Florida’s progressive officials fawned over the recent confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown-Jackson to the United States Supreme Court delighting in the first black woman being confirmed to the high court. Florida’s Senators, Marco Rubio (R) and Rick Scott (R), both voted “no” in Brown-Jackson’s final confirmation vote.
Rubio, when assessing Brown-Jackson’s judicial history, viewed her more as a political activist than a judge working within the law.
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In the wake of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signing HB 1557, the Parent Rights in Education Bill, New York City Mayor Eric Adams launched a set of ads in Florida designed to recruit LGBT Floridians and their businesses to New York.
Adams called the Florida bill “the latest shameful, extremist culture war targeting the LGBTQ+ community.”
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On Wednesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) promised to enact a new policy that will see all illegal aliens in the state bussed up to Joe Biden’s home state of Delaware.
As reported by Fox News, DeSantis made the announcement shortly after signing the No Patients Left Behind Act into law. After signing the bill into law, he voiced his opposition to the Biden Administration’s plans to end Title 42, the highly successful Trump-era policy that largely shut down immigration into the country due to the health risk of so many illegals flooding into the country in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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WarRoom Battleground’s Stephen K. Bannon talks with Neil W. McCabe of The Star News Network live outside Mar-a-Lago before the premiere of The Rigged 2020 Election.
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Governor Ron DeSantis on Tuesday awarded more than $9 million to multiple local governments from the state’s “Job Growth Grant Fund.”
The fund is an “economic development program designed to promote public infrastructure and workforce training across the state.”
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Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) documents show that the agency has adopted policies that will give consideration to “transportation equity.”
On January 25, 2021, President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 13985, officially titled Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. It directs the federal government to revise agency policies to account for racial inequities in their implementation. As a result of this Order, on May 25, 2021, the U.S. Department of Transportation published a Request for Information (RFI) on Transportation Equity Data.
These actions by the federal government – occurring just over a year ago – have already impacted transportation planning in Florida.
For example, a policy brief distributed by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Office of Policy Planning – titled “Equity Subject Brief” – describes strategies to improve transportation equity. The document notes that the “state’s long range transportation plan – the Florida Transportation Plan (FTP) – establishes the goal of Transportation Choices that Improve Equity and Accessibility.”
This policy message has reached the district staff level.
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The latest escalation in the feud between Governor DeSantis and the Walt Disney Company over the Parental Rights in Education bill involves the possibility of repealing a law that gives Disney special governing privileges.
The Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) was formed in 1967 to serve the interests of Disney by a special Act of the Florida Legislature and subsequently validated by the Florida Supreme Court.
The arrangements allow Disney to shape the park environment without government oversight.
Richard Foglesong, a Rollins College professor, told the Washington Post that “It’s legal magic. The Reedy Creek government can regulate land use, provide police and fire services, license the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages, build roads, lay sewer lines, construct waste-treatment plants, carry out flood projects–even build an airport or nuclear plant, all without local or state approval.”
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Ten former jail inmates at the Alachua County jail are facing felony voter fraud charges after they have been accused of registering to vote and successfully casting a ballot in the 2020 presidential election. All voter registrations have been revoked.
Initially, when reports came out about five former inmates illegally voting there were two Democrats, one Republican, and two more unaffiliated voters.
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Florida’s public colleges and universities can now administer surveys to students and employees asking about their personal political beliefs and their impressions of the campus climate starting Monday, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law in 2021 requiring the Florida Board of Education (BOE) “to conduct an annual assessment of the intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity” that is “objective, nonpartisan, and statistically valid” and “considers the extent to which competing ideas and perspectives are presented and members of the college community … feel free to express their beliefs and viewpoints on campus and in the classroom.” The results will then be compiled and published, according to the law.
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The University of Florida is set to receive $3 million to establish its Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education.
“The purpose of the center is to support teaching and research concerning the ideas, traditions, and texts that form the foundations of western and American civilization,” the amendment to Florida’s SB 2524 reads, granting the authorization to the public university.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed into law a measure that incentivizes law enforcement officers to move to or stay in the state through monetary awards.
