Florida
Florida, the new nanny state – The Boston Globe
I recently returned to Massachusetts from a trip to Florida, where the local papers reported that Governor Ron DeSantis had issued a statewide directive banning rainbow-colored lights on the state’s bridges, just in time for Pride Month. As part of the governor’s “freedom summer” declaration, enforced by the state’s department of transportation, the only colors allowed to illuminate bridges between now and Labor Day will be red, white, and blue. As Florida’s own absurdist sage Dave Barry often puts it: I am not making this up.
DeSantis likes to tout Florida as “the freedom state,” unfettered by the shackles of intrusive government. “Florida has become the escape hatch for those chafing under authoritarian, arbitrary, and seemingly never-ending mandates and restrictions,” he thundered in his 2022 State of the State address. But for a guy who crusades against nanny-state overreach, DeSantis is doing an awful lot of finger-wagging lately about other people’s lives.
He signed legislation banning the sale of lab-grown meat in Florida, the better to “protect the integrity of American agriculture.” He directed that the words “climate change” be stricken from state laws overseeing the environment. He banned local regulations that would protect workers from heat exposure if they exceed OSHA standards, forcing Miami-Dade County to drop a local ordinance allowing workers 10 minutes of paid rest and a sip of water every two hours when the heat index is above 90 degrees. He banned wind farms in state-controlled waters. And he signed a law prohibiting minors under age 14 from opening social media accounts, even with the permission of their parents.
And that’s just this year.
Aided by a willing Legislature with Republican supermajorities, DeSantis has wielded the power of his office with relish, bending state institutions to his will. Last year his budget defunded all diversity and inclusion offices at the state’s public colleges and universities. He has remade the artsy, progressive New College of Florida in Sarasota in his own image, appointing six new ideologically aligned trustees, who promptly fired the college president and installed a DeSantis ally. The school declared itself “a haven for Harvard refugees” and offered free tuition to any transfer student who finds the Ivy League school too liberal.
And don’t get me started on abortion, gender discussions, voting rights, or book bans. When it comes to personal liberty and expression, DeSantis knows best.
To be fair (or at least balanced), DeSantis is not the only “small government” proponent abandoning his laissez-faire principles to please the ultraright. Nationwide, Republican-led states are bullying their way through the lives of their constituents, blithely adopting restrictions not just on personal behavior but also on local governments and industry, two supposed pillars of the conservative creed.
After decades of saying government mustn’t interfere with drilling or fracking because we desperately need energy production, for example, red states are now blocking solar and wind energy development and slow-walking charging stations for electric vehicles. Many governors have banned state contracts or investments in companies that adhere to so-called environmental, social, and governance principles. Not to be outdone, DeSantis last year signed the most far-reaching ban of any state.
Fired-up governors are even going after their own cities and towns, preempting laws adopted in local communities if they seem too liberal. South Dakota, Tennessee, Arizona, and other states prohibit their municipalities from banning plastic bags. Oklahoma outlawed local ordinances that ban fracking in the state: an anti-ban ban. DeSantis recently signed legislation barring cities and towns from offering workers a living wage if it exceeds the state’s minimum wage.
Of course, there are still plenty of things you can do in Florida. You can carry a concealed firearm without a permit, background check, or safety training. You can impose the death penalty on a defendant without a unanimous jury verdict. If you’re a doctor or insurance company, you can deny a patient health care — contraception, say, or vaccinations — based on vague “moral, ethical, or religious” beliefs. DeSantis said the new law “positioned Florida as the national leader for medical freedom.”
It’s an irony that seems lost on DeSantis and the others, but wielding state power to impose a particular ideology on the citizenry is the very authoritarianism these lip-servers of liberty claim to be fighting against. It’s a strange idea of freedom. Maybe that’s because it’s really not about freedom at all.
Renée Loth’s column appears regularly in the Globe.
TAMPA, Fla – New SNAP restrictions will start Monday in Florida.
What we know:
These changes will ban the purchase of many sugary sodas, energy drinks, candy and ultra-processed, shelf-stable prepared desserts.
