DeSantis Signs 94 Laws, Vetoes 4 Others

[Charles Hunter]

Once he realizes his Presidential bid is over, watch out public officials in Florida who don't bow at the Altar of DeSantis, he's coming for you, too. This does not bode well for Mayor Deegan. She has at least 3 strikes against her: she is a woman, she is a Democrat, and she has 'woke' beliefs. I'm sure there are more.

[jaxlongtimer]

Another loss in the courts for DeSantis, this time messing with the redistricting of Al Lawson's congressional district*.  When you subtract the losses in the courts from DeSantis' "accomplishments", there isn't much left.  His threats to reform Washington and the Feds if elected president would likely suffer a similar failure rate so why would anyone want to vote for a paper tiger  .

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/politics/elections/2023/09/02/judge-congressional-district-lines-around-jacksonville-unconstitutional/70753135007/

*Noting that the State indicates it will appeal to the Florida Supreme Court, a hometown jury for DeSantis.

[jaxlongtimer]

DeSantis' drag show law blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court.   If DeSantis was a baseball player, he would be fired over his lousy batting average  .

Supreme Court says Florida can't enforce anti-drag law

The Florida law that limits drag shows in the state will remain blocked, the Supreme Court said Thursday, dealing a blow to a key initiative championed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Florida had asked the high court to narrow a lower court's injunction that stopped the law from being enforced statewide. The justices declined to do so....

https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/16/politics/supreme-court-rules-against-florida-anti-drag-law/index.html

[jaxlongtimer]

Another DeSantis "law" knocked down by U.S. Appeals Court that includes a Trump appointed judge.  That's how far over the edge DeSantis has gone.  Have lost track of how many court cases DeSantis has lost but his batting ratio can't be much over 3%  .  Only ones in his favor I can recall are upholding his firings of elected Democrats that crossed him and the COVID statistician and a dismissal of one Disney suit against him (although others are pending).  Of course, get involved in enough lawsuits and you are bound to get a favorable ruling once in awhile.  Just ask Trump.

Federal appeals court OKs block of key provision of Florida's 'Stop WOKE Act'

In a blow to Gov. Ron DeSantis "war on woke," a federal appeals court Monday agreed with a lower court judge on blocking a key provision to Florida's 2022 "Stop WOKE Act."

That provision restricted businesses' diversity practices and trainings, blocking concepts that could make employees feel "personal responsibility" for actions committed in the past — such as discriminatory ones — by someone of the "same race, color, sex or national origin."

That language had been iced by U.S. District Judge Mark Walker of Tallahassee, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama. A unanimous three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concurred, despite Florida's assertion that its actions were OK because the law restricts conduct, not speech....

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/politics/2024/03/04/federal-appeals-court-deals-blow-to-desantis-stop-woke-act/72844793007/

[jaxlongtimer]

DeSantis sees "woke" everywhere... even in transportation!  Who knew?  Here is the latest from our governor who is determined to stamp out "woke" in his imaginary world, unfortunately real for the rest of us.  How can one not think he has a few screws loose or missing some marbles.

Gov. DeSantis signs measure to hurry transportation projects, clamp down on 'activism' on roads

Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed legislation making it easier for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to finance major transportation projects....

....The 39-page bill contains other provisions to streamline transportation projects and agencies in the state, including a $15 million boost to FDOT logistic center programs. But it also contains measures aimed at preventing local governments from using transportation policy for, according to DeSantis, ideological projects.

The bill prevents public transportation agencies from using state funds for marketing or advertising on public vehicles. DeSantis suggested that such funds could be used to push diversity, equity and inclusion or other progressive ideology, but didn't cite an example of that happening in Florida.

Another piece of the bill bans state funds going to public airports, seaports or other transportation agencies that enact mask mandates in violation of state law, something DeSantis pushed for during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bill also increases public meeting and public notice requirements when a local government wants to repurpose existing lanes on its roads. This, DeSantis said, was needed to prevent "activists" from promoting congestion on roads to convince people to give up gas-powered cars.

