Tag Archives: Ron DeSantis

Well, isn’t this very timely: Rejecting arguments that the law is ambiguous, the Florida Supreme Court said Thursday that peaceful protesters are not threatened by a measure that Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature passed in 2021 to crack down on violent demonstrations. DeSantis championed the law after nationwide protests following the 2020 death of George Floyd. But civil-rights groups …

ABC News reports: A former top law enforcement official in Florida is accusing Gov. Ron DeSantis and his top aides of forcing him to retire after he refused to carry out orders he says were illegal or inappropriate, according to a lawsuit filed overnight. Shane Desguin, a career employee of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, rose to become the …

The Sarasota Herald Tribune reports: Florida arts and culture organizations, still struggling to recover after the COVID pandemic, took another unexpected financial hit when Gov. Ron DeSantis eliminated state funding for cultural programs. DeSantis vetoed nearly $1 billion from the $116.5 billion state budget before signing it in Tampa on Wednesday, including nearly $90 million the legislature earmarked for 669 …

The Associated Press reports: Florida has more than 700,000 medical marijuana patients and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis — who is battling a proposal to allow recreational use of marijuana — wants them all to know what a great job he’s doing. The Department of Health last week sent a blast email to its medical marijuana patient list boasting that DeSantis …

Florida Politics reports: The intense rainfall across the southern part of the state has prompted Gov. Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency in more southern counties due in part to flash flooding. The downpour also caused significant standing water on those farms with many farms facing repairs due to the damage of the rushing water during the storms. …

From the Miami Herald editorial board: The national political soap opera continues as former President Donald Trump prepares for his July 11 sentencing in the hush money criminal case. As expected, Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to play the top supporting role by vowing to restore Trump’s voting rights as a felon so he can cast a ballot in Florida’s November …

“One of the companies that does a lot of this stuff is headquartered in Florida. So I was down and I was interested in trying other things, but they had me try this burger that was not made of meat, it was not lab grown, it was like plant based, all this other stuff, which look, if that’s what you …

ABC News reports: Parts of southern Florida continued to get inundated with heavy rainfall Wednesday, with Gov. Ron DeSantis declaring a state of emergency tonight for several counties, including Broward, Collier, Lee, Miami-Dade and Sarasota. The National Weather Service in Miami said Wednesday evening that portions of Broward and Miami-Dade counties — including Hallandale and Hollywood — are continuing to …

Politico reports: A Florida appeals court on Wednesday refused to go along with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ argument that he can shield public records due to executive privilege — a right that had not been recognized previously under state law that could have drastically expanded the governor’s ability to keep records from the public. The decision by the three-judge panel of …

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis is again sounding the alarm about what he sees as potential consequences of a constitutional amendment that could legalize marijuana in Florida, misrepresenting it along the way. “I mean the amendment language says that there can be no penalties for use or possession, civil criminal, anything. I think it’s going to be very difficult …

The Tallahassee Democrat reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered the U.S. and state flags at half-staff Wednesday to honor the victims of the 2016 Pulse Nightclub mass shooting in Orlando. “Eight years ago, on June 12, 2016, a shooter claiming alliance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant committed a horrific act of terrorism against the LGBTQ and Hispanic …

The New York Times reports: Key parts of a Florida law that bans gender transition care for minors and imposes hurdles on adults seeking transition care are unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday. Judge Robert L. Hinkle of Federal District Court in Tallahassee sided with advocacy groups and three families who had said that the law stripped them of …

Politico reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis has launched a new political committee to target a pair of ballot initiatives on abortion access and legalizing marijuana in Florida, as he looks to block policies Democrats believe will bring them back into relevancy in the state. The committee — called the Florida Freedom Fund — was quietly launched late last month and its …

The Associated Press reports: Months after Disney and Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointees agreed to end a protracted legal fight, the two sides are set to approve an agreement that could result in the company investing up to $17 billion into its Florida resort and opens the door to a fifth major theme park at Walt Disney World. The five DeSantis-appointed …

Action News Jacksonville reports: On Friday night, community members gathered to display their own version of pride — by lighting up the Main Street Bridge in San Marco with rainbow colors. This comes after the Florida Department of Transportation said all state bridges must be lit red, white, and blue all summer long for Governor Ron DeSantis’s Freedom Summer. Seventy …

Politico reports: The Florida Board of Education approved several tweaks Wednesday to the state’s standards for teaching social studies, but left intact controversial pieces on Black history that sparked widespread backlash last year. Opponents slammed the state for sticking by its “warped” telling of Black history. :Florida’s new teaching standards include the same language that scored national blowback last year …

Public Information reports: The Florida Department of Education’s civics training does not just train educators to teach Christian nationalism. The same program also includes a section on Communism’s legacy. This has been a priority of Governor Ron DeSantis (R). In April, DeSantis signed legislation requiring all Florida students to be taught “the dangers and evils of Communism.” The presentation includes …

Politico reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Republicans have spent years aggressively turning the state into a haven for school choice. They have been wildly successful, with tens of thousands more children enrolling in private or charter schools or homeschooling. Now as those programs balloon, some of Florida’s largest school districts are facing staggering enrollment declines — and grappling with …

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis is sounding off about sociology yet again. And this time the architects of the American experience have his back. The Governor went back for a second slam of the academic discipline in as many months on Thursday, in remarks to the Florida Homeschool Convention in Orlando. “Florida used to require all students to take …

The Florida Phoenix reports: Florida Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody wants the state agency in charge of investigating violations of the Florida Civil Rights Act to inspect Starbucks’ diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. Gov. Ron DeSantis and Moody announced the complaint against Starbucks on Wednesday during the governor’s guest host stint on “The Sean Hannity Show.” “We’re going to make …