Local Politics · Highlands County
Florida GOP Withdraws Lawsuit Over TV Ad Linking Uthmeier to Hope Florida
The Republican Party of Florida withdrew its lawsuit on Wednesday seeking to ban television stations from airing a Democratic ad linking Attorney General James Uthmeier to the Hope Florida scandal. The suit, filed in Highlands County, argued the ad illegally referenced a sealed grand jury report detailing allegations that $10 million was misappropriated for political purposes. Although the GOP claimed the Democrats removed the ad, it ran its scheduled broadcast through Tuesday before the lawsuit was dismissed. A circuit judge had previously denied the GOP's request for an immediate restraining order.