Chairman's Message



SPECIAL SESSION



Redistricting and Disney







Eliminating gerrymandering



Florida Senate and House Republicans voted to approve a Congressional redistricting plan that removes unconstitutional gerrymandering and creates more compact districts for Florida members of Congress to represent.



The districts are race-neutral and more in line with recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings, such as Cooper v. Harris, a 2017 case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-3 that North Carolina committed “unconstitutional racial gerrymanders” by drawing districts too heavily based on racial makeup.



Race-neutrality is still what most Americans want, despite Democrat leftists intent on making every single issue about race and gender. Americans are tired of it and the Supreme Court has ruled against it specifically in redistricting.



While the media will run the Democratic talking points that this is racist for breaking up a racialized district that gerrymanders through a long part of North Florida, it is actually anti-racist by removing skin color as the determining factor in district makeup.



Governor DeSantis called the racial gerrymandering wrong. “That is not the way we’ve governed in the State of Florida.” Florida Legislators agreed this week and approved the new districts.



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Florida eliminates Disney’s special carve-outs



Disney going woke and uber political in defense of radical LGBTQ+ agendas in elementary schools’ lower grades has now come with a cost.



The Legislature voted to rescind a long-standing special district that gives Disney self-governing powers that no other Florida companies enjoy — including Disney competitors.



The Reedy Creek Improvement District, created in 1967 to lure Disney to Florida, includes 25,000 acres in Orange and Osceola counties and allows Disney to determine land use and not deal with government regulations and zoning that its competitors must. Disney even has eminent domain powers to condemn and take private property in its district like a government would, paying what it deems fair market whether the seller is willing or not and with no public accountability.



A second bill approved would eliminate an exemption for all Florida theme parks resulting from a 2021 law the Legislature passed that targeted social media giants such as Twitter and Facebook for de-platforming users over views the tech giants didn’t like.



“I have a hard time understanding why that would be a controversial issue. Let’s apply the law equally to everyone,” said Republican Senator Jennifer Bradley, who sponsored the bills.



In fact, both bills accomplish just that. Disney now must follow the same rules other Florida theme parks must. 



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GOP 2024 campaign kick-off training



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The GOP is holding a Florida weekend of action this weekend, April 22-24! This is a statewide effort to recruit, train and activate volunteers to officially kick off the 2022 campaign season.



To sign up, go to:[link removed]









FLORIDA



Reforming higher education







Governor DeSantis signed legislation to reform higher education in Florida. The bill removes the stranglehold that faculty unions and accrediting agencies have had on universities and colleges and adds common-sense transparency requirements for tuition, fees and cost of materials.



“Florida’s public college and university system is number one in the country because we put students first,” Governor DeSantis said. “Florida’s students deserve a quality, affordable education and don’t need ideological activists and political organizations determining what they should learn. By ushering in strong curriculum transparency requirements and providing accountability for tenured faculty, Florida is standing with students and parents across our state.”



“Today marks another great chapter, because there is no doubt tenure without accountability is an invitation to abuse,” said Dr. Michael Poliakoff, President, American Council of Trustees and Alumni.



Tenured faculty will now have performance reviews like the rest of the world, which will hold them to the highest standards of accountability. Previously, they had to be retained despite repeated instances of political motivations, ineffective teaching practices and overall bad behavior in the classroom.



“There still are some individuals out there that believe that woke narratives are the only narratives that should be taught on college campuses,” said Taylor Walker, a student at Florida State University. “My professors hold me to high standards, as they should. But this bill gives me the opportunity to hold them to the same high standards that they should be held to.”



All Florida’s public colleges and universities now will be required to seek accreditation from different accrediting agencies in consecutive accreditation cycles to improve objectivity. The bill also improves transparency of the costs of attending Florida’s public colleges and universities. Institutions will be required to prominently post all tuition and fees to their websites and give proper notice to students when there is intention to raise fees. Books and materials will be required to be posted as well.



Read more:[link removed]



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Florida follows the science by offering sensible transgender treatment guidance







The Florida Department of Health pushed back this week on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ unscientific and radical shift in the treatment of gender dysphoria for children and adolescents.



Systematic reviews on hormonal studies reveal surprising results. For instance, International Review of Psychiatry found that 80% of those seeking clinical care will lose their desire to identify with the non-birth sex. Four out of five who are gender confused become unconfused a few years later. But early interventions create permanent changes that most end up regretting.



Due to the lack of conclusive scientific evidence and the potential for long-term, irreversible effects, the Florida DOH issued these guidelines:



- Social gender transition should not be a treatment option for children or adolescents.





- Anyone under 18 should not be prescribed puberty blockers or hormone therapy.





- Gender reassignment surgery should not be a treatment option for children or adolescents.





- Based on the currently available evidence, "encouraging mastectomy, ovariectomy, uterine extirpation, penile disablement, tracheal shave, the prescription of hormones which are out of line with the genetic make-up of the child, or puberty blockers, are all clinical practices which run an unacceptably high risk of doing harm."





- Children and adolescents should be provided social support by peers and family and seek counseling from a licensed provider.



