Plaintiffs challenging a state law restricting how race-related concepts can be taught in higher education accused Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration Wednesday of violating a federal judge’s order that blocked parts of the law from being enforced.
Rights & Liberties
Moms for Liberty Want ‘Don’t Say LGBTQ’ Law Expanded to Cover K-8
The Florida chapter of Moms for Liberty, the conservative nonprofit that advocates for parental rights in schools, would like state lawmakers to expand the state law that restricts classroom instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation for children from kindergarten through the third grade.
On Rosewood Massacre Anniversary, Sad to See DeSantis Embrace Florida’s Old South Legacy
It’s sad to see Ron DeSantis embrace our Old South legacy rather than trying to lead us to a more inclusive New South future. Instead of demanding equal treatment under the law, open-eyed education and zero-tolerance for anti-Semitism and racism, he runs the other way.
Florida Supreme Court Asked to Interpret DeSantis’ 2021 Law Restricting Demonstrations
A federal appeals court wants guidance about how Florida cops would enforce a restrictive demonstration law, asking the state’s highest court, which has the last word on interpreting state law, to render an opinion. The federal appeals court would still get to decide whether the law violates the U.S. Constitution.
In 1st Visit to Mexico Border, Joe Biden Tours a City Overrun By Record Surge of Migrants
The visit to the border for the president is politically fraught — as Republicans have accused Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris of neglecting border security and immigration issues as the number of migrant arrests this past year reached never before seen heights.
Maga Insurrection 2.0
Florida’s Matt Gaetz and his maga-hatted contras reenacted the Jan. 6 insurrection by other means this week. This insurrection is from within. It’s just starting. They’re about destruction, not achieving the country, their mentality comparable only to the psyche of the suicide bomber.
Florida Democrats Seek Prison Release for Non-Violent Offenders After 65% of Time Served Instead of 85%
Calling the state’s criminal justice system “outdated,” Tampa Democratic state Rep. Dianne Hart filed a proposal this week (HB 115) that would allow non-violent offenders to reduce their mandatory time served from 85 percent to 65 percent through their successful completion of academic and other learning courses while incarcerated.
Flagler Jail Eliminates All Hard-Copy Mail to Inmates as Scanning and Tablets Replace Paper
All hard-copy mail delivery to the Flagler County jail’s 225-some inmates has been replaced by scans of mail. It is part of a sweeping change in the handling of inmate mail across the state at least 14 other states as prisons and jails cut down on incoming materials. The switch has drawn sharp criticism from prisoner advocates and strong support by those implementing it, as in Flagler.
Divided Appeals Court Rejects Protection for Transgender Bathroom Use in St. Johns School Case
After a five-year legal battle, and reversing a lower court ruling, a sharply divided federal appeals court upheld a St. Johns County School Board policy that prevented a transgender male student from using boys’ bathrooms at a high school.
Jan. 6 Attack: 3 Florida Extremist Groups Allied ‘to Work Together to Shut This Sh** Down’
The final report of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol includes chilling sections about the force of extremist groups from Florida that formed an alliance, traveled to Washington, D.C., and stormed the Capitol.
DeSantis Stokes Culture Wars at the Expense of Bright Schools and Free Speech
The culture war battles being waged in Florida are not only doing lasting damage to the public education system but to the basic constitutional rights of all Floridians. Freedom of speech protects the right to freedom of conscience, debate ideas and question authority.
Florida Ranks Poorly in Social Capital, Personal Freedom and Governance in Milken Center Report
Florida ranks 31st in overall prosperity according to the American Dream Prosperity Index (ADPI), 47th in social capital and 37th in personal freedoms, significantly lower marks than Gov. Ron DeSantis has been giving himself.
Democracy Has Its Place, But Apparently Not at the Florida Capitol
Determined to keep the Free State of Florida the most incredibly free in the Land of the Free where freedom rings 24/7, Gov. Ron DeSantis is going to stop loud, tacky, possibly gay people from waltzing into his Capitol to “protest.”
Sen. Marco Rubio Wants TikTok Banned. His Bill Has Bi-Partisan Support.
Two years after former President Donald Trump called for a ban on TikTok, Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio this week introduced legislation that would impose a national ban on the Chinese-owned social media platform that has become immensely popular with young Americans.
