In a state so often bitterly divided along partisan lines, Democrats and Republicans alike were moved to tears as they gathered in Florida’s capitol on Thursday to honor the life and legacy of Democratic state Sen. Geraldine Thompson, a longtime legislator, civil rights legend and educator who died on Feb. 13 at the age of 76, following complications from knee-replacement surgery.

Thompson’s husband and family members sat at her desk on the Senate floor, which was adorned with a bouquet of white roses and a black cloth, as her colleagues prayed, sang and shared their remembrances.

A champion of voting rights and Black history, Thompson’s tenure in the capitol began as a staffer for the first Black woman elected to the Florida Legislature, Gwen Cherry, before Thompson went on to her own terms of service in the House and Senate, where she represented central Florida for more than 15 years.

She went toe-to-toe with Republican leaders to oppose what she saw as unconstitutional gerrymandering of voting districts and to defend the state’s Black history, at a time when Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has worked to restrict how the darkest chapters of the state’s story can be told in Florida classrooms.

Speaking at Thursday’s memorial service, Democratic state Sen. Darryl Rouson said Thompson “epitomized Black history.”

“I’m reminded of the African proverb that says, ‘when an elder dies, a library is burned to the ground.’ We’ve lost one of our premier and prestigious libraries with the passing of Senator Thompson,” Rouson said.

In a condolence letter written to Thompson’s family and read by Democratic state Sen. Tracie Davis, former President Barack Obama called Thompson “a model of the best kind of public service” whose “trailblazing legacy” will live on through the many lives she touched.

Democratic state Sen. Rosalind Osgood first saw the late lawmaker in action in the Capitol back in 2000, long before Osgood herself was elected to the legislature. For Osgood, Thompson was living proof that Black women belong in the state’s halls of power.

“Just seeing these Black women legislate,” Osgood said, “it was mesmerizing.”

A beloved leader of the state’s Legislative Black Caucus, Thompson is remembered as the conscience of the Florida Senate and a “living history lesson,” someone who was deeply respected by her fellow lawmakers and the rare figure who could command her colleagues’ full attention when she took to her feet to speak on the chamber floor.

“You know that when you’re debating, everybody might not be listening,” Republican state Sen. Ed Hooper said, “except when Geraldine spoke.”

A public school teacher, community college administrator and historian, Thompson also founded the Wells’Built Museum of African American History and Culture in Orlando and served as chair of the task force charged with building a state museum of African American history.

She was known for donning the costumes of Black trailblazers in Florida history and giving portrayals of them on the Senate floor that her colleagues called “mesmerizing.”

Speaking at Thursday’s memorial service, Republican state Sen. Don Gaetz recalled racing out of a meeting with the then-House Speaker to witness Thompson bringing to life the story of pioneering Black female aviator Bessie Coleman.

“I didn’t know the story. I didn’t know it until she told it in the first person,” Gaetz said. “And I can tell you that I believed that Geraldine Thompson could fly. And I still do.”

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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.

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Dr. Mehmet Oz promised Senators on Friday to fight health care fraud and push to make Americans healthier if he becomes the next leader of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

But the former heart surgeon and TV personality dodged several opportunities to say broadly whether he would oppose cuts to Medicaid, the government-funded program for people with low incomes.

Oz, President Donald Trump’s pick to be the next CMS administrator, also said technology like artificial intelligence and telemedicine can be used to make care more efficient and expand its reach.

“We have a generational opportunity to fix our health care system and help people stay healthy for longer,” he said in his opening remarks.

He faced over two and a half hours of questioning before the Republican-controlled Senate Finance Committee, which will vote later on whether to forward his nomination to the full Senate for consideration.

Leading the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services presents a “monumental opportunity” to make the country healthier, Oz told Senators Friday morning.

“We don’t have to order people to eat healthy, we have to make it easier for people to be healthy,” adding that he considered maintaining good health a “patriotic duty.”

Republicans, who have coalesced around Trump’s nominees for the health agencies, asked Oz about his plans for eliminating fraud from the $1 trillion programs.

Democrats, meanwhile, tried to pin him down on potential cuts to the state- and federally funded Medicaid program that Republicans are considering.

The 64-year-old was a respected heart surgeon who turned into a popular TV pitchman. Now he has his sights on overseeing health insurance for about 150 million Americans enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid or Affordable Care Act coverage.