"It is going to prevent localities from agenda-motivated lane reductions to force people out of their cars," DeSantis said.

https://floridapolitics.com/archives/667806-gov-desantis-signs-measure-to-hurry-transportation-projects-clamp-down-on-activism-on-roads/

[jaxlongtimer]

DeSantis grip on his party in the legislature is finally slipping.  Love the quote below but where was their backbone in prior years. 

I expect to see the same thing happen to Trump with Congress as the midterms approach and he nears the end of his 4 years. 

Shame that politicos can't do right by their constituents all the time and mostly only care about their self interests.

Florida Republicans defy DeSantis to push their own immigration bill

..."Sometimes it just feels like the Legislature is there to do the bidding of the governor and maybe that's not the way it ought to be," said Republican state Sen. Ed Hooper. "We'll see who wins."...

https://apnews.com/article/florida-ron-desantis-donald-trump-republican-legislature-878ef5458b8815d455f60674587b3347

[jaxlongtimer]

The below looks like a total waste of money for the sake of partisan politics.  We don't have dollars to fully care for parks, fix potholes, replace septic tanks, repair sidewalks, provide social services, hire enough police and firefighters, etc. but we are overfunded.  Maybe DOGE will conclude we should not be giving all those incentive dollars to DeSantis's developer supporters.  Now, that would be amazing to see.

DeSantis should turn DOGE on itself - why does it even exist?   If he really wants to find waste in Florida, then apply DOGE to his wasteful spending sending State officers to Texas to protect their border or putting immigrants on chartered planes to other states.  Add the inhuman internment camp at Alligator Alcatraz.  Or the millions in State dollars his wife's charity allegedly funneled to fight the marijuana amendment.  Or all the State millions paid to lawyers to only lose time after time in the courts trying to justify absurd DeSantis's "policies."  Or the millions in State dollars overpaying for patronage jobs like select politicos acting as university presidents making double or more salaries of the academics they replaced.  Or the State millions being shifted from public schools to vouchers and subsidies benefitting unaccountable charter and private schools.

Wonder if DOGE is being applied equally to Republican mayors in every town and city in Florida.  Or, just high profile Democratic ones like Deegan.  Anyone have a list of Florida DOGE targets?

Florida DOGE to audit city of Jacksonville's finances
Mayor Donna Deegan says she welcomes any investigation "not driven by partisanship or political gamesmanship."

...The DOGE letter acknowledged that Jacksonville's leadership had reduced the rate but said rising property values resulted in a "burden on property owners" that "far outpaces inflation and the modest growth in population over that time."

DOGE officials requested access to Jacksonville's city's physical premises, data systems and responsive personnel. Officials will be in Jacksonville over two days beginning Aug. 8, overlapping with the start of Jacksonville City Council hearings on Deegan's proposed city budget. State officials made 22 specific requests falling under procurement and contracting, personnel compensation and property management.

DOGE officials requested access to procurement contracts over $10,000, along with the policies and procedures related to those contracts; a list of all compensation for city employees, contract benefits, productivity and overtime records; and records of the lease or sale of public-owned property.

DOGE officials threatened financial penalties against Jacksonville should the city fail to comply with requests when the task force is in town.

In a July 31 response, Deegan's office said DOGE officials would find that the city's finances "have been managed responsibly and prudently," as evidenced by the three major agencies that assess the city's financial health giving it top-tier ratings this year and in 2024.

The office also said the city maintained the number of non-public safety employees despite a fast-growing population and the lowest millage rate "by far" of major Florida cities....

