Florida Legislature

The Floridian is a statewide and national political media platform that covers government affairs, elections, public policy, and campaigns on Florida politics. These stories are focused on Florida and the inner workings of the Florida Legislature
TALLAHASSEE, FL—After a busy political week signified by primary elections, the Democratic National Convention, and an unusual split in the Republican party, Florida political party chairs Nikki Fried and Evan Power reflect on the big question haunting Sunshine State politics: Is Florida in play? Unsurprisingly, GOP Chairman Power says no while his Democratic counterpart Fried […]
Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has called upon Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) to end the “Great Outdoors Initiative,” a Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) proposal with plans to construct lodging, glamping sites, pickleball courts, and/or golf courses in at least nine different state parks. This has infuriated legislators on both sides of the aisle including […]
On Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Times broke the news of the “Great Outdoors Initiative” from Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. This included plans to construct lodging, glamping sites, pickleball courts, and/or golf courses in at least nine different state parks, infuriating a lot of legislators on both sides of the aisle […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—Murderer and rapist Loran Cole is trying to use a new DeSantis-signed law as his get-out-of-jail-free card—literally. The issue? He's a murderer and rapist. So, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the 57-year-old's death warrant on July 29th, 2024—the first execution of the year. Cole is set to be executed on Aug. 29th, though he argues […]
Top Republicans Turn on DeSantis' State Park Plan That 'Doesn't Make Sense', Ask Floridians for Help
TALLAHASSEE, FL—For the first time since Republican firebrand Gov. Ron DeSantis took office, his conservative-dominated Legislature is publicly blasting him and his plan to construct golf courses on state parks while pleading with Floridians to "make their voices heard". In other words, they're turning on him. "We have worked so hard to restore, preserve, and […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—Now that the state of Florida has purchased 260,000 acres of conservation land, most of which is located in Florida's Wildlife Corridor, the Department of Environmental Protection plans to turn some of that land into golf courses and pickleball courts. Which land? Portions of nine state parks. According to the Tampa Bay Times, Jonathan […]
TITUSVILLE, FL—For the second day in a row, Gov. Ron DeSantis ripped Vice President Kamala Harris for both casting the tie-breaking, "money-grab" vote on a law he says spiked inflation and for her "Orwellian" plan to tax unrealized capital gains as income. In short, her policies are "absolutely nuts," he fretted. DeSantis referred first to […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—While Republicans banner their high voter turnout as a sign of a successful primary, Democrats claim they’re the ones who snatched victory Tuesday night by hitting Governor Ron DeSantis where it hurts: school board races. A prominent mouthpiece for “parental rights” and a favorite of the far-right non-profit Moms For Liberty, DeSantis has laced […]
Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has stood firm in his opposition against the legalization of marijuana since assuming office in 2019. Amendment 3 is the measure that will be voted on by Floridians in November that allows the legalization of recreational marijuana. While Gov. DeSantis has stated that how the amendment is written is “too broad,” […]
PALM BEACH, FL—“MAGA” Meg Weinberger beat out a contentiously crowded field Tuesday night to clinch the Republican Party nomination in House District 94, securing her spot on the general election ballot on November 5th. An animal rights advocate and Moms for Liberty Chair, Weinberger garnered over 47% of Palm Beach County’s vote as of 11:30 […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—Tuesday at 7 p.m. Florida's primary polls will close, and with it will emerge the Democrat nominee hoping to make the Senate District 3 seat—flipped red by the DeSantis-backed Sen. Corey Simon—blue once more. The candidates are civil rights attorney Daryl Parks and Gadsden County Commissioner Kimblin NeSmith, both planning to unseat former NFL […]
TALLAHASSEE, FL—As Florida's primary day drags on, so does the hotly anticipated Republican race between Trump-endorsed David Shoar and DeSantis-backed Tom Leek for the newly vacant Senate District 7 seat, located in the Sunshine State's northeast quadrant. In other words, a proxy DeSantis v. Trump battle is raging south of Jacksonville. While polls for state […]
State Senator Joe Gruters (R-FL) – a supporter of Amendment 3 which would legalize marijuana in the State of Florida – has introduced a bill that would ban the smoking of weed in public places. This legislation is drawing disapproval from the Vote No on 3 Campaign which argues his bill would be ineffective. “Gruters’ […]
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis (R-FL) has endorsed State Representative Tom Leek (R-FL) for State Senate. In a video, CFO Patronis supported his “good friend” that he believes Floridians in State Senate District 7 should trust. Hey Friends! Please vote for our good friend @TomLeekforFL for Florida State Senate Tomorrow! #flapol pic.twitter.com/liC5aYIsjV — Jimmy […]
Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) has certainly found herself at the heart of a gripping controversy as old pictures and videos from her swimsuit modeling days resurfaced online. Florida House Representative Michelle Salzman (R) posted a picture of herself in a bikini on X (formerly Twitter) as a gesture of support, saying, "In Florida we […]
Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and the State of Florida are celebrating the 45th consecutive month of jobs growth with an unemployment rate lower than the national average. The month of July demonstrated a statewide unemployment rate of 3.3%, one point lower than the national average (4.3%). The Sunshine State’s private sector growth rate reached +2.3% […]
The Vote No on 3 Campaign – which calls on Florida voters to reject the legalization of marijuana in the Sunshine State – is attempting to rebuke the idea that a large amount of marijuana possession offenders are currently in jail for the crime. The Vote No on 3 Campaign cites Florida Department of Corrections […]
Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) recently spoke at a Florida GOP event and sang the praises of Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) Chairman Evan Power and former Chairman (now State Senator) Joe Gruters. Republicans have officially reached a voter registration advantage of one million. Florida has historically been dominated by Democrats. In 1972, the Democrat Party […]
