Florida's Latest News

Gov. Ron DeSantis talks about education reform as speaker at the Freedom Institute in Naples

Gov. Ron DeSantis took a slight detour from governing Wednesday at a speaking engagement in Naples but hit all his hot button issues on education and economics. The governor was the first guest speaker for a speaker series by The Freedom Institute, a nonprofit program in Naples that supports homeschooling with a traditional curriculum for students 9-12 grades.

The institute opened last August and is now up to 50 students. DeSantis was welcomed by one of the school’s founding board members, Naples attorney Tom Grady, who said the school’s existence is possible because of expanded school choice options and removal of financial restrictions that the governor signed into law last year.

The governor spoke freely for 20 minutes about reforms he championed to a receptive audience of about 50 parents, students and supporters of the Freedom Institute.  There also was a question and answer session with Grady.

The institute does not accept public taxpayer support; tuition is $8,400 a year, said Chris Marker, whose title is chief learning officer. He previously spent 10 years as principal of Lake Park Elementary and was principal of Naples Park Elementary School last year. He homeschooled his son.

Florida Senate unanimously passes a bill on the definition of antisemitism

The House passed the bill last month, but would need to consider minor changes by the Senate before sending the measure to the governor. Antisemitism would be defined in Florida law under a bill the Senate unanimously passed Wednesday after its sponsor warned that an increase in acts against Jewish people will lead to extremism against other groups.

Florida is among several states seeking to define antisemitism. In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp signed a similar bill last month. "Outbreaks of antisemitism can be a harbinger of deep societal trouble and reflect that extremism and violence are eminent. It is dangerous and unacceptable," said Democratic Sen. Lori Berman, the bill's sponsor. “When there is hateful behavior against anyone, it can quickly become a societal endemic.”

The bill language was taken from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. It defines antisemitism as “a certain perception of Jewish individuals which may be expressed as hatred toward such individuals. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish and non-Jewish individuals and their property and toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

There has been a surge in antisemitic incidents since the Israel-Hamas war began in October. Even before the war, Florida dealt with neo-Nazi protesters at highway overpasses, antisemitic flyers in neighborhoods and antisemitic projections on buildings, including the Jacksonville Jaguars football stadium.

Florida prison system needs billions of dollars in repairs — but lawmakers say 'no'

With Florida’s aging prison system facing more than $2 billion in fast-needed repairs, renovations and new construction, state lawmakers are dismissing calls for putting big dollars into the work during budget talks underway.  Instead, a modest $100 million looks poised to be tucked into a state spending plan expected to top $116 billion, amounting to 0.1% of the entire budget. Several billion more are set aside in reserves.  

A high-profile critic, former Sen. Jeff Brandes, a St. Petersburg Republican, lashed out at the approach, saying the spending plan continues to undermine safety and security within the nation’s third largest prison system. 

“This is only 5% of what’s needed,” said Brandes, outspoken on prison issues during his dozen years in the Legislature, ended by term limits in 2022. “Only a portion of this money will be used to meet the critical needs of the system. It really speaks to the lack of a larger plan.” 

While the $100 million is expected to be recurring, meaning it will be built into future state spending plans, subsequent Legislatures can always change that.  More significant, though, may be the House’s refusal to bond the $100 million – a move that could have let the state borrow $1 billion for work needed across the system, struggling with a rising inmate population and massive staffing shortages. 

Budget conference: House seeks $15M for brain treatment pilot program for veterans

The Senate still has no funding proposed for a Veteran/First Responder Electroencephalogram Pilot Program. Florida has the third-highest veteran population, but other states are already ahead on treating certain brain disorders. House appropriators want to change that and have included $15 million for a Veteran/First Responder Electroencephalogram Pilot Program in a budget proposal.

But the latest offer from the Senate Agriculture, Environment, and General Government Appropriations Committee still budgets no money. The House State Administration and Technology Apportions Subcommittee has general revenue directed at the project.

The funding would fall under control of the Department of Financial Services. Electroencephalogram technology can be used to measure electrical activity in the brain using electrodes attached to the scalp, according to the Mayo Clinic. The procedure uses transcranial magnetic stimulation, where low-frequency pulses are tuned to the patient’s physiology and biometric data, according to the House-proposed budget legislation.

As envisioned, the program would be open to Florida first responders and to any veterans who served in active military duty or for the National Guard. The treatment could be for any qualified patients suffering from substance abuse disorders, mental illness, sleep disorders, traumatic brain injuries, sexual trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, concussions or other brain trauma.