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Chris Sprowls launching ‘Read, White, & Blue’ podcast exploring policy insights

As Chris Sprowls nears the end of his final Legislative Session as House Speaker, the Palm Harbor Republican is launching a podcast featuring authors who have shaped his worldview — and Florida law.

Sprowls, who has been a member of the House since 2014 and Speaker since 2020, says reading has always been a part of his career, be it policy briefs now or court cases and police records when he was a prosecutor. With “Read, White, & Blue,” Sprowls will host authors to provide some insight into how the books he’s read have impacted his public service.

The Speaker has made reading a central point of his legislative agenda. Last year, Sprowls drove the “New Worlds Reading Initiative,” a $200 million free book delivery program for disadvantaged students. The program began rolling out this school year, but officials in the Department of Education and at the University of Florida, who helped create the multilingual reading program, are hoping more students take advantage of the monthly book deliveries.

‘Don’t say gay’ is having a moment. Messaging matters in Florida politics.

As Florida’s legislative session opened in January, Republican lawmakers quickly made clear their plans to advance “parental rights in education.”

They used that phrase to label two bills (SB 1834 and HB 1557) they said would build upon the Parents’ Bill of Rights law they enacted last year.

Their messaging lasted for about a week before a new angle took hold, seemingly out of nowhere. And it came from an unlikely source.

”Don’t say gay.”

In the days after the Senate and House held their first hearings on the bills, that three-word phrase surfaced as critics steered the focus away from parental rights.

School Board member salaries appear to be on hold in Legislature; now it’s a question of term limits

After major backlash from some educators and lawmakers, School Board member salaries will likely remain intact across Florida’s 67 school districts.

That’s because HB 1467, a bill that originally proposed slashing School Board salaries, has been put on hold. Instead, bill sponsor Rep. Sam Garrison is pursuing eight-year term limits on school board members.

And another lawmaker, Sen. Joe Gruters, thinks those School Board term limits should be 12 years.

The two are sponsors of the original bill related to board member salaries. Garrison is a Republican who represents part of Clay County. Gruters represents Sarasota County and part of Charlotte County. He also is chair of the Republican Party of Florida.

Poll: Floridians give Gov. DeSantis 54% approval rating, but are split over Legislature

While more than half of Floridians approve of the job Gov. Ron DeSantis is doing as the state’s leader, Florida’s GOP-led Legislature is having difficulty drawing the same support.

That’s according to a recent poll commissioned by Florida Politics and conducted by St. Pete Polls. The study polled 1,614 registered Florida voters from Feb. 24-25, with a 2.4% margin of error.

The poll found that 54% of respondents approved of the job DeSantis is doing as Governor, while 38% disapprove, and another 8% are unsure. That approval rating seems to be in line with recent polling from the University of North Florida, which found DeSantis as the choice of 55% of 685 registered voters polled between Feb. 7 and Feb. 20. Democratic opponents U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist mustered 34% support against DeSantis, and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried drew just 32% backing.