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Johanna López wants to make sure violence victims aren’t evicted

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A newly proposed measure would provide victims of violence and stalking additional protection and increased safeguards if passed.

Orlando Democrat Rep. Johanna López filed the bill (HB 619), which aims to protect tenants from having their rental agreements terminated after being victimized in incidents related to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual violence or stalking.

Landlords would be prohibited from ending tenancy agreements if their tenants or the tenant’s minor child are victims of actual or threatened violence or stalking and are not perpetrators, to ensure that victims have a secure and stable place to live.

Furthermore, a rental agreement would be prohibited from containing any provisions that penalize the tenant for terminating the agreement due to these factors. Victims would be able to terminate their agreements with landlords without penalty when they provide written notice and any other required documentation.

This would include verification that the tenant or their child is the victim of domestic, dating or sexual violence, such as a protection order, a copy of a no-contact order, a law enforcement report or a criminal conviction of an individual charged with crimes relating to violence committed against the tenant or the tenant’s child.

All information provided to the landlord from the tenant about their situation and their victim status would be required to be kept confidential, including the tenant’s forwarding address if they leave. Also under these circumstances, tenants would not forfeit any money deposits or advanced payments of rent.

Landlords would be required to change the locks when it is requested by the tenant. If the landlord fails to change the locks within 24 hours of receiving the request, the tenant would be allowed to change the locks on their own if they first notify their landlord of their intentions and provide them with a key to the premises.

Tenants who have rental agreements terminated would be able to file a civil action against a landlord for violations, of which the landlord could be liable for damages and court costs, while the bill notes provisions within the legislation cannot be waived or modified by a rental agreement.

If passed, the bill would come into effect July 1.


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Fly to live, live to fly — Aces High in Florida

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January 2025 in Tallahassee was an anomaly. Ice coated the streets, snow blanketed the town, businesses shuttered, and drivers seemed even less competent than usual (a truly impressive feat). Our community collectively experienced the “Blizzard of 2025.”

At the end of that week, I was invited to tour the snow-covered region from a unique perspective — above.

North Florida is covered in snow. Image via Blake Dowling.

Whether it’s the Nazca Lines in Peru or the Quincy airport, everything looks different from above. Aerial views possess a certain magic. I’ve always been captivated by flying. As a kid, I practically lived at the Atlanta airport and on planes. My dad lived in Texas, my mom in Alabama, and by age eight, they were letting me fly alone. Back and forth I went, racking up enough miles for a Delta frequent flyer card by age 10.

Stormy Dowling, aka Dad, at an airfield in Dallas, Texas, ready to rumble in 1967. Image via Blake Dowling.

I loved the airport — newsstands, hot dogs, the general buzz. And the takeoff from Atlanta and the final descent into Houston at night? To my 1980s self, those were some of the best views on the planet.

Ideally, these views were paired with my Walkman blasting Iron Maiden’s “Aces High” for takeoff (a song about the Royal Air Force in the WW2 Battle of Britain) and Pink Floyd for landing.

Indeed, everyone had their takeoff and landing anthems growing up.

Quincy airport covered in snow. Image via Blake Dowling.

My father was also a pilot, flying a Cessna 172 and a PA 28 in the 1960s and 1970s. He used to joke about simply following the interstate when his instruments weren’t cooperating. It’s mind-blowing how far aviation technology has come. Within my lifetime, we’ve gone from virtually no computer components to completely integrated, high-tech tools (altitude pun intended!).

The pilot who invited me on the aerial tour of the post-blizzard landscape was Jason Gonzalez, elite attorney at Lawson Huck Gonzalez, PLLC, and pilot extraordinaire. We flew in his Cirrus SR22, an aircraft equipped with cutting-edge apps and tools and a Starlink connection for catching the Florida Gators’ epic basketball season run.

Jason uses ForeFlight – General Aviation, an app suite with excellent tools I witnessed firsthand as we traversed the region. They also made a tool for military aviators called the Military Flight Bag. Several other impressive companies in the aviation space are based here in Florida, including Aviation Mobile Apps, which develops apps for both the flight industry and the Department of Defense. Based in Cape Canaveral, they offer a suite of apps for pre-flight planning, weather analysis, apreflightother functions (What We Do — Aviation Mobile Apps, LLC).

I asked Jason about the ForeFlight app to better understand its capabilities.

“Using the ForeFlight App on my iPhone, I can create and file a flight plan in about 20 seconds as I pull up to the airport. By the time I get on the plane minutes later, air traffic control will have already sent me an email approving the flight plan, which I then upload to the plane via Bluetooth. The autopilot flies the plane along the fligAutopilotIt’s basically an autonomous vehicle.”

Wheels up, picture by Blake Dowling, hair styling by Vidal Sassoon.

