A Republican effort to block new funding for the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” and “Deportation Depot” migrant lockups unanimously cleared its first House committee hearing Monday. The bill would prevent the state’s Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund from going toward immigration enforcement, a move that would starkly pivot legislative Republicans away from their all-in anti-illegal immigration crackdown pushed just one year ago.
Ron DeSantis
House Plan Shifts USF’s Sarasota Campus Under Control of Right-Winged New College
This year’s budget negotiations will entail negotiating the future of University of South Florida’s Sarasota-Manatee campus. The Florida House Higher Education Budget Subcommittee Monday approved transferring the campus to New College of Florida on a party line vote, in line with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ budget proposal. The Senate is not on the same page, leaving such a swap completely out of its initial budget documents.
Parental Rights or Parental Property? The Looming Threat to Florida’s Minors
Florida is tightening control over youth autonomy through legislation requiring parental consent for essential medical care and state-mandated censorship of university curricula. By replacing sociology with sanitized history and restricting academic freedom, officials aim to shield students from diverse ideas. These efforts to blinker the next generation often backfire, as students naturally resist censorship and seek out forbidden knowledge.
Saturday in Byblos:
Raja Shehadeh’s Vanishing Palestine
Florida’s House Bill 31 seeks to rename the West Bank as “Judea and Samaria,” erasing Palestinian history and rights to their land and violating international law. Raja Shehadeh’s “Palestinian Walks,” originally published in 2007, explores the systematic expropriation of Palestinian land through legal chicanery, balkanization, theft and settler vigilantism. But it does so through six walks that, for all the politics and bitter history, also have the transcendent feel of inner discovery of the soul through nature or reverence for the deep roots of genealogy through places as ordinary as a hillside.
Florida Emergency Management Spent $405 Million in 7 Months Chasing Migrants, Meals and Badges
Records show that the Florida Division of Emergency Management used the state’s emergency respond fund to spend $405.6 million from August through February on 83 contracts with private vendors. That figure includes expenditures like $479,000 to one private jet firm for staff flights to and from the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center and to support evacuation of Americans during the Israel-Hamas war; thousands spent at 55 restaurants; and a $203.72 purchase at “Awards4U,” a company that lets customers create their own badges, trophies, or awards.
David Jolly Blasts Other Gubernatorial Candidates for Not Calling Out Trump on Obama Post
Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly wants to know why no other candidate for governor of Florida has condemned President Donald Trump for the video he posted on his Truth Social account depicting former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes.
Does a Shocking Election Win by a Texas Democrat Mean Anything in Florida Politics?
In the suburbs of Fort Worth, Texas, on Jan. 31, a Democratic candidate named Taylor Rehmet won a special election for a state Senate district by 14 points. It was the same district Donald Trump won by 17 points in 2024 — a 31 point swing, the largest over-performance in a competitive special election since Trump took office a year ago. That result has energized Democrats around the country about the possibility of a major blue wave in the midterm congressional election this November — but could that wave trickle down to the Sunshine State, where in recent years the GOP has emerged as a juggernaut?
Voters Challenge Governor’s Authority Over Special Redistricting Session
Two South Florida voters want the state Supreme Court to determine if Gov. Ron DeSantis had the authority to call for mid-decade congressional redistricting and delay candidate qualifying. The petition asks the court to determine if the governor’s Jan. 7 proclamation for a special legislative session the week of April 20 to redraw congressional districts encroached on the power of the Legislature as it proclaimed that 2026 is “a year in which the Legislature will apportion the state.”
Defying DeSantis’s ‘Terrorist’ Designation, CAIR Florida Officials Drop In for Muslim Day at State Capitol
Officials from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Florida came to Tallahassee Monday to speak with lawmakers about pending legislation during the annual “Muslim Day” at the Capitol, but found conditions far different than in the past. In an absurd posting, Florida Attorney James Uthmeier asked law enforcement to be “on heightened alert for any possible security threats.” At least seven members of the Florida Capitol Police stood sentry in the rotunda of the Capitol as the press conference took place — as noted by one lawmaker who spoke.
On DeSantis’s Supreme Court, Ethnic Diversity Masks Ideological Monoculture
Florida’s judiciary is undergoing a radical transformation as Governor DeSantis replaces retiring moderates with rigid originalists like Justice Adam Tanenbaum. While the court maintains ethnic diversity, it has become ideologically monolithic, systematically dismantling voter-approved mandates and legal precedents. This shift toward a Federalist Society-aligned bench threatens the future of voting rights, reproductive freedom, and the principle of an independent judiciary.
