Category: Florida

Equality Florida Leader Says Parental Rights Bill Will ‘Criminalize Your Existence’

Steve Stewart

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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Florida Teacher Says He’s Upset He Can’t Talk to Students About LGBT Relationship Because of Anti-Grooming Law

Peter D'Abrosca

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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21 States Join Lawsuit to End Federal Mask Mandate on Airplanes, Public Transportation

The Center Square

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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DeSantis Not Concerned About Possible Boycotts Due to Signing ‘Anti-Grooming’ Parental Rights Bill

Steve Stewart

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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Poll: Florida Democrats Support Limits on Teaching Sexual Orientation in Schools

Steve Stewart

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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Florida Gov. DeSantis Signs Bill Requiring Curriculum Transparency

The Center Square

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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Florida Census Data Shows Trump Counties Gained 224,000 Residents While Biden Counties Lost Population

Steve Stewart

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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Florida Judge Expected to Uphold Pro-Life Law

Grant Holcomb

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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Florida Democrats Boycott Disney Due to Parental Rights Bill

Steve Stewart
Mickey and Minnie Mouse riding on a float in Magic Kingdom

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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Ron DeSantis Condemns NCAA over Transgender Swimmer Winning Championship

Grant Holcomb
Ron DeSantis

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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DeSantis Signs Bill Requiring High School Students to Pass Financial Literacy Course

Peter D'Abrosca
Ron DeSantis of Florida

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 Republicans Cool on ‘Woke’ Corporations, Let $1.2 Billion Income Tax Break Expire

Steve Stewart

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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CDC Lifted Indoor Masking Recommendations for Florida, Weeks Behind DeSantis

Grant Holcomb

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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Far-Left PAC Spends Six Figures on Billboards Opposing Anti-Grooming Bill

Peter D'Abrosca

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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Sheriffs Endorse Wilton Simpson for Agriculture Commissioner

Grant Holcomb

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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DeSantis in Standoff with Republicans Over Congressional Redistricting

Steve Stewart

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. DeSantis Signs Bill Ending End-of-Year Florida Standards Assessment Test

The Center Square

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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DeSantis Hints at Budget Vetoes Ahead of Signing

Grant Holcomb

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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Democrat Gubernatorial Hopeful Nikki Fried Attacks DeSantis over Plane Purchases She Once Supported

Steve Stewart

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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National Company Pursuing Economic Development Opportunities with Florida Municipally Owned Airports

Steve Stewart

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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Florida Groups Celebrate Successful Legislative Session

Grant Holcomb

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. DeSantis Touts Legislative Victories After Legislative Session Ends

Grant Holcomb

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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Diaper Tax Break Comes to Florida

Grant Holcomb
Anna Eskamani and Lauren

During the negotiations for the 2022-2023 Florida budget’s tax package, lawmakers included a provision that would include a diaper tax break in Florida. Diapers would become tax-free in Florida for one year starting July 1.

The effort was bipartisan in nature, but Florida Democrat lawmakers Sen. Lauren Book (D-Plantation) and Florida State Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando), were the ones who spearheaded the effort.

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Mastermind Behind Multimillion Dollar ‘NetWalker’ Ransomware Scheme Faces Charges Following Extradition to Florida

Cooper Moran
Aerial view of a man on a desktop computer with three monitors in front of him

A Canadian man, extradited to Florida, faces a host of charges related to his connection to cyberattacks utilizing a ransomware known as “NetWalker.”

Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins is facing indictments for conspiracy to commit computer fraud and wire fraud and intentional damage to a protected computer, in connection to the ransomware that has been used to attack businesses, hospitals, schools, emergency response services, and other organizations.

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Florida’s ‘Tallahassee Democrat’ Newspaper Promoted ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Slogan Six Times More Than ‘Parental Rights in Education’

Steve Stewart

An analysis of news articles published by journalists in the Tallahassee Democrat between February 9th and March 11th show that reporters repeatedly used the term “Don’t Say Gay” slogan when writing about the Parental Rights in Education bill.

The analysis shows that the “Don’t Say Gay” term was used over 6 times more than the title of the bill, “Parental Rights in Education” in news articles.

The “Don’t Say Gay” slogan was adopted by opponents of the Parental Rights in Education bill. Supporters of the bill have argued the slogan mischaracterizes the legislation.

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Environmental Protection Agency Approves Pilot Project to Release Genetically Modified Mosquitoes into Florida Keys Despite Widespread Opposition

The Center Square

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved an experimental use permit submitted by a British biotech company to release millions of genetically engineered mosquitos into the Florida Keys in an effort to combat Dengue fever, Yellow fever, and the Zika virus.

