Florida Farm Bill signed by Ron DeSantis

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed the 2026 Florida Farm Bill

an omnibus measure affecting agriculture, land use, consumer protection and public safety regulations

The legislation, SB 290, includes provisions preempting local restrictions on gas-powered equipment, expanding agricultural support programs and tightening land-use oversight, while also creating new criminal penalties and regulatory requirements across multiple sectors.

The bill additionally establishes new initiatives aimed at supporting the agricultural industry, including a veterinary loan repayment program and a native seed research program, while making existing food distribution efforts permanent.

The measure also includes provisions aimed at preserving agricultural land and shaping rural development. Senate staff analyses say it requires additional review for certain proposed development on ecologically significant parcels in small municipalities, requires state or local review of whether some surplused lands are suitable for bona fide agricultural use, and restricts the transfer of future development rights for some of those lands.

“The Free State of Florida just delivered another major win for the people who feed our state and our nation,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson.

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Even Democrats should like this bill.

Proof of Citizenship for Florida voters

Florida Senate Backs Election Bill Tightening Voter Registration Rules

The Florida Senate on Thursday approved an elections bill that would require citizenship verification for voter registration, restrict some forms of voter identification at polling places and delay most of the changes until 2027, sending the measure back to the House for final action.

HB 991 passed the Senate by a 27-12 vote after senators adopted a delete-all amendment that replaced the House bill with the Senate’s version of the measure, adding proof-of-citizenship document requirements for voter registration, creating an “unverified voter” category, requiring provisional ballots for voters whose citizenship cannot be confirmed, revising online registration procedures and delaying most of the changes until Jan. 1, 2027.

The amendment also requires Florida driver licenses and state identification cards issued to U.S. citizens to carry a legal-status designation by July 1, 2027. The House previously passed the bill 83-31 on Feb. 25, and must now concur in the Senate changes before the measure can go to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The bill would require people registering to vote to swear or affirm that they reviewed the registration instructions, are U.S. citizens and understand the penalties for providing false information.

It would also require an applicant’s citizenship status to be verified through records maintained by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. If citizenship cannot be confirmed, the applicant would be designated an “unverified voter.”

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Florida's AI Bill of Rights

Ron DeSantis is standing against the tide of AI

In an exclusive interview with The Epoch Times, the Florida governor explained why he is investing the political capital he has built up after seven years in office to push for the passage of the AI Bill of Rights.

The bill may set him up for a clash with President Donald Trump, who signed an executive order directing the federal government to oppose state regulation of artificial intelligence.

But DeSantis, a Harvard-trained lawyer, former congressman, and father of three young children, told our colleague at the Epoch Times, Nanette Holt, that curbing the creep of AI can’t wait. Guardrails are needed now, he said, to protect the state’s people, children, jobs, economy, and environment from harm.

The legislation aims to empower consumers and protect minors, with a focus on enforcing accountability for AI developers and users. The bill is currently in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Read more at the Epoch Times

Expectant Mother Parking Permit, Senate Bill 462

A new Florida law allowing pregnant women to use handicap parking spaces is facing a federal lawsuit from disability rights advocates who claim it violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The “Expectant Mother Parking Permit” program, part of Senate Bill 462 signed by Governor Ron DeSantis, allows pregnant women to obtain a temporary handicap parking placard for $15 with a doctor’s note confirming pregnancy.

The permit lasts up to one year and grants access to parking spaces reserved for people with disabilities.

The lawsuit, filed October 27 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, was brought by Olivia Keller, a Leon County resident with disabilities.

Keller alleges the law reduces access to van-accessible parking and makes it harder for disabled individuals to participate in work, medical, and community activities.

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Lawyers are the only ones getting rich. People sue for everything or anything.

Florida Senate meets on Property Tax reform

Senate tax bill calls for study on property tax cuts and local impact

The Florida Senate on Monday unveiled a broad tax package that includes a proposal to study the feasibility of reducing or eliminating property taxes on homestead properties.

Senate Proposed Bill 7034 directs the Office of Economic and Demographic Research to assess the fiscal impact of major property tax reforms, with a report due to lawmakers by November 1, 2025.

The study must examine how potential reductions in ad valorem taxes could affect local governments and schools, and offer policy options—including statutory and constitutional changes—to mitigate revenue loss.

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Cracking down on China buying up our land

Ron DeSantis bans China from buying land near military bases in Florida

China has been scooping up real estate across the country this past decade

DeSantis signed into law Florida Senate Bill 264 which prohibited companies, governments, and individuals from “countries of concern” like China, Cuba, and Iran from buying property within 10 miles of a military base or a critical infrastructure.”

