Politics

Disability awareness could become part of Florida’s school curriculum

Published

5 days ago

February 15, 2025

Florida school students could be given instruction on disabilities as part of their curriculum if a new bill intended to raise awareness is passed in the upcoming Legislative Session.

The bill (SB 540) was filed by Tampa Republican Sen. Jay Collins and is titled the “Evin B. Hartsell Act.” The bill aims to amend current legislation to require, rather than authorize, disability history and awareness instruction to students in public K-12 schools.

If passed, the bill would mandate a specific two-week period each year during which students would receive intensive instruction to expand their knowledge, understanding, and awareness of individuals with disabilities, the history of disability, and the disability rights movement.

Students would receive specific instruction on several topics relating to disabilities through the course of each grade. District school boards would be authorized to consult with the Evin B. Hartsell Foundation to help with the development of the curriculum.

Disability history could include the events, timelines, development, and evolution of services, the civil rights of individuals with disabilities, the contributions of specific individuals with disabilities, and contributions made by national leaders.

Instruction for grades K-3 would include conversations around bullying — including what a student should do if they are being bullied, what they should do if they witness someone else being bullied, and what bullying looks like and its different types. Instruction could also incorporate the school’s own anti-bullying policy.

Activities teaching about physical disabilities would also be in the instruction for K-3, including having students try to complete tasks using only one hand, taking turns using a wheelchair, or having students’ complete tasks while blindfolded with other students acting as their guides.

Grades 4-6 would have instruction focused on learning about autism spectrum disorder, which would include activities that require students to communicate to each other without speaking.

Students in grades 7-9 would be provided information on hearing impairment and what life is like for a person living with such a disability. Reading each other’s lips, attempting to listen to a teacher while loud music is playing, or wearing ear plugs could be included in teaching activities.

For high school students in grades 10-12, instruction would include the different types of learning and intellectual disabilities — with learning activities that demonstrate what life is like living with a learning or intellectual disability, including having students attempt to read sentences backwards.

If passed, the act would take effect July 1.

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Politics

Donald Trump loyalist Kash Patel is confirmed as FBI director by the Senate despite deep Democratic doubts

Published

9 minutes ago

February 20, 2025

May Greene

‘The politicalization of our justice system has eroded public trust — but that ends today.’

The Senate on Thursday narrowly voted to confirm Kash Patel as director of the FBI, moving to place him atop the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency despite doubts from Democrats about his qualifications and concerns he will do Donald Trump’s bidding and go after the Republican president’s adversaries.

“I cannot imagine a worse choice,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told colleagues before the 51-49 vote by the GOP-controlled Senate. Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were the lone Republican holdouts.

A Trump loyalist who has fiercely criticized the agency he will now lead, Patel will inherit an FBI gripped by turmoil as the Justice Department over the past month has forced out a group of senior bureau officials and made a highly unusual demand for the names of thousands of agents who participated in investigations related to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Patel has spoken of his desire to implement major changes at the FBI, including a reduced footprint in Washington and a renewed emphasis on the bureau’s traditional crime-fighting duties rather than the intelligence-gathering work that has come to define its mandate over the past two decades as national security threats have proliferated.

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Politics

Last Call for 2.20.25 – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida

Published

40 minutes ago

February 20, 2025

May Greene

Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.

First Shot

Florida’s Governor is one of several new faces on the presidentially appointed Council of Governors.

President Donald Trump announced that Gov. Ron DeSantis is part of a wave of picks to the “bipartisan group of state leaders tasked with strengthening state-federal partnerships on key national security, disaster response, and military coordination issues.”

Trump also appointed Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and North Carolina Democrat Gov. Josh Stein as Co-Chairs.

Republican Governors Brian Kemp of Georgia, Jeff Landry of Louisiana, and Henry McMaster of South Carolina are among the new regular members.

Additionally, Trump empaneled Democratic Govs. Kathy Hochul of New York, Wes Moore of Maryland, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan.

DeSantis will be in Washington, D.C., on Friday, where he has said that he intends to press the Trump administration on a variety of issues. These include the Atlantic red snapper season, relocating NASA to Florida, federal block grant funding of Everglades restoration projects, changing guidelines for college accreditation and importing pharmaceuticals from Canada.

Read more on Florida Politics.

Evening Reads

—”This is what happens when the DOGE guys take over” via Michael Scherer, Ashley Parker, Matteo Wong, and Shane Harris of The Atlantic

—“Donald Trump comes close to the red line of openly defying judges, experts say” via Justin Jouvenal, Leo Sands and Ann E. Marimow of The Washington Post

—”Emergency food, TB tests and HIV drugs: Vital health aid remains frozen despite court ruling” via Stephanie Nolen of The New York Times

—”Trump banned gender-affirming care for teens. now, these families are in chaos” via Alex Morris of Rolling Stone

—”‘He could have been the king’: Gov. Ron DeSantis praises George Washington’s restraint while unveiling statue” via Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics

—“Trump taps DeSantis for bipartisan Council of Governors” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics

—“In Trump’s DC, K Street clamors for Florida-linked lobbyists” via POLITICO

—”Florida sues Target for ‘leftist agenda that sexualized children,’ harm to retirement fund” via Jeffrey Schweers of the Orlando Sentinel

—”One state’s flawed, desperate new plan to fix its egg shortage” via Kenny Torrella of Vox

—”USF outlines plans for upcoming presidential search” via Ian Hodgson of the Tampa Bay Times

Quote of the Day

“He could have been the king of the United States of America if he wanted to do it.”

