Culture

Covering Florida’s culture. The Floridian is a statewide and national political media platform that covers government affairs, elections, public policy, and campaigns on Florida politics.
Austin Rogers, who is running for Representative Neal Dunn's (R-FL) 2nd congressional district seat, discussed the ongoing conflict with Iran, the United States' relationship with Israel, and the surge in antisemitism with The Floridian, countering the narrative that President Donald Trump is doing Israel's bidding. While concerns of the United States entering another "forever war" in […]
Representative Kat Cammack (R-FL) is introducing legislation to improve mental health services for first responders. The Answering the Call Act requires targeted outreach, stronger collaboration with organizations that work with first responders, and expanded training and public awareness campaigns. First responders are regularly forced to deal with horrific, traumatizing situations, and such frequent exposure can […]
Representative Laurel Lee (R-FL) is celebrating the passage of her Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery (HEAR) Act into law, which allows Holocaust survivors and their descendants the opportunity to recover plundered cultural artifacts. The HEAR Act modifies existing laws so that claims of stolen art are decided on their merits rather than dismissed on legal technical grounds. Throughout […]
Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) has filed a motion to expel Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) from Congress, following accusations of sexual harassment and assault that continue to grow. The accusations began over the weekend, when four women, including social media content creator Ally Sammarco, came forward with allegations of Rep. Swalwell inappropriately touching them, sending […]
Michael Carbonara, a Republican challenger to Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) in the 25th Congressional District, is taking the Moms for Liberty Parent Pledge, a formal declaration to protect parental rights in education and medicine. The Moms for Liberty Parent Pledge holds the taker to "honor the fundamental rights of parents, including, but not limited […]
Representative Mike Haridopolos (R-FL) gushed like a kid in a candy store discussing the Artemis II space mission during a recent appearance on Fox Business's Mornings with Maria. The craft is expected to splash down near San Diego later this week. "It has been an amazing week here in Florida," Rep. Haridopolos beamed. "This proves that […]
Representative Jimmy Patronis (R-FL) is demanding OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, face accountability after recent evidence surfaced showing Florida State University shooter Phoenix Ikner was in constant communication with the chatbot, which was allegedly helping him plan the attack. Ikner shot and killed two men, wounding five others, on the Florida State University campus on […]
Ola Hawatmeh (R), one of several Republican hopefuls looking to replace Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) in Florida's 19th Congressional District, held nothing back in condemning the traditional Islamic legal theory of Sharia law, saying it is "savage and inhumane" while vowing to join the Sharia-Free America Caucus if she gets sent to Washington in November. […]
WASHINGTON—Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL), who is running for governor of Florida, has sharply condemned racist and antisemitic comments in a private GOP group chat The Floridian reported on, saying they have no place in the Republican Party. In response to The Floridian's request for comment, Rep. Donalds told Publisher Javier Manjarres that "the comments reported […]
WASHINGTON—In an exclusive interview with The Floridian, Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) declared that Sharia Law, the traditional system of Islamic jurisprudence, has "no place in America." The Florida lawmaker suggested that Democrats supporting Sharia Law as a matter of tolerance are "wrong" and "stupid," clarifying, "I think we have to respect people's religion, but we […]
Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) is calling for an investigation into the alleged use of federal funds by members of Congress to pay off people accusing them of sexual misconduct. In a social media post, Rep. Luna wrote, "I am calling on Chairman @RepTimBurchett of the DOGE Committee, which I serve on, to open an […]
Representative Jimmy Patronis (R-FL) mocked New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's massive $127 billion city budget in a recent appearance on Fox Business's Varney & Co., pointing to it as another example of Democratic fiscal irresponsibility. Mayor Mamdani unveiled the budget this week, announcing that it would require a city property tax hike of nearly 10%. […]
38 House members have joined forces to create the Sharia-Free America Caucus, warning that Sharia contradicts the U.S. Constitution and threatens American freedoms. The group is pushing for laws that would prevent judges from considering Islamic law in their decisions and restrict entry to the country for individuals who adhere to Sharia principles. The caucus […]
Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) is introducing a bipartisan, bicameral bill to keep children off social media platforms, as the harm they experience is a growing concern. Aptly named the Kids Off Social Media Act, the bill includes several provisions, including a prohibition on social media accounts for users under 13. Companies must remove and delete the […]
Senator Ashley Moody (R-FL) has introducing the Senate companion bill to Representative Laurel Lee's (R-FL) Combating Online Predators Act, which passed the House of Representatives in December. As The Floridian recently covered, the Combating Online Predators Act strengthens federal law by explicitly criminalizing threats to distribute child sexual abuse material (CSAM), also known as sextortion. According to […]
Representative Brian Mast (R-FL) spearheaded a recent letter to the Secretary of the Navy, John C. Phelan, urging that the UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida, be included as part of the reauthorized U.S. Navy Museum System. The U.S. Navy Museum System was authorized in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which allows designated […]
Representative Randy Fine (R-FL) announced his membership in the new Sharia Free America Caucus in a post to X, writing, "We must be willing to call evil by its name." The new caucus, established by Representative Chip Roy (R-TX), "will present a suite of policies to prevent Sharia law from entering U.S. politics," according to […]
Representative Laurel Lee (R-FL) spoke in favor of the bipartisan Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act (DEFIANCE) at a recent press conference featuring socialite and media personality Paris Hilton. The bill, introduced with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), allows victims of "deepfakes" to take legal action against producers, distributors, and solicitors of these images and […]
