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
Florida Senate Advances Voter ID, Other Election Reforms
Florida, the nation’s third-most populous state, could join scores of other states in enacting election reforms as the state Senate advanced a bill Monday to apply the same voter ID requirements to absentee balloting as in-person voting. The proposal, which awaits action in the Florida House of Representatives, is similar to a measure that passed… -
news
‘No Room’ for Critical Race Theory in Florida Schools, Gov. Ron DeSantis Says
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vows that critical race theory won’t be part of the state’s education curriculum. “Florida’s civics curriculum will incorporate foundational concepts with the best materials, and it will expressly exclude unsanctioned narratives like critical race theory and other unsubstantiated theories,” DeSantis said Wednesday. Critical race theory, Heritage Foundation scholars Jonathan Butcher and… -
news
Florida Takes Aim at Tech Giants That ‘Look Like Big Brother’
Political leaders in Florida are taking steps to rein in the power of major technology companies. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and several of his state’s Republican legislative leaders this week announced legislation that would prevent Twitter, Facebook (and its subsidiary Instagram), Google, Amazon, and Apple from censoring content or selling users’ data in the Sunshine… -
opinion
You’ve Come a Long Way, Florida
Election Day 2020 was many things to many people—depending on your age, philosophy, and geography. It’s probably a Rorschach test for the country. It’s a reminder that our nation is large and complicated, with diverse perspectives crossing numerous cultural lines. For millions of us in Florida, however, Election Day was something else. It was a… -
news
Hispanic Vote Helps Win Florida for Trump
President Donald Trump captured the state of Florida on Tuesday night, in no small part by overperforming expectations with the Latino vote, according to statistics and media pundits. The liberal New Yorker magazine tweeted: “In every Presidential election since 1992, the winner of Florida has gone on to the White House. This year, Donald Trump… -
opinion
For Now, Florida Judge Stays in Proper Lane on Elections
Florida, like most other states, requires those who wish to vote in upcoming elections to register. Florida’s deadline for registering to vote in the upcoming general election was 11:59 p.m. Oct. 5. To facilitate the process, Florida provides a voter registration website, RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov. Unfortunately, the registration website malfunctioned for several hours on that day, potentially… -
news
Trump Expands Drilling Moratorium From Florida to South Carolina, Georgia
Before expanding a moratorium on offshore drilling Tuesday near the coasts of Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia, President Donald Trump invoked the legacy of another brash New Yorker known for rattling the political establishment during his presidency. Trump’s order extending the drilling moratorium came a month after he signed the Great American Outdoors Act, which… -
opinion
When It Comes to COVID-19 Deaths, Florida Is No ‘New York’
“I just want to make it clear to the American public,” proclaimed Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus task force head, on July 24, “What we have right now are essentially three New Yorks, with these three major states.” The three states in question—Florida, Texas, and California—all have seen sharp increases in COVID-19 infections in… -
opinion
Putting the COVID-19 Surge in Florida in Context
Florida is melting down. Or is it? While the state has shown a big increase in the number of daily new COVID-19 cases, there also are signs that those increases might not lead to a spike in hospitalizations and deaths. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the only Democrat elected statewide, painted a grim picture. >>> What's… -
news
Florida Governor Signs Law Requiring Parental Consent Before Girls Can Get Abortions
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law Tuesday requiring parents or legal guardians to consent before a minor can obtain an abortion. The bill, SB 404, requires that a parent or guardian consent before a minor can obtain an abortion and increases penalties for abortion providers who refuse to comply with Florida’s requirement to care… -
opinion
In Florida, Banks Choose LGBT Agenda Over Students’ Futures
What kind of people would kick needy kids out of good schools? Big business, that’s who. In Florida, companies such as Wells Fargo and Fifth Third Bank are dropping out of a scholarship program—all because some of the private schools have religious beliefs. Apparently, these CEOs think the LGBT agenda is more important than giving… -
opinion
‘Bank’rupt Decision Jeopardizes Opportunity for Disadvantaged Children in Florida
Last week, Wells Fargo and Fifth Third Bank announced they no longer would donate to the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program, which enables more than 108,000 low-income children and children in foster care to receive scholarships to attend a safe and effective school of choice. The move comes after the Orlando Sentinel published a piece… -
news
In Florida, Ron DeSantis Accelerates Conservative Agenda
As his first legislative session winds down, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis—elected five months ago by the narrowest of margins—has soared in popularity while pursuing an aggressive reform agenda that includes reshaping the state’s judiciary, investigating school safety, and enforcing immigration laws. “He’s off to a fast start. He’s a trailblazer throughout the state,” Scott Parkinson,… -
opinion
Florida Set to Follow Congress’ Lead on Criminal Justice Reform
Criminal justice reform in Florida is poised to follow in the footsteps of federal legislation signed into law by President Donald Trump in December. It’s an issue that has gained substantial traction at both the state and federal level. The Florida First Step Act, drafted by Florida state Sen. Jeff Brandes, was passed unanimously by… -
news
Blue State Refugees Flock to Conservative Florida
While most attention has been focused on immigrants trying to enter the United States over America’s southern border, there is legal migration taking place that has been largely ignored, though it may have at least as much economic and political impact as the other. People are moving out of high-tax states to Florida and other… -
news
Florida Gov. DeSantis Issues 1-Year Deadline to Eliminate All ‘Vestiges’ of Common Core
The day before Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis introduced his $91.3 billion budget request for fiscal year 2020, which includes $21.7 billion for education programs, he issued an executive order to do away with “vestiges” of Common Core standards, “streamline” standardized testing, and revise the state’s educational curriculum. In a Jan. 31 press conference at a… -
news
Florida Governor Sanctions Airbnb for West Bank Policy
Airbnb, which lists more 45,000 Florida properties on its vacation rentals website, has lobbied hard to remove its “home-sharing” offerings from hotel/motel regulations and unshackle the state’s $31 billion short-term rental industry from local regulations. Several bills, including last year’s Vacation Rental Act, gained momentum during the last two legislative sessions before falling short. If… -
news
Florida Newspaper Publishes Exhaustive Parkland Report: Sheriff’s Office ‘Cost Children Their Lives’
Authorities and school officials either failed to act or were unclear about procedures when confronting the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Feb. 14, 911 logs, surveillance videos, and interviews show. The South Florida Sun Sentinel released a minute-by-minute rundown of the Parkland, Florida, shooting in “Unprepared and Overwhelmed.” The Sentinel acknowledged many teachers and… -
opinion
A Lesson in Racial Politics From Florida
Now that, finally, the elections in Florida have reached a conclusion, there are lessons worth learning. One is on the subject of race. There was a fateful anomaly in racial voting in the governor’s race between Democrat Andrew Gillum and Republican Rick DeSantis, now Florida’s governor-elect. Given that Gillum, formerly mayor of Tallahassee, was running… -
opinion
The Florida Fiasco Ends
After two recounts—one by machine, the other by hand—after a concession speech by Andrew Gillum, the Democratic candidate for governor, which was withdrawn and then re-delivered; after hordes of lawyers descended on the state to argue that “every vote should be counted,” including mail-in ballots with faulty signatures that were rejected the first time around,…