Politics

Senate, House rebuff Ron DeSantis’ Special Session call, then substitute their own vision

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2 days ago

January 27, 2025

Legislative leadership is finally responding to criticisms from Gov. Ron DeSantis that Senate President Ben Albritton and House Speaker Daniel Perez slow walked his call for a Special Session.

Days of criticism in press conferences and national media hits seem to have steeled their resolve, setting the stage for the rockiest two years of the DeSantis era.

In comments Monday after the constitutionally-mandated Special Session began, Sen. Ben Albritton and House Speaker Daniel Perez each adjourned the DeSantis Special Session and said a bill would be substituted for products that adhered to what DeSantis wanted.

“I want to be careful that we don’t do anything to undermine President Donald Trump’s very good plan. I won’t stand for that. President Trump received resounding support in both the Primary and General Elections of 2024. and thus has a mandate from voters to tackle this glaring problem on his terms,” Albritton said, affirming “Trump’s focus on the steps the federal government will be taking to uphold its responsibility to the states to oversee immigration in this country,” which includes partnering “with state and local law enforcement,” not replacing “the federal government’s responsibility to investigate, apprehend, and detain criminal illegal aliens.”

From there, Albritton said Trump ally Joe Gruters would be filing a replacement bill that complies with what he believes Trump wants. The Appropriations Committee will consider that bill at 2 PM Monday; it already has a House companion, about which more is written below.

“Having taken the opportunity to review President Trump’s executive orders, sought guidance and clarification from the White House team and taken into account the thoughts and feedback of many senators and leaders of our law enforcement community, Sen. Gruters is sponsoring legislation to rigorously implement both the letter and the spirit of President Trump’s plan to secure the border, protect our state and national sovereignty, support Florida law enforcement, and affirm the federal government’s responsibility over immigration,” Albritton said.

The “legislation will demonstrate a strong partnership with the federal government and local law enforcement to protect our communities from illegal immigrants who have committed crimes. Importantly, it includes robust funding to reimburse law enforcement for expenses that support enforcing federal immigration law and it provides incentives for Floridians to enter the law enforcement field. Our goal in concert with the President gives our communities more badges, more beds to hold criminal aliens and a laser focus on catching criminals who violate our laws,” Albritton added.

Albritton also said that much of what was proposed over the weekend wasn’t in accordance with what the federal government under Trump wants.

“I don’t support creating criminal penalties against frontline law enforcement officers. I don’t support different standards for protecting law enforcement from the threat of prosecution. We shouldn’t protect some employees and contractors acting on behalf of the state while hanging local law enforcement out to dry. No way, nohow. What you do with your money is your business,” he said.

“I don’t support creating new mandates on businesses and I certainly don’t support a big brother database of law abiding Floridians who want to send money abroad. I choose to stand with President Trump and with local law enforcement. I am not going to assume that I know better than the President of the United States and the boots on the ground, the ones who put their lives at risk every day for all Floridians. I will not ask constitutional officers to violate the Constitution. However, Senators, it’s not just about my views. The five items I just listed are not President Trump’s plan.”

The Senate is already beginning its second Special Session of the day.

Perez offered similar pushback in spiking the DeSantis proposals and process.

“I believe Special Sessions should be used sparingly. They should not be stunts designed to generate headlines. I dislike Special Sessions because they inhibit the very thing the legislative process should encourage: the push and pull of meaningful conversations that lead to the development of good and better ideas. Special Sessions should be reserved for those issues that truly cannot be addressed in the normal course of the legislative process. Most of the issues raised in the proclamation for Special Session A simply do not meet that threshold. Session is only weeks away. We have the opportunity to move both expeditiously and thoughtfully. We do not have to choose between right now and getting it right,” the Miami Republican said.

Substitute legislation for various bills introduced over the weekend will be introduced, Perez added.

