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
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: https://gopvictory.com/fl-april-weekend-of-action/
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: https://www.flgov.com/2022/04/19/governor-ron-desantis-signs-bill-to-reform-higher-education-in-florida/
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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: https://www.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2022/04/20220420-gender-dysphoria-guidance.pr.html
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.
______
$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: https://www.flgov.com/2022/04/18/governor-ron-desantis-announces-funding-for-leon-haley-jr-md-trauma-center-in-jacksonville/
Read more: https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2022/04/18/gov-desantis-presents-uf-health-jacksonville-with-80-million-check-honors-recently-passed-dr-haley/
______
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: https://www.flgov.com/2022/04/15/floridas-economy-continues-to-thrive/
______
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.
______
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.”
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9giqZsUZraM&t=1s
______
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: http://www.myfloridalegal.com/newsrel.nsf/newsreleases/BC00D8E5DEADCE1985258829004FB7C1?Open&
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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: http://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/GPEY-CDMHN4/$file/FINAL+GFM+LETTER.pdf
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CFO Patronis on ABC
3 explains importance of Financial Literacy law
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: https://weartv.com/news/local/crisis-in-the-classroom-could-florida-bill-help-students-become-financially-responsible
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Why Florida is
fighting indoctrination in math books
“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: https://www.foxnews.com/media/florida-critical-race-theory-crt-textbooks-schools-desantis
Social
Media Highlights
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