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Amber Mariano Davis heads to D.C. for education adviser post under Donald Trump

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Amber Mariano Davis, who became the youngest person ever elected to the Florida Legislature in 2016, will now help craft federal education policies under President Donald Trump.

Mariano Davis, 29, was sworn in Monday as an appointed policy adviser at the U.S. Department of Education.

She previously worked as Director of State Government Affairs at Code.org, an education technology nonprofit headquartered in Seattle.

Mariano Davis announced the move Thursday on LinkedIn. She said she was “honored” to take the job.

“I am so excited to help President Trump implement his America First agenda,” she told Florida Politics by text.

The daughter of Pasco County Commission Vice Chair Jack Mariano, Mariano Davis was still a student at the University of Central Florida (UFC) when she upset Democratic incumbent Amber Murphy for the House District 36 seat in 2016.

Trump took the district by 21 percentage points that year, leading some to attribute Mariano Davis’ narrow victory to a “Trump tsunami.”

But Mariano Davis’ prioritization of higher education issues, like allowing Bright Futures scholarship money to be used for Summer classes, continued to resonate with voters. She won re-election by massive margins in 2018 and 2020 before opting not to run for a fourth and final term two years later.

Mariano Davis discussed her 2016 run in a Cosmopolitan article titled, “I Got Rejected from Harvard. Then I Won a State Election.” Its opening sentence reads, “I’d always said I wanted to be President — I still do.” She also recalled how members of her opponent’s team mocked her age at polling sites, calling her “little girl.”

Her Democratic opponent in 2018, Linda Jack, offered a similar critique, describing Mariano Davis as “too young to have this job” in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times. Mariano Davis trounced her by 16 points.

That year, Mariano Davis was one of two civilian greeters — along with then-Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, Trump’s current pick for U.S. Attorney General — invited to meet Trump and Air Force One ahead of a rally he held in Tampa that July.

Bills Mariano Davis sponsored include legislation to reduce financial burdens on students, require state colleges and universities to switch accreditation agencies between cycles, improve data-tracking in opioid litigation and expedite fire system repairs.

She also carried measures to allow nursing home plaintiffs to keep all lawsuit awards and boost funds for waste-to-energy facilities. One of her more talked-about efforts, aimed at dissolving Port Richey in the wake of multiple City Hall scandals, ended when she withdrew the proposal.

Notably, she voted against the Parental Rights in Education law, which detractors called “Don’t Say Gay,” criticizing the bill’s vague language as potentially obstructive to classroom discussion on sex, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Legislation lawmakers passed in 2023, after Mariano Davis left the Legislature, expanded the bill’s restrictions on LGBTQ-inclusive topics to all grade levels, but specified the strictures applied to classroom instruction rather than discussion.

Mariano Davis received a bachelor’s degree in political science from UCF, then earned a master’s degree in political science and government from the University of West Florida.

She is married to accountant-turned-lawyer Scott Davis. The couple welcomed a baby boy in July 2023.

Mariano Davis, a Pensacola resident, is listed as Chair of Protecting Florida’ Future, a state-level political committee that last year donated $12,500 to the Republican Party of Palm Beach County. It also gave $14,000 to the Citizens Alliance for Florida’s Economy, a political committee run by her old campaign consultant, Anthony Pedicini.

She said she’ll be moving to Washington, D.C., for the new job.


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Disney World’s government settles ride evacuation injury lawsuit for $50K

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Walt Disney World’s government has settled a lawsuit after a boy was injured during a ride evacuation in 2021 at the Magic Kingdom, records show.

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District agreed to pay the boy’s grandfather, Richard McNamara, $50,000 and did not admit any liability for the incident, according to the terms of settlement. Both sides agreed to pay their own legal expenses.

CFTOD, formerly known as Reedy Creek Improvement District, released the settlement this week following a Florida Politics records request made late last year.

The boy, originally from Alabama, had gone through a lot in his 12 years before he came to Orlando on vacation in March 2021.

His teenager brother shot and killed their father before shooting the boy, paralyzing him from the waist down, according to media reports.

An organization that helps children in need provided the boy with a trip to Disney World.

It was on that vacation when the boy rode the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, a popular roller coaster based on “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” when the coaster broke down.

“When the first responders attempted to lift (the boy) to remove him from the ride, they over-extended his leg, snapping his right femur at the knee,” the lawsuit said.

The family sued in 2022 for a claim of more than $100,000.

The lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed last year after the two sides reached a settlement.