Oz has hawked everything from supplements to private health insurance plans on his former TV series, “The Dr. Oz Show,” which ran for 13 seasons and helped him amass a fortune.

Oz’s net worth is between $98 million and $332 million, according to an analysis of the disclosure, which lists asset values in ranges but does not give precise dollar figures. His most recent disclosure shows he also holds millions of dollars worth of shares in health insurance, fertility, pharmaceutical and vitamin companies. He has promised to divest from dozens of companies that would pose conflicts for him as the CMS administrator.

In the job, he could wield significant power over most health companies operating in the U.S. because he can make decisions about who and what are covered by Medicare and Medicaid.

Oz’s hearing comes as the Trump administration seeks to finalize leadership posts for the nation’s top health agencies. On Thursday, Senate committees voted to advance the nominations of Marty Makary, poised to lead the Food and Drug Administration, and Jay Bhattacharya, set to helm the National Institutes for Health, for a full Senate vote. The nomination of Dave Weldon to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was abruptly withdrawn Thursday.

Those men have all leaned into Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s call to “Make America Healthy Again,” an effort to redesign the nation’s food supply, reject vaccine mandates and cast doubt on some long-established scientific research.

“Americans need better research on healthy lifestyle choices from unbiased scientists,” Oz wrote late last year in a social media post praising Kennedy’s nomination to be the nation’s health secretary.

This isn’t Oz’s first time testifying before Senators. In 2014, several Senators scolded him during a hearing about the questionable weight loss products he hawked on his television show.

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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.

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In a big courtroom victory for Gov. Ron DeSantis, a federal Judge in Tallahassee on Friday denied a request to block Florida’s ban on social media for young teens.

U.S. District Judge Mark Walker rejected a request by a consortium of technology companies for a preliminary injunction that would have at least further temporarily blocked the state’s ban from taking effect.

In his 13-page ruling, Walker said the groups representing trade associations failed to prove which social media platforms — such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, X and others — would be affected under Florida’s ban.

“Plaintiffs have not provided evidence showing that at least one of their members meets the injury-in-fact requirement,” the Judge wrote.

The technology companies had argued in court that at least one of the social media platforms would likely be covered by Florida’s law and would have to spend money and resources to comply with it. Walker said that wasn’t enough of a convincing argument.

The law applies narrowly only to social media platforms with addictive features, like push notifications, with 10% or more of daily active users who are younger than 16 and who spend on average two hours or more on the app. If all those conditions aren’t met, the law doesn’t apply to the platform.

The social media law, which was supposed to take effect Jan. 1, would block anyone under 16 from using some social media but would allow 14- and 15-year-olds to use the online services with a parent’s permission. Companies that violate the law could be fined up to $50,000 per violation.

The Attorney General’s Office had agreed not to enforce the new law until Walker ruled on the request for the preliminary injunction. It wasn’t immediately clear when the DeSantis administration would begin enforcing the bans. The Governor had championed passage of the law through the Legislature last year.

The broader fight by the technology companies against the law continues in federal court in Tallahassee. Walker’s decision Friday was an interim ruling that focused narrowly on whether he would issue a preliminary injunction in the case.

“I am grateful that the courts have once again ruled in favor of Florida, and I am grateful also for the lives and the influence that social media will now not have on our children, said Rep. Toby Overdorf, a Palm City Republican, one of the sponsors of the law. “I’m excited that Florida is entering a new chapter and being able to have freedom for our kids.”

During courtroom arguments Feb. 28 over the injunction, Walker — who was appointed by then-President Barack Obama in 2012 — had signaled Florida would have a “hard hoe to row” to prove that the ban doesn’t infringe on the rights of young teens in Florida.

“I just think that there’s clear precedent across the country why these social media bans are against the First Amendment, and I have no doubt that the final outcome will reflect that,” said Rep. Anna Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat. “There’s going to be a lot of confusion and chaos for all our families. It’s really important that everyone stays informed, understands what their options are, and do what they can to follow the law.”

The law would also require adults in Florida who use social media accounts to prove their age using third-party verification systems. There are few generally agreed-upon methods for age verification on the internet.

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This story was produced by Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. The reporter can be reached at [email protected]. You can donate to support our students here.

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