#BoatLift

[scotland]

The Falkirk Wheel is an impressive feat of modern engineering located in Falkirk, Scotland. It is a rotating boat lift that connects the Union Canal with the Forth and Clyde Canal, allowing boats to travel between the two waterways. Completed in 2002, the wheel stands at 115 feet tall and uses only 1.5 kilowatts of energy to rotate. It has become a popular tourist attraction in Scotland, drawing visitors from all over the world who come to marvel at this engineering wonder. The Falkirk Wheel is not only a functional piece of infrastructure, but also a testament to human ingenuity and innovation. (at Falkirk Wheel, Falkirk, Scotland) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqLfnavoE5u/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[doze-mag]

Roof Extensions Deck

Example of a mid-sized beach style backyard dock design with a roof extension

[ridetheduck]

How Much Does a Boat Lift Cost? – Finding the Right One

Boats are investments. There is a lot to spend on From the vessel to the maintenance to the boat lift. So, you need to make sure you are knowledgeable to avoid overpaying. On top of knowing the boat you want, you may have asked, “How much does a boat lift cost?”

Read more: https://www.ridetheducksofseattle.com/how-much-does-a-boat-lift-cost/

[robertcmcdermott]

How to Find the Best Boat Lifts Near Me

There are various types of boat lifts. The most common types are top-standers and bottom-standers. Each one is different, but they all operate in the same way. Depending on the type you get, they may either be powered manually or use an electric motor. Manual lifts are simpler and use a pulley system to raise and lower the boat, while electric lifts have a motor and require power at the dock.

Top-rated boat lift companies in Missouri and across the U.S. offer high-quality boat lifts, while others offer the most flexibility. Each lift fulfills a particular niche, so make sure to read customer reviews before making your purchase. There are also differences between hydraulic lifts and pneumatic lifts. While each type has its pros and cons, there are many benefits to each type. In this article, we'll examine the differences between the two.

Bottom-standing lifts must be removed from the water during the winter and reinstalled during the spring. These lifts must be stored somewhere and will require professional assistance to pull. During the summer, bottom-standers should be stored indoors or in a garage. You'll need to find somewhere to keep them if you're going to leave them out year-round. You can hire a professional to do the work for you.

LOTO Lift has the highest quality floating boat lifts in the industry and is based in Camdenton, Missouri. The LOTO Lift company's customer service is second to none. There's no better company to purchase your boat lifts from than LOTO Lifts. When looking for a boat lift near you, make sure to take into account the warranty, as many of these products are prone to malfunctioning after a short period of time.

Today, people from all walks of life enjoy recreational boating. An estimated 87 million people in the U.S. are recreational boaters. And while it may be hard to believe, there are many benefits to owning a boat lift for your craft.

[destielmemenews]

"Newly unsealed court papers allege that Manuel Rocha engaged in “clandestine activity” on Cuba’s behalf since at least 1981, including by meeting with Cuban intelligence operatives and providing false information to U.S. government officials about his travels and contacts."

"In several meetings with an undercover FBI employee posing as a member of Cuban intelligence, Rocha repeatedly referred to the US as “the enemy” and praised Cuban revolutionary and politician Fidel Castro, according to court documents."

source 1

source 2

[golden-boatlifts]

Dock Lifts in Fort Myers, FL

Dock lifts in Fort Myers, FL offer efficient solutions for loading and unloading goods at docks or warehouse facilities. These hydraulic lifts are designed to withstand heavy-duty use, providing a safe and convenient means of transferring cargo between varying heights. Equipped with durable materials and advanced safety features, they ensure smooth operations while minimizing the risk of accidents or injuries. Whether for industrial or commercial applications, dock lifts in Fort Myers, FL are tailored to meet specific needs, enhancing productivity and streamlining logistics processes. With their reliability and versatility, these lifts play a crucial role in optimizing workflow and maximizing space utilization in the bustling port city of Fort Myers, FL.

