Category: Florida

Florida Invests over $56 Million in Additional Land Conservation Efforts

The Center Square

The Florida Cabinet approved spending more than $56 million on seven parcels of land totaling 19,897 acres within the Florida Wildlife Corridor for acquisition or conservation easement made possible by the state’s Florida Forever Program and Department of Agriculture’s Rural and Family Lands Protection Program.

The overwhelming majority of the properties, more than 98%, are within the Florida Wildlife Corridor, a mix of native and working lands that provide habitat for key Florida species including the Florida panther, Florida black bear, swallow-tailed kite, and gopher tortoise, among others.

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State Prohibits Florida Retirement System from Investing in Funds That Prioritize ESG

The Center Square

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the trustees of the State Board of Administration, CFO Jimmy Patronis and Attorney General Ashley Moody passed a resolution Tuesday updating the state’s investment and proxy voting policies for its retirement system and pension plan. The resolution prohibits state fund managers from investing state money in funds that comply with the ideological agenda of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG). The resolution also calls for an internal review of the state’s governance policies over the voting practices of the Florida Retirement System Defined Benefit Pension Plan.

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Conservatives Sweep School Board Races Across Florida

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School boards in five Florida counties flipped to be conservative majorities on Tuesday with help from Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ endorsements.

Miami-Dade County, Sarasota County, Duval County, Martin County and Clay County held their school board elections on Aug. 23. The conservative school board candidates in the five counties won their races, resulting in a flip in the majority of the school boards.

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Former Republican Governor Wins Florida Democratic Primary

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Former Republican governor and current Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist of Florida has defeated Democratic Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried in Florida’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, according to PBS News.

Crist won with 60.2% of the vote, as of 8 p.m. EST according to PBS, citing reporting from The Associated Press. Crist is now slated to face off as the Democratic candidate against Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, alongside a slate of minor third party and write-in candidates, in the Nov. 8 general election.

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Florida Christian School Administrator Will Not ‘Backpedal’ on ‘Human Sexuality’ Policies Reflecting Scripture

Susan Berry, PhD

A private Christian school in Valrico, Florida, has restated a policy that says students will be referred to only according to their biological sex, and that students who participate in LGBTQ lifestyles will be asked to leave the school.

NBC News reported last week it obtained an email, sent out from Administrator Barry McKeen at the Grace Christian School prior to the start of the school year, related to an “Important School Policy Point of Emphasis.”

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Homeland Security Cracks Down on Weapons Smuggling from Miami to Haiti, Caribbean

The Center Square

Homeland Security Investigations’ Miami Division has been cracking down on weapons and ammunition smuggling from Miami to Haiti and other Caribbean nations.

It also arrested a wanted Venezuelan involved in an alleged $1.2 billion international money laundering scheme.

HSI-Miami Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury held a press conference with members of law enforcement from several agencies last week after they’d concluded a successful operation thwarting an illegal arms trafficking scheme.

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Florida A&M University Pushes Policies in Tension with the State University System’s ‘Statement on Free Expression’

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According to official Florida A&M University (FAMU) student residential policy, “[b]ehavior and/or activities that are considered offensive to others that do not constitute ones freedom of expression is prohibited, while in public areas of the residential facilities.”

This is just one of a multitude of FAMU policies that, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), are in tension with the freedom of speech and expression at the school.

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Florida’s Job Growth Continues Surge as Unemployment Rate Hits Historic Low

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Florida’s job growth continued to surge in July while its unemployment rate also dropped to an historic low 2.7%.

“Florida continues to outperform the nation because freedom first policies work,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said. “July’s job numbers represent one of the largest month’s job gains over the past generation and Florida continues to outpace the nation in labor force growth.”

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Pro-Transgender Groups to Sue Florida over Medicaid Ban on Gender-Altering Procedures

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In Florida, a coalition of far-left groups is preparing to sue the state government over a directive that orders the state’s Medicaid regulator to ban coverage of so-called “gender-affirming” procedures.

According to Politico, the Southern Legal Counsel’s Transgender Rights Initiative announced on Wednesday their plans to file their case in federal court, where they will seek a preliminary injunction to prevent the ban from going into effect.

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DeSantis to Rally with Vance in Ohio and Mastriano in Pennsylvania

Bradley Vasoli

Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is coming through western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio on Friday, August 19, to speak at two rallies, one for Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano and the other for Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance. 

The conservative activist organization Turning Point Action is hosting the events. In a statement, turning Point founder and president Charlie Kirk expressed his gladness to facilitate the rallies and his hope that DeSantis’s endorsement will “unite conservatives” around Mastriano and Vance.