“Florida is taking action to stand against the United States’ greatest geopolitical threat — the Chinese Communist Party,” DeSantis said during the 2023 bill signing ceremony. “We are following through on our commitment to crack down on Communist China.

Now the Biden administration is waking up...I think.

The federal government is finally recognizing the seriousness of the threat

Governor DeSantis on top of the illegal alien situation

Governor DeSantis signed bills to address illegals

Bottom Line: On Friday, Governor DeSantis along with AG Ashley Moody and other officials held a presser on combating illegal immigration. In that presser DeSantis detailed what his just announced deployment of Guard Troops and law enforcement officers to South Florida, to combat specifically Haitian illegal immigration, would do.

The key, as Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw also outlined, is to capture would-be illegal immigrants in state waters prior to their making landfall. Florida’s state waters extend out three miles from the Atlantic coastline and nine miles from the Gulf coastline so that’s the window they’ll be operating within. As for Florida’s new legislation that Governor DeSantis signed at the event.

Three bills aimed at combating illegal immigration were signed into law on Friday by Governor DeSantis.

They are:

• The Reclassification of Criminal Penalties

• The Identification Documents law

• Driving Without a Valid Driver’s License law

Read about the new laws at WJNO

No more "wild west" in Florida when DeSantis signs this law

Florida Lawmakers Unanimously Pass Anti-Squatting Bill to Permanently Close Infuriating Loophole

Lawmakers in Florida addressed the problem of squatting, one of the most egregious property rights violations going on in America today.

This month, both chambers of the state Legislature unanimously passed a bill allowing law enforcement to immediately remove squatters without waiting weeks or months for a case to move through the courts.

Now, let's get this law signed and arrest these people who take over a home that does not belong to them. This law should be made by every state in our country. Why has this taken so long?

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Florida Senate passed Antisemitism bill

Florida Senate unanimously passes bill to define antisemitism

'When there is hateful behavior against anyone, it can quickly become a societal endemic,' Sen. Lori Berman says

She said the bill doesn't infringe on free speech rights and doesn't prevent people from criticizing Israel as it would any other country. But by having it in law, it will allow law enforcement to use it when prosecuting hate crimes.

Members of the Senate voted unanimously for a bill (HB 187) that would define antisemitism as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews,” and rhetorical and manifestations of such hatred “directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals, their property, community institutions and religious facilities.”

Florida would become the 13th state in the U.S. to comprehensively apply the definition, which the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) adopted in 2016. Florida law already includes it, but it’s tucked away in an education-specific portion of statutes.

HB 187

Florida wins in Court protecting women's sports

DeSantis Wins in Transgender Showdown – Here’s What The Judge Said

DeSantis scored a recent victory in his quest to protect women’s sports in the state from the influence of transgender ideology was secured by a federal judge.

In 2021, DeSantis signed the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act to ensure that girls and women participating in school sports programs would not have to compete against male athletes.

There is ALWAYS someone challenging a law...without fail, Senate Bill 1028, the legislation behind the act, was challenged in court by a male Broward County student who had been denied the opportunity to join a girls’ high school soccer team. The student argued that SB 1028 violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

On Monday, Judge Roy Altman, appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida by former President Donald Trump, issued a verdict. He ruled that “not all gender-based classifications violate the Equal Protection Clause.” He noted that Florida’s decision to segregate male and female athletes in school sports was “substantially related to the state’s important interest in promoting women’s athletics.”

Transgender kid loses in court

Government workers will no longer have arbitray union dues deducted from paycheck

Florida judge allows blocking of automatic union dues deduction starting Saturday

• Leon County circuit judge J. Lee Marsh denies a plea to prevent the implementation of a law in Florida that bars government workers from having union fees automatically deducted from their wages.

• The law, SB 256, places new constraints on public employee unions and is seen by supporters as increasing transparency and by critics as an attempt to weaken unions.

• The ruling allows the portion of the law relating to the deduction of union dues to be enacted, leading to a drop in revenue for impacted unions, while the lawsuit challenging the law continues.

"The law in question, SB 256, was signed into effect by Governor Ron DeSantis last month, sparking the legal challenges. The law places a raft of new constraints on public employee unions. Supporters of the bill argue that the law will lead to increased transparency, while critics decry it as a politically-charged move aimed at weakening unions.

After listening to over three hours of debate, Marsh ruled that the change does not infringe on collective bargaining rights as it does not significantly impact wages, hours, or conditions of employment, but instead is merely a shift in payment methods.