[karen-aronofsky]

i’ve been reading about the mariel boatlift recently and it’s been wild because it’s half got me convinced that republicans just haven’t moved past 1980. like “they’re not sending their best; they’re bringing crime; they’re rapists; and some i assume are good people”—this would have made some sense to say when the castro government was literally putting prisoners on a boat to send to the u.s. (but still alarmist since many of them were political prisoners etc.), but makes no sense now (not least because no one’s sending them). it’s like the boatlift is just the spinning top in the collective subconscious safe of the american right

[lotolifts]

Boat Floating Dock and Lift: A Must-Have for Boat Owners!

If you own a boat in the Midwest, you know the weather can be unpredictable. One day, it's sunny and calm; the next, it's stormy and windy. That's why it's necessary to have a boat dock that can withstand the elements and protect your investment.

Floating docks are an excellent option for boat owners in the Midwest. They're made from durable materials that withstand high winds, waves, and ice. Floating docks are also easy to install and maintain and can be moved to a different location on a lake if necessary.

Expand Your Floating Dock’s Capabilities

One of the best things about floating docks is that they can be used with boat lifts. A floating boat lift (also known as a drive-on boat lift or boat floating dock) allows you to keep your boat out of the water when you're not using it, which can help protect it from damage and extend its lifespan.

Here are some of the benefits of using a floating dock and floating boat lift in the Midwest:

Protection from damage: Floating docks and lifts can help to protect your boat from damage from waves, currents, ice, and other hazards.

Extended lifespan: By keeping your boat out of the water when you're not using it, you can help reduce wear and tear on the hull, engine, and other components.

Easy cleaning and maintenance: Floating boat lifts make it easy to access all parts of your boat for cleaning and maintenance.

Improved resale value: A well-maintained boat protected by a floating dock and lift will command a higher resale value.

If you're a boat owner in the Midwest, consider investing in a floating dock and floating boat lift. It's one of the best ways to protect your investment and extend the life of your boat.

Additional Tips for Boat Owners in the Midwest

Winterize your boat properly: The harsh Midwest winters can take a toll on your boat if it needs to be properly winterized. Drain all fluids, flush the engine, disconnect all fuel lines, grease the prop and threads, and cover your boat with a tarp before the cold weather sets in. Sometimes it's smart to go ahead and change the gear oil in the lower unit.

Inspect your boat regularly: It's essential to inspect your boat regularly for any signs of damage. This will help you identify and address problems before they cause significant damage.

Get your boat serviced regularly: Just like your car, your boat needs to be serviced regularly by a qualified mechanic. This will help to keep your boat running smoothly and prevent any major problems from developing.

Following these tips can help ensure your boat is protected and well-maintained year-round.

[omgthatdress]

Oh, look, another blonde hair, blue eyed doll from AG. I watched the cute little stop-motion short film AG made for Courtney, and I have to admit, it was fucking cute and her charm won me over.

There’s *some* actual historical engagement with the popularization of video games. The biggest thing is that her mom is running for mayor of their fictional town in California (because of course Courtney has to be a Valley Girl) and faces a bunch of sexist BS on a TV interview. It covers the space shuttle era of space travel, Challenger disaster and the emotional impact that had on the United States.

In her second book, Courtney has a classmate with AIDS. I’m glad that was included, because putting AIDS and HIV-positive kids in schools was a huge fight in the 80s. Here in Tampa, the mother of Eliana Martinez, a disabled girl who had contracted HIV in a blood transfusion at birth, went to court to get her daughter into school, and a federal judge ruled she could go to school as long as she spent the day in a glass cage like an animal. It was that bad. Eventually, Eliana was able to attend school without the cage because her mother, Rosa, was amazing.

In spite of everything I like about Courtney’s story, let’s be real. AG’s 80s doll should have been Latina. A Cuban-American girl living in Miami, with at least one parent who’s an Operacíon Pedro Pan adoptee, and with relatives who came over during the Mariel Boatlift. And I’m not just saying that because my parents were living in Miami in the 80s, I’m saying it because Miami was an incredible place in the 80s.