All three diseases are transmitted by the Aedes aegypti (yellow fever mosquito) and Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito) in certain parts of the world.

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Governor Ron DeSantis Blasts Biden over Conversations with Venezuelan Leaders

Cooper Moran

Governor Ron DeSantis blasted the Biden administration for conversations with leaders of Venezuela, as reports detail Biden is considering purchasing oil from the South American country.

The U.S. is looking to ease the impact of the decision to ban the purchase of Russian oil and has turned to countries like Venezuela and Iran—instead of producing energy in America. 

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Florida Rep. Wasserman Schultz Bought Domestic Oil Stocks Just Before Price of Oil Skyrocketed

Peter D'Abrosca

A congresswoman from Florida purchased large amounts of stock in a U.S. oil drilling company just as oil and gas prices hit record highs, and just before the beginning of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. 

According to financial disclosure forms, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-23) purchased up to $45,000 worth of stock in a Houston-based oil drilling company called Patterson UTI Energy. 

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Florida Legislature Passes Illegal Immigration Crackdown Bill

Grant Holcomb

The Florida Legislature has passed SB 1808, known as an immigration crackdown bill, and it will be sent to the desk of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The bill will keep ban the state from contracting with companies who transport illegal alien.

The bill was passed largely along party lines with two House Republicans joining Democrats and voting “No”: State Representatives Vance Aloupis (R-Miami) and Rene Plasencia (R-Orlando). The final House vote was 77-42 in the affirmative.

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DeSantis Responds to Disney CEO; Cites China Connections, Woke Corporations

Steve Stewart
Ron DeSantis

One day after the Disney CEO came against the Parental Rights in Education bill, Gov. Ron DeSantis responded with references to China and Woke corporations.

On Wednesday, Disney CEO Bob Chapek addressed the parental rights legislation at a shareholders meeting by saying,  “I know that many are upset that we did not speak out against the bill. We were opposed to the bill from the outset, but we chose not to take a public position on it because we felt we could be more effective working behind the scenes. …”

Chapek said in a call to Governor DeSantis he expressed his disappointment and “concern that if the legislation becomes law it could be used to target LGBTQ+ kids and families. 

Chapek also noted that Disney is “reassessing our approach to advocacy, including political giving in Florida and beyond.”

Late Thursday Gov. DeSantis told supporters in Boca Raton there is “zero” chance he’s going to reverse his position on disallowing the instruction of “transgenderism in kindergarten classrooms.”

And then DeSantis responded to Chapek’s comments

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Florida Legislature Discusses Gas Tax Break as Budget Negotiations Continue

Grant Holcomb

Florida Lawmakers, amid budget discussions, agreed to include $200 million in federal stimulus money to grant Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) request for a state gas tax break. House Appropriations Chairman and State Rep. Jay Trumbull (R-Panama City) and Senate Appropriations Chairwoman and State Sen. Kelli Stargel (R-Lakeland) made the agreement late Wednesday night.

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Disney CEO Opposes ‘Anti-Grooming’ Bill, Will Meet with DeSantis

Steve Stewart

On Wednesday, Disney CEO Bob Chapek informed shareholders at the company’s annual meeting that Disney opposes the Parental Rights in Education legislation and that the actions by the Florida legislature could impact future political donations.

Critics of the bill – which passed the Senate and the House and awaits action by Governor DeSantis – have repeatedly mischaracterized provisions in the legislation while using the “Don’t Say Gay” moniker to rally opposition among progressives and the LGBTQ community.

Disney has been criticized in the national media and by elected officials in Florida.

Florida Representative Anna V. Eskamami, who represents parts of Orlando, called on “the Walt Disney Company to STOP donating to the campaigns of state lawmakers that sponsor anti-LGBTQ+bills, like the “Don’t Say Gay” bill…”

At the close of his prepared remarks to shareholders, Chapek said, “I’d like to take moment to address some concerns I’ve heard from many about the legislation impacting the LGBTQ+ community in Florida.”

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Democrats Currently Lead in National Redistricting Efforts with Four States Still Completing Process

Aaron Gulbransen

Democrats currently have the lead in redistricting efforts with four states still working on new maps.

Forty states, 46 if the states that have one congressional district are included, have finished the process of drawing new maps for U.S. House of Representatives districts. Only Florida, Missouri, Louisiana, and New Hampshire have yet to finish their redistricting process.

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