Breaking
Republican Wire
Tag

Florida

Browsing
News

Federal Judge Finds Biden’s Policy Unlawful…

By

(RepublicanWire.org) – A federal judge in Florida has ruled on the Biden administration’s “catch and release” program along the border, finding it unlawful.

A federal judge in Florida on Wednesday agreed with the state’s Republican attorney general that the policy of President Joe Biden’s administration to release many people who illegally cross the U.S.-Mexican border rather than detaining them violates U.S. immigration law.

U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell in Pensacola blocked the administration from continuing to implement a 2021 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) memo that had authorized “alternatives to detention” to ease overcrowding in detention facilities. These alternatives included ankle bracelets, phone monitoring or check-ins by immigration officers. Republican critics have called the policy “catch and release.”

Judge Wetherell, who was a Trump appointee, didn’t mince words in his decision, comparing Biden’s policies to a “Come In, We’re Open” sign on the border.

“For the most part, the court finds in favor of Florida because, as detailed below, the evidence establishes that defendants have effectively turned the Southwest border into a meaningless line in the sand and little more than a speedbump for aliens flooding into the country,” wrote Wetherell…

Wetherell added that the Biden immigration policies were “akin to posting a flashing ‘Come In, We’re Open’ sign on the southern border. The unprecedented ‘surge’ of aliens that started arriving at the Southwest Border almost immediately after President Biden took office and that has continued unabated over the past two years was a predictable consequence of these actions.”

The lawsuit challenging the police was filed by Florida in 2021. The state argued DHS was violating a specific law by releasing thousands of migrants and forcing the state to spend significant amounts of money to care for them.

The complaint says the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is violating the Immigration and Nationality Act by abusing its authority to temporarily parole individuals who otherwise must be detained pending deportation proceedings.

The statute allows Homeland Security to use its parole powers only on a case-by-case basis and for “urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.”

President Joe Biden in February withdrew a 2018 executive order by former President Donald Trump that eliminated the “catch and release” policy…

Moody’s office said the catch and release policy is costing Florida millions. The state prison system spends more than $100 million per year incarcerating individuals who are unlawfully present in the U.S. and about $8,000 per student for public school education, which is provided regardless of immigration status, the AG said.

Judge Wetherell gave the Biden administration seven days to appeal before his decision takes effect. It’s not clear what would actually happen if this takes effect. How long would the Biden administration need to hold migrants applying for asylum before releasing them. At present the backlog to see a judge is more than a million cases. So the average time for adjudication of an asylum claim is up to around seven years. The administration can’t possibly detain all of the people who arrive to claim asylum. More likely a judge would determine that people awaiting their day in court could be released but this would presumably be done on a case by case basis rather than as a blanket policy.

Even some amount of detention might weed out the economic migrants claiming asylum as a gimmick to get a free pass into America. As the Judge suggested, by making it easy to game the system, we’ve put a flashing sign up on the border.

Keep Reading
By
News

Kamala Harris Omits Key Word From Declaration Of Independence…

By

(RepublicanWire.org) – On Sunday, Kamala Harris gave a speech in Tallahassee, Florida over abortion where she quoted the Declaration of Independence but left out the part of the document that said Americans have a right to life.

On the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the now-reversed landmark Supreme Court case that established a federal right to abortion, Harris attacked Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican lawmakers whom she called “extremists,” for protecting the rights of unborn children.

At the beginning of her speech, Harris quoted the Declaration of Independence — but omitted the right to “life.”

“We are here together because we collectively believe and know, America is a promise, America is a promise – it is a promise of freedom and liberty,” Harris said. “Not for some, but for all. A promise that we made in the Declaration of Independence that we are each endowed with the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

The opening of the Declaration of Independence declares:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Later in her speech, Harris suggested that Americans cannot “truly be free” without legalized abortion. Never mind the Constitution and its Bill of Rights.

Moreover, Harris used her speech to demand that Congress pass legislation codifying “reproductive rights” (i.e., abortion), conflating “reproductive rights” with “freedom and liberty.” Harris promised that President Joe Biden would promptly sign into law any such legislation.

Harris announced that the Biden administration planned to further extend ways to provide abortion pills to those who seek them.

However, that is unlikely to happen because Republicans now control a majority in the House.