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Black Mom Called ‘Token’ by Florida School Board Member Plans to Sue

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A black conservative mom called a “token person” by a Florida school board member plans to take legal action, according to documents obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Elizabeth Andersen, a Duval County School Board member, called Tia Bess, a black woman and member of Moms For Liberty, a group that advocates for parental rights in education, a “token person” when referring to how the group promotes Bess and her disabled son, according to a clip of the now-deleted April 2022 video. Bess and her attorney, Nicholas Whitney, sent an Aug. 14 letter to Andersen requesting an apology and now plan to sue Andersen, according to documents obtained by the DCNF.

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Gov. Ron DeSantis Announces Plan to Recruit and Retain Public School Teachers, Calls Florida ‘The State Where Woke Goes to Die’

Susan Berry, PhD

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) announced a plan to recruit public school teachers from other sectors of the community and retain effective teachers who can apprentice new recruits.

In a press conference Tuesday, DeSantis discussed three proposals he is presenting for Florida’s 2023 legislative session, all of which seek to recruit “the best and brightest” teachers in the state’s public school classrooms.

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Senator Marco Rubio Denounces Roger Waters’ ‘Antisemitism’ in Op-Ed

Aaron Gulbransen

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) decried what he described as Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters’ antisemitism.

“Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters describes himself as ‘pro dialogue, pro peace, [and] anti authoritarian.’…[But f]ar from standing ‘in defense of Mistress Liberty,’ Waters has become an advocate for antisemitism, Vladimir Putin’s imperialism, and the Chinese Communist Party’s genocide,” said Rubio on Tuesday, in an opinion piece published in The Floridian.

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Reggie Gaffney Dominates Democratic Fundraising, Outraising Every Other State Senate Candidate and Officeholder in Florida

The Center Square

Florida Democratic State Senate candidates and officeholders have raised $3.8 million during the 2022 election cycle. Among state senators and candidates, Reggie Gaffney has raised more than any other Democrat.

Gaffney is running to represent Florida State Senate District 5 in 2022. Gaffney raised $582,744 and spent $252,856 between Jan. 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022. According to Florida Department of State reports, the following individual donors and PACs gave the most money to Gaffney.

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Florida Pushes to Recruit Military Veterans for Teaching Jobs

The Center Square

Gov. Ron DeSantis is encouraging military veterans interested in teaching at Florida public schools to consider applying through a new program.

“Florida is leading the way by bringing some of the best, the brightest and the bravest among us into our classrooms through a new program that helps military veterans become teachers,” he said in a video announcement Thursday. “If you served in the military for at least four years, were honorably discharged, have taken 60 college credits, and pass a subject area exam, we want you to be able to teach Florida students.

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New Website Launches for Military Veterans to Apply for Florida Teaching Jobs

The Center Square

Gov. Ron DeSantis is encouraging military veterans interested in teaching at Florida public schools to consider applying through a new program.

“Florida is leading the way by bringing some of the best, the brightest and the bravest among us into our classrooms through a new program that helps military veterans become teachers,” he said in a video announcement Thursday. “If you served in the military for at least four years, were honorably discharged, have taken 60 college credits, and pass a subject area exam, we want you to be able to teach Florida students.

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Florida School Slaps Advisory Labels on More than 100 LGBTQ, Race-Based Books

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A Florida school district has placed warning labels for parents on more than 100 books containing LGBTQ and raced-based content, according to Fox News.

Collier County public schools in Collier County, Florida, began adding warning labels to books in the district library after a February “Porn In Schools Report,” according to Fox News. The “advisory notice to parents” stickers are placed on books in both the school’s library and online catalog.

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Commentary: The Real Job Crisis in Florida

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The real crisis in the U.S. labor market is not, as we keep hearing, that there are not enough people who can work. The real crisis is all the working-age people on the sidelines, not even looking for a job. Yes, the unemployment rate is low, but that statistic covers only people who have looked for a job in the last four weeks. The labor force participation rate, which measures the share of working-age people working or at least looking for work, shows a long-term decline, especially for men without a college degree. This is especially true in states like Florida. When able-bodied men are not even looking for work, a host of social problems ensue — from crime, to drug addiction, to family breakdown. 