Operacíon Pedro Pan was a program by the U.S. State Department and Catholic Church for Cuban children to be sent to America when parents feared they would lose their parental rights and their children would be sent to communist indoctrination camps. It was a chance for their kids to be raised as Catholic in free America instead of atheists under the brutal Castro regime. About 14,000 children were removed from Cuba to be mostly re-settled in Miami.

You may be familiar with the Mariel Boatlift if you’ve seen the opening scene of Scarface, which actually sums up the situation pretty well.

Now, granted, Mariel only happened between April and October of 1980. Even after the boatlift officially ended, people seeking to flee Cuba continued to come on boats. The “wet foot, dry foot” policy meant that anyone fleeing Cuba who managed to set foot on American soil was guaranteed asylum. However, they had to face the US coastguard trying to intercept them and turn them back on the water. Refugees from Haiti fleeing the Duvalier regime also flocked to Miami, but since Duvalier was right-wing, Haitians weren’t granted the same protections as Cubans were and it was absolute bullshit.

On top of all that, Miami also had thriving African-American, Afro-Caribbean, Colombian, Jewish, and gay communities. There was just SO MUCH incredible stuff going on in Miami in the 80s, and I mean, hello, Miami Vice was a whole aesthetic!

You could include all the stuff that’s going in in Courtney’s books and STILL pack in so much more amazing history. The overall vibe I get with Coutney’s collection is that even though there’s some good stuff in her stories, it’s more about selling 80s nostalgia than actually teaching 80s history, which is a travesty. I know it’d be hard to engage with 80s politics and Ronald Reagan without pissing off a *lot* of people, but you can still engage with some serious 80s history if you just look outside of the blonde hair, blue eye box.

[sailoryooons]

With the new Yoongi photos, I see a lot of people bringing up Scarface references and linking it to the Tony Montana song, which honestly I love. As a Cuban-American and a giant history nerd, I feel like babbling about why Yoongi selecting Tony Montana as a representation of his music is so perfect.

Hali being a fucking long-winded nerd under the cut

For those that aren’t familiar with Tony Montana, who inspired Yoongi’s track Tony Montana, he’s a fictional character in Howard Hawk’s movie Scarface. Tony Montana is a Cuban who, along with thousands of other Cubans, came to Florida by way of the Mariel Boatlift in 1980.

Let’s talk about the historical aspect of this first cause I think everyone should actually know the cultural significance of the Mariel Boatlift. 

The movie starts with the Mariel Boatlift event in 1980. It was basically a mass immigration all at once of Cubans to the United States when Cuba’s president at the time, Fidel Castro, agreed to release the thousands of Cubans who were trying to escape Cuba and its violent communist dictatorship. The US (Carter administration at the time) agreed to take Cubans under asylum - until they realized that a majority of the Cubans Fidel released were only the members of society the Cuban government considered ‘undesirable’. So people who had been in jail for years - and very specifically anyone who identified as queer - were sent to the US where they ended up stuck in immigration camps in absolute CHAOS. 

In the movie, Tony is one of the Cubans released who was a “criminal” (we could discuss for hours what actually constituted a criminal via the Cuban government but that’s not the point). The point is, that because of this realization, the media and the Americans freaked the fuck out when this happened and there was a HUGE wave of hate, backlash, and fear against the Cubans who were now plopped in Miami with nothing to do and nowhere to go. There was a HUGE pushback to get them out of the US and there was a lot of villainization of Cuban people for just existing. 

Thus - the growth of the cartel industry. Miami in particular was built on the back of Cubans and Cuban-Americans and I will die on this hill, and the cocaine boom in the 80s/90s is largely responsible for Miami becoming so funded the way that it was. Through the beginning of the movie, Tony is jumping through hoops as a low-level drug runner, but he’s viewed through the lens of a hero from the audience: does good by his family, has a great relationship with his best friend, is kind of making the best with what he has and wants so much more. We can liken this to how Yoongi views his own story: someone who is just trying to make a life for himself, someone who loves his members and his fans and family, someone who is passionate about what he does and is fighting for his legitimacy. Yoongi is the Tony Montana, being hated and shamed by Western media and even K-Media and struggling with enemies all around him.