On Sunday, Biden signed a presidential memorandum to protect nationwide access to abortion medication. The memorandum does not usurp states that have outlawed such medication, but directs the government to explore protecting it.

Keep Reading
By
News

DeSantis Gives Dems. A Taste Of Their Own Medicine…

By

(RepublicanWire.org) – Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis makes good on sending Illegal Immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard, something he had suggested doing 9 months ago. Two planes just landed on the island filled with illegal immigrants.

Communications director for DeSantis, Taryn Fenske told Fox News, “Yes, Florida can confirm the two planes with illegal immigrants that arrived in Martha’s Vineyard today were part of the state’s relocation program to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations.”

“States like Massachusetts, New York, and California will better facilitate the care of these individuals who they have invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration through their designation as ‘sanctuary states’ and support for the Biden Administration’s open border policies,” she said.

“As you may know, in this past legislative session the Florida Legislature appropriated $12 million to implement a program to facilitate the transport of illegal immigrants from this state consistent with federal law,” she added.

Last November dozens of flights filled with illegal immigrants landed in Florida sent by the Biden administration. This is what prompted DeSantis to offer to send illegals to Delaware on buses.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott started bussing illegal immigrants to Democrat ran Sanctuary cities such as Washington D.C., Chicago, and New York City. Arizona has also sent buses to Washington.

With $12 million in the Florida budget appropriated to relocate illegal immigrants, we expect to see more of this.

Keep Reading
By
News

The Biden Administration Violated Federal Laws…

By

(RepublicanWire.org) – Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said under oath that President Biden’s border policies have “no consequences” for illegal migrants traveling into the U.S. and are to blame for the unprecedented surge at the border and release of hundreds of thousands into the interior of the country.

Ortiz’s assertions, which came during a recorded deposition from July 28 as part of discovery in a lawsuit by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody against the Department of Homeland Security and other border agencies.

Ortiz, who has more than 31 years of experience in law enforcement, told attorneys representing Florida that he believes migration will increase at an exponential rate at the southern border because there are no “consequences” in place to curb the tide of migrants flooding into the U.S.

“In my experience, we have seen increases when there are no consequences,” said Ortiz during the deposition.

“So, if migrant populations believe that they’re going … there are not going to be consequences, more of them will come to the border. Is that what you’re saying?” questioned the attorney.

Ortiz responded: “There is an assumption that if migrant populations are told that there is a potential that they may be released, that, yes, you can see increases.”

“So, it will increase at an exponential rate. Is that what is being suggested here?” continued the attorney.

“Well, I do think it will increase, yeah,” responded Ortiz.

In addition, the attorney pressed Ortiz, asking, “Since President Biden was elected, does this document indicate that aliens illegally entering the United States perceive that they will be able to enter and remain in the United States?”

“Yes,” he told the lawyers while under oath.

During the deposition, Ortiz went on to testify that the southern border is currently in crisis and replied “yes” when asked if the border is “less safe for Americans and aliens alike.”

Ortiz said he agreed with a statement by the plaintiff attorney that “unprecedented numbers” of migrants have illegally entered the U.S. this year. There have so far been more than 2 million migrant encounters with Border Patrol this fiscal year, already surpassing the historic 1.7 million encountered last fiscal year.

Ortiz’s testimony comes after DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said during the Aspen Security Forum that although the situation is a “historic challenge,” the border is “secure.”

“The Biden administration caused the surge, made the border less safe and is flagrantly violating the very federal laws they swore to uphold. The Biden administration is putting hard-working border patrol agents in impossible and untenable positions — risking their lives and safety, and I want to thank Chief Ortiz for testifying truthfully at his deposition,” Moody said.

The lawsuit brought by Florida is set for trial in January 2023 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida.

Keep Reading
By
News

DeSantis Has Priceless Reaction…

By

(RepublicanWire.org) – One of the first things that Charlie Crist did when he won the Democratic primary for the governor’s race in Florida was to step in it big time by insulting Floridians who might support Gov. Ron DeSantis. He told them he didn’t want their vote and claimed they had “hate in their heart.” He then dug the hole deeper with his hilarious praise of Joe Biden which isn’t going to go over well in Florida.

But Crist wasn’t finished stepping in it yet. He attacked DeSantis, “I’m not one to use those sort of strong words, unless they’re true… He’s a barbaric, wannabe dictator.” It’s hard to get someone more wrong than Charlie Crist.

