DeSantis Signs 94 Laws, Vetoes 4 Others

[BridgeTroll]

So bridgetroll what's your opinion of DeSantis?

Two posters have described him as despicable and a fool. Clearly he is neither and those descriptions are emotional name calling of someone they disagree with. If I disagree with you does that make you a fool or despicable?  Of course not. We simply disagree.

I have stated more than once that I disagree with some of Desantis decisions. Overall I think he has done a pretty good job during a very difficult time. I think Ladapo is a poor choice but not getting overly excited about it because in reality nothing he does or says has any affect on me.

I do have to say that I have decided to leave Jacksonville... I will have more details shortly...

^ Clearly, our politics don't exactly align.  That said, sad to see you go.  I guess Curry and DeSantis were not enough to keep you here .

The reason people are tough with terminology with the likes of DeSantis and Trump isn't really about simple disagreements.  These people are in powerful positions that enable them to act on their views and impose them on others who don't agree, who are shut out, marginalized and/or ignored in the "decision making" process and/or think such views are harmful, or even dangerous.  About the only thing dissenters can do at that point is try to shame them and hope they care, even a little bit, about their standing and legacy.  Name calling is just a way to compete for their attention.  And, it doesn't help that these characters are the first to do so themselves.

No one is a bigger name caller than Trump.  Among many things, he has, sadly, greatly lowered the bar for discourse in this country.  Look to him first to share your complaint.

Of course you realize that politicians who you support are seen exactly like you described, by those that have differing views. Just for a second... apply the quote below to Pelosi or Schumer, or even Biden.  Imagine not being a democrat in Seattle or Portland or Minneapolis...

These people are in powerful positions that enable them to act on their views and impose them on others who don't agree, who are shut out, marginalized and/or ignored in the "decision making" process and/or think such views are harmful, or even dangerous.  About the only thing dissenters can do at that point is try to shame them and hope they care, even a little bit, about their standing and legacy. 

This is exactly the problem with today's political discourse... it his how we get the worst line up of candidates to vote for. There has to be a better way than simply name calling and demonizing the opposition.

[jaxlongtimer]

DeSantis showing us just how despicable he can be.  Now using innocent public school students, including those in Duval, as political pawns.  And punishing schools for following CDC guidelines even though the districts backed down when the Gov signed his law disallowing mandates.  What else could he ask for?

This is purely politics of hate and partisanship and nothing else.  Any Republican with a conscience should be equally revolted by this action.  I wonder if the parents in Duval who sided with DeSantis will be happy to see their kids suffer nonetheless at his hand.  Be careful what you ask for.

DeSantis should go to work with Putin.  They would get along fabulously.

Florida governor: school districts that defied no-mask mandate to lose $200m

Ron DeSantis is backing a bill that would strip education funding from Democratic counties that retained Covid precautions

Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, is backing a controversial proposal to strip $200m in education funding from Democratic counties that defied his executive order last year banning mask mandates in schools.

DeSantis, who is widely seen as a leading heir to Donald Trump in the Republican party, plans to send the money instead to mostly Republican counties that supported him.

The plan, which some analysts believe is almost certainly unconstitutional, was part of a budget bill that passed the Republican-dominated Florida house on Wednesday.
[/b]
It was immediately attacked by teachers unions, school districts and education advocates, who say the penalties will strip further resources from classrooms in a state already in the bottom four of per-student spending nationally.

"This is retaliation by legislators and the governor," said Jabari Hosey, president of the advocacy group Families for Safe Schools and a parent of school-age children in Brevard county.

"We are down over 150 teachers in Brevard right now. We need more social workers, there's a performance gap because of Covid that is still present in our community. We need more funds, more opportunities, more instructors.

"To retaliate and to attack the public school system they are supposed to be promoting is very sad. Frankly, it's embarrassing."

Under the proposal by the Republican state congressman Randy Fine, school districts in the 12 Florida counties that implemented mask mandates last summer in defiance of DeSantis's executive order will forfeit amounts based on their size.

