic when we are still leading the world for cases…Florida’s numbers are rising as well.”
“We’re not gonna get a hold of the unemployment problem until we get a hold of this virus.”
Representative Anna Eskamani, HD-47
“The need for backpay is huge right now and that is probably the biggest burden that many Floridians are facing. They’ve done everything right… but they have not seen their backpay all the way back to…March and April.”
“We need to provide backpay to claimants, we need to remove holds and open up locked accounts; we also need to dramatically improve the [DEO] call center. The Governor knows this, but the Governor doesn’t talk about it.”
“We literally are not paying enough into our state unemployment system to qualify for federal relief.”
“Republicans are acting like the saviors of unemployment when in reality, they are the ones that broke the system in the first place.”
“I just want to recognize how irresponsible the Governor’s calls were for a special session on his mini-Trump agenda to create election tension around issues like BLM and civil disobedience…It’s a slap in the face to constitutional rights…It should be alarming to every single person in the state of Florida.”
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Golf

Russell Henley Wins Red Cardigan at 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational

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Russell Henley wins the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Russell Henley wins his first red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. This is Henley’s fifth win on the PGA Tour.

Russell Henley is greeted by his family on the 18th green after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

Henley finished at 11 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 70 today. Collin Morikawa finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, finished today at 4 under par, tied for 11th place.

Scottie Scheffler tees off at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.

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NFL

UCF Hall of Fame Inductee Shaquem Griffin Launches Search For Greatness Combine With Joey Grant and GMTM

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UCF Hall of Fame Inductee Shaquem Griffin Launches Search For Greatness Combine With Joey Grant and GMTM

Former UCF football players Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant have partnered with GMTM to launch their Search for Greatness Combine at UCF on Saturday, November 9th. They’re giving local athletes a chance to showcase their talents and explore new sports opportunities. Griffin will be inducted into the UCF Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 2nd, during halftime of the Arizona vs. UCF football game. He is remembered for his tenacity, setting an NFL Combine record with the fastest 40-yard dash by a linebacker, and playing four seasons in the NFL, overcoming the challenge of only having one hand. He is now training to make the USA Paralympic Track and Field Team and hopes to compete in the 2028 Olympics. Joey Grant, the co-founder and CEO of GMTM, is a former UCF team captain, playing mostly Center for the Knights from 2011-2015.

Participation at the upcoming combine is free and invite-only, targeting athletes over the age of 18. To be considered, athletes must submit a highlight video via GMTM’s platform, showcasing their athleticism. GMTM will evaluate submissions and invite the most promising athletes to participate in the combine. The goal for this year’s event is to get 1,000 athletes to submit videos and be part of the combine process. Athletes chosen will receive personalized invites with further instructions, including event time slots and details. The athletes will be evaluated for their key athletic traits, to identify opportunities for them across multiple Olympic sports or professional sports programs. To learn more, or to apply for the combine, visit: https://gmtm.com/articles/the-search-for-greatness-at-ucf-with-shaquem-griffin-what-you-need-to-know.

Florida National News spoke with Shaquem and Joey about the combine, college football in the era of NIL and the transfer portal, and Griffin’s hall of fame induction. You can watch the full interview here:

Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant interview

Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com and www.FloridaSportsChannel.com for more.

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Florida

Scottie Scheffler Wins Second Red Cardigan at 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational

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Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Scottie Scheffler wins his second red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. Scheffler first won the API in 2022.

Scottie Scheffler wins the Arnold Palmer Invitational. (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

The number one ranked golfer in the world, Scheffler finished at 15 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 66 today. Wyndham Clark finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Kurt Kitayama, did not make the cut, this weekend, finishing 7 over par after the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday.

This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for the 50th anniversary of The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.

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