One of the things that makes Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis such a perfect candidate is that, unlike Charlie Crist, he has a pitch-perfect natural response. When he was asked what he thought of Crist calling him a dictator, his response was gold, especially the dismissive little smiling head shake movement at the beginning.

“Over the last couple of years, you had people who kept wanting to lock people down, I was one of the few in this country that lifted people up,” DeSantis declared. “We protected people’s freedoms, jobs, businesses. We made sure kids could be in school, and we liberated 22 million Floridians from local mandates and restrictions. We protected them against vax mandates so they could keep working.”

DeSantis noted how the Democrats wanted to lock everyone down, “And I would note, you go back to the summer of 2020, I got a letter from every Democrat member of the U.S. House saying: ‘You need to shut down Florida,’ in July of 2020. If we had done that, this state would be in the toilet right now. We made the right decision by keeping the state open…So I think the people that are dictatorial are the ones that want to lock you down. I think the people that are dictatorial are the ones who wanted to lock kids out of school for a year, which all of them wanted to do here in Florida and I stopped it and made sure the kids could be in school…I think it’s dictatorial to say that someone should lose their job based on their choice about whether to get a COVID shot or not. So that’s just the reality.”

That letter was signed by Charlie Crist, among others. So Crist would have helped to destroy the state — if DeSantis had paid attention to Democrats.

DeSantis finished with the fact that people have been fleeing Democratic states for Florida because of that, “And the reason why we’re setting tourism records, the reason why we’re the number one state for net in-migration is because people understand that we’ve stood for freedom.”

Now that’s a priceless reaction. Unlike Crist, DeSantis is not attacking people or saying he doesn’t want their vote — he’s saying why Florida is the place to be, and why protecting people’s freedoms is the choice that should be made. Some dictator.

Indeed, DeSantis has spoken out against authoritarian regimes. DeSantis had previously said it was insulting to the people of Florida who fled real dictatorial regimes to come to Florida to refer to Florida as a dictatorial regime.

DeSantis also skewered Crist on Tucker Carlson’s show, and said it wasn’t about “hate” in people’s hearts but people’s appreciation that a governor would fight for their freedoms.

But that’s the problem with Democrats like Crist — they falsely toss around the term while not taking a look in the mirror about how they themselves are acting. It’s the Democrats who are taking steps every day down the road toward a leftist dictatorship.

Keep Reading
By
News

DeSantis Sends Clear Message To Those Who Are Fraudulently Voting…

By

(RepublicanWire.org) – Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is cracking down on illegal voters in his state as he announced 20 arrests are coming.

The governor promised the 20 arrests of ex-felons is the start of an illegal voter crackdown, Politico reported.

“The investigation was led by the DeSantis-championed Office of Election Crimes and Security, an office created during the 2022 legislative session to focus on election fraud investigations and prosecutions. The first round, announced during a press conference in Broward County, was focused on felons who illegally voted in 2020 by either not properly applying to have their voting rights restored or were ineligible because of the severity of their crimes,” Politico said.

The governor said that some of those who are being arrested for voting illegally were convicted of crimes like rape and murder.

“This is just the first step. There are many more in the pipeline,” he said. “We are not just going to turn a blind eye to this. The days of that happening in Florida are over.”

In a press release the governor, and others in the administration, commented on the actions being taken to prevent illegal voting.

“In 2020, Florida ran an efficient, transparent election that avoided the major problems we saw in other states. At the same time, the election was not perfect, which is why we continue our efforts to ensure the integrity of our elections,” he said. “Our new election crimes office has sprung into action to hold individuals accountable for voter fraud. Today’s actions send a clear signal to those who are thinking about ballot harvesting or fraudulently voting. If you commit an elections crime, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“I am grateful to Governor DeSantis for establishing the Office of Election Crimes and Security, and we are off to a great start at eliminating election fraud in our elections,” Secretary of State and Chief Election Officer Cord Byrd said. “These arrests put those who have no regard for the integrity of our elections on notice and will ensure integrity in the voting process.”

“Today is about our honest, hardworking, and law-abiding Floridians,” FDLE Acting Commissioner Mark Glass said. “In Florida, your vote matters.  To that end, we will do everything in our power to ensure those who cannot legally vote never cast a ballot.”

