TALLAHASSEE, FL—On the last day of the Florida Session, the Legislature has decreed that strip clubs can no longer employ dancers under 21, due to a Republican-led bill that passed Friday morning. Democrats, however, claimed legislative inconsistencies: why should an 18-year-old be able to buy a gun, but not become a stripper? "We have to […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—In a rare break from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the Republican-led Senate has refused to confirm DeSantis-ally and Moms for Liberty co-founder, Tina Descovich, to the state ethics commission due to an unnamed Senator's concern of "lobbying the Legislature". Moms for Liberty is considered a right-wing, parental rights advocacy group that Descovich proudly co-founded […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—Florida public schools will soon have their doors open wide for religious officials of all denominations to provide counseling, even—Democrats worry—Satanists and Santeria sacrifices. If signed into law, school chaplains would be available beginning this Fall. The measure provides for volunteer clergymen in schools, charging these religious officials with providing mental health and spiritual counseling […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—The Florida Legislature has passed a revamped social media ban for minors following the Governor's veto of its old form, though critics believe that constitutionally, the bill is doomed to fail. HB 1 was a Republican-led bill banning all children under 16 on social media platforms, regardless of parental wishes. In a surprising show […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—In a last-minute move in the final week of session, the Florida Senate altered an anti-human trafficking bill to raise the stripper age from 18 to 21, making Democrats worry this will lead young, struggling women to head down the dangerous avenue of prostitution. Proposed by Republican Sen. Bryan Avila, SB 796/HB 7063 originally […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—The abortion debate continues to run rampant through the halls of the Florida Capitol, most recently winding its way into a bill compiling state-sanctioned pregnancy resources into a website for expectant mothers. "It is an online hub to display the wraparound services available in Florida that support women and families throughout pregnancy and parenting," […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—Boys who were tortured and raped at a now-shuttered reformatory school will each receive up to $50,000 in restitution due to a new bill passed Monday by the Florida Legislature. The Dozier School for Boys operated from 1900-2011, with one campus in Marianna and another in Okeechobee. Nearly 100 boys died and were buried […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—The Florida Legislature's second attempt at social media regulations for children has passed the Senate Floor, providing for increased parental rights provisions. The bill replaces its sister measure, which was killed by the Governor after outcries for increased parental discretion. Sponsored by Republican Sen. Erin Grall, HB 1 would have issued a blanket ban […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—A Republican Lawmaker accused of racism for saying that slaves were paid has turned the spotlight on Democrats, claiming that liberals want to ban books that support his assertion that some slaves received wages. Last week, Republican Rep. Alex Andrade took part in a heated discussion over HB 1291 on the House Floor, a […]
DeSantis Kills Social Media ban Bill. The eighth week of the Florida Session was jam-packed with groundbreaking legislation, with Lawmakers pushing several bills through the Legislature and onto the Governor's desk. The biggest bill signed this week was a measure allowing for the unsealing of Jeffrey Epstein's grand jury documents, hoping for increased transparency and […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—Gov. Ron DeSantis has officially killed the highly contested social media ban for minors, but that doesn't mean the Legislature is done with regulating these platforms. On Monday, Lawmakers' quickly-drafted Plan B measure will be seen on the Senate Floor, one that they hope is more agreeable to the Governor. "I have vetoed HB […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—The option to refuse a breathalyzer test has been all but removed with a new anti-drunk driving bill that passed the Senate Floor Friday afternoon, threatening first-time offenders with license suspension or a year-long interlock device. Proposed by Republican Sen. Nick DiCeglie, SB 260 punishes drunk drivers who want to refuse a blood, urine, […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—The Florida House is trying to lower the rifle-buying age to 18, reversing a 2018 law enacted following the massacre at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas. Despite being a "non-starter" in the Senate, the House is still trying to push this bill through the Legislature. "People need to be able to protect themselves," HB 1223's sponsor, […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—The Florida House has passed a Republican-led bill banning sleeping on public property and requiring local governments to fund homeless camps, leading Democrats to claim this will criminalize homelessness and lead to economic dependency on the federal government. "The status quo is not acceptable," Republican Rep. Sam Garrison, HB 1365's sponsor, said on the […]
SINE DIE! The final week of the Legislative Session has come and gone, and with it a series of scraps as Lawmakers rushed to pass their last-minute bills. Sine Die officially came at 2:27 PM on Friday, marked by the signature hanky-drop from the Capitol's sergeants, signifying session is over—and a flurry of bill signing […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—A hotly-contested bill changing driver's license requirements from "gender" to "sex" is dead in the Senate, though that hasn't stopped the House from trying to shove it through the Legislature. Sponsored by Republican Rep. Doug Bankson, the comprehensive HB 1639 revamps license requirements by asking for "sex" instead of "gender". Furthermore, it mandates insurance […]
PALM BEACH, FL—The grand jury documents from Jeffrey Epstein's 2006 Florida trial will be released in less than five months, due to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signing a new law mandating grand jury testimony of dead pedophiles be publicly available. “The public deserves to know who participated in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking,” DeSantis said at a […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—Senate President Kathleen Passidomo told reporters that she believes Gov. DeSantis will veto Republicans' highly controversial social media ban for minors, and the Legislature will instead craft new language that the Governor agrees to. HB 1, sponsored by Republican Rep. Tyler Sirois and Republican Sen. Erin Grall, was passed by the Florida Legislature last […]