— Ron DeSantis, revealing a new bronze George Washington statue in the State Capitol Rotunda.

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Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

MLS Season kicks off Saturday

MLS Season kicks off on Saturday. Inter Miami hosts NYCFC while Orlando City hosts Philadelphia

The regular season kicks off in Major League Soccer on Saturday when Inter Miami hosts NYCFC (7:30 p.m. ET, Apple TV+) and Orlando City hosts the Philadelphia Union (7:30 p.m. ET, Apple TV+).

This is the 30th season of the league.

Inter Miami finished last season with the best record in MLS and qualified for round one of the 2025 League Cup and CONCACAF Champions Cup. However, the postseason did not go well for Inter Miami, as they lost in round one to Atlanta United in a best-of-three series.

Two Inter Miami stars scored 20 goals, tied for second-best in the league. Both Lionel Messi and Louis Suarez each scored a hat trick during the season as part of their 20-goal years. Messi also added 16 assists, tied for third-best in the league. Both are back with the club for the 2025 season.

Miami’s opening match opponent, NYFCF, finished seventh place in the Eastern Conference last season.

Orlando finished in fourth place in the Eastern Conference in 2024 and beat Atlanta United in the conference semifinals before being eliminated by the New York Red Bulls in the finals. Facundo Torres scored 20 goals to become the all-time leading goal scorer in club history with 47 goals.

Philadelphia missed the playoffs last season, finishing with nine wins in 34 matches.

The regular season runs until Oct. 18, with the playoffs to follow.

___

Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson, with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.

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Politics

Prominent South Florida lobbyist pleads guilty to tax evasion

Published

1 hour ago

February 20, 2025

May Greene

Eston “Dusty” Melton III, who distinguished himself across a four-decade career as one of South Florida’s most influential government relations specialists, may soon see prison time for skirting the IRS.

He just pleaded guilty to tax evasion. The U.S. Department of Justice said Melton, 70, failed to pay more than $1.3 million in taxes between 2005 and 2014. By 2019, interest and penalties from that debt grew to about $1.7 million.

Melton also lied to IRS agents “in multiple ways,” the agency said, when they confronted him.

He initially pleaded not guilty to the charge, but told the Miami Herald last month that he planned to switch to a guilty plea. He said he’d repaid more than half the back taxes he owed since selling his Coconut Grove home in April 2018.

Melton expressed remorse when speaking with the Herald, saying he had “no excuse for failing to take (his) tax obligation as seriously as (he) should have.”

“It is not in my nature to cheat the federal government, to cheat anyone,” he said. “I am absolutely mortified that I did so.”

Melton’s plea agreement could see him serve two to three years in prison. A sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg is set for May 16 at 11 a.m.

A prominent and longtime lobbying figure at Miami-Dade County Hall, Melton evaded IRS efforts to collect taxes in six ways, the Department of Justice said, including:

— Dissuading the IRS from seizing his home. Melton told agents he was trying to sell the property himself, but “then undermined his realtor’s efforts to make the sale.”

— Withdrawing $67,000 in cash from his lobbying business, Global Projects Inc., and giving it to his wife, Mabelys, to deposit in her account.

— Having Mabelys open an ostensibly competing lobbying firm called Gryphon Partners to which Global Projects transferred clients. Melton continued to perform all the clients’ lobbying duties but reported almost no income after 2019, instead directing payments to his family members.

— Having Mabelys buy a new home in West Palm Beach, where she directed the closing agent not to include Melton on the deed because she “was buying the home with her own money. In fact,” prosecutors said, “approximately two-thirds of the cash to close was proceeds of Melton’s lobbying work at Global Projects and Gryphon Partners.”

— Having no checking account after December 2018.

— Transferring the titles of two cars and four life insurance policies valued at $51,000 to Mabelys.

According to the Miami Herald, Melton worked as a journalist for the paper before taking a job in 1982 with Steve Ross, a major county lobbyist. Melton acquired Ross’ business after his death in 1995, when he registered Global Projects with the Florida Division of Corporations.

County records show his current clients include Avmed, Delta Dental Insurance, Farm Share, His House, Miami Children’s Museum, the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind, University of Miami and Super Yellow Cab, among others.

In 2005, he stopped paying taxes for 10 straight years. He told the Herald he did it to “put my family obligations first, as a father and a husband.” His expenses also included alimony to an ex-wife, child support and college tuition costs for three kids and an adopted son whose legal fees he also covered in a 2016 drug smuggling case.

Melton told the Herald he made annual tax payments based on 30% of his income between 2014 and 2023. He said about 41% of the $1.36 million he got from selling his home in 2018 went to the IRS as well.

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