“I’m glad to be a part of a team that is working hard to secure our elections,” Director of the Office of Election Crimes and Security Peter Antonacci said. “Our team of highly skilled investigators will conduct a thorough investigation, and if any evidence of election crime is found, there will be criminal sanctions.”

But Florida Rising Executive Director Andrea Mercado complained that the governor was taking actions that make it tougher for people to vote, even as he is only taking actions against people who are not legally allowed to vote.

“No one has done more to violate the integrity of Florida’s elections and make it harder for Floridians to be part of our democracy than Ron DeSantis,” she argued. “If we had a real election integrity department, they would be arresting the governor for erasing Black districts and threatening neighbors helping neighbors cast their ballot.”

“What today shows is not that democracy is working in Florida, it’s that the offices that are trying to turn our state into one-man rule will do whatever they can to distract and deflect from how they have reduced Floridians’ ability to vote and have their voice heard,” she said.

Again, it is important to note that none of the actions taken by the governor in any way affect any Florida resident who is legally allowed to vote.

“As elected leaders, it is incumbent on us to ensure free and fair elections and instill confidence in the voting process,” Attorney General Ashley Moody said. “No voting system can stand without the backing and confidence of the people it serves, and thanks to Governor DeSantis, we are reinforcing that trust, and Florida’s elections system will serve as the standard-bearer for the rest of the nation.”

Keep Reading
By
News

DeSantis Refuses To Be Pushed Around…

By

(RepublicanWire.org) – Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has become a favorite target for the ladies who host the super liberal television program “The View,” slamming him repeatedly for how he handled the coronavirus pandemic, his parental rights in education bill, and for basically any reason they can find.

Well, apparently, they extended him an offer to come on their show and DeSantis flat out rejected it, in very brutal fashion.

DeSantis is a man of values and principles who stands up for what he believes and simply does not allow himself to be intimidated by the radicals on the left. Which is one of many reasons why they hate him.

According to a report from The Daily Wire, Bryan Griffin, the deputy press secretary for DeSantis, stated on Monday that the governor was given an invite to the program.

“Griffin said the show wrote that they ‘would be honored’ to have DeSantis on for an interview. He released the email DeSantis’ team sent back to the show on Tuesday morning declining their offer,” the report said.

“Are the hosts of The View really interested in hearing from Governor DeSantis about all of the important work he is doing on behalf of Floridians to protect their health and livelihoods, to stand up for parents and children, and to defend freedom?” the email stated. “Which of the below statements from the hosts of The View do you recommend our team consider when deciding if the interview will be a genuine pursuit of the truth? Or worth the time?”

The email then went on to list several different comments from the show’s co-hosts that reveal they have a very strong level of bias and hostility toward the governor.

Joy Behar, August 2021: “You’re just short of calling [Governor DeSantis] a negligent, homicidal sociopath, because that’s what he is.” She added: “What is he doing? He’s risking the lives of children, children’s parents, their grandparents, anyone they may come into contact with, so he can appeal to his white supremacist base, so he can continue in his career and get reelected.”

Sunny Hostin, June 2022:” Death-Santis … I think he’s a fascist and a bigot.”

Ana Navarro, April 2022 (on Governor DeSantis’s policies): “It’s anti-black, it’s anti-gay, it’s anti-LGBTQ+ community. And for some reason, the Republican base responds to it.” And “It’s anti-American. It’s what happens in Venezuela. It’s what happens in Nicaragua.”

Sunny Hostin, February 2022 (on Governor DeSantis’s policies): “It started with CRT. Let’s remember that – and those are anti-history laws, anti-black history laws, really,” she said. “If you start coming after black people, what comes next, right? Of course the LGBTQ+ community, and then women, and then other marginalized groups.”

“We will pass on this offer,” the email wrapped up. “Also please note- we don’t coordinate appearances or events of a political nature from the official office. Our role is to serve the people of Florida.”

The DeSantis team was hailed online for how they handled the invitation, turning the words uttered by the show’s co-hosts and using it against them.

We all know that these ladies aren’t interested in holding a civilized conversation with DeSantis and holding a true, genuine debate on the issues facing our country. They have made that much clear by the very statements posted above.

