Florida Lawmakers
Along with up-to-date political coverage, The Floridian takes the opportunity to write about the profiles of Florida lawmakers, senators, & other politicians. Read more here!
TALLAHASSEE—The Florida Legislature could put its own definitions into citizen-led ballot amendments with undefined terms, according to a petition fraud bill that passed its final House committee on Wednesday. The sweeping 45-page bill, filed by Republican Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, was approved by the House State Affairs Committee Wednesday afternoon after three hours of debate. It […]
The Senate Committee on Transportation favored a bill 8-0 on Tuesday that would exempt 100% disabled veterans from having to pay tolls in the State of Florida. Sen. Blaise Ingoglia filed the bill (SB 532) in the Senate. Rep. J.J. Grow (R-Inverness) is carrying the House version (HB 445). Sen. Ingoglia explained the bill to […]
The Senate Committee on Governmental Oversight and Accountability advanced a controversial bill 5-2 that would prohibit the use of preferred pronouns in Florida workplaces and limit gender identity training for state and local government employees. Sen. Stan McClain (R-Ocala) sponsored the bill (SB 440). Rep. Rachel Plakon (R-Lake Mary) leads the House version (HB 1495). […]
President Donald Trump is defending National Security Advisor Mike Waltz after the latter reportedly mistakenly granted The Atlantic’s Editor in Chief access to sensitive military information. Editor in Chief Jeffrey Goldberg recently claimed he was added to a Signal chat with top Trump administration officials where they discussed the US’ recent strikes on Houthi targets. […]
The Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources advanced a bill 8-0 on Tuesday that would designate the American Flamingo as Florida's official state bird and the Florida scrub-jay as the official state songbird. If passed, the American flamingo would replace the northern mockingbird as the official state bird. The mockingbird has been Florida's state […]
TALLAHASSEE—Because two Republicans stepped out, and a third voted “no,” a conservative Florida bill that would have allowed guns on school buses and in university dorms died in its first Senate committee on Tuesday. The final vote on Sen. Randy Fine’s SB 814 was 4 “nays” to 3 “ayes” in Tuesday’s Senate Criminal Justice Committee. […]
TALLAHASSEE—Florida became only the second state in the union to unveil a Holocaust memorial. Governor Ron DeSantis, along with First Lady Casey DeSantis hosted a ceremony of the unveiling of the monument at the Capitol Complex’s “Memorial Park.” During his remarks, Gov. DeSantis reminded attendees that the state of Florida sent “$20 million funding to […]
TALLAHASSEE—A hotly contested Florida bill banning Pride, Black Lives Matter, and Trump flags in schools and atop government buildings passed its second Senate hearing on Tuesday. Filed by Republican Sen. Randy Fine, expected to head to Congress in April, SB 100 would outlaw all “politically partisan” flags, which he says include flags denoting race or […]
TALLAHASSEE—Florida teens could work night shifts and eight hours without a meal break, according to a controversial child labor bill that passed its first Senate committee on Tuesday. Filed by Republican Sen. Jay Collins, SB 918 continues the Republican-led Legislature’s efforts from last year to loosen child labor laws. This comes after Gov. Ron DeSantis […]
Florida Sate Senator Randy Fine (R) is pulling no punches in the lead up to the special election for the US’ House of Representatives 6th Florida seat. Senator Fine has been fiercely criticizing his Democrat opponent, Joshua Weil, for questionable actions he reportedly committed while being a public school teacher. According to Fine and local […]
The Senate Appropriations Committee advanced a bill 14-0 on Monday that would require a person 18 years of age or older to complete a traffic law and substance abuse education course to obtain a Florida driver's license and pass a driver's education safety course for a learner's permit. Sen. Jay Collins filed the bill (SB […]
President Donald Trump has announced new ‘secondary tariffs’ on Venezuela that impose a general 25% levy on exports from any country purchasing Venezuelan oil. The tariffs come as US-Venezuela relations sour due to President Trump’s discontent with Venezuelan Dictator Nicolas Maduro’s immigration policies as well as his undemocratic practices. Trump blamed Venezuela for “purposefully and […]
A jury has found two Eastern European individuals guilty of conspiring to kill US-based journalist Masih Alinejad after being hired to do so by Iran. Polad Omarov and Rafat Amirov were hired by Iran to murder Alinejad due to her fierce criticism of Iran’s theocratic authoritarian government. Omarov and Amirov were high-ranking members of an […]
Florida House Leader Fentrice Driskell ripped Gov. Ron DeSantis's trip to Idaho and Montana on Monday as a "political stunt," accusing the governor of neglecting real Florida issues. Rep. Driskell, from Tampa, spoke to reporters on a Monday morning Zoom call ahead of DeSantis's western excursion encouraging state legislatures to demand a constitutional amendment forcing […]
The House Rules and Ethics Committee recently advanced a bill 16-0 that would prohibit a political candidate running for public office from claiming military service or having military service decorations without evidence, often called stolen valor. Rep. Pat Maney (R-Fort Walton Beach) spoke on his bill to the committee. Rep. Maney served in the U.S. […]
Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY), a self-described libertarian, has agreed with Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to ban sugary sodas within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, commonly referred to as food stamps). In other words, Rep. Massie believes that American taxpayer dollars should not fund unhealthy […]
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday urged the Idaho state legislature to approve a resolution demanding Congress call a never-before-seen convention to amend the U.S. Constitution. DeSantis, who will be in Montana later Monday, is embarking on a western tour to pressure state governments into approving a resolution that would force Congress to call a constitutional […]
A Senate bill is expected to be heard on Tuesday that would prohibit the use of preferred pronouns in Florida workplaces and limit gender identity training for state and local government employees. Sen. Stan McClain (R-Gainesville) sponsored the bill (SB 440). Rep. Rachel Plakon (R-Lake Mary) leads the House version (HB 1495). Under the "Freedom […]