Central Florida News
Daisy Morales Qualifies, Loans Campaign $50,000, Blasts Rita Harris On “Dead Bills”
ORLANDO, Fla. – Former Representative Daisy Morales wasted no time attacking her opponent, incumbent Representative Rita Harris, blasting her for delivering a pile of dead bills each Legislative Session (2023 and 2024) in a heated rematch for Florida House District 44.
On Tuesday, Morales campaign fired off a loaded press release blasting Harris as a “bad actress playing lawmaker” for the Democratic establishment. The two Democrats will face-off in the August Primary Election. At this point, no other candidate qualified before the qualifying deadline June 14.
Morales’ Full Press Release
Former state Representative Daisy Morales has qualified for the August 20, 2024 ballot in a rematch election against Rita Harris for the Florida House District 44 seat.
The Daisy Morales Campaign paid a qualifying fee of $1781.82 on May 31, ahead of her opponent.
Daisy Morales also plans to self fund her campaign up to $50,000.
She first won her House seat with 65% of the vote in 2020.
The former State Representative and former Orange County Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor has a eight year history of defeating her Democrat and Republican opponents who gathered more donors and endorsements.
Daisy Morales is an old name that has been cemented in Orange County politics. In this race name recognition and community engagement matters, especially to Hispanic voters.
“My campaign team is excited and fired up to take back Florida House District 44 from an ineffective Democratic lawmaker, Rita Harris. She has delivered a pile of dead bills each Legislative Session. Zero bills passed.
It’s time for District 44 voters to pink slip this bad actress playing lawmaker for the Democratic establishment. The people deserve better.”
“I am running for State Representative because of my love for public service. I’ve spent over 30 years of my life working for the people at the local, state, and federal levels. I’m simply a dedicated public servant committed to making the government work for all people in District 44.”
As former State Representative, Daisy sponsored and cosponsored over 100 bipartisan bills (2021 and 2022) that became state law in her first term.
As the Mother of a Military Veteran, and a State Lawmaker, Daisy will continue to fight every day to make sure our Veterans have access to programs and services that meet their needs.
Related story: Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Six Bills to Support Florida’s Military Families
“I’m proud that the Governor included my bill, HB 45 in a 2022 bill signing ceremony. House Bill 45 provides educational opportunities for disabled veterans by providing additional assistance to achieve a 100 percent award for tuition and fees.
HB 45 National Model For States
“Florida’s HB 45 of the 2022 legislative session could serve as a national model to provide educational opportunities to our disabled veterans and provide an avenue for their future success,” said Louisiana State Representative Beau Beaullieu.
Also, a South Carolina State Lawmaker is considering HB 45 for their disabled veterans in 2024.
“I look forward to returning back to the Florida House to deliver results for the people of Florida.”
Related Story: Last Call for 6.11.24 — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics
It’s shots fired in House District 44, as former Rep. Daisy Morales is looking to paint her Primary opponent, Democratic Rep. Rita Harris, as “ineffective.” “She has delivered a pile of dead bills each Legislative Session. Zero bills passed,” Morales said. Maybe it’s time for a Fireball with all that heat.
Shooting struggles and a costly third quarter leave Orlando winless through two games under first-year coach Sean Sweeney
ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) — A new coaching era has opened with consecutive losses for the Orlando Magic, who fell 115-93 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night at Kia Center.
Orlando dropped to 0-2 under first-year head coach Sean Sweeney as shooting struggles again slowed its offense. The Magic also struggled with turnovers and missed free throws, repeating problems from their season-opening loss to Atlanta. Yahoo Sports
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards handles the ball as Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero contests the play at Kia Center in Orlando on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. Minnesota defeated Orlando 115-93. Photo by Harry Castiblanco / Florida National News.
Third-quarter struggles prove costly
Minnesota led 57-45 at halftime before taking control in the third quarter. The Timberwolves closed the period with a 17-3 run, building an 86-60 advantage heading into the fourth. Orlando could not recover from the 26-point deficit. reuters.com
Carter leads Orlando
Wendell Carter Jr. finished with 20 points and nine rebounds to lead the Magic. Franz Wagner scored 18 points before fouling out, while Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs added 14 apiece.
Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels each scored 15 points for Minnesota, which improved to 2-0. Rudy Gobert contributed 14 points and nine rebounds. Reuters
Perimeter shooting remains a concern
Orlando made just eight of its 39 attempts from 3-point range, shooting 20.5%. Minnesota connected on 37.8% of its attempts from beyond the arc. reuters.com
Two games offer a limited measure of Sweeney’s tenure, but the early results identify an immediate challenge: improving offensive execution and preventing difficult stretches from becoming decisive runs.