Keep Reading
By
News

Gov. Newsom Ambition Questioned…

By

(RepublicanWire.org) – Ron DeSantis fired back on Sunday at Gavin Newsom’s desperate campaign targeting Florida. The Democrat governor recently announced an ad buy in the Sunshine State, proclaiming that California is the actual beacon of freedom in the country.

Newsom runs the most over-regulated, overbearing, overtaxed state in the union, to the point where you can’t even get a plastic straw. Never mind the soul-crushing COVID lockdowns that lasted years in California.

Newsom revealed his ad Sunday morning, and it’s as pathetic and out-of-touch as you’d imagine. Here’s an excerpt.

“It’s Independence Day. So let’s talk about what’s going on in America…

“Freedom is under attack in your state. I urge all of you living in Florida to join the fight — or join us in California, where we still believe in freedom: freedom of speech, freedom to choose, freedom from hate, and the freedom to love. Don’t let them take your freedom.”

Newsom actually believes that leftwing platitudes about “freedom to choose” and “freedom to love” will resonate in Florida, where the economy is booming and people enjoy individual freedom on a level only rivaled by other red states. Imagine thinking people would want to leave that behind in order to move to a state that is crime-ridden and exploding with homelessness, high taxes, and a government that won’t even let you make basic decisions without interference.

Here is the ad:

DeSantis spokesman Dave Abrams fired back with the obvious retort.

“Gavin Newsom might as well light a pile of cash on fire,” Dave Abrams, a spokesperson for DeSantis’s re-election campaign told The Daily Wire. “Pass the popcorn for his desperate attempt to win back the California refugees who fled the hellhole he created in his state to come to Florida.

“The people of Florida pay no mind to the pathetic smear campaigns from the Democrats and their allies in the corporate media,” Abrams added. “We’re too busy enjoying the freedom Governor Ron DeSantis has created in the Sunshine State.”

The mention of California refugees is the key. The reality is that people from Newsom’s state have been fleeing to Florida in droves over the last several years. Now they are busy enjoying the success and freedom delivered to them in Florida that they were sorely lacking in California.

If anything, the fact that Newsome is now running ads in a state thousands of miles away shows just how far California has fallen. DeSantis doesn’t even have to respond in kind because his state is booming.

This ad seems to reveal that Newsom wants to run for president in 2024.

Keep Reading
By
News

DeSantis Demolishes Biden…

By

(RepublicanWire.org) – He’s not unleashing American oil producers, letting them flood the market with American crude to drive prices down and American profits up.

Nope, Team Biden is looking into buying oil from Iran and Venezuela, two of our biggest enemies, instead. Why’s he choosing terrorists over Texas? That’s not clear. But DeSantis slammed it in a recent statement, brilliantly pointing out the delusion in an epic statement.

DeSantis led off by highlighting that those who fled the vicious Venezuelan regime are furious that Biden is wanting to buy oil from dictators, saying:

“We have a number of Venezuelan Americans, who, like many Americans and, I know, a lot of Floridians, are very angered by the Biden administration’s recent attempt to legitimize the brutal Maduro regime in Venezuela.”

Then, noting that Biden didn’t “lift a finger to help” the pro-democracy protesters in Cuba, DeSantis ripped Biden for funding a dictator and “thumbing his nose” at those that escaped that dictator, saying:

“This is something that has unfortunately become part of a pattern with the Biden administration. I think if you look at people throughout south Florida that have connections in different countries in the Western Hemisphere, what we see from the Biden administration is basically thumbing their nose at millions of people here in our state…And now, to go in … legitimizing Nicolas Maduro, who’s been responsible for a lot of atrocities and has driven that country into the ground, along with, of course, his predecessor Hugo Chavez — so we are here to speak out about that.”

Turning from what Biden’s doing to what should be happening, DeSantis garnered lots of applause by calling for common-sense: American energy independence, saying:

“I believe that this country should be energy independent. We have a huge amount of energy reserves in this country.”

“You look at how these gas prices are impacting consumers in Florida and throughout the country. It wasn’t just because of Russia. They’ve been going up consistently since January 20, 2021. That’s just a fact.”

DeSantis then got to what might have been his best point: that the Democrats are shunning Putin while buying oil from Maduro because of ideology. In his words:

“This is based on ideology. They don’t want us producing like we did under the Trump administration, so they’ve done a series of things…

So you say you don’t want to do with Putin because he’s a dictator. Fine. I’m all for that. But then don’t turn around and go to Maduro, who has committed all kinds of atrocities.”