The drug trade in Miami at its beginning was predominantly run by elite white men. In the 70s/80s/90s cocaine was a “white man's drug” as it was largely expensive - the majority of it was coming from South America. Tony essentially climbs the ladder through a white man’s game and trade, and ends up top. He slaughters his way there, killing whoever is in his way, and the entire time he does it, the viewer loves his story because he’s so proud and his brutality is from pride and want for power because he comes from nothing. 

This is literally Agust D. It’s Yoongi fighting his way to be who he is, to establish himself. His entire first two albums are consumed with anger and saying fuck the industry because he, like Tony, is good at what he does and even though others do not want him there, he doesn’t care. He will do whatever he wants to get to the top.

And both Tony and Yoongi get to the top, but once there, the enemies are even worse. The people who hate you are tenfold, you’re paranoid, you want more because you realize it isn’t enough, and you feel like you have people trying to fucking snipe you and tear you down every second. Your friends aren’t your friends anymore because you don’t know who is trying to bring you down, but despite all that, you’re the king because you did it. Which is Yoongi’s going in feel like Tony Montana.

Also, it’s not lost on me that using a character not native to the United States who started from nothing and climbed their way to the top with enemies everywhere is the fucking genius of it. Yoongi, a Korean rapper, has dealt with people thinking his music is a joke, not taking him seriously, and having so many haters - especially in the Western music industry predominantly controlled by white media (we can dissect this bullshit too)- likens himself to Tony because of the insane pride, the willingness to do anything, and the way you have so many people out for you when you fucking get there.

There is also a great comparison to draw between the two when you consider that Americans largely hated Cubans when they first came to Florida and it was all: they’re going to take our jobs, they are criminals, they don’t belong here. 

When you look at kpop and the BTS experience in general, it’s the same fucking thing. The Western media does not want BTS here - doesn’t get it. Thinks that kpop and BTS specifically are there to take jobs, that they don’t belong here. And then BTS did it anyway. 

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk idk I could talk about this so much longer and there are more things I want to include but this is just a summary on why Yoongi x Tony Montana is such a vibe.

also fun fact about hali's dad - he went out on his fishing boat to help rescue Cubans from Cuba and brought them back during the Mariel Boatlift lmfao

[azspot]

THE CUBAN BOATLIFT STORY HAS a Trumpian coda. Ronald Reagan often gets credit, and deserves some, for his warm feelings toward Mexican immigrants, even undocumented ones. In his opening campaign address in 1979, he called for “open borders.” In a 1980 debate during the Texas primary, he and George H.W. Bush competed to one-up each other in welcoming Mexican immigrants. In 1986, Reagan signed an immigration reform that granted amnesty to some three million.

The Swamp; or, Inside the Mind of Donald Trump

[theanarchistscookbook]

Just a reminder for anyone posting or falling for that Fairus.org nonsense:

It's complete dishonest junk pseudo-science that's been torn apart and confounded by better research and more honest work, over and over-

https://www.cato.org/white-paper/fiscal-impact-immigration-united-states

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2014704117

https://web.archive.org/web/20201112021500if_/http://static.openlawlab.com/uploads/2011/10/IMmigration-Law-Comic-Terry-Colon-Reason.jpg

https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/immigrants-to-the-u-s-create-more-jobs-than-they-take

https://youtube.com/watch?v=0thLaWMhLmA&feature=share9

https://www.cgdev.org/blog/what-mariel-boatlift-cuban-refugees-can-teach-us-about-economics-immigration

https://www.cato.org/blog/fairs-fiscal-burden-illegal-immigration-study-fatally-flawed

https://openborders.info/

http://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jep.25.3.83

http://www.nber.org/papers/w18307.pdf

[llpodcast]

(Literary License Podcast)

Scarface (1932)