“While other parts of the country are mistreating, marginalizing and defunding law enforcement, in Florida we continue to prioritize and appreciate our law enforcement officers,” DeSantis said during a Friday news conference while accompanied by Attorney General Ashley Moody and House Speaker Chris Sprowls. “This legislation encourages Floridians to pursue careers in law enforcement and attracts high quality law enforcement officers from other states who are sick and tired of the mistreatment they experience to bring their skills to Florida. From $1,000 scholarships to $5,000 bonuses to $25,000 adoption incentives, we are putting our money where our mouth is, and we are backing the blue.”
HB 3 includes a wide range of law enforcement initiatives, including incentives to encourage both out-of-state residents and Floridians to join state and local law enforcement agencies. It includes signing bonuses for every new recruit, costs covered for training programs and relocation expenses, pay raises and $1,000 bonuses. The bill also created a Law Enforcement Academy Scholarship Program for children of law enforcement officers, and adoption benefits for officers.
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The Twitter account known as Libs of Tik Tok featured a video of a Florida first-grade teacher bemoaning how she can possibly proceed with teaching the six-year-olds in her class when the state’s new Parental Rights in Education Act prevents her from discussing personal details about her “marriage” to a “trans-fem person.”
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U.S. District Judge Mark Walker wrote a decision striking down parts of an election integrity bill passed by the Florida Legislature and signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) last year. The provisions that were struck down were the parts that limited the use of ballot drop boxes to voting hours and requiring a third-party to issue a warning to potential voters that their registration application might not be turned in before the voter registration deadline or within the required 14 days.
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In a press release on Wednesday, Governor DeSantis blamed the Biden Administration’s “dangerous immigration policies” for the recent murder of Terry and Brenda Aultman in Daytona Beach.
The press release referenced the arrest on March 10, 2022 of Jean R. Macean, a citizen of Haiti and an illegal immigrant, who was charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
Investigators say the Aultmans were riding their bikes home from Bike Week earlier this month when Macean picked them at random and stabbed them to death. Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young described these killings as “one of the most vicious attacks I’ve ever seen in my 20 years.”
According to the release, the “Aultmans suffered at the hands of an illegal immigrant due to open border policies that are failing our citizens. The Biden Administration announced a new Temporary Protected Status designation for Haiti last year, a reversal of the policy of the previous administration. The policy allowed Macean to stay in the country.”
DeSantis also implicated State Attorney Aramis Ayala.
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The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) released an expanded list of targeted congressional districts they are seeking to flip red during the 2022 midterms. In total, the NRCC is targeting a total of 72 Democrat-held or recently created seats across the country, and four of them are in Florida.
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Nadine Smith, the Executive Director of Equality Florida, told a group of Disney executives that Florida’s governor and legislative leaders are seeking to erase and criminalize the existence of gay people through the Parental Rights in Education bill.
The video obtained by a reporter documented comments made during a meeting among Disney officials and activists that was called to address the legislation recently signed by Governor DeSantis.
Referring to the bill, Smith said the actions by the governor and legislative leaders harkened back to the 1950’s and 1960’s. She told the Disney executives that “when they can criminalize your existence and demonize who you are, the next step is to criminalize you and take your kids.”
The comments by the participants in meeting voiced no concerns related to the provisions of bill addressing parental rights and the limitations of gender identity instruction to elementary school students. Instead, the discussion focused on how Disney would promote LGBTQ causes within their programing.
Smith has previously chose to characterize DeSantis as a “coward.”
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In an MSNBC interview that went viral on the internet, a gay Florida kindergarten teacher says he is hurt after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed into law an anti-grooming bill.
“Personally, my kids do have questions,” said Cory Bernaert, a teacher of five-year-olds. “They want to know who my partner is in pictures outside my classroom, and I should be able to speak to that.”
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President Joe Biden (D) is seeking more than $400 million in additional Florida Everglades conservation dollars on top of the over $1 billion already set to be spent on the ecosystem this year. In a budget proposal released to the public, it would be the largest restoration investment in American history.
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United States Department of Education (DOE) Secretary Miguel Cardona said their Office of Civil Rights will be monitoring the implementation of the recently signed Parental Rights in Education bill. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed the bill into law on Monday.
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Tuesday issued a proclamation to establish a special legislative session, following his veto of the state’s proposed congressional maps.
According to the governor, sections of the map approved by lawmakers are unconstitutional; therefore, they must be redrawn.
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Walt Disney world has officially condemned Florida’s new anti-grooming legislation, and says it will do its best to fight against the new law.
“Florida’s HB 1557, also known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed into law,” the company said in a Tuesday statement.