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2025/jul/31/florida-doge-to-audit-city-of-jacksonvilles-finances/

[Ken_FSU]

https://nypost.com/2025/07/31/sports/ron-desantis-declares-friday-hulk-hogan-day-in-florida/

Ron DeSantis declares 'Hulk Hogan Day' in Florida with flags flown at half-staff

The Hulkster is getting his day in the sunshine.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that he was declaring Friday "Hulk Hogan Day" across the state in honor of the WWE megastar, who died at the age of 71 on July 24 at his home in Clearwater, Fla.

DeSantis also said that the U.S. and Florida flags would be put at half-staff Friday at the state capitol and in Pinellas County, which includes Clearwater, where Hogan lived for the final 13 years of his life.

If you've followed Hulk Hogan over the last ten years - not even the MAGA stuff, but the truly insane, unapologetic racism - this is amongst the most Florida things ever.

[jaxlongtimer]

The below looks like a total waste of money for the sake of partisan politics.  We don't have dollars to fully care for parks, fix potholes, replace septic tanks, repair sidewalks, provide social services, hire enough police and firefighters, etc. but we are overfunded.  Maybe DOGE will conclude we should not be giving all those incentive dollars to DeSantis's developer supporters.  Now, that would be amazing to see.

DeSantis should turn DOGE on itself - why does it even exist?   If he really wants to find waste in Florida, then apply DOGE to his wasteful spending sending State officers to Texas to protect their border or putting immigrants on chartered planes to other states.  Add the inhuman internment camp at Alligator Alcatraz.  Or the millions in State dollars his wife's charity allegedly funneled to fight the marijuana amendment.  Or all the State millions paid to lawyers to only lose time after time in the courts trying to justify absurd DeSantis's "policies."  Or the millions in State dollars overpaying for patronage jobs like select politicos acting as university presidents making double or more salaries of the academics they replaced.  Or the State millions being shifted from public schools to vouchers and subsidies benefitting unaccountable charter and private schools.

Wonder if DOGE is being applied equally to Republican mayors in every town and city in Florida.  Or, just high profile Democratic ones like Deegan.  Anyone have a list of Florida DOGE targets?

Mark Woods just made many of the same points I made in my earlier post: 

As Florida DOGE comes to town, something else for state to look into: a mirror | Opinion
Mark Woods
Jacksonville Florida Times-Union

....Congratulations on pledging to do some audits. I realize this isn't a given. I mean, we're in the third year of the governor using extraordinary emergency powers, typically reserved for short-term events like a hurricane, to hand out hundreds of millions of dollars in no-bid contracts related to immigration. There's been little oversight in this. So by law — a law signed by the governor — this spending should've been audited annually by the state. For some reason, it hasn't been. And now we're spending nearly a half billion dollars a year on a detention center in the Everglades...

....Funny thing. Some of the same local politicians who seem to be most excited about you coming to town — who have been saying we're spending too much and really should have outsiders look at our finances — have been big supporters of the most expensive items in our budgets.

For instance, some of those council members applauding your visit enthusiastically supported taxpayers spending $775 million, the largest single development deal in city history, on a stadium renovation. This came after approving more than $100 million in taxpayer money for Shad Khan to build a Four Seasons, and after the previous mayor and some of the current council members wanted to spend hundreds of millions on a Lot J development.

Not that any of this is the largest piece of Jacksonville's $2 billion budget. That would be public safety. And while some in town seem to desperately want to be able to accuse the mayor of raising taxes and defunding the police, she's done neither. Since becoming mayor in 2023, the millage rate has stayed the same — the lowest of any major city in Florida — and her budgets have included historic pay raises for police, firefighters and corrections officers.

So one question for the Florida DOGE team would be the same one raised when local officials created a Duval DOGE: While supposedly examining every nook and cranny, will you look at the largest and fastest growing piece of the budget? If not, how thorough an audit is this really?

t is nice that the governor's office is showing so much interest in Jacksonville's finances these days. That didn't seem to be the case a few years ago, back when the JEA saga was unfolding. Talk about a time that called for transparency and accountability....