​

Scarface (also known as Scarface: The Shame of the Nation and The Shame of a Nation) is a 1932 American pre-Code gangster film directed by Howard Hawks and produced by Hawks and Howard Hughes. The screenplay, by Ben Hecht, is based loosely on the 1929 novel by Armitage Trail which was inspired by Al Capone. The film stars Paul Muni as Italian immigrant gangster Antonio "Tony" Camonte, a gangster who violently rises through the Chicago gangland, with a supporting cast that includes George Raft and Boris Karloff. Camonte's rise to power dovetails with his relentless pursuit of his boss's mistress while his own sister pursues his best hitman. In an overt tie to the life of Capone, one scene depicts a version of the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre.  After Hughes purchased the rights to Trail's novel, Hughes quickly selected Hawks to direct and Hecht to write the film's screenplay. Beginning in January 1931, Hecht wrote the script over an eleven-day period. Scarface was produced before the introduction of the Production Code in 1934, which enforced regulations on film content. However, the Hays Code, a more lenient precursor, called for major alterations, including a prologue condemning gangsters, an alternate ending to more clearly reprehend Camonte, and the alternative title The Shame of a Nation. The censors believed the film glorified violence and crime. These changes delayed the film by a year, though some showings retained the original ending. Modern showings of the film have the original ending, though some DVD releases also include the alternate ending as a feature; these versions maintain the changes Hughes and Hawks were required to make for approval by the Hays Office. No completely unaltered version is known to exist.

​

Scarface (1983)

 Scarface is a 1983 American crime drama film directed by Brian De Palma and written by Oliver Stone. Loosely based on the 1929 novel of the same name and serving as a loose remake of the 1932 film, it tells the story of Cuban refugee Tony Montana (Al Pacino), who arrives penniless in Miami during the Mariel boatlift and becomes a powerful and extremely homicidal drug lord. The film co-stars Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Robert Loggia. De Palma dedicated this version of Scarface to the writers of the original film, Howard Hawks and Ben Hecht.  Pacino became interested in a remake of the 1932 version after seeing it, and he and producer Martin Bregman began to develop it. Sidney Lumet was initially hired to direct the film but was replaced by De Palma, who hired Stone to write the script. Filming took place from November 1982 to May 1983, in Los Angeles and Miami. The film's soundtrack was composed by Giorgio Moroder. Scarface premiered in New York City on December 1, 1983, and was released on December 9, 1983, by Universal Pictures. The film grossed $45 million at the domestic box office and $66 million worldwide. Initial critical reception was negative due to its excessive violence, profanity, and graphic drug usage. Some Cuban expatriates in Miami objected to the film's portrayal of Cubans as criminals

 Opening Credits; Introduction (.37); Background History (31.40); Scarface (1932) Film Trailer (34.25); The Original (37.00); Let's Rate (1:18.47); Amazing Design Advertisement (1:23.06);  Introducing a Remake (1:24.18); Scarface (1983)  Film Trailer (1:26.21); The Remake (1:29.35); How Many Stars (2:32.14); End Credits (2:49.03); Closing Credits (2:50.36)

 Opening Credits– Epidemic Sound – copyright 2021. All rights reserved

 Closing Credits:  Gangsta Paradise by Coolio featuring LV.  Taken from the album Gangsta Paradise, I am LV.  Copyright 1995 Tommy Boy/Warner Brothers/MCA Records

​

Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 

 All rights reserved.  Used with Kind Permission.

 All songs available through Amazon Music.

[mariacallous]

The internet meme “Florida Man” captures the absurdity many have come to expect from the U.S. state. It’s easy to dismiss zany stories about Floridians catching alligators in trash cans and planting banana trees in potholes as having little bearing beyond the state’s borders. But foreign-policy practitioners cannot afford to ignore the upcoming battle between two important Florida Men: the candidates vying for the state’s governorship on Nov. 8.

The gubernatorial election, held on the same day as the U.S. midterms, will pit Florida’s sitting governor, Republican Ron DeSantis, against the state’s former governor, Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat Charlie Crist. DeSantis, who outpaces his opponent in both campaign contributions and name recognition, is widely expected to win; FiveThirtyEight’s average of recent polls shows DeSantis leading Crist by 8.1 points. Some observers say DeSantis’s competent response to Hurricane Ian, which barreled across Florida last month, has further boosted his chances of victory.