Jacob Oliva Warns Districts That Their LGBTQ Support Policies Don’t Align With Parental ‘Rights’
Jacob Oliva, senior chancellor for the education department–and a former superintendent in Flagler schools–wrote letters to school superintendents in 10 districts, warning them that LGBTQ support policies may run afoul of current law and state board rules. The state board will discuss the policies during a meeting Wednesday.
2,000 Articles, 2 Million Words, Countless Revelations in ’22: Help FlaglerLive Keep You Richly Informed in ’23
If you are reading these words right now, consider yourself very fortunate: You are NOT a resident of one of the hundreds of U.S. cities, towns and counties that have no local, reliable print or online source of news. But it takes your help to keep your community from becoming a news desert.
Drag Shows Are Now A Right-Wing Target Amid Rising Extremism
Propagating hate and violence against queer people, lawmakers and right-wing figures are misrepresenting what happens at all-ages drag performances, including literacy events. This is occurring in the wake of a spate of legislative bills targeting LGBTQ people.
State Panel Developing Guidelines on Book Bans for School Librarians May Be at an Impasse
A new law that intensifies scrutiny of school library books requires school boards to adopt procedures that provide for the “regular removal or discontinuance” of books from media centers based on factors such as alignment with state academic standards. The panel designated to develop the training playbook for librarians is mired in disagreement, with a Jan. 1 deadline looming.
Supreme Court Seems Unwilling to Embrace Broad Version of ‘Independent State Legislature’ Theory
The Supreme Court on Wednesday signaled that it may not be ready to adopt a sweeping interpretation of the Constitution, known as the “independent state legislature” theory, that would give state legislatures broad power to regulate federal elections without interference from state courts.
‘Independent State Legislature Doctrine’ Could Reverse 200 Years of Democratic Progress
In a case to be heard Wednesday, Moore v. Harper, the U.S. Supreme Court could decide that state legislatures have control over congressional elections, including the ability to draw voting districts for partisan political advantage, unconstrained by state law or state constitutions.
Billing Herself as ‘Fiercely Independent,’ Dr. Wendolyn Sneed Will Be District’s Next Medical Examiner
A panel of powerful law enforcement, judicial and medical officials today unanimously chose Dr. Wendolyn Sneed, the chief medical examiner in Palm Beach county, as the next chief medical examiner for Flagler, St. Johns and Putnam counties, one of the most powerful, least visible jobs in the judicial system. The job pays $320,000 a year.
Matanzas High Teacher Calls Bathrooms a ‘Privilege’ and Threatens to Close Them. District Disavows the Sign.
School officials disavowed a sign calling toilet access a “privilege” and threatening to shut down bathrooms at Matanzas High School. The sign was the work of a teacher frustrated by vandalism and students spending too much time in bathrooms, not school or district policy, officials said, but it’s also a reflection of an ongoing problem with vandalism in school bathrooms, largely attributed to a TikTok “challenge.”
America Wins World Cup of Orientalism
It’s been a perplexing World Cup. Should we be watching this thing? Should we be enjoying it? Shouldn’t we be getting outraged about human rights, LGBTQ rights, the death of migrants, environmental impacts? The questions reflect back on our own prejudices and stereotypes as much as they raise legitimate questions about Qatar’s right to host the biggest sports tournament in the world.
In Local Interview, Paul Renner Repeats Baseless Claims About Drag Queens and ‘Sexualization’ Of Children
Rep. Paul Renner, the Palm Coast-based Republican just elected Speaker of the House, returned to his criticism of “drag queen storytime” today in an interview on WNZF, repeating controversial–and baseless–claims that some parents are more interested in defending drag queens than ensuring that children learn to read.
DeSantis’s New Target: Restricting Demonstrations at State Capitol in Name of Protecting Children
The state Department of Management Service’s proposal, in part, seeks to prohibit actions or displays that are “harmful” to children from taking place in the Capitol. The DeSantis Administration proposal is the latest in a series of measures restricting protest and speech.
Black Twitter’s Expected Demise Would Make It Harder to Publicize Police Brutality and Discuss Racism
Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter has thrown the future of Black Twitter into question. Social media users argue that the takeover has already had an impact on the Black social media community. Multiple sources report an almost immediate spike in the use of the N-word, and Musk has also allegedly mocked Black Lives Matter in general and the group’s apparel found at Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco, California.