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Twenty-one states have filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s continued mask mandate on public transportation, including on airplanes.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody are leading the effort. Moody filed the suit in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida along with 20 other attorneys general. DeSantis said the mask mandate was misguided and heavy-handed.
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Not long after signing the Parental Rights in Education bill into law on Monday, Governor DeSantis’ office fielded questions about concerns related to possible boycotts of Florida businesses.
Critics of the bill have used the “Don’t Say Gay” slogan to generate opposition to the legislation. This opposition has included protests and employment boycotts aimed at the Disney Corporation.
Christian Pushaw, Governor DeSantis spokesperson, tweeted that a reporter had inquired about possible backlash in Florida from the new law.
The reporter said “in other states we have seen boycotts and business impacts from controversial bills, is this a concern in Florida…that tourism could be impacted, as it still rebounds from the pandemic.”
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In the last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed numerous education-related bills into law. Along with the nationally famous Parental Rights in Education Bill, DeSantis signed legislation installing term limits for school board members, limiting restraints on students, and ensuring school staff had an “individualized seizure action plan.”
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A new poll of Democrat voters in Florida shows that a majority of Democrats support limits on teaching sexual orientation in schools as required by the Parental Rights in Education bill.
The poll was conducted from March 17-20 for Floridians for Economic Advancement, a political committee that has supported state legislative candidates from both parties.
The poll comes amid national protests against the Parental Rights in Education bill that critics have labeled the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The bill “prohibits a school district from encouraging classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.”
The main focus of the poll was the Democrat gubernatorial primary. Those results indicated that shows 43% of likely Democratic Primary voters favor Charlie Crist, with 33% picking Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, and 15% liking state Sen. Annette Taddeo. Only about 8% of respondents started out unsure.
However, the poll also asked about a specific provision of the Parental Rights in Education bill.
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Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law Friday that requires Florida school districts to be transparent in the selection of instructional materials, including library and reading materials.
As a part of the “Year of the Parent,” a commitment DeSantis has made to prioritize parental rights, DeSantis signed HB 1467, which includes several protections for parents, such as requiring school districts to allow parents to review all books in the school library, all required classroom book lists, and any instructional materials teachers use.
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The most recent U.S. Census data release shows that Florida counties that voted for Trump in the 2020 presidential election gained 224,336 residents from July 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021, while Florida counties that voted for Biden lost 13,140.
Late last year the U.S. Census reported that the largest net domestic migration gains from 2020 to 2021 occurred in Florida (220,890), Texas (170,307) and Arizona (93,026). The largest domestic migration losses were in California (-367,299), New York (-352,185) and Illinois (-122,460).
The latest U.S. Census report, released March 24, analyzed the population dynamics in each of the 3,143 U.S. counties.
The report shows that Florida (2) and Texas (5) have seven of the 10 counties in the U.S. with the greatest numeric growth in population.
An analysis of Florida counties reveal that 58 counties had population growth while, nine had population declines.
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A Leon County, Fla. circuit judge, Angela Dempsey, is expected to uphold a 2015 Florida law requiring women seeking an abortion to wait 24 hours before going through the procedure. Dempsey indicated her decision earlier this week on Wednesday.
The order would be another indicator of a trend, nationally, of pro-life judicial and legislative victories. Even in predominately left-leaning states like Connecticut, its first ever March for Life garnered thousands of attendants.
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Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office is hitting back after a newspaper article wrongly said that he had been disinvited from an event over his stances on immigration.
“Investment conference in Miami cancels DeSantis’ speech over ‘anti-immigrant’ views,” said a Thursday evening headline in The Miami Herald.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and the rest of the Florida Cabinet are considering purchasing up to $40 million worth of land deals for conservation purposes. The cabinet consists of Florida’s statewide executive officials: Attorney General Ashley Moody (R), Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D), and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis (R).
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First it was Governor DeSantis blasting Disney, now Florida Democrats have decided to take a shot at the mega-corporation that employees over 60,000 Floridians.
The Florida Democratic Party said Tuesday that it is moving its major fundraising event from a Disney World venue due to pressure from the LGBTQ community. The event was initially scheduled to take place on June 18.
The move comes after the Florida Democratic Party’s LGBTQ caucus called on candidates to oppose the party’s gala at Disney amid the fallout from the controversial “Parental Rights” bill.