Florida is known for its hyper-local yet nationally consequential political landscape; razor-thin margins in the state have decided national races, including the 2000 U.S. presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore. But DeSantis’s likely triumph in Florida’s gubernatorial contest could have broad implications for U.S. foreign policy, too.

Though U.S. foreign policy is typically considered a function of the federal government, state governments also frequently work with foreign governments and businesses—a trend experts say has only accelerated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Florida is no exception: In 1996, then-Gov. Lawton Chiles unveiled a joint partnership to support Haiti’s democratic and economic development. In 2018, then-Gov. Rick Scott attended conservative Colombian President Iván Duque’s inauguration in Bogotá. And DeSantis issued an executive order last month to limit state and local government trade with companies linked to seven “countries of concern” that he alleges pose a cybersecurity threat, including China and Russia. DeSantis also waded into the foreign-policy conversation in June when he labeled Colombia’s new leftist president, Gustavo Petro, a “former narco-terrorist.”

More than one-fifth of Florida’s residents were born abroad, and the state boasts the largest diaspora populations of Colombians, Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans in the United States. Coupled with its geographic proximity to Latin America and the Caribbean, these demographics have given Florida significant influence on U.S. policy toward the region.

For decades, the state’s powerful diaspora interest groups have generally backed hard-line positions toward socialist regimes in Havana and Caracas. The Cuban American National Foundation, headquartered in Miami, steered the United States toward a staunchly anti-Fidel Castro policy beginning in the 1980s, and Florida’s senior U.S. senator, Marco Rubio, exemplifies the community’s continued influence. The son of Cuban immigrants, Rubio reportedly drove the Trump administration’s reversal of the Obama-era thaw in U.S.-Cuba relations.

Immigrants have flocked to Florida for decades, many fleeing oppressive regimes, political instability, and violence. Thousands of Haitians have set sail for Florida in recent months, often in overcrowded and ill-equipped boats. Across the United States, border officials encountered more than three times the number of Venezuelan migrants during the 2022 fiscal year than they did in the 2021 fiscal year, and more Cubans are arriving now than during the 1980 Mariel boatlift. But observers say Florida residents, including those of Latin American and Caribbean origin, increasingly oppose the influx of newcomers—a tension already affecting U.S. immigration policy. As of September, 47 percent of residents in the Miami-Dade region—home to Little Havana, Little Haiti, and “Doralzuela”—supported the Florida government sending migrants out of state.

Though the U.S. federal government retains primacy in regulating immigration, DeSantis has repeatedly proved himself willing to push the limits of his power and tangle with federal authorities. On Sept. 14, DeSantis used state funds to fly 48 unwitting Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. His office argued the move granted them “an opportunity to seek greener pastures.” Though DeSantis now faces several lawsuits—including from the migrants themselves and from the Florida Center for Government Accountability—his administration plans to continue such flights.

U.S. President Joe Biden rebuked Republican officials like DeSantis for “playing politics with human beings,” but the Biden administration has also faced criticism as it balances the political, humanitarian, and legal dynamics of immigration policy. This challenge is clear in the administration’s recent announcement that it will offer humanitarian parole to some Venezuelan migrants yet increase expulsions of others who enter the United States illegally.

As governor, DeSantis has also signed legislation banning so-called sanctuary cities, which generally help shield undocumented migrants from deportation by restricting collaboration between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. The state’s newly redistricted election map, meanwhile, skews heavily in the Republican Party’s favor—increasing the likelihood that the midterm elections deepen the bench of like-minded Florida members of Congress willing to reinforce DeSantis’s interests in Washington and beyond. Rubio, in particular, has allied with the governor, even defending a DeSantis-backed Florida riot law from criticism by a United Nations committee aimed at combating discrimination. DeSantis himself is also a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and his time on Capitol Hill has helped him forge ties with non-Florida legislators such as Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who supported the Martha’s Vineyard stunt.