In Flagler Schools, New Regime of Book Challenges Is Laborious, Subjective and Fraught With Uncertainties
Gray areas of uncertainty, anxiety, subjectivity and a gaping lack of state direction are shading the new regime of serial book challenges and book bans in the Flagler school district as the state Department of Education has yet to issue directions on library holdings.
Shirley Chisholm Trail, Marking Giant National Legacy, Is Dedicated Along Palm Coast’s Pine Lakes Parkway
The Shirley Chisholm Trail, the work of the Democratic Women’s Club of Flagler County, connects Chisholm’s retirement years in Palm Coast to her historic achievements as the first Black member of Congress and the first woman to run for president from a major party, among many firsts. She died in 2005.
Appeals Court Upholds School Board Speech Rules in Defeat for Moms for Liberty, For Now
A federal appeals court has rejected an attempt by a chapter of the conservative group Moms for Liberty to block restrictions that the Brevard County School Board placed on public participation at board meetings. The Brevard rules are almost identical to those of the Flagler County School Boards, which had been at the center of controversy two summers ago.
Beaming Misogyny Around the World
Misogyny, a sexist contempt and hatred of women, aims to keep women in a lower position than men within a patriarchal society. With discrimination against women enshrined in Qatari law – which, among other things does not criminalise domestic violence or sexual assault – misogyny is being beamed through televisions internationally, via the means of the 2022 men’s football World Cup.
Florida Is Turning Its Back on the New South, Embracing its Dixie-fied Past
Florida for decades was determined to leave Jim Crow behind and separate ourselves from the likes of Alabama, with leadership committed to equal justice, open government, and voting rights — however imperfectly achieved. No more. With the reelection of Ron DeSantis, and ultra-conservative victories in gerrymandered congressional districts across the state, Florida is sliding back into the mire of its Old South past.
75,000 Abortions in Florida in 2020 Before Restrictions and Strike-Down of Roe v. Wade
Florida reported 74,868 abortions during 2020. Of that number, 3,988 abortions or about 5.3 percent were obtained by out-of-state residents. The CDC’s report tracks what’s called the abortion rate, the number of abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44. For Florida, that rate was 19.1 for the year, among the higher rates in the data set.
Qatar Is ‘Sportswashing.’ Fans Don’t Really Care.
“Sportswashing” is using sport as a tool of soft power, to clean up (and distract from) a murky political or humanitarian reputation. The World Cup is a massive deal. The last one, hosted by another controversial host nation, Russia, attracted 3.5 billion viewers across the world.
How Same-Sex Marriage Gained Bipartisan Support
While public opinion and different state laws on abortion rights are sharply dividing the country, there’s growing indication that most people agree on another once-controversial topic – protecting same-sex marriage.
Citing Orwell, Federal Judge Calls DeSantis’s ‘Stop Woke Act’ Unconstitutional Muzzling of Academic Freedom
Calling the state’s approach “positively dystopian,” a federal judge on Thursday blocked a law championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that restricts the way race-related concepts can be taught in universities. The law is “antithetical to academic freedom and has cast a leaden pall of orthodoxy over Florida’s state universities,” Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker wrote in the 139-page ruling.
Marco Rubio and Rick Scott Reject Protecting Gay Marriage as Key Step Clears Senate; Waltz Had Voted Yes
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday voted 62 to 37 to move ahead with a historic bill that would give federal protection to same-sex mariage, with 12 Republican senators joining Democrats to overcome the 60-vote threshold for a filibuster. Both of Florida’s Republican senators, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, voted against the measure.
Tribal Rights and the Case of Non-Indians Adopting Native Americans
The Indian Child Welfare Act, was originally passed by Congress in response to requests from tribal leaders and other advocates for Native Americans to stop states from removing Indian children from their families. Now, in a case before the Supreme Court, non-Indians seeking to adopt or foster Indian children have challenged provisions of the law.
‘Chaos and Confusion’: The Campaign to Stamp Out Ballot Drop Boxes
Drop boxes have become a symbol of the attacks on voter access even though there’s been no cases of fraud, vandalism or theft involving drop boxes that could have affected election outcomes. Up to one-fourth of Florida drop-boxes had to be eliminated due to a new law restricting their use and locations.
