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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- Opinion
Same Policies That Failed to Stop Florida Shooter Exist in School Districts Nationwide
Critics of President Donald Trump said his response to the Florida school shooting earlier this year was ill-conceived and a failure. Yet a new startling revelation from school district officials in Broward County, Florida, shows the White House’s response was indeed appropriate—more than even the Trump administration knew. On Feb. 14, Nikolas Cruz, a student…Jonathan Butcher -
- News
Florida Bans ‘Free Speech Zones’ at State Colleges
Florida Gov. Rick Scott has signed into law a bill banning so-called “free speech zones” at public universities and allowing students and speakers to sue the schools for violating their First Amendment rights. Free speech zones are limited areas, sometimes only fractions of a campus, where students may express themselves freely. Critics argue that an…Kyle Perisic -
- News
Florida School Shooting Survivor Counsels Alternatives to Gun Bans
Employing veterans to guard schools and making mental health counseling available to students could help prevent mass shootings, says a survivor of the Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Although he dislikes the term “survivor” because he was elsewhere in the building and didn’t witness the shooting firsthand, Kyle Kashuv was at Marjory Stoneman…Kyle Perisic -
- News
As Florida Moves to Raise Age for Buying Rifles, Legal Hurdles Remain
Days after President Donald Trump touted possible federal legislation raising the age for purchasing guns to 21, two major retailers were sued for doing so on their own. A 20-year-old man in Oregon sued Walmart and the Dick’s Sporting Goods chain for age discrimination after the two retailers decided to prevent anyone under 21 from…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
We Hear You: Politics and School Safety After the Massacre in Parkland, Florida
Editor's note: Like so many other Americans, The Daily Signal's audience is trying to figure out the way forward after a 19-year-old with a rifle killed 17 and wounded 14 at a Florida high school. We begin today with an initial sampling of views. Send your take on school safety and other matters to [email protected]—Ken…Ken McIntyre -
- News
Half Support Trump Plan for Arming Teachers After Florida School Shooting, New Poll Finds
Half of registered voters agree with President Donald Trump on arming teachers, according to a new poll. Trump called for considering the training and arming of teachers in the wake of the deadly Feb. 14 shooting in Parkland, Florida, that took the lives of 17 people and wounded at least 14. He tweeted that teachers…Kyle Perisic -
- Opinion
Release the Florida School Shooting Surveillance Videos
Open government isn’t just good government. It’s the public’s right. In Florida, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and Broward County school district are fighting to keep exterior surveillance video from the day of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School hidden from view. As journalists and citizens who’ve waged uphill battles against secrecy…Michelle Malkin -
- News
Facebook Beats Up Lawmaker for 10-Month-Old Photo About Prayer After Florida School Shooting
Facebook users attacked Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., for a post about his hand-delivering a bag of prayer cards to President Donald Trump nearly a year ago, apparently believing it was Bost’s response to the Florida high school shooting. Those faulting Bost on Facebook said the bag of prayer cards—cards with handwritten prayers and passages from…Kyle Perisic -
- News
Gov. Rick Scott Wants Florida to Prohibit Anyone Under 21 From Buying a Gun
Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced plans Friday to raise the age for purchasing a firearm in his state to 21, but provide exceptions for the military and law enforcement. “We will require all individuals punishing firearms to be 21 or older,” Scott said during extensive remarks at a press conference. “There’ll be exceptions for active-duty…Nick Givas -
- News
Florida House Passes ‘In God We Trust’ Bill for Schools in Response to Massacre
The Florida House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday requiring all public schools to prominently display the nation's motto, “In God We Trust,” somewhere on campus. The state House passed the bill in the wake of the recent massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland amid mounting cries for legislative solutions to gun violence,…Joshua Gill -
- News
Trump Pushes ‘Bump Stock’ Ban Before Meeting With Florida Students, Teachers
President Donald Trump called for a ban Tuesday on devices that enable guns to fire more rounds more rapidly, one day before he was scheduled to meet with students and teachers from the high school in Parkland, Florida, where a rampaging former student shot and killed 17 and wounded 14 others. “We must move past…Fred Lucas -
- News
Trump Praises ‘Incredible Job’ of Doctors, First Responders in Florida Hospital Visit
President Donald Trump praised first responders and doctors who tried to save as many victims as possible from the shooting rampage at a high school during a surprise visit Friday to Broward Health North hospital in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Trump, who visited the hospital with first lady Melania Trump, praised the speed with which law…Amber Randall -
- News
Must-See Moments: Media Politicizes Florida School Shooting
The Daily Signal’s Facebook Live show “Top 10” features the top news stories of the week—many of which went misreported by the mainstream media and some weren’t reported at all. This week, the left was quick to politicize the horrific school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida—we break down the misinformation…Daily Signal Staff -
- Opinion
FBI Failed to Investigate Florida Shooter Despite Long History of Concerning Behavior
In the wake of the horrific shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County, Florida, news and social media once again lit up with calls to “do something” about gun violence. Despite a general lack of basic details surrounding the tragedy, many immediately (and erroneously) blamed President Donald Trump and Republicans for failing…Amy Swearer -
- News
Florida School Mourns Football Coach Who Sacrificed His Own Life to Save Others in Mass Shooting
Aaron Feis, an assistant football coach and security guard at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, was among the 17 killed in Parkland, Florida, on Wednesday in a mass shooting at the school, sacrificing himself to save others. The school’s head football coach, Willis May, told the Sun-Sentinel newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, that he heard directly…Chrissy Clark -
- Opinion
Podcast: The Florida Shooting, Gun Control, Mental Health, and the FBI
The Heritage Foundation’s John Malcolm joins us to discuss the tragic shooting in Parkland, Florida. Democrats are already pushing for gun laws, and people are questioning why the FBI didn’t do more after a person with the same name as the shooter posted online about school shootings. Plus: some things you shouldn’t give up for…Katrina Trinko -
- News
In Wake of Florida School Shooting, Trump Calls for Culture That ‘Embraces the Dignity of Life’
President Donald Trump, saying he will travel to Parkland, Florida, following a deadly school shooting there, vowed Thursday to meet with leaders across the country to address school safety and mental health issues. “Each person who was stolen from us yesterday had a full life ahead of them,” @RealDonaldTrump says. “Our entire nation with one…Fred Lucas -
- News
Florida Could Give 1 in 4 of the Nation’s Felons the Right to Vote
Florida voters will decide next fall whether about 1.5 million felons will regain the right to vote in time for the 2020 presidential election. If state voters approve the ballot question, they will restore the right to vote to nearly one-fourth of the nation’s former prisoners who committed felony offenses, according to the Sentencing Project,…Kyle Perisic -
- Opinion
Licensing Laws Have Long Been a Drain on the Economy. But Florida Could Soon See Reform.
Florida lawmakers are finally addressing the elephant in the barbershop: Floridians must endure 1,200 training hours, pass an exam, and pay a $223.50 fee just to cut hair for money. In the first weeks of Florida’s 60-day legislative session, the state House passed a bill, H.B. 15, to loosen the chokehold that several licensing regulations…John-Michael Seibler -
- Opinion
When Will Florida Courts Start Protecting Property Rights?
Ten years ago, Florida’s DeSoto County put out the red carpet for Tom Finney, owner of an excavation business. County staff invited him to buy a million-dollar piece of property in the county to use and support his family business. County commissioners then pulled that rug out from under him, vetoing his plan for the…Mark Miller