DeSantis Signs Third Death Warrant of 2026 Following Record-Breaking Year
Governor Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant for Billy Leon Kearse, convicted of the 1991 murder of a Fort Pierce police officer. Kearse’s execution, scheduled for March 3, follows warrants for Ronald Heath and Melvin Trotter as Florida continues a rapid pace of executions after setting a state record last year.
Florida Board of Governors Moves to Freeze H-1B Visas at Public Universities, Stifling Expertise
The Florida Board of Governors has preliminarily approved a one-year freeze on new H-1B visa hiring for public universities, effective through January 2027. Prompted by Governor Ron DeSantis and President Donald Trump, the move responds to a new $100,000 federal application fee and concerns over “cheap labor.” While university officials intend to study program costs, critics and faculty representatives argue the pause undermines meritocracy and threatens the state’s ability to recruit top-tier global expertise.
Controversial Education Bill Mandating Anti-Abortion Videos and Campus ICE Access Moves Forward
A Florida House subcommittee approved HB 1071, a huge education bill that mandates 6th-12th grade lessons on fetal development, including specific video-watching requirements. The legislation also prohibits spending on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and requires school administrators to grant law enforcement, including ICE, full campus access. While proponents argue the bill focuses on merit and biological facts, critics raise concerns regarding medical accuracy, potential ICE presence on campuses, and the erosion of inclusive programming.
Sarasota School Board Member Protests Against ICE. County’s GOP Wants Him Booted Off the Board.
The Sarasota County Republican Party has formally requested that Governor Ron DeSantis remove School Board member Tom Edwards from office. The call follows Edwards’ participation in an anti-ICE rally where he blasted the killing of Renee Nicole Good. In response, Board Chair Bridget Ziegler proposed a resolution mandating full cooperation between the school district and federal immigration authorities. Edwards maintains the effort is a politically motivated “culture war” designed to distract from student safety.
From Flamingos to SNAP Cuts: Florida’s Legislative Circus Begins
As the 2026 Florida Legislative Session begins, lawmakers are prioritizing cultural symbols and controversial social reforms. Proposals range from replacing the mockingbird with the flamingo to implementing “fetal personhood” laws and cutting essential healthcare and food assistance. While Democrats seek transparency for ICE detainees, the Republican majority focuses on deregulating environmental protections and restricting abortion access. The session reflects a deep ideological divide, pitting local conservation and public health against developer interests and hardline partisan agendas.
$15 Million Over Budget, Nothing Built Since State Guard Facility ‘Broke Ground’ in Bunnell in 2024. Sheriff Is Not Pleased.
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly is frustrated over the stalled $10 million Florida State Guard training facility in Bunnell. The state-managed project is over two years behind schedule and facing projected costs of $25 million. Staly criticized the Department of Management Services for inefficiency and massive budget overruns, suggesting the project would already be finished if he’d managed it through a direct state grant.
‘Dredging Up Some of His Greatest Hits,’ DeSantis Delivers Final State-of-State Address
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spent most of his 30-minute final “State of the State” address to the Florida Legislature looking back on his seven years in office, giving minimal attention to the agenda he’s focused on during his last year in office.
Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins is 4th Republican Running for Governor as DeSantis Hangs Fire on Endorsement
Florida Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins officially entered the 2026 gubernatorial race on Monday, emphasizing his alignment with the “America First” agenda and President Donald Trump. His announcement follows a notable cooling in relations with Governor Ron DeSantis, who recently declined to offer an explicit endorsement. Collins joins a crowded Republican primary field that includes Congressman Byron Donalds and Palm Coast’s Paul Renner. Despite the perceived friction, Collins continues to publicly support the Governor’s current policy platform.
The Sunshine State’s 2026 Forecast: Guns, Grifters, and the End of the Woke University
As 2026 begins, Florida’s landscape is defined by aggressive conservatism and cultural upheaval, from DeSantis’s rumored charm school preparations for 2028 to legislative efforts to protect Confederate monuments and expand book bans. Development, football, and ideology collide in the Free State.