Hunger Free America, an advocacy group, is against these restrictions.
Joel Berg, the CEO, said some regulation is a good thing, but he wants to see it support access to healthy foods as a choice.
“We do support mandates to mandate that healthier food is available in stores that do accept SNAP,” Berg said. “So, it makes a lot more sense to make it easier to get healthier food.”
Berg said these restrictions are unnecessary in achieving a healthier America.
“We should make America healthier again by making healthy food more affordable, convenient and physically available,” Berg said. “We shouldn’t micromanage the eating patterns of adults to try to achieve that goal.”
The other side:
This is part of the Make America Healthy Again initiative.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said, “Under the MAHA initiative, we are taking bold, historic steps to reverse the chronic disease epidemic that has taken root in this country for far too long.”
What they’re saying:
Berg said that these changes, on top of cuts to the program nationwide, will increase hunger.
“It’s not that low-income Americans don’t want healthier food; it’s that they can’t afford healthier food,” Berg said.
This coincides with the announcement that there will be cuts to WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, which supplies food to mothers and young children.
“President Trump’s budget just announced that he’s proposing taking away fruits and vegetables from the WIC program for pregnant women and children under five,” Berg said. “So, they’re taking away healthier food.”
The WIC cuts would take away $1.4 billion in fruit and vegetable benefits from 5.4 million people.
Big picture view:
The SNAP changes come as part of the MAHA movement and include more than 20 other states that will implement changes over the next two years.
The Source: Information in this story comes from WIC, SNAP and interviews done by Fox 13’s Danielle Zulkosky.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The engines are revving for one final day of high-stakes bidding and family fun at the South Florida Fairgrounds.
Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach auction reaches its grand finale today with an action-packed “Super Saturday” lineup, promising to close out the weekend with a full slate of collector car sales, live entertainment, and fan attractions.
“Super Saturday,” presented by Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, officially kicks off at 8 a.m. when gates, food courts, and the exhibitor marketplace open to the public.
What to expect
- 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: The Fantasy Bid presented by Dodge begins early, running in tandem with the automobilia auction in the arena.
- 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Thrill-seekers can catch Dodge thrill rides on the Barrett-Jackson Performance Track.
- 10:00 a.m.: New amenities open to the public, including the Stella Artois, Staging Lanes, and Food Court patios, which offer shaded seating and auction views.
- 10:45 a.m.: The national anthem will be performed in the auction arena, signaling the start of the main collector car auction at 11 a.m.
- Afternoon Entertainment: DJ sets run from noon to 5 p.m. across the various patios, and a detailing clinic by Adam’s Polishes is scheduled for 2 p.m. near the South Showcase.
For those unable to attend, the whole event will be livestreamed throughout the day on the Barrett-Jackson website and the HISTORY channel from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Today’s finale comes on the heels of a high-energy Friday that saw significant sales and notable celebrity interest.
Star power was evident throughout the day, particularly with vehicles tied to the Busch family. A 1957 Ford Thunderbird Convertible owned by Samantha Busch and a 1969 Oldsmobile 442 Custom Coupe were among the day’s heavy hitters, each fetching $159,500. Kyle Busch’s 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Custom Coupe also drew a strong bid, selling for $143,000.
Other Friday highlights included:
- 1968 Ford Mustang Eleanor Replica: $137,500
- 2004 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Mamba Edition: $132,000
- 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazer Custom SUV: $126,500
- 1957 Ford Thunderbird Custom Convertible: $121,000
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With a festival-style atmosphere and high-profile sales driving momentum, organizers expect a busy crowd for the final push at the auction block today.
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A quiet Monday turned into a frantic race against time when a deputy stepped in to save a choking 1-year-old’s life.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a call about a 1-year-old baby choking. Upon arrival, the responding deputy performed life-saving procedures to help the child breathe again.
See also: Two arrested after 6-year-old arrives at Florida school with bruises, deputies say
Body camera video shows a deputy holding the baby, flipping it over on its stomach, and beginning to pat the baby’s back.
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When the baby begins to cry, the deputy is heard saying, “he’s good.”
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