McNamara’s attorney, the boy’s attorney and CFTOD either declined to comment or did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

At the time, Disney did not disclose the boy’s injury on the state theme park injury report released every quarter by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Theme parks face little regulation when it comes to disclosing juries to the public. Theme parks are only required to disclose injuries if people are hurt on a ride and require at least 24-hours of hospitalization.


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Scott Franklin to head House Environment Subcommittee

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Another Florida lawmaker will have a gavel for one of the U.S. House science subcommittees

U.S. Rep. Scott Franklin, a Lakeland Republican, will chair the House Environment Subcommittee.

House Science, Space and Technology Committee Chair Brian Babin, a Texas Republican, picked the Florida lawmaker for his expertise in the fields and the role the subcommittee would play on policy affecting the Sunshine State.

“I’m excited about our SST Committee assignments for this Congress,” Babin said. “The valuable expertise and diverse backgrounds that each member brings will be instrumental in strengthening U.S. leadership and competitiveness in science, space, and technology. We have a full agenda ahead that will prioritize advancing critical scientific research, fostering technological innovation, leading the world in space exploration, addressing regulatory burdens across industries, and more. Through our shared efforts, I am confident we can achieve our objectives and drive meaningful progress in our scientific endeavors. Let’s get to work!”

Franklin said he was enthusiastic about the assignment.

“I’m eager to tackle environmental research related to weather forecasting and ensuring disaster readiness,” Franklin said. “I thank Chairman Babin for this opportunity and look forward to advancing America First policy priorities to remain at the forefront of innovation and boost job growth.”

Babin praised Franklin’s conservative record on business issues.

“I’m confident Congressman Franklin will provide strong leadership for our Environment Subcommittee this Congress,” Babin said. “He has been a steadfast advocate against burdensome government regulations that stifle innovation and fail to address states’ needs. His perspective will be critical as we consider key weather legislation in the months ahead. I look forward to working with him to advance commonsense environmental policies and legislation.”

The same day, Babin assigned Rep. Mike Haridopolos, an Indian Harbor Beach Republican, to head the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommitee.

“Since the earliest days of our space program, Florida’s Space Coast has been the launchpad for America’s journey to the stars,” Haridopolos said. “From the Apollo missions that first carried Americans to the Moon to today’s groundbreaking private sector launches, our skies have always been at the forefront of space exploration. Space is central to our district’s identity and economy, providing countless high-paying jobs and opportunities.”

He praised Haridopolos’ knowledge of the Space Program.

“Over the past several years, the SST Committee has diligently worked to support and advance our nation’s space endeavors,” Babin said. “As the representative of Florida’s Space Coast, the Congressman brings valuable expertise and leadership that will undoubtedly enhance our efforts to keep America at the forefront of exploration and development. I am excited to work alongside him to propel our space agenda forward.”


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Disney plans to convert Star Wars hotel into Imagineers’ offices

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It’s going to be an office far, far, away.

Disney World is converting the shuttered Star Wars hotel into office space for the famous Imagineers who will be designing new lands and projects at the theme parks.

The hotel’s update was reported by The Wrap and confirmed by other media outlets.

Disney closed the hotel September 2023 less than two years after it opened. The company had said it took a $300 million tax write off for shutting down the hotel after it reportedly had low occupancy.

At the hotel near Hollywood Studios, guests who were willing to pay nearly $5,000 for a two-night stay could pretend to be in their own Star Wars story at the hotel. Lightsabers included.

“Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is one of our most creative projects ever and has been praised by our guests and recognized for setting a new bar for innovation and immersive entertainment. This premium, boutique experience gave us the opportunity to try new things on a smaller scale of 100 rooms,” Disney said in a statement when it announced it was closing.

Why did it fail?

YouTuber Jenny Nicholson explained the list of reasons in a four-hour video called “The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel” which captured 11 million views. The cost, the marketing, and not fully embracing the cosplay concept all likely hurt the hotel, she said.

The Wrap reported Disney had been considering using the empty hotel for a dinner theater-type experience but Disney ultimately settled on keeping the space closed to the public.

The Imagineers’ new office space comes as Disney World is starting a major expansion across several of its Orlando theme parks. Disney plans to build a Villains land and add “Cars” attractions at the Magic Kingdom as well as “Encanto” and Indiana Jones to Disney’s Animal Kingdom and “A Monsters, Inc.” land at Hollywood Studios. Disney is closing several longtime attractions in the process.


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