“The immigration bill that Representative McClure will be shepherding through this House, the Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy Act, goes in the opposite direction – we are tearing down barriers and creating an express lane between Federal immigration enforcement and local law enforcement. Our bill embodies the Four Bs: recruit and empower more BADGES, build more BEDS, lock up more BAD GUYS, and limit BENEFITS that draw illegal aliens into Florida.”

The House proposal would authorize “the Commissioner of Agriculture to serve as the state’s Chief Immigration Officer,” Perez added.

It would also eliminate in-state tuition for children of illegal immigrants, which is one of the wish list items DeSantis wanted.

The House gaveled out until Tuesday, but not before Perez clapped back at DeSantis’ attempt to buffalo legislators into passing his agenda writ large.

“In the last week, attempts have been made to bully members of this House, including sending out mass e-mails with members’ personal cell phone numbers on them. Attacks on this body – attacks on all of you – are not acceptable. This House will never be moved by threats. I will always have an open door and an open mind, but if someone tries to force me to choose sides – members, please know that I will always choose yours.”

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Florida agricultural businesses damaged by winter storm can apply for recovery loans

Published

2 hours ago

January 28, 2025

May Greene

Interest-free loans up to $500K are now available for farmers and ranchers who saw damage during freak cold snap.

North Florida experienced historic low temperatures and exceedingly rare snow in last week, leading state Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson to launch efforts to implement a loan program to help farmers, ranchers and other agricultural interests adversely impacted by the winter storm.

Simpson announced Tuesday his department is accepting applications for interest-free loans for agricultural businesses. Growers, farmers and ranchers can now apply for the Agriculture and Aquaculture Producers National Disaster Recovery Loan program if the winter storm damaged their businesses or property.

The loans can be used to repair property and remove debris. The money can also be used for restoration of physical property such as fences, greenhouses, buildings and equipment and for aquaculture operations. Simpson said he’ll lobby for additional funding for the loans during the Legislative Session, which begins March 4.

“Delivering immediate support to agricultural producers impacted by the recent winter storm, like our nursery growers in North Florida who were hit especially hard, is a critical first step to get them back on their feet,” Simpson said. “The Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program provides a start with immediate financial relief, ensuring that Florida’s farmers and ranchers begin to rebuild their buildings and infrastructure.”

Multiple freezes occurred Jan. 18-25 in the state, and upwards of 10 inches of snow was recorded in several North Florida counties, setting a new record for measured snowfall in the state.

With such an unusual weather event and sustained hard freezes — some temperatures dipped to just 10 degrees overnight — Florida continues to assess the total damage inflicted on agricultural businesses. But some of the loans will help businesses recover from substantial losses caused by the winter storm.

The interest-free loans can cover up to $500,000 for eligible agriculture or aquaculture businesses that sustained damage. The loan application process begins on the Department of Agriculture website established for those seeking help.

Similar loans were provided in 2024 following Hurricanes Debby in August, Helene in September and Milton in October. Any agricultural business that sustained damage in those disasters can apply again for assistance with winter storm recovery.

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Former Jeb Bush staffer-turned-judge Bradford L. Thomas to retire

Published

3 hours ago

January 28, 2025

May Greene

First District Court of Appeal Judge Bradford L. Thomas has announced his plans to retire from his position after a distinguished 20-year career.

Appointed by former Florida Republican Gov. Jeb Bush in 2005, Thomas has served as a judge on the First District Court of Appeal for 20 years, and as a chief judge from July 2017 to June 2019. Before being named to the bench, he served in Bush’s administration as the Public Safety Policy Coordinator in the Governor’s office.

Thomas graduated from Florida State University in 1977, and the University of Florida’s College of law with honors in 1982. After graduation, Thomas worked in private practice in Big Pine Key, and served as Assistant Director of the Appellate Advocacy Program at the UF College of Law from 1982 to 1984.

From there, Thomas worked as the Assistant General Counsel to the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation from 1984 to 1987, moving on to work as the Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Appeals Division from 1987 to 1989. Thomas has further served as the Assistant General Counsel to the Florida Parole Commission, and as an Assistant State Attorney in the Second Judicial Circuit.