....When Ingoglia wrote that he's committed to fighting waste, fraud and abuse "at all levels of Florida government," some suggested that maybe he should start with the state level. And when he wrote "transparency and accountability are of the utmost importance to me," some pointed to a growing list lacking that, from the millions in Medicaid settlement money that went to Hope Florida to the hundreds of millions being poured into Alligator Alcatraz.

Jeff Brandes, a Republican former state senator from Pinellas County, said of the per-bed cost at the detention center: "We're saying it is not supposed to be the Ritz-Carlton, but we're paying Ritz-Carlton prices."

Worth reiterating: The biggest contract there — $78.5 million — is with Jacksonville-based Critical Response Strategies. Not that the state has shared many details about this. If anything, it made an effort to hide them.

So while Florida DOGE is in Jacksonville, asking the city for every contract in excess of $10,000, maybe someone can shed some light on that one $78.5 million contract. And while state officials continue to travel Florida, doing audits of local governments, maybe there's something else worth looking into. A mirror.

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/columns/mark-woods/2025/08/06/florida-doge-visiting-cities-ignoring-state-issues/85510229007/?tbref=hp

[Charles Hunter]

What are the odds on whether they looked into the massive sums going to the U2C?

[Jax_Developer]

It was a major waste of time & money because all of this is political pandering. We have several PR communications from Donna & her Council counterparts all discussing the $13.4M property tax benefit when nobody in our beloved government has the guts to call out all the waste at JTA - which is where the true 'waste' lies. Projects like the stadium, jail etc. at least have 'some' benefits to them.

Just saying, where does more than 2/3's of all JTA revenue come from? The Better Jacksonville Plan (sales tax). Also, JTA has already bonded out about 40% of their anticipated gas tax revenue until 2036. Fun! You know JEA gets $$ from the BJP, but they also generate a profit & actually pay the city from time to time. Why the hell does JTA continuously get a 'pass'?

Something to consider is that Donna extending the BJP to 2030 might have been the single item that saved the U2C program. Without that gap funding, its hard to understand where JTA would have gotten the money to get going. The Gas Tax Bonds were conveniently sold right after the stadium deal was finalized with City Council. Hmmmmmmmm, another coincidence I'm sure.

(And yes for all my fans, this is $100m+ per year that we pay directly to JTA. Imagine what we could do without the majority of that being sunk into 'salaries' & 'fringe benefits' - which make up nearly 50% of the entire JTA budget.)

[jaxlongtimer]

DeSantis squandering more taxpayer dollars on lawyers as he loses another court case, this time regarding banning books.  DOGE needs to start by looking at his legal bills... millions wasted on losing cases.

The legal status of Alligator Alcatraz isn't looking too good either... no one can even tell the judge who is in charge?  Florida, ICE, who?!  Gov't lawyers can't explain.

Florida book ban law partly struck down in federal free speech case

A federal judge has struck a blow against Florida's book bans, ruling that part of a DeSantis-backed law used to sweep classics and modern novels off school shelves is so vague that it's unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza of the Middle District of Florida focused on the portion of the law that prevents books that "describes sexual conduct" in his Aug. 13 order, saying it's "unclear what the statute actually prohibits" and to what detail of sexual conduct is prohibited.

The statute (HB 1069) was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2023, and it's been used to remove thousands of books from Florida's school library shelves....

....To defend book removals, DeSantis and state officials have pointed to "government speech," a legal doctrine that the government has the right to promote its own views without being required to provide equal time or a platform for opposing views.

Mendoza disagreed.

"A blanket content-based prohibition on materials, rather than one based on individualized curation, hardly expresses any intentional government message at all," he said. "Slapping the label of government speech on book removals only serves to stifle the disfavored viewpoints."

The judge's order is a win for Penguin Random House and five other publishers, the Authors Guild, two parents and authors Julia Alvarez, John Green, Angie Thomas, Laurie Halse Anderson and Jodi Picoult. Green is famous for his books "Looking for Alaska" and "Paper Towns," both of which were mentioned in the order...

