Florida Politics & News
Florida news featured in The Daily Signal with reporting, analysis, and commentary on conservative governance, education reform, and the Sunshine State’s leadership in policy innovation.
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news
‘MAGIC BEHIND THE MAGIC’: Florida Government Reveals Massive Disney Corruption Scheme
The Walt Disney Co. effectively controlled the local government around the site of Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, for decades in what an extensive review by the state government calls "the most egregious exhibition of corporate cronyism in modern American history." After Disney bought the land that would become its massive amusement park and… -
opinion
Florida Again Earns Top Spot on Heritage Foundation’s Education Freedom Report Card
Florida has once again been ranked No. 1 among the states on The Heritage Foundation’s Education Freedom Report Card, which was released at an event Thursday in Des Moines, Iowa. “They have universal education choice in that state. Any child who wants it can exercise school choice,” says Lindsey Burke, director of The Heritage Foundation’s… -
news
6 Key Takeaways From Trump’s Debate-Skipping Rally in Florida
Former President Donald Trump energized a huge rally Wednesday night in Hialeah, Florida, as his third counterprogramming event to a Republican presidential debate, this one staged in nearby Miami and televised by NBC. “The last debate was the lowest-rated debate in the history of politics,” Trump told the crowd. “So, therefore, do you think we… -
news
Florida Universities Must Investigate Student Protests for Criminal ‘Antisemitic Activities,’ Chancellor Says
Florida's chancellor of the State University System is calling on university presidents to investigate whether pro-Palestinian student protests have included criminal "acts of antisemitism." He said that students who are found to have violated state law should face "appropriate action," including expulsion. Across the nation, pro-Palestinian students have held protests that support the Hamas terrorist… -
news
Florida Law Allowing Death Penalty for Child Rapists Goes Into Effect
Florida’s new law permitting the death penalty for pedophiles went into effect this week, the state’s governor announced Tuesday evening. “Florida’s law allowing the death penalty for child rapists is now in effect,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a post on social media. “The minimum sentence is life in prison without parole. In Florida, anyone… -
opinion
Here’s Why the Left Is So Determined to Destroy the New College of Florida
The Biden administration is attempting to crush a small Florida liberal arts school for not being left-wing. The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights recently announced that it would launch an investigation into the New College of Florida. The school, which previously had been known for its liberal politics, is being transformed by Florida… -
news
‘Blood on His Hands’: Florida Democrat Blames DeSantis’ Anti-Woke Policies for Jacksonville Shooting
The Democrat who represents the area of Jacksonville, Florida, where a 21-year-old white man gunned down three black men, blamed Gov. Ron DeSantis for inspiring the shooting. “This is a governor who has done nothing but fan, fan these types of happenings throughout our state,” Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon said Sunday on MSNBC. “Look,… -
news
Florida Becomes First State to Sanction Medicaid Providers for Covering Minor Transitions
Florida has become the first state to sanction Medicaid providers for covering the attempted gender transitions of minors. The state is fining five Medicaid health care insurers for violating Florida's new rule banning taxpayer funds from going to transgender treatments, such as performing a double mastectomy or administering puberty blockers, Jason Weida, secretary of the… -
news
EXCLUSIVE: Florida Schools See Decline in Teacher Vacancies
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Florida schools saw an eight percent decline in teacher vacancies heading into the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year compared to the previous year, The Daily Signal has learned. Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. will announce Tuesday that Florida schools will have 4,776 total teacher vacancies as students head into… -
news
New College of Florida Trustees Vote to End Gender Studies
Trustees for the New College of Florida have voted to end a 28-year-old gender studies program. Christopher Rufo, a conservative activist and Manhattan Institute scholar appointed to New College’s board of trustees by Gov. Ron DeSantis, introduced the motion to direct the school’s president to eliminate the gender studies program. The board voted 7-3 in… -
news
‘Your Life Is Not Valued’: NAACP President Doubles Down on Florida Travel Warning
NAACP President Derrick Johnson doubled down on the organization’s travel warning about Florida during a Monday CNN appearance. “Well, the governor has perfected the art of doing stunts to gain campaign contributions. Unfortunately, this will impact people’s lives,” Johnson told “CNN This Morning” co-host Sara Sidner, citing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, as a… -
news
Pro-Life Groups Challenge Trump’s Suggestion That Florida’s Heartbeat Ban Is ‘Too Harsh’
Pro-life groups are pushing back against former President Donald Trump’s claim that the movement against abortion finds Florida’s new pro-life legislation “too harsh.” “The pro-life movement demands a presidential candidate who will boldly advocate for the human rights of all people,” Noah Brandt, vice president of communications at Live Action, told The Daily Signal. “It… -
opinion
DeSantis Signs 4 of Largest Reforms of Public Education in Florida History
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed four landmark pieces of education legislation Tuesday that seek to “empower teachers,” protect schools from the harmful effects of social media, expand student scholarships, and authorize one standardized test as an alternative to two others. DeSantis’ office has dubbed the package of four bills the “Teachers Bill of… -
news
How Florida Rose From ‘Worst to First’ in Timely Election Results
Two decades ago, Florida was a national laughingstock after 36 days of recounts and litigation springing from the 2000 presidential election, which hung on results in the Sunshine State. Today, Florida is a national model, according to the Public Interest Legal Foundation, an election watchdog group. In November, Florida managed to call the federal and… -
news
What Are They Hiding? Pro-Transgender Groups Refuse to Hand Over Internal Documents Even as They Move to Oppose Florida’s Medicaid Rule
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—A large number of pro-transgender medical interest groups have supported a legal challenge to Florida's rule barring use of Medicaid funds to pay for controversial transgender medical interventions, after most of the same organizations fought in court to hide documents that Florida says are relevant to the case. The American Academy… -
opinion
Appeals Court in Florida Voids Obama Judge’s Ruling in Win for Election Integrity
In a win for common sense and the voters of Florida, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-to-1 opinion written by Chief Judge Bill Pryor, upheld several election reforms passed by the Florida Legislature in 2021. In League of Women Voters of Florida v. Florida Secretary of State, the appeals court on… -
news
EXCLUSIVE: 16 Attorneys General Back Florida Transgender Medicaid Rule
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Sixteen state attorneys general weighed in on Florida's rule blocking Medicaid funds from transgender medical interventions on the grounds that they are experimental. "From the Founding, states have exercised their authority to enact health and safety measures—regulating the medical profession, restricting access to potentially dangerous medicines, banning unsafe or unproven treatments,"… -
opinion
Disney Is Going to Lose (Again) to Florida and Ron DeSantis
The first round of the “Florida and Gov. Ron DeSantis v. The Walt Disney Co.” fight, held last spring, ended in a clear DeSantis victory and Disney defeat. Following Disney’s vocal opposition to Florida’s commonsense Parental Rights in Education Act, misleadingly dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, Florida passed a law to abolish the Reedy… -
news
‘War on Woke’: DeSantis Says Florida Will Teach Truth, American Exceptionalism
OXON HILL, Md.—Woke ideology is a war on truth, so Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is waging a “war on woke” in education and other arenas, the Republican said at The Heritage Foundation’s 50th Anniversary Leadership Summit. In his keynote address on Friday, DeSantis said education in the Sunshine State will not impose political indoctrination on… -
news
DeSantis Signs Florida’s Heartbeat Bill Into Law
Within 15 minutes of receiving Florida’s heartbeat bill, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed that pro-life legislation into state law, banning abortions in Florida once an unborn baby has a detectable heartbeat. The Heartbeat Protection Act prohibits doctors from “knowingly performing” an abortion on a baby whose age is determined to be more than 6…