Many migrants arriving in Florida are caught in a feedback loop of insecurity fueled by lax U.S. firearm regulations. Florida, which trails only Texas in its number of federally registered guns, is a wellspring for arms trafficking to Latin America and the Caribbean. As recently as 2016, U.S. firearms accounted for 99 percent of guns recovered and traced after crimes in Haiti. This month, Mexico filed a lawsuit in Arizona to curb trafficking of U.S. guns across the southern border.

Though Florida is not solely to blame for making the Americas the world’s most murderous region, its gun regulations are felt by U.S. neighbors and bear consequences for national immigration and security policies. Mass shootings at Orlando’s Pulse Nightclub in 2016 and Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018 thrust Florida to the forefront of the U.S. gun control debate. Endorsed by the National Rifle Association, DeSantis favors further loosening Florida’s firearm laws.

Meanwhile, the 2021 collapse of Champlain Towers South, a condominium building near Miami, drew international attention to the low-lying, peninsular state’s climate vulnerability. Experts have not definitively linked the collapse to environmental factors, yet Florida is clearly an early warning signal for emerging climate threats. A 2022 U.N. report singled out the state as an example of a place uniquely vulnerable to coastal flooding and other climate-related issues. Experts say ocean warming will only intensify storms—as Floridians learned last month with Hurricane Ian.

DeSantis has embraced some environmental reforms, championing an expansive resilience effort. This has included creating a state-level office for resilience and grant-making to help Florida communities reduce their vulnerability to sea level rise and flooding. DeSantis also helped lock in billions of dollars to restore the Everglades, a wildlife-rich wetland in the state. (Critics charge that these initiatives are smokescreens for DeSantis’s continued support of precarious development projects and the fossil fuel industry.)

How Florida’s next administration chooses to handle climate change could be a blueprint for other environmentally vulnerable communities around the world. DeSantis’s largely effective response to Hurricane Ian does not negate the storm’s massive devastation, which laid bare Florida’s continued lack of resilience to climate change. As such storms intensify, there is increasing urgency to develop effective defenses that low-lying communities worldwide can implement.

The election has another, potentially troubling dimension: DeSantis’s ties to the political upheaval that has compromised the United States’ global standing in recent years. The FBI probe into whether former U.S. President Donald Trump kept classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, his South Florida resort, has drawn international attention to DeSantis’s state. The club itself—an alleged magnet for foreign intelligence agents—has also become a national security liability.

Trump has suggested he may run again in 2024, but possible criminal charges cloud his political future. Some observers believe DeSantis is the Republican Party’s best bet in that race, though it’s unclear whether he will defy Trump—his longtime ally—and launch a presidential bid. Either way, DeSantis will need to appeal to the former president’s fan base, which dominates the Republican Party.

We don’t yet know whether DeSantis would court political support by complicating the federal investigation surrounding Trump and Mar-a-Lago. Overt obstruction is a remote possibility, but anything could happen in the current political arena, which has been shaped by the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. And even DeSantis’s continued criticism of the probe would hurt the United States’ global reputation as a standard-bearer for the rule of law. Whether DeSantis would intervene to defend Trump—as Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, DeSantis’s close ally, has done—or delegitimize him is unclear.

Sabotaging Trump could eliminate DeSantis’s strongest Republican competition for 2024, but it could also alienate pro-Trump voters whose support DeSantis might need in a faceoff against the Democratic nominee. A DeSantis presidential run—if done in the Trumpian mold—could also induce a U-turn in U.S. foreign policy and solidify the extreme right’s transformation of this sphere. DeSantis’s success or failure in Florida’s 2022 gubernatorial election could be an early predictor of his national viability. This may be the race’s greatest foreign-policy implication.

Whether DeSantis keeps his office or Crist makes an unlikely comeback, Florida will stay relevant to quagmires like U.S.-Cuba relations and emerging threats like climate change. As a top destination for international travel, the often-ridiculed state is the country’s face to millions of international visitors each year. Ignoring Florida Men could have broad consequences for the United States’ global image.

[collapsedsquid]

Perhaps if the keys aren’t suitable, the floridian government needs to think about shipping the homeless to gitmo, if that’s not suitable perhaps Cuba in general, a sort of reverse mariel boatlift.