Florida lawmakers bailed much earlier than usual at the conclusion of this year’s lawmaking session. Governor DeSantis and the Republican supermajority in the legislature called it a rousing success. Democrats did not agree. Tom Flanigan has that.
The fight between Disney and the state of Florida has ramped up even more. Gov. Ron DeSantis is locked in an ongoing battle with the entertainment giant. The company drew the governor’s ire last year when it came out against a law limiting classroom instruction of gender identity and sexual orientation. Now, as Gina Jordan reports, two bills are heading to the governor, and one of them requires state inspections of Walt Disney World’s monorail system.
Capital reporters Lynn Hatter and Regan McCarthy share their takes on what transpired in Tallahassee during this year’s session.
Advocates for open government had a rough legislative session, with roughly 20 more exemptions to Florida’s once-honored Sunshine Laws. As Margie Menzel reports, that includes a public records exemption for all of Gov. Ron DeSantis’s travel and his visitors at home or the office.
Former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum was once a rising star in Florida politics. He narrowly lost to Governor Ron DeSantis in the 20-18 race for governor. Then came a series of scandals, including a state ethics probe. Federal prosecutors said Gillum lied about his relationship with undercover FBI agents and gifts they bought him in New York City. But a 12-member jury unanimously agreed yesterday that Gillum is not guilty of lying to the F-B-I. That nearly wraps up a seven-year long investigation into Gillum. The jury was hung on 18 other counts against him and co-defendant Sharon Lettman-Hicks. Valerie Crowder reports the defense is hopeful they’ll come out on top if the case is re-tried.
As the Florida legislative session ended, some people are leaving with arrest records. Law enforcement arrested more than a dozen protestors throughout this session amid bitter fights over abortion, LGBTQ-plus issues, and other hot-button culture war battles. Adrian Andrews sat down with some civil rights experts who say today’s movements have many similarities to the civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s.