When Florida Republicans promised a bold conservative agenda this Session, Democrats couldn’t help noticing how often policies championed start from lawmakers in the back rows.

Senate Democratic Leader Jason Pizzo of Miami Beach Shores noted in his official response to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ State of the State address that the Governor called for curbing illegal immigration. Yet it was Pizzo who filed the first E-Verify bill for consideration this year.

“While many have talked tough on combating illegal immigration, here we are in 2025, and I — the Democratic Minority Leader — was the first to file the bill requiring E-Verify for all employers, because you are not serious about curbing illegal immigration, if you continue to cower to donors, and not listen to our citizens,” Pizzo said.

Rep. Berny Jacques, a Seminole Republican, later filed another E-Verify bill for all private employers, though that lacks a Republican Senate companion.

Outside DeSantis’ claims of Florida Republicans leading the way on immigration, legislative Democrats said they took note of how many ideas House Speaker Daniel Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton seized on that have been pursued in the past by those in the minority caucus.

Albritton, in a speech focused on agriculture, raised the subject of food insecurity. “I struggle with the fact that kids in Florida are going to bed night after night, hungry,” he said. “We can and will do better than that. Please join me in this important fight.”

Democrats said they have already been engaged in that battle. House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell, a Tampa Democrat, led a letter last year to DeSantis, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and Department of Children and Families Secretary Shevaun Harris calling for the state to participate in the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program.

“We are sure that Florida’s executive branch ultimately shares our Caucus’s belief that bureaucratic barriers, administrative anxiety, or status quo stagnation should not stand in the way of efforts to ensure every Floridian has the freedom to be healthy, prosperous, and safe,” the letter closed.

Meanwhile, the appetite of Republican lawmakers for investigating allegations of insurance companies hiding profits while denying claims, something called for by Perez in his opening day remarks, follows a call already issued by Driskell last month.

“We must hold those responsible to account, including assisting appropriate officials in pursuing criminal prosecutions if warranted,” she wrote in a letter to Perez. “We must be able to marshal all the facts into a comprehensive legislation solution that appropriately balances consumer protections with long term insurer viability. We must make sure this never happens again.”

Pizzo also noted that not only did many of the solutions to problems now championed by Republicans start as Democratic proposals, but the problems themselves arose after decades of Republican control of state government in Florida.

He also expressed frustration that the Legislature has instead chased a series of right-wing buzzwords talked up as problems.

“I have never pushed to install, or even expand, CRT, ESG, DEI, or ‘Wokeism.’ For none of these lower your property insurance, your rent, nor will they result in your kids’ GPAs getting higher or their test scores,” he said. “And like many of you, I’ve wondered how, with more than 30 years of majority control in the Legislature and executive branches, how any of these issues were so insidious, that they festered into such an instant concern.”

That criticism comes as Pizzo considers his own run for Governor in 2026.

But for now, he said he hopes Republicans speak in earnest about tackling critical issues of the day.

“Many of my Democratic colleagues have filed bills that addressed housing cost concerns, economy, jobs, and education. I look forward for those to be agendaed and to be heard by our colleagues in a nonpartisan, productive fashion,” he said.

“And against all evidence to the contrary, I hold out faith and hope in the decency of our members, and the vast power we hold — that their call to service, once rooted in amplifying the voices of struggling families, the hopes of small businesses, the need to invest in community resiliency, to leave our sons and daughters an environment better off then we found it, will ring louder than the disruptive and divisive whispers of special interests.”

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“I think he’s going to figure out, you do more, and I’ll meet you in the middle in some way,” Lutnick told Fox Business Network, remarks that caused the stock market to pare its losses on the day.

But in his joint address to Congress on Tuesday night, Trump seemed intent on pushing forward with tariffs.

The U.S. president tried to play down the possible economic harm as “a little disturbance,” as the administration has suggested that the estimates of higher inflation and slower growth in most outside economic forecasts are overblown.

“It may be a little bit of an adjustment period,” he said after claiming that farmers would benefit from reciprocal tariffs on countries that have tariffs on U.S. exports. “You have to bear with me again and this will be even better.”

Trump also said in his speech that he spoke on Tuesday with “all three, the top people” at the major U.S. automakers and “they’re so excited.” The big three automakers are General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, the parent company of Chrysler and Jeep. The domestic auto sector would be especially vulnerable to tariffs as it depends on Mexico and Canada as part of its supply chain.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford told the AP the auto sector in the U.S. and Canada will last approximately 10 days before they start shutting down the assembly lines in the U.S. and in Ontario.

“People are going to lose their jobs,” he said.

Trudeau said on Tuesday that his country would plaster tariffs on over $100 billion (U.S. dollars) of American goods over the course of 21 days, stressing that the United States had abandoned a long-standing friendship.

“Today, the United States launched a trade war against Canada, their closest partner and ally, their closest friend. At the same time, they are talking about working positively with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin, a lying, murderous dictator. Make that make sense,” Trudeau said on Tuesday.

Mexico indicated it would announce its own countermeasures on Sunday.

Beijing responded with tariffs of up to 15% on a wide array of U.S. farm exports. It also expanded the number of U.S. companies subject to export controls and other restrictions by about two dozen.

“If war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end,” China’s embassy to the United States posted on X on Tuesday night.

In response to China, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” that the United States is “prepared” for war against the world’s second largest economy.

“Those who long for peace must prepare for war,” Hegseth said Wednesday morning. “If we want to deter war with the Chinese or others, we have to be strong.”