The ruling does not settle the core issues brought by the lawsuit, but it allows the portion of the law relating to the deduction of union dues to be enacted while the lawsuit is ongoing. The end result is that the impacted unions will likely see a drop in revenue while they adjust how they collect dues." [thecapitolist.com]

Read the bill

New Florida Immigration Laws

Immigration laws to change in Florida

As of Saturday, Florida will enact some of the strictist anti-immigration laws in the country.

CS/CS/SB 1718 - Immigration makes the following changes:

• Transporting a minor or more than five undocumented people into the state carries a second-degree felony penalty.

• Companies with 25 or more employees will have to use the federal E-Verify system when hiring workers. Penalties for employers who don’t verify their employees’ status could face suspension of their licenses to operate.

• Local governments will be banned from contributing money to organizations creating ID cards for undocumented immigrants, and driver’s licenses issued to non-citizens will be barred from use in Florida. Illegal migrants also could face felony charges by displaying a false ID to obtain employment.

• Hospitals receiving state and federal Medicaid reimbursements will be required to track how much money is spent on undocumented immigrants in emergency rooms and must ask if a patient is in the country legally.

• A 2014 law that allowed undocumented immigrants to be admitted to practice law in Florida will be repealed.

• The Division of Emergency Management’s Unauthorized Alien Transport Program get $12 million to continue the migrant-relocation program of transporting asylum-seekers to different places around the country.

New Immigration laws in Florida

Florida House passes sweeping new immigration bill. Here's what's in SB 1718:

Tough penalties and restrictions that aims to obstruct the flow of illegal immigration to the state after the House approved the measure, (CS/SB 1718), in a mostly party line, 83-36 vote on Tuesday and will be in effect on July 1.

The new legislation strengthens employment requirements, bans local governments from contributing money to organizations creating identification cards for undocumented immigrants as we did in our city, bars driver’s licenses issued to non-citizens in other states from use in Florida and repeals a 2014 law that allowed undocumented immigrants to be admitted to practice law in Florida.

bill text

Reasonable relief from Unreasonable regulations

No More Crazy Local Ordinances-New Florida Law Empowers the People

We are always being told about Home Rule by Lake Worth Commissioners.

Getting a building project through a Florida city is often complicated and the project could get killed because of an arbitrary local ordinance that was ridiculous and over-burdensome.

Not anymore, Bill SB 170 (HB 1515) Local Ordinances, sponsored by Republican Representative Robbie Brackett, protects Florida businesses from excessive local government regulations by allowing a court to award attorney fees, costs, and damages for successfully challenging a local ordinance.

SB 170 gives citizens and businesses the tools to challenge local government’s authority. Elected officials in every municipality will scream “home rule” when they catch wind of this new law, but home rule is only as good as those ruling.

According to the majority office, this new law prohibits a county or municipality from enforcing an ordinance subject to challenge. Additionally, local governments must consider the economic impact of proposed ordinances on local businesses by preparing a “business impact estimate” before adopting specific local ordinances.

It also clarifies public notice requirements to allow properly noticed consideration of a proposed ordinance to continue to a subsequent meeting under certain circumstances without further publication, mailing, or posted notice.

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Disney exerting its power

Disney Doubles Down On Controversial Stance!

Disneyland has announced the launch of a new Pride Nite event, which could be in response to the recent battle between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the entertainment giant. The event, which is priced at $139 a ticket, was announced on Twitter shortly after DeSantis threatened to build a state prison next to Walt Disney World and Reedy Creek.

In what seems to be a “doubling down” move, the event, which will be held in June, is open to all members of the LGBT community and their allies and will include a performance by a local LGBT artist, a selection of food and drinks, and a special Disney character meet and greet.

Three bills that will be going to Governor DeSantis from the Florida Republican backed legislation are 1) preventing children from attending drag shows, 2) banning transgender children from receiving puberty blockers  3) and requiring people to use the bathroom that aligns with their sex at birth.

This has nothing to do with "Don't Say Gay."  These bills are common sense and protect the children in Florida. Disney is using all its clout but these bills have nothing to do with anti-gay legislation.

The Walt Disney World territory operated within Florida's Reedy Creek Improvement District for decades, allowing the resort to function as its own municipal government. And back in March, it sruck a utilities deal wshere Disney gets to set its own rates.

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Florida Abortion (Heartbeat) bill signed into Law

Florida Legislature approved a restriction on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy...

a proposal supported by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis as he prepares for an expected presidential run.

DeSantis signed the bill into law. Florida currently prohibits abortions after 15 weeks.

The bill contains some exceptions, including to save the woman's life. Abortions for pregnancies involving rape or incest would be allowed until 15 weeks of pregnancy, provided a woman has documentation such as a restraining order or police report. DeSantis has called the rape and incest provisions sensible.

"Women's health and their personal right to choose is being stolen," said Democrat Rep. Felicia Simone Robinson. "So I ask: Is Florida truly a free state?"

