Nigel Farage, a staunch Donald Trump supporter and an architect of the Brexit movement that saw the United Kingdom leave the European Union in 2020, is returning next month to the Sunshine State.

He’s set to headline the Republican Party of Florida’s Disruptors Dinner in Tallahassee, a soiree celebrating efforts to upend the status quo and the GOP’s smashing electoral and legislative successes.

“I’m so incredibly excited to be joining the Republican Party of Florida for the Disruptors Dinner,” Farage said in a statement. “President Trump’s decisive win and return to the White House inspires us all to continue the fight for freedom globally. I’m looking forward to being back in the Free State of Florida to celebrate with all of you.”

Farage, a British Member of Parliament and leader of Reform U.K. — formerly called the Brexit Party — is renowned for his populist, anti-establishment rhetoric and the prominent role he played in successfully advocating for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union.

From 1999 to 2020 as part of the European Parliament, he was a frequent critic of the European Union, which the United Kingdom left shortly before he departed from the European Parliament.

A past political commentator and talk show host, Farage is a dependable defender of sovereignty, restrictive immigration policies and national conservatism.

He’s the highest-profile British supporter of Trump, whom he’s described as the “most resilient and brave person” he’d ever met. When Trump was found guilty last May on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to commit election fraud, Farage doubled down on his support, saying he backed Trump “more than ever.”

“It’s outstanding to have Nigel Farage, the original bad boy of Brexit, coming to Florida,” Republican Party of Florida Executive Director Bill Helmich told Florida Politics. “We look forward to him sharing what he’s trying to do with the Reform party in England and his vision, which is similar to President Trump’s, for moving the world forward.”

Helmich said several other notable guests who qualify as disruptors will be announced soon.

“Like President Trump, we’re disrupting,” Helmich said. “We’re shaking up the system, breaking up the longstanding bureaucracies.”

The RPOF Disruptors Dinner is March 20 at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center at Florida State University.

A VIP reception starts at 6 p.m. General admission is at 6:30 p.m. The Program starts at 7 p.m.

Tickets cost is $450 per seat. There are also several sponsorship options with various perks. The lowest is a $2,500 “Roosevelt Sponsor” tier, which offers sponsor recognition on marketing materials and VIP access for two. The highest is the $25,000 “Trump Sponsor” tier, which bestows for 10 people those other amenities, plus additional signage provisions and individual photos with Farage.

For more information, email [email protected].

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Florida’s government is one step closer to guiding the process when it comes to the future Donald Trump Presidential Library.

The Senate passed Senate President Pro Tempore Jason Brodeur’s measure (SB 118) that would preempt local governments and cede control to Tallahassee.

“As the home of the 45th and 47th President of the United States, there is a high likelihood that President Trump will select Florida to be the site of his presidential library,” Brodeur said. “In anticipation of Florida’s first presidential library, we should roll out the welcome mat and offer our President maximum flexibility to construct this historic landmark in Florida.”

The eventual library is expected to be in South Florida, near where the Trump family makes its base. The Associated Press says Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University are among the sites being explored for construction.

Senate President Ben Albritton hailed the passage of the legislation.

“Florida is proud to be the home state of President Donald Trump, and we would be honored to welcome our state’s first presidential library in celebration of President Trump’s historic tenure. The Florida Senate stands with President Trump and is committed to protecting his legacy as the first Floridian in the White House.”

NBC’s Matt Dixon reports that Eric Trump and Steve Witkoff have scouted out potential sites, and Trump has met with Gov. Ron DeSantis to discuss the project.

Pensacola Republican Rep. Alex Andrade’s bill (HB 69) has cleared all House committees. It is likely the House takes up the Senate version as soon as the next floor session.

The bill reserves to the state “all regulatory authority over the establishment, maintenance, activities, and operations of presidential libraries.” It blocks “counties, municipalities, or other political subdivisions from enacting or enforcing any ordinance, resolution, rule, or other measure regarding presidential libraries unless authorized by federal law.”

Central to the legislative premise is the idea that such libraries are “unique national institutions designated to house, preserve, and make accessible the records of former presidents.”

The bill uses the definition of a presidential library adopted federally in 1986 by an act of Congress when Ronald Reagan was the chief executive, encompassing “research facilities and museum facilities,” and enshrining them as part of the National Archives system.

The federal legislation actually applied to Presidents after Reagan, such as George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, as it took effect for Presidents inaugurated for their first terms after 1985, which was when Reagan’s second and final term as President began.

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A House panel has advanced a bill reversing a 2023 law over later middle and high school start times.

Democrats chided Republicans for needing the do-over just two years after the original law.

“This is not an I-told-you-so moment,” said Democratic Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis before House Education Administration Subcommittee’s 16-0 vote for HB 261. “This is a great bill, but I really think we need to listen to the people that know best because we wouldn’t have to be here, kind of fixing what we did.”

The 2023 legislation required public middle schools to start by 8 a.m. and high schools to begin by 8:30 a.m. starting July 1, 2026.

However, with the deadline approaching, school leaders warned that they face huge busing costs with the new schedule mandated by Tallahassee and not enough bus drivers. Davis, an Orlando Democrat, warned that her district could get hit with a $4 million expense, for instance.

Having middle and high schools start later could force some elementary students to start school earlier and also affect parents’ work schedules if they rely on older children to watch the younger ones.

Lawmakers originally supported the 2023 legislation to help middle and high school students get more sleep.

“We all understand the science, and the science makes sense, but this is a logistical nightmare,” said Rep. Jeff Holcomb, a Spring Hill Republican, during Wednesday’s debate. “At the end of the day, are we going to send our elementary school students to school at 7 a.m.? There really isn’t a good answer at all to that other than kind of going back to the status quo. We’re listening to our School Boards. We’re listening to our parents.”

The Orange County and Manatee County School Districts and the Greater Florida Consortium of School Boards were among the groups supporting the bill at Wednesday’s hearing.

Rep. Anne Gerwig, who sponsored the bill, had a solution to fix the problem.

“I would suggest, as a parent, that kids could get more sleep if they went to bed earlier,” said the Wellington Republican.

Gerwig’s bill says Florida schools are in compliance with the law if they submit a report to the state that give the start times of schools and the financial impact of later start times, as well as “documentation of strategies the school district considered to implement a later school start time for middle schools and high schools within the school district, including the number of board meetings and public hearings held to discuss the strategies and any parent input the school district received.”

The Senate companion (SB 296) sponsored by Sen. Jennifer Bradley cleared two committee stops already and is scheduled to be brought up Thursday morning at the Fiscal Policy Committee.

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