...The same day as Mendoza's order calling one portion of this law unconstitutional, another federal judge in Florida agreed that the law discriminated based on sex....

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/state/2025/08/14/judge-rules-part-of-floridas-desantis-backed-book-ban-illegal/85657867007/

[jaxlongtimer]

Fear for your kids' and your families' health and well being. 

DeSantis's surgeon general goes off the deep end and endangers the entire population with his conspiracy theories and denial of scientific facts as he removes mandatory vaccines for school children.  Disease outbreaks and increased disabilities and deaths are guaranteed to follow soon as a result.

Add, this is another spinoff too, from Trump and RFK's wacky positions.

Medical experts 'profoundly concerned' as DeSantis looks to end vaccine requirements
'This decision could have severe and potentially deadly repercussions for children and vulnerable adults,' one critic said.

Hours after Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced the Department of Health and the Legislature would work hand-in-hand to repeal vaccine mandates in the state, national organizations, state university medical centers and former Florida officials came out against the move.

Ladapo has been Florida's surgeon general since 2021 and is also a professor of medicine at the University of Florida. But the university's academic health center, UF Health, stood firm in a statement that vaccines are "safe" and "essential."

"Public health and safety is a shared responsibility," said Dr. Stephen J. Motew, the president and CEO of UF Health.

"The overwhelming consensus of the medical and public health communities show that vaccines are among the most studied and scrutinized medical interventions in history. They are proven to be safe, effective, and essential in preventing the spread of many serious infectious diseases. Following evidence-based practices regarding vaccines and other care decisions are best made in consultation with your health care professional."...

...Florida law mandates many vaccinations against childhood illnesses

According to Florida law, immunizations are required for polio, diphtheria (a bacterial infection), rubeola (measles), rubella (a viral infection, also called German measles), pertussis (whooping cough), mumps, tetanus and other communicable diseases as determined under rules promulgated by the Department of Health.

Ladapo, who heads the Department of Health, said he will repeal the rules within his purview that require vaccines, and that the governor and the Legislature will work to repeal the rest.

"Why are they doing this? I don't know," Dr. Scott Rivkees, Ladapo's immediate predecessor as surgeon general told the USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida. "The role of government is a government of the people and for the people, and how this is for the people is head wagging."

Rivkees quit in September 2021 after being shunned by Gov. Ron DeSantis for encouraging COVID-19 precautions when the governor wanted little focus on preventive measures.

He said this isn't the first time Ladapo has defied expert medical advice, citing a measles outbreak in South Florida in 2024 that sickened nine people.

Ladapo said parents and guardians could decide whether to send their children back to school instead of requiring an isolation period, a statement that conflicted with federal and medical professional recommendations that children from the school should remain at home to prevent the spread of measles.

"More than 200 students did not go to school because the parents did not feel safe sending their children to school even though their children were vaccinated," said Rivkees, now a professor of practice at the Brown University School of Public Health. "This will lead to a situation where you're going to have more public confusion, you're going to have more children who are going to be out of school when you have an outbreak or a case at school, which is predictably going to happen more and more.

"More children are going to suffer educational losses and illnesses which could have been prevented," he added.

DeSantis' and Ladapo's announcement at a press conference on Sept. 3 was paired with the creation of a state version of a "Make America Healthy Again" commission, which will be led by First Lady Casey DeSantis. At the federal level, MAHA is led by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., tasked with investigating chronic illness and delivering an action plan to fight childhood diseases.

Kennedy, however, has promoted misinformation on vaccines in the past, and recently fired Susan Monarez as the Centers for Disease Control director after a dispute over vaccination policy. At the press conference, DeSantis joked Ladapo now should be considered for the CDC director's position.

Florida vaccine guidance: Pediatricians 'profoundly concerned,' doctor says

Dr. Lisa Gwynn, a past president of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said she is "profoundly concerned."