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Christina Pushaw Resigns to Join DeSantis Campaign

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Christina Pushaw stepped down from her role as press secretary for Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to serve on his re-election campaign, she told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Election laws restrict the ability of individuals to endorse political candidates or parties and make certain election-related statements in their capacity as government employees; now that Pushaw works for DeSantis’ campaign and not the Florida government, she is free from those restrictions. She appeared to warn her opponents about the next phase of her career in a Friday tweet.

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Arizona and Florida U.S. Representatives Introduce Bill to Fight Inflation, Boost Retirements

Rachel Alexander

Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.-06) is concerned that Arizona is undergoing the highest level of inflation within the continental states (urban Alaska is the only part of the country with a higher level). To combat the problem, he co-sponsored H.R. 8579, the Retirement Protection Act, with Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.-19).

In a statement, Schweikert said, “This bill would play a critical role in fighting inflation while helping Americans protect their savings.” He told The Arizona Sun Times, “It improves people’s retirement future so they stay even and don’t become a victim of inflation.” 

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Biden and Fried Approve Tampa Christian School’s Lunch Money Application After Lawsuit

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The Biden administration and Florida Democratic Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried approved the lunch money application for Grant Park Christian Academy in Tampa just days after the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Christian school.

The school was being denied children’s lunch funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National School Lunch Program, which Fried administers. The program benefitted 56 low-income children at the Christian school by providing them with free meals.

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‘They’re Not Gatekeepers Anymore’: DeSantis Spokeswoman Pushaw Puts Media on the Defense

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Christina Pushaw, press secretary for Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has been putting Democrats and the corporate press on defense by refusing to play along with what she says are partisan narratives.

Pushaw has garnered national attention for her active and sometimes aggressive interactions with journalists. Her strategy may serve as a playbook for conservatives who are ready to reject the media’s framing and communicate with the public on their own terms.

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Border Patrol Regularly Stopping Cubans off of Florida Coast

The Center Square

While the overwhelming majority of foreign nationals entering the U.S. illegally do so through the southern border, Miami Sector Border Patrol agents are regularly interdicting Cubans and others attempting to reach Florida, often arriving on small makeshift boats. Law enforcement officers also are regularly confiscating drugs that wash up on shore.

Last weekend, “Good Samaritans” found 126 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of $2 million that had washed up on the beach at Ocean Pointe Pool Beach Marina in Tavernier, the Monroe County Sheriff’s office said. That is as Miami Border Patrol Sector agents apprehend and take into custody mostly Cuban men making landfall off the Florida coast on a near daily basis.

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DeSantis Announces New Pilot Program Trying to ‘Disrupt the Opioid Epidemic’

Grant Holcomb

Yesterday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced a new pilot program to assist Floridians with substance abuse which establishes a recovery network “to disrupt the opioid epidemic.” DeSantis was joined by multiple Florida health officials as the programs will be under the purview of a joint-agency effort with the Florida Department of Health, Department of Children and Families, and the Agency for Health Care Administration.

The program is not an exclusively emergency response program, but also contains numerous aspects of recovery and goes by the acronym CORE (Coordinated Opioid Recovery).

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Kamala Harris Campaigns with Val Demings

Grant Holcomb

Vice President Kamala Harris (D) campaigned with Congresswoman Val Demings (D-FL-13) in South Florida earlier this week in an attempt to bolster Demings’ chances of unseating Sen. Marco Rubio (R) in this November’s election.

Both Demings and Harris were one-time finalists for the vice president pick after then-candidate Joe Biden achieved the Democrat presidential nomination in 2020. The job eventually went to Harris, but Demings made a name for herself among Florida Democrats.

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Florida Department of Education Website Highlights Parental Rights, COVID Guidance

Steve Stewart

Recent website updates by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE), under the recently appointed Commissioner of Education – Senator Manny Diaz, puts a focus on parental rights and COVID guidance.

Diaz’s appointment was announced by the State Board of Education on April 29, 2022.

The website update provides a link at the top of the FDOE home page called “Featured Topics.” The top featured topics listed under the link are “Parental Rights” and COVID-19.

Under the “Parental Rights” tab is a message that states, “Florida is taking bold steps to protect parental rights and ensure the lawfulness of instructional materials. If you believe you have found unlawful materials in your school or you are just unsure how to voice your concerns, please see the helpful information below.”

The “Parental Rights” page lists contact information to share concerns directly with FDOE or with a school’s principal. A link on the page lists contacts for all public school principals in the 67 school districts.

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Florida Gay Rights Group Seeks to Avoid Supreme Court Review of ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ordinance

Steve Stewart

After losing court battles over the legality of local ordinances that ban “conversion therapy”, a gay-rights group – the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council – is asking Palm Beach County and Boca Raton to repeal their bans on so-called “conversion therapy” for youths struggling with their sexuality.