Read about it...

Democrats have been rallying around and supporting the right to kill fetuses, even live babies in the womb who have heartbeats.

Check out this motley crew and click on the "Watch on You Tube"--

LBGTQ Rally in Lake Worth Beach

Palm Beach Post Photo

Trans community, rallying in LW Beach, vows to withstand new laws

About 100 people walked from Compass to the Lake Worth Cultural Plaza during Friday's March for Queer and Trans Youth Autonomy. They carried trans pride flags adorned with pink, blue and white stripes — a design created by Monica Helms, a trans woman, in 1999.

What they are demonstrating about:

Florida's SB 254 would prohibit anyone under age 18 from undergoing transgender sex-reassignment surgeries or taking prescription-based cross-sex hormones to treat gender dysphoria.

"This legislation sends a strong message that Florida is a safe place to raise children. As the father of four young boys, I know that childhood is as special as it is short. Florida parents are worried about the radical, prurient agenda that has become pervasive across most forms of media, specifically targeting young children.

The Palm Beach Post reports as follows and my explanation in red: SB 254 (Granting courts of this state temporary emergency jurisdiction over a child present in this state if the child has been subjected to or is threatened with being subjected to sex-reassignment prescriptions or procedures;) and HB 1421 (gender clinical interventions) enshrine a ban on gender-affirming health care for trans youth into law, including criminal penalties for health care providers who take part in such treatments. The bills also state that a child custody determination can be entered, modified or stayed “to the extent necessary to protect the child from being subjected to gender clinical interventions.”

HB 1069 (revises provisions relating to instruction & materials for specified instruction relating to reproductive health; provides additional requirements for instruction regarding human sexuality; provides district school boards are responsible for materials used in classroom libraries; revises provisions relating to objections of certain materials & process related to such objections; revises school principal, school district & district school board duties & responsibilities relating to certain materials & processes.) and HB 1223 (Requires specified policies relating to person's sex at public K-12 educational institutions; prohibits specified actions relating to use of certain titles & pronouns; & revises requirements for instruction on sexual orientation & gender identity in public schools. referred to Education and Employment Committee) would ban school employees from asking a student for “his or her preferred personal title or pronouns,” and it would prevent school employees from sharing their own pronouns if they don't “correspond to his or her sex.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is also working to ban classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in all grades, elementary through high school. The proposal, which would not require legislative approval, is scheduled for a vote by the State Board of Education.

Florida bill on Sex-Reassignments

A Trans Person Stood Up And Injected Themselves In Front Of Everyone In Order To….

A proposed bill to ban sex changes for minors has been met with fierce backlash from pro-trans activists. Conservative Florida lawmakers are facing harsh criticism from transgender allies, some of whom made extreme and unsettling statements during a hearing in Tallahassee.

One individual, sporting blue hair and horn-rimmed glasses, made a dramatic display by injecting themselves with a hormone-filled syringe. “I was once a trans youth, and now I’m a happy 22-year-old trans adult. This is my healthcare, don’t tread on it,” they declared.

The proposed bill is designed to prevent minors from making irreversible decisions about their bodies before they are fully equipped to do so. It is not about denying anyone’s right to healthcare or wishing harm upon the transgender community.

It seems Democrats are against this bill.

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The bill-SB 254

Liability Protections for Florida Aerospace Industry

Dangerous private space missions could get liability protections for Florida-based launches

• The Florida House advanced a bill to extend liability protections to aerospace companies when crew members are injured or killed in spaceflights.

• The measure is intended to address the growth of the private aerospace industry in Florida, which is now sending commercial crew on private vehicles and assets.

• The bill broadens legal immunities for injuries or deaths resulting from the inherent risks of spaceflight activities and applies to both public and private spaceflight entries.

• A similar bill has been introduced in the Florida Senate, SB 1318.

HB-839 effective July 1, 2023

The Florida Democrat Kill Bill

Lauren Book files ‘Death with Dignity Act’ allowing terminally ill people to self-euthanize

The bill comes less than a month after a Daytona Beach woman shot and killed her terminally ill husband.

Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book is sponsoring legislation to give terminally ill adult residents a way to end their lives gracefully.

Book filed the “Death with Dignity Act,” which would allow Florida residents with terminal conditions to request and receive medication to end their lives in a humane and dignified manner.

“This is extremely sympathetic,” Judge Karen Foxman said at the end of the hearing Friday. “(But) the law in the state of Florida does not allow for a mercy killing.”

It takes a Democrat to continue to push a bill such as this. No terminally ill patient is in his right mind to make a decision such as this, so others will make it for him?

Read about the kill bill