Florida’s controversial HB1 will get its first major legal test next month. A coalition of organizations including the NAACP, Dream Defenders, ACLU and more filed to immediately strike section 15 from the bill. LISTEN: The date is set for August 30. Chief Judge Mark Walker will hear from the coalition of organizations suing Gov. Ron… Read more »
DeSantis blindsides with order ending local COVID restrictions, counties and cities don’t know what that means for them
Read MoreDaily Beast: Greenberg confession letter says he and Matt Gaetz raped 17 year old
Read MoreDeSantis espouses debunked rumors, misinformation while signing HB1 into law
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As specter of HB1 looms, St. Pete protestors return to streets demanding justice for Daunte Wright
Read MoreDeSantis wants corporations out of Florida politics, but civic groups say ramp up the pressure on voting, protest bills
Read MoreHRK warned of disaster at Piney Point for months and asked for help, now DEP says they’re on the hook
Read MoreFair Districts Coalition hopes to avoid repeat of Florida’s contentious, gerrymandered 2012 redistricting
Read MoreState Attorney, Supreme Court Justice, Sheriff say HB1 protest bill is unconstitutional affront on democracy
Read MoreFlorida’s GOP-backed voting bills could disenfranchise millions of elderly and disabled Floridians, especially in minority ...
Read MoreRadioactivity Friday: Florida House takes up controversial bill that would criminalize protest
Read MoreFlorida Dems call on GOP Sen. Garcia to resign amid ‘sham candidate’ scheme
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Legislature takes on local governments
By Javan Frinks The Florida legislature’s trend of pushing bills superseding local regulation continues this year with proposed laws touching everything from renewable energy to impact fees, apprenticeship programs, campaign finance and ports. Tampa’s sustainability efforts led by City Council member Joe Citro is the target of a bill that seeks to prevent local governments… Read more »
‘Anti-educator’ bill clears Senate committee as hundreds of Florida teachers and school faculty testify against it
Hundreds of Florida teachers, some representing thousands of union faculty members, headed to Tallahassee Wednesday to protest a bill they call “anti-educator.” The bill cleared Wednesday’s Senate committee meeting anyway, but teachers are not giving up the fight. Listen: As far as Senator Victor Torres is concerned, the message was loud and clear. “There’s no… Read more »
Civic and faith leaders gather to denounce ‘anti-protest’ bill, HB1, ahead of judiciary committee hearing
A group of mostly Black civic and faith leaders gathered in Tallahassee’s Captiol Courtyard Wednesday to denounce the controversial HB1 bill. Many fear the Republican-backed bill being fast-tracked through the legislative process would silence minority voices while attacking home rule and the First Amendment. LISTEN: State Representative Kevin Chambliss, a Democrat who represents parts of… Read more »
Florida House Dems introduce wide-ranging COVID relief bill offering alternative to GOP proposals
Here is a link to many coronavirus resources Thursday, Democrats in the State House Thursday introduced a wide-ranging COVID-19 bill that offers alternatives to some Republican proposals. The sweeping bill offers protection from evictions, protects some businesses from COVID-related suits, looks to provide more transparency in data reporting and much more. LISTEN: At 69-pages, representatives… Read more »
Florida civic groups ask lawmakers in the Sunshine State to shed light on legislative process
A group of more than 30 civic organizations in Florida is calling on lawmakers in the Sunshine State to shed some light on the legislative process. Representatives from the groups held a Zoom conference Thursday. They’re asking for citizens to have meaningful participation in the process even with COVID-19 precautions in place. LISTEN: Olivia Babis… Read more »
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2021 State of the State address
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis gave the annual State of the State address Tuesday on the first day of the Florida Legislative session. Here are his remarks, as provided by his office: Opening Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, members of the House and Senate and fellow citizens: I see, in many parts of our country, a sad… Read more »
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Hillsborough legislators talk protest bill, budget priorities with Tiger Bay
Members of Hillsborough County’s legislative delegation seem to agree on a lot when it comes to what to tackle in Tallahassee this year, but not always on how to execute it. Republican and Democratic senators and house representatives met with Tampa’s Tiger Bay today and few priorities were as divisive as the HB1 protest bill…. Read more »
Radioactivity Thursday: GOP controlled Senate moves to limit Florida’s mail-in voting
February 18, 2021 Good morning, welcome to Radioactivity. I’m Rob Lorei. There is a bill in Tallahassee (SB 90) that would make it harder to vote by mail – if it passes. As the Tampa Bay Times reported this morning: “Florida Senate Republicans agreed Tuesday that Florida’s vote-by-mail process (which) worked smoothly in the last… Read more »
Groups will oppose Florida anti-protest bill on Saturday in Tampa
On Saturday social justice groups will demonstrate in Tampa against bills in the Florida Legislature that would crackdown on some protests. The bill was proposed by Governor Ron DeSantis and has been moving through legislative committees. The groups call it a “dangerous bill that is actively trying to curtail the speech of people speaking out… Read more »