“Scheduling Leadership Blue at Disney during Pride Month this year is nothing but tone deaf. To put it another way: FDP — read the room,” Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus President Stephen Gaskill said prior to decision to move the event.
In addition, Disney has been faced with employee staged walkouts and social media campaigns in response to the Florida legislation.
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Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker is asking attorneys to file briefs about the potential effects of recently passed SB 524 on an existing lawsuit regarding last year’s SB 90 on election integrity. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has yet to sign SB 524 but it will make further changes to Florida’s elections process.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) issued a proclamation declaring University of Virginia swimmer Emma Weyant the rightful national champion in the 500-yard freestyle women’s swimming national championship. The National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) declared national champion is Lia Thomas, born William Thomas, who was born a man and identifies as a transgender female.
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Florida’s Governor Tuesday signed into law a bill that will require students to learn about finances and money in order to graduate from high school.
“Today, I think, is good, because what the bill’s doing with financial literacy is really providing a foundation for students that’s gonna be applicable in their lives regardless of what path they take, “DeSantis continued. “I mean, if they go the university route, post-graduate, any of that, they’re still gonna need these skills. If they go right into the workforce, they’re still gonna need these skills. And so any different endeavor that you do to be able to be well-versed in financial literacy, that is gonna help you.”
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Florida Senators Marco Rubio (R) and Rick Scott (R) signed their names to an amicus brief defending health care workers in a lawsuit against the State of New York over COVID shot mandates. The employees were denied a religious exemption.
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During the 2022 legislative session Florida Republicans took actions to distance themselves from some of Florida’s biggest corporations – Governor DeSantis called out Disney, and the Florida Legislature let a corporate income tax break expire.
The publisher of floridapolitics.com, Peter Schorsch, tweeted that corporations “got (royally) screwed during Session.” This assessment goes against the traditional narrative that corporate political donations pad Republican campaign accounts and tax breaks and lax regulation follow.
The most public rebuke of corporate interests was on display during the controversy between Governor DeSantis and Disney CEO Bob Chapek as related to the Parental Rights in Education legislation. The controversy made headlines across the U.S. and put the two powerful executives in a very public battle.
A day after Chapek publicly condemned the bill that would ban classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity before fourth grade, DeSantis ripped Disney before a roomful of supporters. He called Disney a “Woke corporation” and criticized its business interests in China.”
But Chapek should not have been surprised by the DeSantis response.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced they no longer recommend indoor masking for residents of states like Florida. The announcement comes after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has already been defying the CDC’s recommendations and took it a step further, saying the Florida Department of Health is recommending against COVID shots for children.
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A far-left Political Action Committee (PAC) is spending six figures on billboards that say “Say Gay,” in response to a Florida bill that bans kindergarten through third grade teachers from talking to students about sex, gender and sexuality.
“Starting Wednesday these will be going up all throughout Florida. Thank you to everyone who made this possible, especially Ron DeSantis for being a terrible person,” left-wing activist Ally Sammarco said on Twitter.
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A total of 59 county sheriffs have endorsed Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson (R-Trilby) for agriculture commissioner. Simpson, an egg farmer, has a number of notable endorsements so far in his young campaign.
Simpson’s list of endorsements includes: The Associated Industries of Florida (AIF), the National Rifle Association’s Unified Sportsmen of Florida (NRA-USF), the Associated Builders and Contractors of Florida (Florida Builders), Florida Police Benevolent Association (PBA), and Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls (R-Palm Harbor).
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Governor Ron DeSantis is in a standoff with Republican legislators over congressional redistricting plans that many think is headed to the courts. The controversy comes after a successful legislative session which rewarded DeSantis with a number of victories he can use in his campaign for reelection.
Back in January, DeSantis took the unusual step of submitting his own redistricting plan. Governors have the authority to veto district map proposals but do not typically submit map proposals of their own.
At the time, DeSantis’ general counsel, Ryan Newman, issued a statement saying their office has “legal concerns” with the current maps under consideration at the legislature.
DeSantis has proposed a more Republican-leaning plan that would eliminate two districts held by African American Democratic representatives. DeSantis believes that one of the districts, which stretches from Jacksonville to Tallahassee, is unconstitutional and should be consolidated to only include Jacksonville.