Central Florida News
Broadcaster Ray Cruz Santiago Criticizes Samuel Vilchez Santiago With Communist Graphics, Puerto Rican Identity Claims
The commentator’s video pairs the Democrat’s image with Soviet-style imagery and references his grandfather’s communist beliefs; Vilchez Santiago has publicly rejected socialism.
ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) — Hispanic broadcaster Ray Cruz Santiago is targeting Florida House Democratic nominee Samuel Vilchez Santiago in a video that depicts the candidate in a Soviet-style military uniform and pairs his name with a hammer-and-sickle graphic.
The approximately two-minute video invokes Vilchez Santiago’s description of his grandfather as a communist while presenting images of the candidate, former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and Republican opponent Jorge Malavet.
In separate Facebook posts, Cruz Santiago also accuses the Venezuelan-born Democrat of misleading Puerto Rican voters about his heritage. The material reviewed does not substantiate that allegation, and Vilchez Santiago has publicly rejected the socialist label.
Video visually links candidate to communism
The uploaded video shows an apparent composite depicting Vilchez Santiago in a military uniform and peaked cap. Another graphic places the name “Samuel Vilchez” beneath a red flag bearing a hammer and sickle.
An on-screen caption describes him, translated from Spanish, as a “Democratic candidate in District 43 with a communist grandfather.”
The sequence also juxtaposes footage of Chávez with an image of Vilchez Santiago draped in a Venezuelan flag. Later frames display Malavet and Vilchez Santiago alongside Puerto Rican and Venezuelan flag symbols, respectively.
Together, those visual choices suggest an association between the Democratic candidate and communism. They do not independently establish his political beliefs, affiliations or support for Venezuela’s government. The uniform depiction should be understood as an apparent composite, rather than documentary evidence that he wore such a uniform.
Grandfather’s statement includes family opposition to Chavismo
The reference to Vilchez Santiago’s grandfather has a documented source.
“My grandfather was a communist,” Vilchez Santiago said in a 2019 Princeton University profile. In the same discussion, he described his parents as politically active opponents of Venezuela’s Chavista government and discussed his family’s departure because of political persecution. pace.princeton.edu
That account describes an ideological divide within his family. His grandfather’s beliefs do not establish the candidate’s own ideology.
Candidate has rejected socialist label
Cruz Santiago’s supplied posts describe Vilchez Santiago as a socialist or democratic socialist, a characterization the candidate has disputed.
“I am not a socialist. I have never been a socialist,” Vilchez Santiago said in Spanish in an interview published Sept. 29 by La Prensa Florida.
He argued that proposals involving health care, Social Security and lower household expenses should not automatically be labeled socialist. His stated priorities included easing property tax increases for first-time homebuyers, reducing toll expenses and simplifying small-business registration. laprensafl.com
Separate posts question Puerto Rican campaign imagery
Cruz Santiago’s heritage criticism appears in separate Facebook posts alleging that Vilchez Santiago is presenting himself as Puerto Rican to attract voters. www.facebook.com
A screenshot of a campaign advertisement supplied to FNN shows a photograph of Vilchez Santiago holding a Puerto Rican flag alongside two women, with his campaign branding displayed over the image.
The photograph places a recognizable symbol of Puerto Rican identity within the campaign’s presentation of his personal story. Viewers unfamiliar with his Venezuelan background could interpret it as suggesting Puerto Rican heritage. The materials reviewed do not establish whether viewers reached that conclusion or whether the campaign intended it.
The screenshot contains no explicit claim of Puerto Rican ancestry. Vilchez Santiago’s Venezuelan background is publicly documented in the Princeton profile and a Venezuelan-American Caucus biography. pace.princeton.edu
Why the presentation matters to voters
The criticism combines two distinct subjects: the candidate’s heritage and his political beliefs.
For voters evaluating the material, the central distinction is between documented statements and associations created through editing. The grandfather’s communist beliefs are supported by the candidate’s published account. The uniform, hammer-and-sickle graphic and Chávez juxtaposition are elements of the video’s presentation, rather than proof of the candidate’s ideology.
Likewise, the Puerto Rican flag photograph documents the campaign’s use of cultural imagery without establishing a false claim of ancestry.
Broadcaster brings criticism into District 43 contest
Cruz Santiago hosts El Escándalo del Día on Miami’s Radio Mambí 710 AM, according to his professional profile. Salsoul’s official website also lists him among its personalities. www.linkedin.com
Readers can review his commentary on Facebook and visit his website.
Vilchez Santiago and Malavet are the Democratic and Republican candidates, respectively, in the Nov. 3 election for Florida House District 43, according to state election records. dos.elections.myflorida.com
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