Tag Archives: Florida

Florida Politics reports: A group of Florida students took to the Capitol steps in Tallahassee Monday morning in a last-ditch plea with state Senators to vote down a controversial measure dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by its critics. Students chanted “we say gay” and planned sit-in protests throughout the day as the Senate prepares to take up the controversial …

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ press secretary Christina Pushaw tweeted accusations that people who oppose a sex education bill working its way through the Legislature are “groomers” or those who would not denounce “groomers” — references to pedophilia and people who help “groom” children for pedophiles and other abusers. Her tweets drew angry condemnation Sunday from the bill’s opponents. …

Politico reports: The state’s House and Senate, split largely along party lines, voted in favor of a new map that dismantles the north Florida congressional seat held by Rep. Al Lawson, a Black Democrat, and would let the GOP likely pick up two seats. “I don’t bluff,” DeSantis said. “What makes you think when I say I’m going to do …

The Wrap reports: The Walt Disney Company on Friday responded to calls for action over the Florida House of Represenatives’ passage of a “Don’t Say Gay” bill that would limit what classrooms can teach about sexual orientation and gender. However, the media giant sidestepped the bill itself  and instead recommitted itself more broadly to LGBTQ+ rights. “We understand how important …

The New York Times reports: Florida legislators voted to ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy on Thursday, a move that would severely restrict access to the procedure in a state that for decades has been a refuge for women from across the South. The bill — modeled after a similar abortion ban in Mississippi that the U.S. Supreme …

Florida Politics reports: On Thursday night, Gov. Ron DeSantis said his scolding of kids for wearing masks at a press conference this week was really in their interest. “None of the adults were wearing masks, and it seemed to me someone told those kids they had to do it,” contended DeSantis. “I didn’t want them to be thinking they were …

First Coast News reports: Students across Florida protested the ‘Don’t Say Gay bill’ Thursday by walking out of their classrooms, according to multiple sources. The walk-out protests happened across the state at noon. “With the internet access that children have today, there are children that age asking questions, trying to figure out what it is, even if they don’t know …

“I don’t think this going to work out for him the way that he wanted to, and you know, when you see people who are willing to fight, it’s inspiring to see these people just grab rifles who are civilians and going out there and fighting to ward off the Russian army. “A lot of other places around the world, …

Tampa’s ABC News affiliate reports: Governor Ron DeSantis was at the University of South Florida Wednesday to talk about cybersecurity, but before that he made some comments to students there about masks. “You do not have to wear those masks.. please take them off,” the governor said. “Honestly it’s not doing anything. We need to stop with this theater. If …

The New York Daily News reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) has rejected a push for Florida to sell investments in Russian-owned companies in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine. The Republican governor pushed back after state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the Sunshine State’s top elected Democrat, called on the state move to divest itself of assets tied to Russia. DeSantis …

Florida Politics reports: There will be no state mandate for the national anthem at sporting events. The House Local Administration and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee had advanced the legislation earlier this year on a 12-4 vote. But it never made the agenda for the House Judiciary Committee. The legislation, had it become law, would require any contract a team or sporting …

Florida Politics reports: Democrats presented a united front, and even one Republican lawmaker cast a “no” vote Monday, but it still wasn’t enough to block a measure enabling businesses to sue local governments and halt enforcement of ordinances from heading to a full House vote. The House State Affairs Committee voted 14-9 for the bill (HB 403) by Cape Coral …

Florida Politics reports: Florida’s controversial parental rights legislation governing classroom instruction on LGBTQ matters, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by opponents, is headed to the Senate floor. Under the leadership of President Wilton Simpson, the Senate decided to take up the House version of the legislation. The bill was slated for only one committee stop — the Senate Appropriations …

Newsweek reports: As President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address approaches, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that he will not be sending state National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. In a tweet published on February 28, DeSantis said that he rejected a request made by Biden to send state National Guard troops to the region. This rejection comes as …

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports: U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, who has represented parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties since 2010, is resigning from the House of Representatives, he said Monday. A close associate of the congressman said Deutch will become CEO of the American Jewish Committee. Deutch has focused much of his attention in office on Israel and the …

The Tampa Bay Times reports: Eight years after he fired a pistol inside a Wesley Chapel movie theater, Curtis Reeves was found not guilty of murder in the death of Chad Oulson. A panel of four men and two women took about 3½ hours Friday night to acquit the retired Tampa police captain. The late-night verdict punctuated one of the …

The Miami Herald reports: A team of reporters visited eight locations where voter registration data showed unusually high numbers of voters switching from one party to another last year. The reporters knocked on every door where someone’s party affiliation had changed. Four out of every five voters who spoke to the Herald — 141 in total — said that their …

Florida Politics reports: “I believe there are a lot of people in this country influenced by Marxism that don’t even realize they’re being influenced by Marxism,” Rubio warned a conservative crowd in Orlando. “It’s infused in every aspect of our lives and our society.” College campuses, he suggested, are ground zero. He lamented censorship and “digital mobs,” saying Marxism is …

Mediaite reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) gave an energetic speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida on Thursday afternoon, taking multiple swings at his favorite pandemic-era piñata: Dr. Anthony Fauci. “Let me welcome you to the freest state in these United States!” DeSantis called out to the cheering crowd to kick off his speech. He criticized other …

The Tallahassee Democrat reports: New statewide requirements on how race is discussed in schools, colleges and workplaces were approved by the Florida House, despite withering criticism that it amounts to censorship. The measure, which drew hours of heated debate Thursday, is aimed at meeting Gov. Ron DeSantis’ demand for a Stop WOKE Act, blunting what he has warned is liberal …