Thomas has also made some high-profile rulings in recent years. Thomas had disagreed and ultimately ruled against state lawyers working for Gov. Ron DeSantis after they argued a Black-dominated congressional district in Northern Florida — Florida’s 5th Congressional District — was an illegal racial gerrymander, the Miami Times reported in November 2023.

State lawyers argued the district’s boundaries were intentionally distorted so a Black representative would go to Congress. Thomas disagreed and was part of a ruling that found the gerrymandering was political, not racial.

In 2022, Thomas threw out a temporary injunction that would have blocked a Florida law banning abortions from 15-weeks of pregnancy, according to WUWF.

Along with his extensive career experience, Thomas has received accolades such as the Criminal Justice Service Award, and the Florida Sheriffs Association’s Special Recognition Award. Thomas has also been published in the Cumberland Law Review and the Florida Bar Journal.

In his announcement of retirement to DeSantis, Thomas thanked “many colleagues on the court during the past twenty years for their service and dedication to the rule of law,” and specifically thanked former Gov. Bush for his appointment. Thomas officially leaves his role February 28.

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Legislature passes TRUMP Act immigration bill that clashed with Ron DeSantis

Published

3 hours ago

January 28, 2025

May Greene

The Legislature passed the Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy Act — or “TRUMP Act” — that would eliminate in-state tuition waivers for undocumented students, create stricter punishments for undocumented immigrants committing crimes and make other reforms.

The House passed the Senate’s version of the bill with an 82-30 vote late Tuesday despite objections from outnumbered Democrats who argued that the bill would hurt hardworking immigrant college students trying to better themselves by getting an education. Republicans vowed the measures would support President Donald Trump’s executive orders cracking down on immigration and would make the community safer. Earlier in the evening, the Senate passed the bill sponsored by Sen. Joe Gruters with a vote of 21-16.

The Legislature’s passage comes during a political dogfight with Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was pushing lawmakers to pass tougher rules. DeSantis called lawmakers back to Tallahassee for a Special Session. Lawmakers snubbed DeSantis by gaveling in and out and then calling their own Special Session on immigration.

“This bill is the strongest piece of legislation to fight against the mass illegal immigration this country is facing that any state will have passed. It’s not weak. It’s bold. It’s strong,” said a defiant Rep. Lawrence McClure, who sponsored the House version of the bill, before the final vote. “I don’t understand the rhetoric and theater and late-night cable news and all the other nonsense that’s got nothing to do with what’s in the bill.”

The immigration bill also would give mandatory death sentences for any undocumented immigrant convicted of a capital offense, such as murder or rape, as well as reclassification of criminal penalties when a deported individual returns to Florida and commits a crime. Drawing DeSantis’ ire, the bill would also make Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson the state’s new chief immigration officer to work with the federal government on the issue and sets aside $500 million from the general fund for law enforcement agencies.

“If you’re a conservative, you can’t possibly vote no on this bill and say I voted against coordinating law enforcement to help deal with the illegal immigration problem in Florida,” said Rep. Dean Black, a Republican from Jacksonville, during the lengthy and at times fiery debate on the House floor. “Everyone should vote yes on this bill. It’s a good bill. It’s the only one you’ve got. It’s a start.”

But Democrats pleaded to protect the 2,000 Dreamers currently enrolled at Florida’s public universities and state colleges who could get notice their tuition would drastically rise to out-of-state costs before the start of the next school year.

In 2014, the state passed a bi-partisan legislation to extend in-state tuition Dreamers. Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, who was in the Legislature at the time, had been a proponent of it.

“I was so proud sitting up there watching the members of the House actually do the right thing for their constituents,” said Jose Alvarez, a Democrat from Kissimmee. “We cannot attack children. We cannot take those dreams away, those opportunities.”

Alvarez, a Cuban immigrant, argued most Floridians support giving undocumented students in-state tuition.