DeSantis Calls Special Session for April to Redistrict in Hopes of Preserving GOP Majority in US House
Governor Ron DeSantis has officially called a special legislative session for April 2026 to redraw Florida’s congressional districts mid-decade. The move follows pressure from national GOP figures but faces internal resistance from House Speaker Danny Perez, who favors immediate action. DeSantis argues the state must wait for a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on racial gerrymandering. This disagreement highlights growing tension between the Governor and a Florida Legislature increasingly seeking independence from executive influence.
Judge Rules ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Immigration Detention Facility Is Exempt from Florida’s Prison Access Laws
A Leon County circuit judge has dismissed a lawsuit by five Democratic lawmakers seeking unannounced access to the state’s “Alligator Alcatraz” immigrant detention center. Judge Jonathan Sjostrom ruled that state laws granting legislators access to prisons and jails do not apply because the Everglades facility is not a correctional institution under the Department of Corrections. The ruling supports the DeSantis administration’s argument that individual lawmakers lack the oversight authority held by legislative committees.
Supreme Court Rejects Attorney General’s Proposal to Let Some Lawyers Practice Without Bar Admission
The Florida Supreme Court on Monday unanimously rejected a proposal by Attorney General James Uthmeier that would have allowed certain state government lawyers to practice in Florida for up to three years without taking the Florida Bar exam.
What have immigrants ever done for America?
Our fearless governor has vowed to rid us of annoying people with strange accents and peculiar habits, especially in Florida’s institutions of higher education. Ron DeSantis demands the state Board of Governors “pull the plug” on those H-1B visas that allow practically any Tomás, Didier, or Haoran with a fancy degree and a slew of top-drawer publications to get a gig in our colleges.
Donald’s Donalds, ICE, SB180, Ending Taxes, Flashing Guns, Sleazing Hope: Florida’s Political Top Ten List of 2025
Choosing the top political stories in an “off year” when no statewide elections took place is challenging — although jockeying for the 2026 elections is well under way. Property taxes and gun rights, meanwhile, have emerged as issues likely to dominate the 2026 legislative session, which kicks off in a little more than two weeks.
21 Red States Ask Appeals Court to Uphold Florida’s Sweeping School Library Book Bans
Republican attorneys general from 21 states are trying to help sway a federal appeals court to uphold a 2023 Florida law that led to books being removed from school libraries.
Sen. Tom Leek Files Artificial Intelligence ‘Bill of Rights,’ Calling for Transparency and Controls
Leek’s bill, which is filed for the legislative session that will start Jan. 13, addresses a variety of issues, such as establishing a “right” for parents to control children’s interactions with artificial intelligence; saying people have a right to know when they’re communicating with a human or an AI system; and setting rules about the unauthorized use of people’s names, images or likenesses. The measure also says people have a right to know whether political advertisements were created in whole or in part with the use of artificial intelligence.
The Phony War on Christians
Right-wingers’ obsession with what they see as secular assaults on Jesus and the fiesta of capitalism with which we mark his birth are no longer confined to December. The craziness has metastasized, blown past December into the rest of the year, expanding faster than plans for the White House ballroom. It’s not just for Christmas anymore: According to MAGA politicians and their hangers-on, there’s now a full-blown War on Christians, writes Diane Roberts.
Calling CAIR Terrorists While AIPAC Buys Genocidal American Policy
Gov. Ron DeSantis’s executive order designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) a terrorist organization is a legally toothless stunt. While ignoring the immense influence of the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, which funds lavish trips for politicians to ensure support for war in Gaza, DeSantis targets a civil rights group with meager resources. The order relies on conspiracy theories and racism, endangering Muslims simply to fuel the governor’s culture war.
Frank Walls, 58, Is 19th Inmate Killed By State This Year as Justices Reject Challenges to Death Penalty Law
Frank Walls was killed by lethal injection Thursday at Florida State Prison for the murders of Edward Alger and Ann Peterson on July 22, 1987 in Okaloosa County. Earlier Thursday, the Florida Supreme Court rejected two challenges to a 2023 law that allows judges to impose death sentences without unanimous jury recommendations. Florida and Alabama are the only states among the 27 that still allow the death penalty where non-unanimous juries may recommend the killing of an inmate.
8 Judges and 2 Lawyers Apply to Replace Canady on Florida Supreme Court
Six appellate judges appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, two circuit judges and two lawyers have applied to fill a vacancy on the Florida Supreme Court, according to a nominating commission that will review the candidates and make recommendations to the governor.