Read more:[link removed]



IMPORTANT REMINDER: You have the ability to greatly expand the beliefs and ideas of the Republican Party of Florida by sharing out Facebook and Twitter posts. Please follow and retweet us on Twitter @FloridaGOP, and like and share us on Facebook at FloridaGOP. We can win over others only if we all pitch in to reach them with our message.



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$80 million for UF Jacksonville trauma center



Governor DeSantis announced funding for the Leon Haley, Jr., MD Trauma Center at University of Florida Health, Jacksonville. The trauma center, named after former UF Health Jacksonville CEO Dr. Leon Haley, Jr., who passed away last year, will be a state-of-the-art Level-1 trauma center to serve the needs of Jacksonville residents and the surrounding communities.



“Dr. Leon Haley dedicated his life to helping people and those who knew him were inspired by his leadership and commitment to bettering his community,” Governor DeSantis said. “It is fitting to honor his legacy with a facility that will serve Jacksonville and the surrounding communities for generations to come. In Florida, we are putting patients first and making sure that Floridians have access to quality care.”



The Governor presented UF Health Jacksonville with an $80 million check that will be used to build a new trauma facility.



Read more:[link removed]



Read more:[link removed]



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Florida economy continues to thrive



March was yet another winning month for Florida economically, as the unemployment rate continued to fall even while the workforce kept increasing. This is what a booming economy looks like, and it is due to strong, principled, conservative leadership.



“The economic data underscores that Florida is outperforming the nation by protecting the freedom Floridians need to do business and drive economic success,” Governor DeSantis said. “Industries like manufacturing continue to see growth because Florida prioritizes workforce development and expanding opportunities for businesses and families in our state.”



In March 2022, Florida added 4,500 manufacturing jobs during the month, representing the largest single month of growth for Florida manufacturers in nearly two years. Florida’s unemployment rate has remained below the national rate for 16 consecutive months, decreasing 2.2 percentage points in March and 3.2 percent over the year, well below the national rate. Florida’s private sector job growth has also exceeded the nation’s for 12 consecutive months since April 2021.



The state’s total private sector employment increased in March by 496,600, or 6.5 percent over the year, which is 1.5 percentage points faster than the national growth rate of 5 percent. In March 2022, Florida’s labor force grew by 3.2 percent (325,000) over the year and by 42,000 over the month. As of March 2022, Florida employers added jobs for 23 consecutive months since May 2020.



Read more:[link removed]



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 Senator Rubio holds roundtable with Columbian-American community







U.S. Senator Marco Rubio held a roundtable with members of the Colombian-American community in Southeast Florida this week, focusing on the upcoming Colombian elections in which a Marxist candidate could be that nation’s next president.



Columbian-Americans understand how destructive that would be. The Senator also spoke of leftists in our own country trying to destroy America with radical, anti-freedom ideas. 



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Vets for Marco



Senator Rubio’s campaign released a new video highlighting the strong veteran support that he has.



“Marco Rubio is here for veterans and he gets her done.”



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Watch:[link removed]



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AG Moody demands Biden end excessive regulation of energy







Attorney General Moody, in a coalition of 15 other attorneys general, is demanding President Joe Biden stop federal attempts to impose excessive regulations that increase Americans’ energy costs. Attorney General Moody said the president should focus on domestic production and transport.



“The record-high gas prices Americans are facing right now are due to missteps by the Biden administration,” Attorney General Moody said. “From day one, Biden has worked to destroy American energy independence, and now we are reaping the consequences. It’s clear that the solution is here at home — domestic energy development is needed to prevent future economic hardship for our citizens.”



Attorney General Moody is urging the Biden administration to stop attempts to infuse decision making across federal agencies with inflated “social costs of carbon,” to abandon the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s proposed regulation for new natural gas projects, and to end the suspension of authorization to transport liquified natural gas by rail tank cars.



Read more:[link removed]



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AG Moody demands GoFundMe be more transparent



Attorney General Moody joined 27 other state attorneys general this week in a letter to GoFundMe demanding they be transparent in their decision-making, particularly when blocking accounts.



She tweeted:



“GoFundMe donors have a right to know where their funds are going and how decisions are made about what organizations can use the platform. I am urging GoFundMe to be more transparent about how the company chooses to block accounts and redirect donations.”



Read the letter:[link removed] <[link removed]>



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CFO Patronis on ABC 3 explains importance of Financial Literacy law



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The financial literacy law signed by Governor DeSantis in late March will help students learn the basics of taxes, credit scores and managing debt.



Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis says the required courses will prepare students to achieve lifelong financial independence. “It's very personal to me, especially when it comes to our most valuable asset, our youth,” Patronis said.



Read more:[link removed]



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Why Florida is fighting indoctrination in math books



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“We have to make sure that our kids are free from indoctrination, that we are not embedding this ideology,” she said. “Here in the free state of Florida, we’re always going to fight for parents’ rights and we’re always going to fight for our children.”



Watch or read here:[link removed]







Social Media Highlights



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REMEMBER: @FloridaGOP and retweet and share. The Republican message must be spread around the state, and you are integral to making that happen.







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