Biden s cautious Cuba stance may haunt Florida Dems
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POLITICO Playbook: Caitlyn Jenner s reality TV campaign
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LAKELAND U.S. Rep. Scott Franklin did not enjoy the smooth and inconspicuous entry into Congress that most new House members receive.
The Lakeland Republican took his oath of office on Jan. 3, as the House of Representatives remained largely shuttered by precautions against the COVID-19 pandemic, then raging throughout the country.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump continued refusing to accept his loss in the 2020 election, repeating unsupported claims of electoral fraud. He urged supporters to focus on Jan. 6, the day Congress would certify the Electoral College results, as a last hope for blocking Joe Biden’s election.
Franklin, 56, was in the House chamber that day as a mob of Trump loyalists overwhelmed security forces, broke into the Capitol and prowled its interior as some called for the execution of Vice President Mike Pence, who was overseeing the election certification in a ceremonial role.
AP Photo/Phil Sears
Matt Gaetz helped enact Florida legislation to toughen penalties for sex offenses against children.
He said in 2014 that sex offenders who prey on children were simply wired differently.
Gaetz is now the subject of a sex-trafficking investigation reportedly involving a 17-year-old.
In 2014, long before he became the subject of a federal sex-trafficking investigation, Matt Gaetz pushed Florida to enact what he called a scorched-earth policy toward sexual predators.
Gaetz, then 31 years old, served as the chairman of the Florida House of Representatives Criminal Justice Subcommittee. He cosponsored legislation that increased the mandatory prison time for convicted sexual offenders, calling it some of the most important work his subcommittee would do.