CAIR-Florida, the Muslim Civil Rights Organization, Sues DeSantis Over Defamatory ‘Terrorist’ Designation
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil-rights organization, has filed a federal lawsuit challenging Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order issued last week designating the group as a “terrorist organization.” CAIR is asking the court to block the executive order and declare it unconstitutional.
Doctors Clash with Florida Officials Over Plan to Repeal Meningitis and Chickenpox Vaccine Mandates for Schools
Florida health officials are advancing a proposal to eliminate school entry requirements for vaccines protecting against hepatitis B, chickenpox, and meningitis. While mandates for polio and MMR vaccines remain, officials signaled intent to eventually repeal those laws as well. At a contentious workshop, pediatricians warned the move invites fatal outbreaks and endangers herd immunity, while state officials and supporters defended the rollback as a victory for parental rights and informed consent.
DeSantis Unveils Final $117.4 Billion Budget: Raises for Police and Teachers, New College Takeover of USF-Sarasota
Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled a final $117.36 billion “Floridians First” budget for 2026-2027, proposing raises for teachers and law enforcement, plus $278 million for cancer research. The plan includes a controversial directive for New College to absorb USF’s Sarasota-Manatee campus. While touting record education investments, the proposal drew criticism from the teachers’ union. It also funds conservation, maintains tourism marketing, and supports a future property-tax slash amendment.
Council on American-Islamic Relations Will Sue DeSantis Over ‘Defamatory’ Designation as ‘Terrorist’ Organization
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said Tuesday it will go to court to challenge an executive order issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis that designated the group as a “terrorist” organization.
Florida Will Help Homeland Security Obtain Your Driver’s License Records
Florida and three other Republican states have agreed to help the Trump administration gain access to state driver’s license data through a nationwide law enforcement computer network as part of the administration’s hunt for alleged noncitizen voters. The Trump administration said as recently as October that federal officials wanted to obtain driver’s license records through the network.
The Phoenix Declaration’s Serenade of Dog Whistles
The Heritage Foundation’s “Phoenix” doctrine, recently adopted by Florida, is a Christian nationalist manifesto designed to eradicate educational dissent. It prioritizes “parental omnipotence” over children’s intellectual freedom. By diverting public funds to private vouchers and sanitizing history, the doctrine cements a decades-long conservative war against public education and enforces a “pinched, angry” monoculture that suppresses critical thinking in favor of dogmatic, exclusionary patriotism.
Citing ‘Age of Darkness and Deceit,’ DeSantis Moves to Curb AI Growth and Data Centers
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday proposed an artificial intelligence “bill of rights” to stymie unfettered AI growth, crack down on sexual AI chatbots, and restrict AI data centers in Florida. Hinted at for months, these legislative proposals come in sharp contrast to pro-tech push marking President Donald Trump’s second term in office. Trump — allied with technology titans like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg — toyed with an executive order to thwart state-level AI regulations earlier this month.
DeSantis Makes Dubious Claims About Florida Being ‘Forced’ To Redistrict
Democrats and voting rights advocates this week voiced vehement opposition to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ call to redistrict Florida’s congressional map in a special session next year, calling it an “illegal” gerrymander in violation of the Florida Constitution. Not surprisingly, DeSantis disagrees.
Eliminating Property Taxes in These Florida Counties Means ‘Dismemberment of Vital Services’
Local government officials statewide are wary of plans by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state Legislature to slash or abolish homestead property taxes, but one group of counties is particularly worried. They are Florida’s “fiscally constrained” counties: 29 mostly rural counties with small populations, few industries and lots of agricultural or conservation land — and therefore small tax bases. Without property tax revenue, there would be very little left for roadwork, emergency services, fire protection, libraries, parks” or cultural efforts such as historic preservation and festivals.
Senate Proposes Clean-Up of Florida’s School Voucher Shortfalls
The proposal to clean-up Florida’s school voucher system establishes a categorical fund for the scholarship programs as opposed to the existing practice of lumping those funds together with all school funding; requires a minimum of $250 million in a fund that offsets unexpected budgetary costs related to school choice scholarships; and “clears up the timing confusion in the present system and establishes clear application and scholarship acceptance deadlines that occur prior to the funding of scholarships.”