"This decision could have severe and potentially deadly repercussions for children and vulnerable adults," she said.

Gwynn, who practices in South Florida, said vaccinations are one of the most effective measures for preventing the spread of infectious diseases. They not only protect those who receive them but also safeguard individuals who cannot be vaccinated due to medical reasons.

"Removing these mandates could lead to a resurgence of preventable diseases, putting countless lives at risk," she told the USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida.

For example, in Florida, the vaccination rate for those who have completed all five doses of the TDAP vaccine, which prevents tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis, is about 88.1%. Herd immunity for pertussis requires 92% to 94%.

Last year, the number of whooping cough cases in Florida soared. From Jan. 1, 2024 to Dec. 31, 2024, the Florida Department of Health reported 715 cases of pertussis – an eight-fold increase over the year before, which had 85 cases.

On the national level, Dr. Susan J. Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said every family should have access to immunizations because illnesses not only affect children but also their families, and therefore the workforce and local economy.

"We are concerned that today's announcement by Gov. DeSantis will put children in Florida public schools at higher risk for getting sick, and have ripple effects across their community," Kressly said.

And Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, speaking on behalf of the American Medical Association, said the group "strongly opposes Florida's plan to end all vaccine mandates, including those required for school attendance."

"This unprecedented rollback would undermine decades of public health progress and place children and communities at increased risk for diseases such as measles, mumps, polio, and chickenpox resulting in serious illness, disability, and even death," said Fryhofer, a board-certified physician of internal medicine and member of the AMA Board of Trustees. "While there is still time, we urge Florida to reconsider this change to help prevent a rise of infectious disease outbreaks that put health and lives at risk."

Democrats speak out, call for governor to fire Ladapo

Florida Democrats also criticized the move by Ladapo and DeSantis, calling the move to repeal all vaccination requirements "ridiculous" and "reckless."

"Republicans have gone from entertaining anti-science conspiracy theories to fully endorsing an anti-science health policy," Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman of Boca Raton said in a statement.

"As a member of the Senate Health Policy Committee, I'll be doing everything in my power to protect our kids from these reckless attempts to harm them."

Democratic candidate for governor David Jolly even called on the governor to fire Ladapo. He called the announcement "dangerous and deeply irresponsible."

"For generations, vaccines have protected kids, families, and schools from outbreaks of preventable diseases. Stripping away these protections, puts politics ahead of science and needlessly endangers the health of our communities. Florida families deserve leaders who will put the safety of our children first and not gamble with their futures," Jolly said in a news release.

House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell of Tampa said the DeSantis and Ladapo plan was "stunningly reckless."

"I encourage everyone to read about the horrifying effects of these diseases," Driskell said in a press release.

"Polio can paralyze muscles, measles can cause pneumonia and brain swelling, and both can kill. Hepatitis B destroys your liver. Chicken pox causes high fever and a painful rash. These diseases devastated families and stole lives for years before vaccines were developed to protected us. They're all preventable, but only if our kids take the vaccines."

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/state/2025/09/03/florida-vaccine-requirements-medical-experts-profoundly-concerned-desantis-ladapo/85959858007/?tbref=hp

[fsu813]

I would imagine forgoing basic health standards will not be part of the pitch to lure those ultra competitive corporate relocations to Florida.

Can't see how this won't ultimately hurt the state (and local) economy.

The number of employees taking off work to care for sick kids would go up significant.

Hospitals would need to add capacity.

Etc.

I can see both sides of most political arguments. There's no upside to being the sickest state.

I do think this would be another nudge to informed, engaged parents to move their kids to private schools, which won't be eliminating vaccination requirements.

But I digress.

[Lostwave]

There are a lot of vaccines they try to give children that are unnecessary for children to get.  I get not requiring those. 

But all the ones listed in that article are absolutely necessary.  People had 5-10 children before these vaccines because they knew half of them were going to die from the above illnesses.  Madness to go against that science.