Florida State Representative Tom Leek (R-Ormond Beach) has previously noted that there is a possibility that a legal challenge could void the maps if a court finds a change in the Jacksonville -Tallahassee district has “diminished” minority voters.
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Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signed SB 1048 into law, which replaces the Florida Standards Assessment test, the major end-of-year exam students take with a new assessment called Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST).
He announced the new system at Florosa Elementary School in Okaloosa County along with parents and teachers. Okaloosa County was among the first where students attended in-person instruction while students throughout the country were still at home, DeSantis said.
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The Florida legislature recently passed the largest budget in state history totaling $112.1 billion and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is already hinting at vetoes to the record budget ahead of signing the appropriations.
Since DeSantis took office in January 2019, his vetoes have incrementally increased each year, culminating in $1.5 billion being slashed from 2021’s budget. However, DeSantis ensured the City of Hialeah Education Academy that they will be receiving $2.9 million from the state. DeSantis made the announcement for additional education STEM funding from the Hialeah school.
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On the heels of the recently concluded Florida legislative session, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced an additional $289 million for STEM programs, civics education, and after-school and summer learning programs.
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Gubernatorial candidate and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democrat, teamed up with Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson to promote questionable claims related to Governor Ron DeSantis and the state’s purchase of airplanes for executive travel.
On March 12, Wilson noted in a tweet that he had called out DeSantis for adding private jets to the state budget.
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A USA Today opinion columnist called a Florida lawmaker a “rotten bigot” and said God destroyed part of the lawmaker’s home. Michael J. Stern, the columnist, recently tweeted on Wednesday that he did not believe in God, but the news of Florida State Rep. Joe Harding’s (R-Williston) home being seriously damaged was causing him to reconsider.
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On the same day that Disney employees walked out in protest of Florida’s new anti-grooming bill, three employees of the children’s theme park were caught in a sex crime bust, and at least one was charged with a child sex crime.
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A major poll shows that most Americans support recent legislation passed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) that keeps teachers from peddling smut and discussing sexuality with 5-through-8-year-olds in Florida’s public schools.
DeSantis caused an uproar when he signed HB 1557 into law, with far-left activists dubbing it a “don’t say gay” law.
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A national company – Burrell Diversified Investments, LLC located in Aspen, Colorado – appears to have an economic development interest in a number of municipally owned airports in Florida.
The interest in the municipally owned airports seems to be part of a statewide plan to develop an alternate distribution system for freight carriers by building out municipally owned airports.
The Mayernick Group, an established state lobbying firm, represented Burrell Diversified Investments before the Florida legislature in 2021 and 2022. In addition, The Mayernick Group registered with the City of Tallahassee to represent Burrell Diversified Investments and David Goldschmidt on January 20, 2022.
Goldschmidt is listed as the Managing Director of The Burrell Group.
Burrell Diversified Investments is also the parent company to Burrell Aviation LLC which registered with the Florida Division of Corporations on August 18, 2021. Burrell Aviation has since registered Burrell Aviation Ocala LLC (1/25/2022), Burrell Aviation Sanford LLC (3/9/2022), and Burrell Aviation Brooksville (3/9/2022)
David Pollard, director of the City of Tallahassee’s Aviation Department, has been in talks with company representatives and said that the potential investment by the group lines up with the City’s strategic priorities. The investment is related to leasing space for hanger development, cargo logistics, and maintenance related activities.
Pollard expects that an agenda item will be ready to go before the Tallahassee City Commission in late April.
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The Florida Chamber of Commerce and Florida TaxWatch have both announced their satisfaction with this year’s recently concluded Florida legislative session. They are organizations that advocate for free markets, taxpayers research, and a government watchdog, respectively.
One of the efforts the Chamber was backing was its repeat effort to pass COVID liability protections for Florida businesses. The bill, SB 7014, would extend the liability protections to an additional 14 months, all the way to June 1, 2023. The bill builds on last year’s SB 72, which said businesses who are sued over COVID procedures would have to prove there was a “good faith effort to substantially comply with authoritative or controlling government-issued health standards or guidance at the time the cause of action accrued.”
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis touted many of the conservative policy victories and personal legislative victories in a speech Monday. The speech took place during the closing of the 2022 Florida legislative session. The session, this year, had been described as a “culture war” and DeSantis and Florida’s Republicans passed a number of priorities.
One of the hallmarks were DeSantis dubbing this year’s session as “year of the parent in the state of Florida.”
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