Damage Report: How Florida Republicans have hurt people in 2023
Lots of bigotry and corporate bootlicking, just like Ron likes it.
Welcome to a new edition of the SWORD newsletter, a project devoted to exposing Ron DeSantis’s reign of terror in Florida and stopping him from taking that cruelty and corruption to the White House.
Political media will tell you that Ron DeSantis had a bad week last week, and truth be told, as much as we hate Donald Trump, it was fun to see him rip Ron to shreds every chance he got. Watching Ron having to then genuflect and defend Trump’s honor after the ex-president was indicted for bribing Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about their five-minute affair was great, too. But the reality is that however much DeSantis may or may not have suffered some temporary setback on the scorecards of political pundits, it was the people of Florida that once again took it on the chin, suffering needlessly for Ron’s ambitions.
Last month, we brought you a list of the most disturbing bills that were introduced by the Republican supermajority in the Florida legislature; tonight, we’ve got an update on what’s passed, what’s in progress, and what could fall short.
By the way, we’ve got a big anti-Trump prank planned for Tuesday at Mar-a-Lago that will absolutely piss off MAGA-heads and create some headlines. We’d love your help in pulling it off!
PASSED:
SB102: Banning Rent Control + Developer Tax Giveaways (DeSantis Signed)
This bill permanently bans municipalities from passing any sort of rent control or other similar renter-friendly policies. It also sends huge tax breaks to real estate developers, which is essentially self-dealing given just how many members of the legislature have financial ties to the real estate industry.
HB 837: Shielding Corporations from Consumer Lawsuits (DeSantis Signed)
It’s now remarkably difficult for Floridians to sue corporations, because it’s big corporations that are the vulnerable ones in this country.
HB 1 / SB 202: Defunding Public Education for Millionaire Handouts (DeSantis Signed)
DeSantis just authorized universal school vouchers, which will siphon billions of dollars from public schools to private and religious schools.
HB 543 / SB 15: Permitless Carry
Exactly what it sounds like. Sickos.
PASSED ONE CHAMBER; WAITING FOR THE OTHER:
HB7/SB300: Near-Total Abortion Ban
Though it’s against the Florida constitution, Republicans are on the verge of banning abortion after six weeks, ie. before most women know that they’re pregnant.
HB 1445 / SB 256 : Union Busting Bill
This bill would impose new requirements on public-sector labor unions in Florida. It’d ban the automatic deduction of dues from union members’ paychecks and impose a membership threshold, requiring that 60% of workers eligible for union representation be dues-paying members. Otherwise, a union could face decertification.
If a union is decertified, that union’s contract, containing agreements on things such as wages, health benefits, retirement savings plans and more, is also no longer enforceable.
HB 1069 / SB 1320: Don’t Say LGBTQ+ Expansion
Remember when the Don’t Say LGBTQ+ law was just about “protecting” little kids? Now any discussion of gender identity, sexuality, or non-hetero families are now banned up through eighth grade.
HJR 31/SJR 94: Partisan Elections for Members of District School Boards
You know how the insane Moms For Liberty have taken over prominent boards of education everywhere? Yeah, it’s going to keep getting worse.
HB 555 / SB 450: Jury Recommendations in Death Penalty Cases
Allows for the judge in death penalty cases to still order the death penalty if at least 8 jurors vote to recommend it without a unanimous decision. That is absolutely monstrous, not the least because so many people are wrongfully convicted.
IN COMMITTEE PROCESS:
SB 7050: Another Unnecessary and Terrible DeSantis Election Bill
The Republican-led Senate released a 98-page elections reform bill less than 24-hours before a committee is scheduled to vote on it. It forces first-time voters to vote in-person (no vote by mail) and makes it so politicians have to disclose campaign donors less frequently.
HB 1417 / SB 1586: Protecting Predatory Landlord Profits Act
This piece of shit wouldn’t just ban rent control, it’d ban all renter protections, including the Renter Bill of Rights laws that have passed in several major cities and counties.
HB 133 / SB 494: Perpetual Renter Junk Fees
Progress Report had a story on this bill here:
HJR 129/SJR 1410: Direct Democracy is Dead Act
If passed, this bill would ask voters to raise the threshold to pass constitutional amendments to 66.7% of the vote, which would all but guarantee that no amendment would ever pass.
HB 1267 / SB 580: Predatory Consumer Loans
Screw borrowers! This bill would among other things revise the maximum interest rate and the calculation of interest rates on consumer finance loans.
