Florida Legislature

It's all About Immigration. Still. In the wake of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' impeachment by the U.S. House of Representatives, Florida hit hard on the topic of immigration this week, taking steps to demand action at the border. The sixth week of the nine-week Legislative session is over, and lawmakers are scrambling to pass […]

TALLAHASSEE, FL—Abortion rights advocates are up in arms over new bill language establishing an "unborn child" as a person at conception. If passed, this language could negatively impact Democrats' efforts to get abortion on the ballot in November. Republican Sen. Erin Grall, who sponsored Florida's six-week abortion ban last session, amended SB 476 this week […]

TALLAHASSEE, FL—A Republican Lawmaker is no longer targeting Florida's "crack bears" in his bill allowing people to kill bears in self-defense. On the House Floor Thursday, the sponsor explained his bill is meant to protect families against all bears on their property—not just ones high on crack. Last week, The Guardian reported that Republican Rep. […]

Florida Rep. Alina Garcia (R) has decided to not seek reelection to the Florida House of Representatives in the 2024 presidential election cycle, and will instead run for Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Election. In an exclusive interview with The Floridian, Rep. Garcia expressed her gratitude to the voters of House District 115 for allowing her […]

TALLAHASSEE, FL—In a Valentine's Day voice vote, the Florida Senate is demanding Congress enforce immigration laws, secure the border, and protect against human and drug trafficking across the southern border. Though the memorial faced accusations of vague and inflammatory language, it ultimately passed the Senate Floor. "We have a problem on our hands, we have a […]

TALLAHASSEE, FL—A Republican-led bill would abolish civilian police review boards from the state. Mostly founded after the death of George Floyd, Democrats argue that these boards serve to build trust and understanding between the public and law enforcement, while Republicans believe they are unnecessary and "erode trust". After George Floyd, a black man, was unnecessarily […]

In an effort to boost more law and order in the state, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis came out supporting legislation to “protect Floridians from retail theft and porch pirates.”  The proposed legislation would crack down on porch privacy, a type of theft where an individual will take packages left outside doors by couriers, often valuable […]

TALLAHASSEE, FL—Republican Sen. Travis Hutson has introduced SB 1566, requiring the Florida Gaming Control Commission to both oversee fantasy sports businesses and mandate they be licensed. According to the legislative measure, businesses must pay an application fee of up to $1 million and an annual renewal fee of up to $250,000. Hutson's other bill, SB […]

TALLAHASSEE, FL—A new bill seeks to provide resources and housing for pregnant homeless women in Florida. Through a new grant program within the Department of Children and Families, the measure hopes to temper the state's homeless crisis. SB 1442's grant program would provide housing and resources to homeless pregnant women for up to eight months. […]

TALLAHASSEE, FL—A new bill would add an anti-communism curriculum to Florida schools, creating a communist task force of Governor-appointed officials. The bill faced Democratic resistance, with liberal lawmakers calling it divisive and "hurtful". HB 1349, co-sponsored by Republican House Reps. Chuck Brannan and James Buchanan, require an "age-appropriate" curriculum on the history of, and growing […]

TALLAHASSEE, FL—Republicans are turning on President Biden's bipartisan immigration bill, claiming the measure will lead to increased immigration and drug trafficking into the country. Democrats, however, believe Republicans' flip-flopping is a ploy to keep immigration a top talking point for former President Donald Trump's election campaign. President Biden is backing a $118 billion proposal increasing […]

TALLAHASSEE, FL—Congressional Republicans failed last week to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, a member of Biden's Cabinet, over the ongoing illegal immigration surge at the U.S.-Mexico border. In an interview with The Floridian,  Sen. Blaise Ingoglia expresses his opinion on where conservatives went wrong. "It's unfortunate. I think it was right for the House […]

TALLAHASSEE, FL—As Governor Ron DeSantis prepares to send thousands of National and State Guardsmen to the Texas Border, Florida Republicans and Democrats agree on one thing: the border is failing, and Florida should help secure it. In two exclusive interviews with The Floridian, top Legislators talked about border protections. "I think the border is a serious […]

TALLAHASSEE, FL—A sweeping Florida bill is facing backlash over its proposed ban on lab-grown meat, with opponents fearing limited consumer choices, a weakened American economy, and an increase in Chinese jobs. HB 1071, sponsored by Republican Rep. Danny Alvarez, proposes an all-out ban on the manufacture or sale of cultivated meat, branding violators with a […]

The 2024 Legislative Session is now almost halfway completed, closing out the fifth week of the 9-week period. Tempers are wearing thin as we draw closer to the end, with a Republican expressing his "disgust" over Democrats storming out of a bill hearing. Other controversial issues this week included abortion rights, "identity politics" in the […]

Over the past several years, Democrats have watched the state of Florida slip away from a competitive swing state, to a blood-red conservative state.  Now, Democrats are changing up their political strategy by banking on Taylor Swift to help them perform well in Florida the next election cycle. The pop singer has made a resurgence […]

TALLAHASSEE, FL—A Republican-led education bill prohibits teacher prep courses from including a curriculum on "identity politics" or that "systemic racism, sexism, or oppression" is inherent in U.S. institutions. Proposed by Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, SB 1372 blocks theories of social, political, and economic inequity from being taught in educator prep courses. The sponsor said the bill […]

TALLAHASSEE, FL—Local law enforcement agencies may receive a $10 million grant to fund online sting operations, designed to apprehend online pedophiles. SB 1190, proposed by Republican Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, would allocate $10 million to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The grant would be disbursed to local law enforcement agencies to "support their creation of […]