In latest Intrusion on Academic Freedom, Tenure Review Could Be Tied to How Professors Teach Race
A controversial law designed to restrict the way certain race-related topics can be taught in Florida classrooms could factor into a new tenure-review process for university professors, under a proposal that higher-education officials will consider next week.
Flagler Schools Have Been Quietly Banning or ‘Removing’ Many Books Since Summer in Bow to ‘Moms for Liberty’
The school district has been quietly and steadily banning books from library shelves at Flagler Palm Coast and Matanzas High, and at Indian Trails and Buddy Taylor middle schools since summer, FlaglerLive has found, with every title part of a list of challenges from just three members of the group known as “Moms for Liberty.” There is no indication that the challengers are reading the books, but they have been asked to join the district’s review committee.
Elon Musk Is Wrong: Content Rules Preserve Free Speech
Musk’s likely acquisition of Twitter raises concerns that the social media platform could decrease its content moderation. Research shows that stronger, not weaker, moderation of the information ecosystem is called for to combat harmful misinformation. It also shows that weaker moderation policies would ironically hurt free speech.
Will Furry Chooses Sleaze. Again.
Will Furry, the candidate for Flagler County School Board in the race he’s contesting against Courtney VandeBunte, is running a sleazy campaign funded by deceptive PACs and rich in lies and fabrications. Yet he calls it his “journey of faith.”
DeSantis Administration Violated Public Records Law With Snub of Migrant Flight Data Request
A Leon County circuit judge Tuesday ruled that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration did not comply with the state’s public-records law after an open-government group sought records about a controversial decision to fly migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
Flagler County Voters Will Vote on Whether to Retain 11 Judges, Most of Whom They’ve Never Heard Of
On the Nov. 8 ballot, 11 of the 26 boxes where voters will be asked to fill an oval are retention votes in judicial elections for five Supreme Court and six appeals court judges. They’re not races. Voters are merely asked: should so-and-so “be retained in office” or not. It’s the merit-retention system. In the overwhelming majority of cases, voters have no idea who those names, and the judges are invariably retained.
Top Republicans Are Embracing Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Violent Rhetoric
The lure of violence is not an inherently Republican thing or a Democratic thing; it is a human thing. But at this moment in American history, members of only one party are featuring assault weapons prominently in their campaign ads and even family Christmas cards. Only one party is tolerating and even promoting the likes of Greene, with none daring to condemn her message.
Trump-Appointed Judge Refuses to Block Florida Law Muzzling Gender ‘Instruction’ In Schools
Skirting merits of the law by citing lack of standing, U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger refused to block school districts from carrying out a new state law that restricts instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in classrooms. She rejected arguments by parents, students and a non-profit organization.
Federal Judge Refuses to Block Law Banning Payments to Petition Gatherers for Ballot Measures
The law, passed by the Republican-dominated Legislature and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, made it a crime to continue a longstanding practice of paying petition gatherers based on the number of signatures they collect. Experts have said the changes doubled the cost of getting initiatives on the ballot.
School Boards Now Required to Out LGBTQ Bathrooms and Muzzle Discussions of Gender and Race
County school boards and charter schools will have to follow new requirements for notifying parents about policies involving access to bathrooms and locker rooms, and teachers could be fired if they violate two controversial new laws muzzling discussion of gender identity and racial matters.
At Flagler Tiger Bay, Bluish State Attorney Aronberg Talks Trump Prosecutions, Death Penalty and Election Predictions
Part stand-up, part roast, part prognosticator, and always the analyst, Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg, a Democrat, dove right in as he faced a decidedly Republican crowd in his appearance at Flagler Tiger Bay today, talking about Donald Trump and Hunter Biden prosecutions, predictions for the coming election, and his view on the death penalty and the Nicholas Cruz verdict.
DeSantis, Transportation Department and Contractor Sued Over Records on Migrant Flights
The Florida Center for Government Accountability filed a lawsuit last week against Gov. Ron DeSantis and the governor’s office and this week against against the Florida Department of Transportation and a state contractor, alleging they did not comply with public-records requests stemming from controversial flights of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
seeking to force the release of records relating to