SB 170 / HB 1515: Ending Local Freedoms Act
This is the death star preemption bill that allows businesses to sue city and county governments over ordinances deemed "arbitrary or unreasonable," blocking enforcement and forcing local taxpayers to cover the legal fees.
It was defeated last session, but like a roach, it’s back again.
HB 1617 / SB 1718: Terrorize Innocent Immigrants and Tank the Economy Act
We wrote about this horrible bill here:
HB 125 / SB 194: Utility System Rate Base Values
This bill is part of a national trend of policies called “fair market value” that allows municipal water utilities to be purchased (by companies like NextEra) at a higher price than is currently allowed. This is done by allowing the purchaser to set the price off of appraisal value - appraisers that come from a list made by the PSC as opposed to historic value. Higher purchase price = higher bills for customers = higher profits for the utility.
Florida Power & Light, the most powerful and corrupt player in state politics, is registered to lobby on this bill.
HB 529/SB 322: Natural Gas Fuel Taxes
Extends tax giveaways for natural gas companies.
HB 999 / SB 266: “The MAGA University Bill”
This bill radically overhauls Florida’s university system, eliminating any courses related to gender studies, critical race theory, or intersectionality, and effectively bans the tenure system and its academic freedom. Politically appointed trustees would oversee all university faculty hiring and cannot consider diversity or equity in hiring or promotion. It also defunds any programs or campus activities that support diversity, equity, and inclusion or critical race theory – Multicultural Affairs Offices, LGBTQ student groups, and much more – effectively threatening every state university’s LGBTQ support programs.
HB 917 / SB 892: Poverty Wages for Minor League Baseball Players
This may be moot, as Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association agreed to a historic collective bargaining agreement last week. Perhaps it’ll pass so that independent league teams can rip off their players.
HB 1521 / SB 1674: Transgender Bathroom Ban
Unironically called the “Safety in Private Spaces Act.” It would ban trans people from using the bathroom for the gender with which they identify, and create criminal penalties if they refuse to immediately leave upon being asked by another person.
HB 1421 / SB 254: Gender Affirming Care Ban & Ban on Birth Certificate Change
Fuck Florida Republican bigots.
Fuck Florida Republican bigots
HB 1403 / SB 1580: License to Discriminate in Healthcare
Doctors AND insurance companies can deny people care if it offends them. Fuck Florida Republican bigots.
SOME OF THE GOOD BILLS WITH NO HEARING SCHEDULED:
HB 293 / SB 680: Energy Transition Task Force
Creates an Energy Transition Task Force and requires it to be staffed up and provide annual reports.
HB 769 / SB 1144: Close Corporate Tax Loopholes
Rep. Eskamani’s combined reporting bill, which closes tax loopholes for large corporations. It has yet to be referred to committees, though the People’s Budget is working with Rep. Eskamani on a press strategy for it.
HB 1407 / SB 1658: Keep Floridians Housed Act
This is Rep. Eskamani’s omnibus housing bill that contains real solutions to the state’s affordable housing crisis. This bill would establish a state department for Tenant’s Bill of Rights
HB 193: Fully Fund Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
This would revise instructional hours required in Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program (Florida’s free pre-k program) to provide for 8-hour program day in summer & school-year programs.
HB 137: Creation of a State Department of Labor
This bill would create a state Department of Labor, which would enforce laws pertaining to the minimum wage, working conditions, and prohibited types of contracts. Obviously, that would be far too radical.
HB 1493: Unemployment Benefits Modernization
After years of purposeful dysfunction, this bill would begin to repair the state’s unemployment system. That would include increasing the nation-low benefit as well as extending the amount of time that people would be eligible to receive it.
HB 579 / SB 462 - Assault Weapons Ban
It’s exactly what it sounds like and thus would neer even get a hearing in DeSantis’s Florida.
Thank you for your ingoing reporting on the disaster sweeping the state. While people are focused on the former guy’s indictment (it will be years, if ever, before we see a conviction), this red state is is becoming more fascistic by the day (the legislative session doesn’t end until the end of April.)
With DeSanistan’s state guard militarized and empowered with police authority, I believe we will start seeing opposition, poor people and immigrants rounded up and imprisoned in short order. The state supreme court is one of the most reactionary in the country, and SCOTUS harkens back to the days of Plessy v. Ferguson, so the destruction of the Constitution is assured (without a constitutional convention, no less).
I just re-read this, and it still makes me sick to my stomach. There is no end to his cruelty, and every American needs to know it. I will definitely tell everyone I know, and those I don't know, about this creep.