According to the Robb Report, Florida boasts over 14,000 privately owned aircraft. Like elections and college football, Florida reigns supreme in this area (along with Texas and California). The great weather and abundance of airports are likely major contributing factors. Florida also offers over 140 airports ready for use.

Here in Tallahassee, the aviation company Flightline was founded in 1982 and provides services and sales of planes for the general aviation community. They sell and service Piper and Kodiak planes.

Dad says saddle up, thumbs up, clear for takeoff, also at a thumbs-uprfield in 1967. Image via Blake Dowling.

Florida is clear for takeoff, with aviation tech providing a safer and more enjoyable experience for plane enthusiasts statewide.

Speaking of safety, you may notice in the picture of my dad by his plane that he is wearing a parachute. The idea is that he could jump out in a worst-case scenario where the plane stalls.

Today, the Cirrus SR22 has a built-in whole-plane parachute, so you don’t have to jump in case of an emergency, which is a definite improvement.

Thanks to technology, the days of following an interstate are also long behind us.

That’s over and out for today. Buckle your seatbelt and put your tray table up, as this column is coming in for a hard landseat belt a shoutout to Dad.

Thanks for letting me tag along worldwide with you on dozens of flights as a kid.

Also, thank you, Jason, for the opportunity to fly Aces High above our state during the 2025 Blizzard.


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Gov. DeSantis appoints 3 new members onto Disney World’s governing board

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CFTOD provides services similar to a county government at Disney World.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed three new members onto Disney World’s governing board.

Alexis Yarbrough, the current Chair of the Broward College District Board of Trustees, will be the new Chair, DeSantis announced.

Joining Yarbrough on the Board will be John Gilbert, Executive Managing Director at Stream Realty Partners, and Scott Workman, who owns Workman Transportation and Workman Travel.

All three appointments are subject to Senate confirmation. 

The entity is known as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District after DeSantis and the state infamously took it over in 2023 amid a contentious fight with The Walt Disney Co. DeSantis took the power to appoint CFTOD Board members away from Disney under a 2023 law after Disney and DeSantis became engulfed in a culture war that captured national headlines.

The political fireworks have stopped exploding on the CFTOD Board since leaders have pledged to work together with Disney. Disney is starting a multibillion-dollar expansion across its Orlando theme parks.

At the Walt Disney World Resort, CFTOD handles the infrastructure, including roads, and provides emergency services with its fire department. CFTOD provides services similar to a county government per a 1967 deal enacted by the Legislature to give Disney a leg up with a special district when the company was looking to build Disney World.

According to a release from the Governor’s Office, Yarbrough previously served as Chair and Commissioner on the Fourth District Court of Appeal Judicial Nominating Commission. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami and her Juris Doctor from Nova Southeastern University.

Gilbert, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in real estate from Florida State University, was “recognized as the 2007 and the 2012 Orlando Office Broker of the Year by the National Association of Industrial and Office Parks, Commercial Real Estate Development Association,” DeSantis said in his press release.

DeSantis said Workman attended the University of Iowa and “has been active in the transportation industry in Orlando for over 25 years.”


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Dana Trabulsy proposes expanding scope of practice for certain health care workers

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Trabulsy’s measure would expand the roles and responsibilities of physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses.

A new initiative aims to streamline health care services by broadening the roles of certain health care professionals.

Fort Pierce Republican Dana Trabulsy filed a bill (HB 647) that aims to enhance health care access and efficiency in Florida by expanding the scope of practice for physician assistants (PAs) and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs).

The proposed legislation would expand the roles and responsibilities of PAs and APRNs, enabling them to sign death certificates, oversee hospice care and authorize do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders. This expansion could enhance access to care, particularly in underserved areas with limited physician availability.

Under the proposed measure, a funeral director who initially takes custody of a deceased body or fetus is responsible for filing a death certificate electronically. In the absence of a funeral director, the bill would permit a PA or APRN to file the death certificate, as long as they adhere to the written protocol of a licensed physician or the district medical examiner of the county where the death occurred.

To improve the quality and continuity of hospice care, the bill proposes to expand the roles of PAs and APRNs within hospice care teams. This expansion would allow them to oversee various aspects of hospice care, such as managing admissions, transfers and discharges.

PAs and APRNs would be able to make decisions in an emergency situation in regard to withholding or withdrawing emergency treatments based on a patient’s DNR order, including withholding CPR. Furthermore, the expansion of roles for PAs and APRNs to carry out tasks usually performed by physicians could lead to more streamlined health care services.

The Department of Health would be responsible for overseeing the implementation and enforcement of the provisions outlined in the bill. This would include creating detailed guidelines and protocols, training and education, monitoring and compliance, raising public awareness, and receiving feedback.

If passed, the bill would take effect July 1.


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