The group is seeking the repeal not because they have had a change in policy preference, but rather the group do not want the Palm County ordinances to be the vehicle by which the U.S. Supreme can rule on the issue.

The issue comes as the Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo recently recommended that social, medical and surgical transitioning treatment for gender dysphoria not be provided to children and adolescents.

Rand Hoch, the founder the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, said in a statement last week that he was asking for the county and the city to drop their litigation, because the plaintiffs’ attorneys “clearly want to have this issue heard by the U.S. Supreme Court as soon as possible.”

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Florida Medical Association to Consider Resolutions Related to Abortion, Gender-Affirming Care

Steve Stewart

In the coming weeks, members of the Florida Medical Association (FMA) House of Delegates will be asked to vote on controversial resolutions related to issues that include abortion and gender-affirming care.

The FMA House of Delegates is the legislative and business body of the FMA. Its members are the officers of the FMA, the elected members of the Board of Governors, and the delegates officially elected by the component societies, specialty societies, Specialty Society Section, Young Physicians Section, Medical Student Section, Resident & Fellow Section and the FMA Alliance.

The FMA sets policy by acting on recommendations from the Board of Governors and resolutions presented by component county medical societies, recognized specialty medical societies, special sections and delegates.
According to documents reviewed by the Florida Capital Star, the FMA’s House of Delegates will address two resolutions addressing gender-affirming care for transgender people and two different abortion resolutions for the House of Delegates to consider.

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Florida Education Rule on Gender Identity Ignores Federal Guidance, Requires Parental Notification

Steve Stewart

The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) announced on July 25 that they intend to proceed with a proposed rule requiring school districts to adopt a policy that provides parental notification related to the logistic of overnight field trips.

The regulation is being implemented to align FDOE’s policies with Florida’s Parental Bill of Rights law passed in 2021.

Under the law, FDOE is required to review and update “school counseling frameworks and standards; educator practices and professional conduct principles and any other student services personnel guidelines” to align with the new law by June 30, 2023.

Two LGBTQ rights groups, Equality Florida and Family Equality, filed suit in federal court in March, arguing the Parental Bill of Rights law is unconstitutional. Attorney General Ashley Moody filed a motion asking U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor to throw out the case last month.

The new FDOE rule requires notification to parents, including details such as “the nature of the field trip, the dates and times, specific locations and types of establishments to be visited, modes of transportation and method of student supervision provided, such as anticipated number of chaperones.”

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Soros-Backed Radio Station Buyout Will Fight ‘Disinformation’

Grant Holcomb

Latino Media Network (LMN), the group that secured the cash to buy out 18 radio stations across the country including in Florida, announced their newly transitioned radio stations will be used to fight right wing “disinformation.”

LMN secured their invested cash in part because of a push from George Soros, the businessman and philanthropist who has funded countless left-wing causes and candidates in the United States. The effort comes from Democrat groups as Hispanic voters abandon the Democrat Party in droves and are becoming Republicans.

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Over 100 Methodist Churches in Florida Leave Denomination over LGBTQ Stances

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In Florida, over 100 churches formerly affiliated with the United Methodist Church (UMC) have filed a lawsuit against a regional UMC group to negotiate fair terms for formally departing the denomination.

According to The Daily Wire, the lawsuit was filed on July 14th in the Circuit Court for the Eighth Judicial Circuit for Bradford County, Civil Division; the suit was filed against the UMC’s Florida Annual Conference. The lead plaintiff is the Grace United Methodist Church in Lawtey, which argued that, in the process of splitting from the church, it should not be forced to purchase its property from the regional body since the church itself already bought the location before the denomination was founded in 1968.

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Gwen Graham Resumes Twitter Attacks Aimed at Governor Ron DeSantis

Steve Stewart

After a hiatus from criticizing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis via her Twitter account, former gubernatorial candidate Gwen Graham has resumed her personal attacks.

Graham, who currently serves as an Assistant Secretary of Education in the Biden Administration, called DeSantis a “cowardly bully” in a recent tweet aimed at the popular Florida governor.

On July 16, Graham tweeted, “For those of you who think Trump is worse than DeSantis, you are wrong. And for those who think DeSantis could take on Trump, also wrong. I know Ron. He is a cowardly, bully. He will turn and run when he can’t use his office as a stage to make himself look fake big. He is tiny.”

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