How DeSantis Demolished Florida’s New College
New College of Florida is on its intellectual deathbed. Once an authority-challenging, free-thinking institution for students passionate about learning, a place where difference was celebrated and creativity encouraged. Now, it is becoming a third-rate jock school with over-paid administrators and under-achieving freshmen, a casualty of Ron DeSantis’ culture wars.
Audit of State Funding Of School Vouchers Reveals ‘Myriad of Accountability Problems’
The state’s school voucher program has exhibited “a myriad of accountability problems” and caused a funding shortfall for public schools, a state audit released this week shows. The audit, encompassing the 2024-2025 school year, was presented this week to lawmakers, who are spending the weeks leading up to the legislative session learning the woes of […]
DeSantis Signs 19th Death Warrant of the Year, for 1987 Double-Murderer Frank Walls, 58
In what could be Florida’s record 19th execution this year, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed a death warrant for an inmate convicted in the 1987 murders of two people in a home in Okaloosa County. Frank Walls, 58, is scheduled to be executed Dec. 18 in the murders of Edward Alger and Ann Peterson. The warrant came as the state prepares to execute Richard Barry Randolph on Thursday and is slated to execute Mark Allen Geralds on Dec. 9.
Federal Judge Denies Reinstatement of FWC Biologist Fired Over Charlie Kirk Post
U.S. District Judge Mark Walker’s ruling Thursday came in a lawsuit filed by biologist Brittney Brown, who worked for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, alleging that her Sept. 15 firing — five days after Kirk was shot during an appearance at a Utah university — violated her First Amendment rights. Brown sought a preliminary injunction to require the commission to reinstate her. While Walker’s order sided with state officials in denying a preliminary injunction, he also indicated that a decision about reinstating the fired employee could change if more information is provided to bolster Brown’s arguments.
State Kills Bryan Jennings, 66, For Kidnapping, Rape and Murder of Rebecca Kunash, 6, in 1979
More than 46 years after he kidnapped, raped and murdered a 6-year-old girl in Brevard County, Bryan Frederick Jennings was put to death by lethal injection Thursday evening at Florida State Prison. Jennings was convicted of murdering Rebecca Kunash on May 11, 1979, in Merritt Island. A 1986 sentencing order said Jennings in the early morning hours went to the window of the child’s bedroom and saw her asleep.
Florida Board Approves Hard-Right Heritage Foundation’s Sweepingly Ideological Education Manifesto
Florida education leaders on Thursday approved a set of principles that would teach a conservative-backed vision of the United States. The State Board of Education, which also approved social-studies changes intended to highlight ideological evils of communism, signed off on Florida becoming the first state to adopt the Heritage Foundation’s “Phoenix Declaration: An American Vision for Education.”
How Ron DeSantis Made Florida #1 in State-Sponsored Killing
Florida has executed 15 prisoners in 2025 – the most ever in a single year since 1976, when a brief national moratorium on the death penalty was lifted. Two of the five remaining executions scheduled for 2025 are set to happen in Florida. Texas and Alabama are tied for a distant second, with five executions each.
Federal Judge Skeptical of Florida Agency’s Case for Firing Biologist Over Charlie Kirk Sarcasm
Attorneys for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the agency fired biologist Brittney Brown to “prevent foreseeable disruption” after Brown reposted a sarcastic social media post about Charlie Kirk’s endorsement of occasional mass shootings if it’s the price of protecting the Second Amendment. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker was skeptical of the state’s defense: “Just because something’s inappropriate or controversial, how is it not covered by the First Amendment?” Walker asked.
Chaining Record, DeSantis Signs Another Death Warrant: Mark Geralds, Who Murdered Tressa Pettibone in 1989
Expanding a modern-era record for executions in a year, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a death warrant for a man convicted of murdering a Bay County woman in 1989. Mark Allen Geralds is scheduled to be executed Dec. 9 for the murder of Tressa Lynn Pettibone, a 33-year-old Panama City Beach mother who was beaten and stabbed to death in her home. Pettibone’s body was discovered on the kitchen floor by her 8-year-old son, Bart, when he returned from school on Feb. 1, 1989, according to court records. Tressa Lynn Pettibone was stabbed three times in her neck.
Uthmeier Sues Planned Parenthood Over Abortion Claim
Attorney General James Uthmeier on Thursday filed a lawsuit accusing Planned Parenthood of falsely advertising that abortion medication is “safer than Tylenol.”