Florida
Florida scales back college general education classes covering systemic racism, privilege, sexism

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – General education courses at Florida colleges and universities are going to be significantly reduced.
The Board of Governors voted Thursday to approve a new course list that it believes is not based on theories of systemic racism and privilege, among others.
The board meeting, held in the student union building at the University of North Florida, got some pushback.
About 30 minutes before the six-hour meeting started, a group of professors and students protested the changes and wanted the board of governors to reconsider before voting.
The change to the course list dates back to 2023 when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law changes that allow the Board of Governors to have the authority to remove courses from the general education track that they find to be based on “theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United State and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequalities.”
During Thursday’s meeting, State University System of Florida Chancellor Ray Rodrigues mentioned a poll that was recently taken that asked if people had confidence in higher education and pointed out why a large number of people said they did not have confidence.
“If you did not have confidence, why did you not have confidence in higher education? There were three main reasons,” Rodrigues said. “The No. 1 reason was political agenda, a belief that higher education has turned into indoctrination and faculty members were pushing their own personal liberal agendas.
Rodrigues also mentioned the other two reasons in the poll, including people believing higher education had the wrong purpose. Some polled said graduates cannot find jobs and the degrees they are earning are meaningless. The other reasons were cost and debt.
Before Thursday’s meeting started, more than a dozen UNF professors and students gathered along the walkway of the student union building to express that they feel like they are being limited in what they can teach and learn.
Dr. Matthew Leon, a business professor, said he has already had to make a drastic change in one of his courses.
“I teach a bunch of human resources courses,” Leon said. “Right now, I have a disclaimer in my syllabus that students do not have to believe what I say, which is insane for me to say, ‘there is federal law that has been established for 60 years, but if you don’t like it, don’t let it stress you out.’ The world is a challenging place. We are doing our students a disservice by not giving them an education that allows them to navigate it.”
Leon said he attended the organized news conference to plead with the Board of Governors to rethink the choice it was bound to make.
“What I am here to do is really to ask the board to allow the experts and the people on the ground to give the education to our students in our workforce that they need to remain world-class,” he said.
During the meeting, Rodrigues also said the board is not prohibiting colleges or universities from offering all of the courses on those topics.
But none of the classes can be included as a part of any general education requirements in order to graduate from a state college or university.
Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.

Florida
Florida woman spray-paints wrong car while trying to get back at ex-boyfriend: ‘Devil’

Maybe next time she’ll think before she sprays.
A Florida woman is accused of spray-painting hateful messages, including “Devil,” on a car she thought belonged to her ex-boyfriend as part of a deranged plot to settle a debt worth less than $1,000.
Evelina Fabianski, 18, tried to get back at her past love when she and her 16-year-old friend mistakenly egged and spray-painted a neighbor’s car in Deltona, Fla., on Feb. 26, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.
“Oops, wrong car,” police quipped on Facebook.
Fabianski vandalized the black Infinity over a debt worth $700, according to WKMG
The messy aftermath included smashed eggs and eggshells running down the windshield and driver’s side door while the bright yellow lettering and smiley face emojis defaced the vehicle’s body.
Bodycam footage obtained by the outlet captured the moment police confronted the brazen duo while Fabianski’s alleged accomplice tried to walk away from any wrongdoing.
“I’m not involved,” the teen yelled out.
Deputies claimed that the teen was “covered head to toe” in yellow paint.
“You really need to try harder to be sneaky because you are god awful,” police told Fabianski and her pal. “You guys spray-painted the wrong damn car.”
Deputies reported that they saw the two teens driving with open containers of Four Loko in “plain view” along with an empty Crown Royal bottle, over 20 grams of marijuana and a can of yellow spray paint.

Four Loko is an alcoholic beverage with an ABV that ranges from 8% to 14%.
Fabianski was arrested when she confessed to the embarrassing act.
Fabianski was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail on Wednesday morning and released later that afternoon, records show.
She was charged with criminal mischief, contributing to the delinquency of a child, possession of alcohol by a person under 21 and driving under the influence.
“If it was her ex-boyfriend, how on earth did she not know what kind of car he drives? Embarrassing SMH,” one person commented under the Volusia Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook post.
“Now we all know why she’s an ex-girlfriend,” another quipped.
Florida
South Florida Weather for Friday 2/28/2025 7AM

Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Florida
Sirois proposes constitutional amendment to create DOGE-like Florida Cabinet position
Florida House Majority Leader Tyler Sirois filed legislation Thursday to create a new Florida Cabinet-level position to root out and do away with government waste — in effect, a DOGE leader for the Sunshine State.
The legislation being filed by Sirois, R-Merritt Island, would call for a constitutional amendment that Florida residents would vote on in November 2026 to create a Commissioner of Government Efficiency as an elected Cabinet officer responsible for enhancing government efficiency by preventing waste, fraud and abuse.
Sirois defends the need for such a position — even though Republicans have been in the governor’s mansion and controlled both houses of the Florida Legislature since 1998.
Sirois said he believes having a watchdog role in government finances is a continual process — no matter which political party is in power in Tallahassee — and that the mechanism for doing so should be part of the Florida Constitution, thus making it more permanent.
He also envisions the new government efficiency Cabinet department using artificial intelligence and other technology into its work.
Sirois’ proposal — House Joint Resolution 1325 — follows on the announcement earlier this week by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that he is creating a Florida State Department of Governmental Efficiency task force. DeSantis said the task force would “work to further eliminate waste within state government, save taxpayers money and ensure accountability in Florida.”
In response, Florida Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, a leading critic of the governor, said: “Let’s be clear: The Republican Party has dominated our state government for nearly 30 years, and any inefficiencies are a direct result of their long-standing mismanagement. It’s laughable that, after decades in power, they now pretend to know how to fix what they themselves have broken. This is the same governor who has squandered millions defending unconstitutional laws, inflated his budget with unnecessary election police forces, and funneled taxpayer dollars into partisan electioneering. He has no credibility when it comes to improving government efficiency.”
Eskamani said that “emulating the disorder seen in federal mismanagement under figures like Elon Musk is not only misguided, but dangerous for our state’s future.”
DeSantis has defended his and the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature’s efforts to cut waste. He cited, for example, Florida’s relatively small state budget compared with New York’s budget; reductions in Florida’s total debt; and the previous elimination of unneeded boards and commissions.
Voters will have their say
Because Sirois’ proposal would change the Florida Constitution, it would have to be approved by three-fifths of the membership of each chamber of the Florida Legislature. The proposed amendment then would have to be approved by 60% of voters in a statewide referendum in 2026.
Because of the timeline for implementing constitutional amendments, the first proposed Commissioner of Government Efficiency would not take office until after the 2026 election, and the first commissioner would be appointed by the Florida Legislature, rather than elected by Florida voters.
Sirois’ proposed constitutional amendment also would eliminate the elected position of lieutenant governor, which is vacant following the appointment earlier this month of then-Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez as interim president of Florida International University.
On the federal level, President Donald Trump previously had created a federal Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, led by senior adviser Elon Musk, a businessman who heads SpaceX, Tesla and the social media site X.
Although, Florida’s Commissioner of Government Efficiency would not have jurisdiction over county or municipal budgets, the person would have “the power to audit, investigate and report on fraud, waste and abuse” within the executive branch of state government, as well as within counties, municipalities and special districts.
The commissioner also would serve as a member of the Florida Cabinet, participating in asset management and administrative oversight functions.
The Cabinet currently includes the attorney general, chief financial officer and commissioner of agriculture.
If voters approve the constitutional amendment in 2026, under the timeline in the legislation, the first Commissioner of Government Efficiency would be appointed by the Florida Legislature no later than March 2, 2027 — the first day of its 2027 regular session. The first appointee would serve until the 2028 general election, at which point the office would be filled by election for the two remaining years of the term.
Starting in 2030, the commissioner would be elected on the same four-year cycle as all other Cabinet members, with a term limit of eight consecutive years.
Sirois — whose House district is in Central Brevard County — said the legislation is a product of himself and other leaders of the Florida Legislature, and that DeSantis was not involved in its crafting.
What happens to lieutenant governor?
Sirois said the office of lieutenant governor — along with the staff for that position — would be eliminated. That, Sirois said, would help free up state budget money for the creation of the Commissioner of Government Efficiency and that person’s staff. He said the cost for establishing the new Cabinet position has not been determined.
With the current vacancy in the lieutenant governor’s position, DeSantis has the power to make an appointment to that office. But he had said he wasn’t planning to do so until after the end of the 2025 regular session of the Florida Legislature that begins Monday and runs for two months.
The Florida Constitution is vague on the role of the lieutenant govermor, saying that person performs duties that “shall be assigned by the governor,” as well as other duties that “may be prescribed by law.” The lieutenant governor also becomes governor is there is a vacancy, impeachment, or physical or mental incapacity involving the governor.
Sirois’ legislation would modifies that, to enable the Florida Legislature to establish a new succession procedure for the governor’s position.
The legislation also would eliminate the existing Government Efficiency Task Force. Approved by voters in 2006 by an amendment to the Florida Constitution and first established in 2007, the Government Efficiency Task Force is required to meet every four years to develop recommendations to improve governmental operations and reduce costs.
If approved by the Florida Legislature and voters, this would be the first change in the composition of the Florida Cabinet since voters approved a constitutional amendment in 1998, reducing the elected Cabinet from six to three members. The amendment merged the Cabinet offices of treasurer and comptroller into one chief financial officer; and made the elected Cabinet positions of secretary of state and education commissioner appointed positions.
The legislation would have a provision to eliminate the Cabinet office of the Commissioner of Government Efficiency if residents don’t like it. A proposed constitutional amendment would appear on the ballot in 2044, asking voters if the office should be repealed. If the voters approve the repeal, that would take effect at the end of 2046.
What DeSantis wants his task force to do
DeSantis said the Florida State DOGE Task Force he established Monday by executive order will serve a one-year term. It will have multiple tasks in its efforts to eliminate waste, and will use artificial intelligence and other technologies to do so. He said its tasks will include:
- Abolishing an additional 70 boards and commissions this year.
- Conducting a deep dive into all facets of college and university operations and spending and make recommendations to the Board of Governors and Florida Board of Education to eliminate any wasteful spending.
- Using artificial intelligence to supplement ongoing efforts to review operations at state agencies and identify more ways to cut unnecessary spending and eliminate bureaucracy.
- Looking into local government spending by using publicly available county and municipal spending records to expose bloat within local governance.
- Returning unused or surplus federal dollars allocated to the state.
Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com, on X at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54
-
News1 week ago
Kamala Harris Has Scrambled the California Governor’s Race Without Entering It
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago
Review | The Way We Talk: Chung Suet-ying shines as a deaf woman finding herself
-
Politics1 week ago
Here’s What to Know About Congressional Republicans’ Budget Plans
-
World1 week ago
Israelis Gird for Release of Bodies of Captives From Gaza
-
Education1 week ago
New York Ends Funding for 2 Yeshivas That Fail to Teach Basic Skills
-
News1 week ago
A Long Journey Home: After 50 Years, Back on the Reservation
-
World1 week ago
US declares drug cartels, criminal gangs global terrorist organisations
-
Politics1 week ago
US Coast Guard expands border patrol efforts to combat illegal immigration