By Jim Turner ©2024 The News Service of Florida
TALLAHASSEE — Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd offered a little more detail Wednesday after Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state was looking into possible fraud in petitions gathered to place a proposed abortion-rights constitutional amendment on the November ballot.
Appearing before the U.S. House Administration Committee, Byrd said investigators from the state’s Office of Election Crimes and Security are looking at allegations of identity theft involving petition signatures.
“There are organizations and businesses that send people from out of state into the state, pay them to gather signatures,” Byrd said during a hearing in Washington, D.C. titled “American Confidence in Elections: Looking Ahead to the 2024 General Election.”
“We have victims of felony identity theft,” Byrd said. “They have come and reported that to us. That their identity has been stolen, (and) their signature has been placed on a signature petition. We have a duty and obligation to investigate and provide relief to those victims.”
On Monday, DeSantis defended investigators questioning people who signed petitions for the proposed amendment, which if approved by voters would enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution. DeSantis is helping lead efforts to try to defeat the proposal, which will appear on the ballot as Amendment 4.
“It may be that the signature is totally different, and that voter will say, ‘No, I actually did do that,’” DeSantis said. “Maybe they signed their name. That is absolutely possible. And if that’s what you say, I think that’s probably the end of it.”
In a conference call with reporters on Wednesday, Lauren Brenzel, campaign director for the Yes on 4 campaign, called the signature investigation a “distraction,” noting the petitions were verified by elections officials after being submitted.
HARDING’S NEW PERSPECTIVE
Former state Rep. Joe Harding expressed a new outlook on law enforcement as he posted online about the detention and handcuffing of Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill shortly before the team’s home opener on Sunday.
Harding, R-Ocala, said in a post-Tuesday on X that the encounter Hill had with law enforcement “is not uncommon for a Black man.”
“My entire life I have been someone that has always respected and defended law enforcement,” Harding wrote. “Then my life changed. I came in contact with law enforcement. I saw what it was like to be intimidated and manipulated. I spent 3 months in Federal Prison, (and) had many long conversations with men who had very different life stories than me.”
“White people generally are conditioned and exposed to law enforcement on their own time and not during crisis,” Harding, who is white, continued. “Minorities, specifically black males, are exposed to law enforcement at a young age because of those around them having encounters with law enforcement and they have seen the ugly and corrupt side and know what it is like to look a crooked cop in the eye. Those same kids grow up to not trust law enforcement and I don’t blame them at all.”
In 2023, Harding pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud, money laundering, and making false statements related to a scheme to obtain pandemic-related business loans.
Hill’s traffic-related arrest has drawn heavy national attention. Police suspended one officer, called for an internal investigation, and released nearly two hours of body-camera footage.
A state law that went into effect on July 1 (HB 601) prevents investigations of local law enforcement officers by civilian review boards.
A police union criticized Hill as “uncooperative.”
DeSantis, who attended Sunday’s game, called an investigation “appropriate” when asked about the arrest Monday while in Miami.
“But I think that I have confidence in agencies throughout this state that they want to uphold the highest standards of professionalism. And if for some reason that wasn’t followed here, I know that they will make that clear, but I’ll let that investigation take place,” DeSantis said.
BIPARTISAN WARNINGS
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody joined colleagues from both parties to call on Congress to require surgeon-general warning labels on social media apps to curtail a mental health crisis among young adults.
Moody was among 42 state attorneys general arguing that more needs to be done to address the issue. Many states have taken steps, including passage this year of a Florida law aimed at keeping children off social-media platforms. That law will take effect Jan. 1.
“This (surgeon general) warning would not only highlight the inherent risks that social media platforms presently pose for young people, but also complement other efforts to spur attention, research, and investment into the oversight of social media platforms,” Moody said in a prepared statement.
In a letter to Congress, the attorneys general noted “we sometimes disagree about important issues,” before adding concerns about health and safety impacts on youths from “algorithm-driven social media platforms.”
In June, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy wrote an op-ed that made a direct comparison between apps of TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and others to cancer-causing cigarettes.
Technology industry groups have argued that parts of the new Florida law (HB 3), including age-verification requirements, will violate First Amendment rights.
SOCIAL MEDIA POST OF THE WEEK: “Thought of the Day: Many in America are told and believe that when kids get killed in school it’s a ‘fact of life,’ but are also told and believe that a rumor about a Haitian eating a duck is DEFCON 1.” — U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla. (@JaredEMoskowitz).