Brevard, where Hosey's children attend school, and which Fine represents, would forgo $4.5m.

Two-thirds of the money would come from south Florida, which votes overwhelmingly Democratic in local, state and national elections. Miami-Dade, the nation's fourth largest district with 357,000 students, would lose $72m; Broward, the sixth largest with 270,000 students, would forfeit about $32m; and Palm Beach, the 10th largest with 193,000 would give up $28m.

Of the others, Alachua, Duval, Hillsborough, Indian River, Leon, Orange, Sarasota and Volusia counties, all but three backed Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election in Florida, which was won by Donald Trump.

"Following the law is not optional. These school districts broke the law, and they were broken for nothing," a visibly angry Fine told fellow legislators on Wednesday.

He insisted during a turbulent session of the Florida house appropriations committee last week that the state would cut the salaries of administrators earning more than $100,000 and not "reduce funding for any direct educational service or resource that impacts the education of kindergarten through grade 12 students".

He conceded, however, that the policy was intentionally punitive to counties who refused to fall in line with the governor. "It is intended to reward the 55 school districts, the overwhelming majority of which followed our state law and respected the rights of parents over the past year," he said.

Initially, DeSantis, a fierce critic of mask and vaccine mandates, declared himself against the proposal. "My view would be let's not do that," he said in an appearance in Jacksonville on Friday, telling reporters he instead preferred to let parents sue school districts individually if they felt children were harmed by "forced masking".

By Tuesday, however, the governor backtracked, supporting Fine's initiative and parents' rights to file lawsuits. "They should get compensated for academic, social and emotional problems caused by these policies," he said in a tweet.

Having passed the Florida house, the $105bn budget that includes the redistribution of education funds must now be reconciled in the state senate, which also has a Republican majority.

If DeSantis eventually signs it into law, it is likely to face legal challenges. Hosey's group points out that every Florida county with mandates dropped them as soon as the original executive order became law in November, following a lengthy legal back and forth with districts who insisted they followed advice on masking from the Biden administration and federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Additionally, they say, the fines target the salaries of school district administrators who only implemented the mask policies, not the school board members who set them.

John J Sullivan, director of legislative affairs for Broward county public schools, told the Guardian in a statement that students would be directly affected by the withholding of funds.

"We are disappointed in the governor's reversal. We hope the senate will not agree to penalize administrators who have worked tirelessly to meet the unprecedented challenges caused by the pandemic, always focused on the health and safety of students and teachers," he said.

"This penalty would have a negative impact on the services the district is able to provide to our students."

Administrators in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties have issued similar statements, and educators' unions have condemned the plan.

"We have 165 vacancies and a lot of it has to do with the salaries we can offer to teachers. So that money would mean a lot to our school district and it's a shame that someone would do that. It's totally punitive and politically motivated," Wendy Doromal, president of the Orange county classroom teachers association told WMFE radio.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/20/florida-ron-desantis-schools-mask-mandates-funding-covid

[BridgeTroll]

I actually agree with you here with a single notable exception... comparisons to Putin are hyperbolic and childish...

[Snaketoz]

I actually agree with you here with a single notable exception... comparisons to Putin are hyperbolic and childish...

Who would know more than BT when it comes to hyperbole and childishness?

[BridgeTroll]

I actually agree with you here with a single notable exception... comparisons to Putin are hyperbolic and childish...

Who would know more than BT when it comes to hyperbole and childishness?

Well you of course...

[jaxlongtimer]

Meet your new Florida "Surgeon General"....  where politics trumps the health of Florida residents.

Joseph Ladapo confirmed as Florida surgeon general along party lines

The Doctor is in.

The Florida Senate today gave its seal of approval to Dr. Joseph Ladapo as the state's 6th Surgeon General, a vocal and controversial cheerleader for the pandemic policies of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis since picking him for the job five months ago.

Those policies, however, are out of step with mainstream, conventional medical recommendations and federal policies.

