SUMMARY: President-Elect Donald Trump announced new appointments to his administration, naming U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz as Attorney General and former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence. Trump praised Gabbard for her service and bipartisan appeal, while emphasizing Gaetz’s role in fighting corruption and restoring integrity to the Department of Justice. Trump’s cabinet also includes Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, Lee Zeldin as head of the EPA, and Marco Rubio as Secretary of State. Other appointees include Kristi Noem as DHS Secretary and Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel, among several others. Democrats plan to challenge Trump’s picks.

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SUMMARY: In the third quarter of 2024, Florida welcomed 34.6 million visitors, marking a 1.7% increase over the previous record, despite hurricanes Debby and Helene. This follows strong tourism growth in the first two quarters, totaling 109.7 million visitors so far this year. Last year, over 140 million people visited, with 92.1% being domestic tourists. International traffic also rose by 1.8%. Florida’s tourism is supported by priorities like public safety and freedom. Notably, 38.1% of visitors traveled by air, with Orlando and Miami seeing the highest numbers of enplanements.

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SUMMARY: A recent audit from the Florida auditor general’s office revealed that the Commission on Offender Review failed to comply with the state constitution regarding victim rights notifications. The audit identified issues with the storage of confidential victim records and inadequate document scanning equipment. The commission, which oversees post-prison supervisory release programs, did not consistently notify victims about offender releases. Several parole cases lacked proper documentation, and some victim notification letters were incomplete. Auditors recommended updating procedures to ensure compliance with constitutional requirements and improve the commission’s documentation and supervisory review processes. The commission plans to implement changes within the next year.

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