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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.

Panelists from the Florida hemp industry, or business executives who interact with it, offered insight Wednesday during a meeting of the Combined Workgroup on Hemp on how best to protect consumers while also creating a level playing field at all levels of the industry, from seed to buyer. 

The group included farm owners, retailers and beverage industry executives, and each offered varying words of caution — from too much self-regulation of crops to kids being able to get their hands on potentially dangers products containing THC. 

House Speaker Daniel Perez established the workgroup to discuss possible hemp regulation after a bill that cleared the Legislature last year was vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis citing concerns that it may hinder small businesses who operate within or adjacent to the hemp industry. 

Jammie Treadwell, who owns Treadwell Farms in Umatilla, praised existing regulations in Florida she says go beyond what some states have in place, particularly on consumer safety and testing requirements. But she found arsenic in one of her farm’s crops, believed to be leftover from soil on the land that was previously used for citrus. As a bioaccumulator, hemp crops can pull even trace elements of various chemicals from the soil. Treadwell said they destroyed the crop, “which was hurtful for us, but it was the right thing to do,” and added that it was a matter of self-regulation and not prompted by existing laws. 

Randy Rembert, who runs Rembert Family Farms, echoed similar concerns, but added that it is possible for underage consumers to purchase hemp products. While it’s unlikely, he said younger users are sometimes able to acquire hemp products online, sometimes using social media to confirm legal age even if that’s not accurate. Rembert Family Farms sell a variety of hemp products, including gummies and lollipops that may be enticing to kids. 

He said existing regulations are adequate, and his company verifies in-person sales by checking a buyer’s ID. For online sales, he said the company uses social media to verify age, and declines the sale if they are unable to verify legal age. 

“We’re going to vet you properly to make sure, and also you’re going to have to have a credit card processed. Now also, with our processing, it’s mostly PayPal, and with PayPal you have to have a credit card and you have to be verified through PayPal,” Rembert said.

JD McCormick, a hemp retailer and president of the Florida Healthy Alternatives Association, told members of the workgroup that he supports regulation, noting that after the federal 2018 Farm Bill paved the way for legal hemp cultivation and sales, “it was safe to invest in Florida.” But now he says the “pendulum may have swung too far” in the other direction. 

He pointed to figures from a meeting of the same workgroup on Tuesday in which the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) told members there were only two acres of hemp cultivated last year, despite more than 14,000 acres licensed. “More certainty would allow them to grow” on those unused acres, he argued. 

During Wednesday’s meeting, FDACS Director of Food Safety Matthew Curran clarified the disparity between acreage licensed to grow hemp and the number of acres that actually harvest, noting that just because a business is licensed to grow hemp, doesn’t mean it will. His clarification seemed to support McCormick’s point that a lot of land is available for growth, but isn’t being used. 

He said any regulatory framework should ensure small businesses benefit, while also ensuring products stay out of kids’ hands. 

“No industry is perfect,” he said, “but please don’t let the perfect be the enemy of good.”

And David Bear, CEO of the Lewis Bear Company beverage distributor, offered another suggestion — regulating hemp similarly to beer, which operate under a long-standing three tier system that separates those who make the beer, those who transport it and those who sell it. 

“It was designed to prevent conflicts of interest (and) ensure product integrity,” Bear said, adding that “it has proven effective and should serve as a foundation” for hemp regulation. 

Like others from the industry, he agreed that hemp products can be “intoxicating and should be regulated as such.” 

What he doesn’t want is “a patchwork of rules,” noting as other industry leaders did that certainty is needed for small businesses to thrive. 

Bear also suggested lawmakers consider imposing an excise tax on hemp beverages, much like what is done with alcholic beverages. 

Chas Bailes III, the CEO of ABC Fine Wine and Spirits, spoke from the perspective of retailers. His stores sell THC, delta-9 containing beverages derived from hemp. But his company is largely self-regulating. Internally, the company imposed a policy limiting sales of hemp beverages to 10mg per serving of THC. ABC only began selling THC beverages about six months ago, and since has seen an increase in demand, Bailes said. But he said the age demographic most often purchasing those products are older adults around 45 to 50 or older. 

Lawmakers were briefly able to ask questions, or offer comments about their concerns about the hemp industry. Rep. Mike Giallombardo expressed concern about how much product is coming into Florida from out of state or country. George Fernandez, the CEO of Modern Canna Laboratories, confirmed that most of the products his company has tested are coming from out of state. 

That transport offers another challenge, as Giallombardo noted. Hemp products, he said, have been found to increase in potentcy after they’ve been tested, meaning consumers may be getting a stronger product than what labeling would suggest. 

But McCormick said the average hemp product is tested four times before it reaches the consumer, suggesting any alteration in potency would be caught through that process. 

The workgroup began meeting on March 3, and was scheduled to meet for seven days to hear from experts, regulators and industry leaders. The group will not consider legislation, and it is not hearing testimony from the public. Once the meetings have concluded, the group, with its 24 members, will be tasked with identifying any additional information or resources needed to make legislative decisions on the issue. 

Legislation, meanwhile, is already pending.

Democratic Sen. Tracie Davis is carrying this year’s version of hemp legislation (SB 1030) in the upper chamber. Democrat-turned-Republican Rep. Hillary Cassel filed its House analog (HB 601). Neither have yet had a hearing. 

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Florida Politics reporter Jesse Scheckner contributed to this report.

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