The 24-15 vote along party lines to confirm Ladapo's nomination was a predictable but rocky path for the Harvard-educated, former UCLA research professor, who had full support of Republicans......

....And during his Senate background check conducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, a former supervisor said they could not recommend Ladapo for the position.

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/state/2022/02/23/joseph-ladapo-confirmed-florida-senate-states-surgeon-general/6906838001/?utm_source=jacksonville-News%20Alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news_alerts&utm_term=news_alert&utm_content=FLORIDA-JACKSONVILLE-NLETTER01

[I-10east]

DeSantis's so called "Don't say Gay" bill (that term is made up by the hitpiece leftist media BTW, but unfortunately has alot of sticking power). The bill which is not even complete yet reads as verbatim from DeSantis "No sexual instruction from grades Pre K to 3". In clown world, this is what is so controversial.

[JeffreyS]

DeSantis is the most despicable Governor in the entire  country.

Lol... I thought he resigned in NY...

I'm definitely left. They are both horrible humans. I'm not sure that reasonable people have room to disagree on that. (But I am biased)

[jaxlongtimer]

DeSantis showing us just how despicable he can be.  Now using innocent public school students, including those in Duval, as political pawns.  And punishing schools for following CDC guidelines even though the districts backed down when the Gov signed his law disallowing mandates.  What else could he ask for?

This is purely politics of hate and partisanship and nothing else.  Any Republican with a conscience should be equally revolted by this action.  I wonder if the parents in Duval who sided with DeSantis will be happy to see their kids suffer nonetheless at his hand.  Be careful what you ask for.

DeSantis should go to work with Putin.  They would get along fabulously.

I actually agree with you here with a single notable exception... comparisons to Putin are hyperbolic and childish...

A Federal judge just struck down another DeSantis law for the most part.  Interestingly, he joined a growing chorus of people like me that put DeSantis actions on par with Putin.  The parallels seem obvious to many.  How long before BridgeTroll "smells the coffee.

Walker also tied the fight for voting rights to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"The current war in Ukraine, in which the Ukrainian people are fighting and dying to maintain the freedoms we take for granted -- namely, the right to have a voice and not to be ruled by a despot -- provides a poignant reminder of both the value and fragility of democracy," the judge wrote.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/31/politics/florida-voting-overhaul-judge-strikes-down/index.html

[BridgeTroll]

Meh... hyperbole... next up... annexation of Brunswick...

[MusicMan]

Has Al Lawson commented on the evisceration of his comfortable seat in Congress by DeSantis?  I did not see it.

[Charles Hunter]

MM - I found this article where Congressman Lawson talks about the new district.
https://news.yahoo.com/congressman-lawson-unsure-ll-run-152458733.html

We asked Lawson what that means for his political future and whether he'd hedge his bets running for the new CD 2, which includes Tallahassee.

"Well you know that's something I have to look at. You know, I represented that district for over ten years," said Lawson.

Lawson indicated a decision to run may come down to whether the new maps are blocked by the courts, but he said ultimately this redistricting battle is bigger than his own political future.

"It's not about Al Lawson. It's about African Americans having the opportunity to vote for someone of their choice. You know up here, we have one majority African American county, Gadsden County. So, what are you going to do? Just eliminate what they're gonna do? You know, who they're going to vote for," said Lawson.

Everyone, including the guv'nor, agrees the new Congressional map will be challenged in court. The big question is whether it will be in time to prevent its use in the 2022 election.

[MusicMan]

Rick "Voldemort" Scott must be rolling over inside his coffin.  He could have done this years ago!

The Dems in Florida are so weak.  It's sad. We are pretty much a fascist state at this point.

Anybody seen Andrew Gillum lately? 

[MusicMan]

Excellent article.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ron-desantis-is-viktor-orb%c3%a1ns-true-american-disciple/ar-AAWHkza?li=BBnbfcL

[vicupstate]

Bond agency issues negative warning in wake of Reedy Creek decision.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article260873762.html