DeSantis is quite simply correct. Refusing to buy oil from Putin is understandable, a fine decision.

But then turning around and buying oil from a theocracy that hates us and a socialist regime that murders its subject to maintain power? That’s nonsensical, if not evil. American producers can and should be empowered instead.

Keep Reading
By
News

DeSantis Gives Update On His Wife’s Cancer…

By

(RepublicanWire.org) – Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that his wife, First Lady Casey DeSantis, saying she is now cancer free after undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

“I have a positive update about my wife Casey DeSantis. After going through both treatment and surgery for breast cancer, she is now considered cancer free,” DeSantis said in a video posted to social media. “All of you who have had thoughts and prayers that have been given to my family and my wife, thank you for doing that. It’s lifted her spirits and made a tremendous difference.”

“For all the women out there who are going through breast cancer right now – you can overcome this,” DeSantis continued. “I know it’s very difficult, but my wife is proof positive, and this is the exact type of news we had hoped for. She still has more to do, but I’m confident she’s going to make a full recovery. Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. God bless you all.”

Florida’s first lady also took to social media to deliver a brief statement.

“There are no words to express how truly blessed, grateful and humbled I am to hear the words cancer free. To those who are in the fight, know there is hope,” Casey DeSantis said. “Have faith and stay strong,” she added.

Gov. DeSantis’ office detailed four major initiatives that Casey DeSantis has led since he was elected:

Most recently, First Lady DeSantis spearheaded Hope Florida – A Pathway to Prosperity, Economic Self-Sufficiency and Hope. Implemented through the Department of Children and Families, this initiative is uniting communities through ‘Care Navigators’ who guide Floridians on an individualized path to prosperity by focusing on collaboration between the private sector, faith-based community, nonprofits and government entities – breaking down traditional community silos in an effort to maximize resources and uncover opportunities.

Beneficiaries of this initiative include, but are not limited to, single parents, Floridians on government assistance, mothers contending with substance abuse disorders, and children aging out of the foster care system. Any Floridian can learn more about connecting with a Pathway to Prosperity ‘Care Navigator’ by visiting HopeFlorida.com or by calling 850-300-HOPE.

In February of 2021, First Lady DeSantis launched the Resiliency Florida initiative – a partnership with professional sports teams and athletes – including Tom Brady, David Beckham, Peyton Manning, Lou Holtz, Tony Dungy, Urban Meyer, Crystal Thomas, Ali Marpet, Bryant McFadden, Mark Richt, Twan Russell, Corey Simon, Tra Thomas, Jonathan Vilma, Charlie Ward, Tyler Johnson, Joey Logano, Brandon Lowe, and Chris Mueller – to address the stigma surrounding mental health. These teams and athletes are lending their voices and personal stories of resilience and hope to empower Florida students to persevere through adversity.

As a part of this initiative, First Lady DeSantis is working with Volunteer Florida and the Florida Department of Education on the Hope Ambassadors program – a network of over 100 middle and high school clubs encouraging a campus culture of kindness and empathy through peer-to-peer mentoring and volunteerism.

Additionally, to support the Resiliency Florida initiative, First Lady DeSantis worked with the Department of Education to develop Character Education Standards to be taught in Florida’s K-12 schools. Passed unanimously by the State Board of Education in July of 2021, these are Florida’s first standards for Character Education, setting clear expectations for students and teachers and providing opportunities for students to learn how character contributes to the overall civic health of a society and understand the importance of resiliency, responsibility, and respect.

In December of 2019, First Lady DeSantis launched “The Facts. Your Future.” campaign – a public affairs partnership between the Office of the Attorney General, the Florida Department of Health, and the Florida Department of Education. This initiative empowers students with the facts surrounding substance abuse and how it negatively impacts their lives. A major announcement and new developments on this initiative are expected later this year.

First Lady DeSantis’ first major announcement was the Hope for Healing Florida initiative in May of 2019, which brought together stakeholders statewide to discuss new community-level solutions to address mental illness and substance abuse with emphasis on resources for children, veterans and first responders. The Hope for Healing website helps navigate the many ways Floridians can access available resources.

Keep Reading
By