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.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — As cities across the country see growing protests over immigration enforcement, Florida Democrats are pushing bills they say would protect residents and undocumented migrants — and counter Republican proposals to expand enforcement across the state.
“We stand at a crossroads where we need to decide what world we live in,” said Rep. Dotie Joseph, D-North Miami.
One measure, Senate Bill 316, known as the Visible Act, would ban the public use of masks, require police officers to identify themselves and create safe zones around schools and houses of worship.
“We are not a dictatorship,” said Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville. “Secret police belong in the history books, not Florida streets.”
Democrats are also spearheading efforts to grant in-state college tuition to recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, often called DREAMers. Florida lawmakers ended that benefit in 2025.
“I dream and I dream big.I will always work as hard as I have to make my dreams come true,” said Alexander Vallejos, a DACA recipient and student at the University of Central Florida. “I love my beautiful Sunshine State of Florida, and I’m a Florida kid through and through.”
Republicans argued in-state tuition diverted state funds from legal residents during the 2025 debate.
“I don’t think it’s fair to ask hardworking Floridians who are struggling to make ends meet to spend $45 million subsidizing the education of people who shouldn’t even be here,” said U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, a former state legislator.
Gov. Ron DeSantis defended Florida’s continued cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, calling it “positive cooperation” that “has certainly made a difference here in Florida.”
Tensions over enforcement have deepened nationally after ICE agents in Minneapolis fatally shot two U.S. citizens, drawing condemnation from lawmakers and activists.
“They feel they can do anything they want — even including executing a United States citizen in broad daylight,” said Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando.
The Visible Act must pass three committees before it can reach the full Senate floor for a vote.
ORLANDO, Fla. – With overnight temperatures expected to drop into the 20s and 30s across parts of Florida, AAA is urging drivers and homeowners to act quickly to safeguard their vehicles and homes.
“Whenever temperatures drop this quickly, the calls start pouring in. Dead batteries become extremely common,” Mark Jenkins, spokesman for AAA – The Auto Club Group, said in a news release. “At the same time, homeowners face the risk of frozen pipes that can burst and cause thousands of dollars in damage.”
Cold weather can severely reduce a car battery’s ability to hold a charge, especially if the battery is older or weakened, and AAA said it expects a spike in roadside assistance calls for dead batteries during the cold snap.
Jenkins added, “Cold weather is tough on older batteries. If yours gives out, AAA can come to you. Our technicians can test, charge, or even replace your battery on the spot for members who request help.”
AAA recommends having your battery tested if it’s more than three years old, listening for slow engine cranking as a warning sign, and replacing batteries that show signs of weakness.
Frozen or burst pipe prevention
Homeowners should also be aware that freezing temperatures can cause water inside pipes to freeze and expand, potentially rupturing plumbing hidden behind walls or under sinks. Multiple nights of hard freeze conditions increase this risk.
To prevent frozen or burst pipes, AAA advises the following:
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Let faucets drip slightly to keep water moving.
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Open cabinet doors to allow warm air circulation.
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Keep the thermostat set to at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Know the location of your main water shutoff valve.
Keeping tabs on tire pressure
Cold weather also lowers tire pressure, often by 1 to 2 PSI for every 10-degree drop in temperature. Underinflated tires can reduce fuel economy, affect handling, and increase the risk of blowouts.
[WATCH: Tire pressure light on? Why cold weather can set it off]
AAA suggests:
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Check tire pressure in the morning when tires are cold.
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Inflate tires to the manufacturer’s recommended PSI found on the driver’s door jamb.
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Don’t rely solely on tire-pressure monitoring systems.
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Inspect tires for wear or damage.
“With weather like this, preparation is everything,” Jenkins said. “A few simple steps today can prevent a breakdown on the road or a disaster at home tomorrow.”
AAA recommends members download the AAA mobile app for fast access to roadside help, weather updates, and safety information.
To schedule a vehicle inspection, click here to locate a nearby AAA Approved Auto Repair Facility.
Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.
A large crowd of several hundred people gathered in downtown Pensacola on Monday afternoon in protest of ICE and its actions in Minnesota.
As the sun set over MLK Plaza, protestors had spilled out of the park and to three of the corners surrounding Palafox and Garden streets. Many holding signs, some chanting, the message was the same—get rid of ICE.
“We’re out here today in rejection of the violence happening in Minnesota between ICE and working class people,” said volunteer Dashawn McKenzie with the Pensacola Liberation Center. “We saw the murder of Alex Pretti and the murder of Renee Good. We’re standing in contrast to that saying we want ICE off our streets and we want the government to stop spending our tax dollars on ICE that is murdering people and deporting our neighbors because we have no issue with our immigrant neighbors.”
Opposition to ICE has grown steadily in recent days after federal immigration agents shot and killed two people in Minneapolis this month, including Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse who treated veterans, and Renee Nicole Good, a poet and mother of three.
Republican lawmakers have increasingly called for investigations into the killing of Pretti as Democrats refuse to fund the Department of Homeland Security despite the likelihood of a government shutdown.
After a call with Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz on Monday, Trump said he would send border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to lead some operations on the ground.
Pensacola protest calls for an end to ICE video
Video shows Pensacola residents protest in a show of solidarity with Minneapolis
The protest on Monday was one of several planned across Florida this week, and the first of two in Pensacola. Organizers say they plan to hold a second protest on Friday.
During Monday’s event, there was no visible counter-protest other than a couple stray comments from vehicles driving by. That didn’t surprise McKenzie, who said he has seen both sides of the aisle come together in recent days over ICE actions.
“I’ve talked to a million right-wingers and I know people want us to all hate each other like it’s a Facebook comment session war, but in reality most people don’t their government murdering people. Even Second Amendment advocates are standing in defense of Alex Pretti, working class people on the right are like ‘Hey, I may like Trump ,but I don’t like this.’ That’s the reality of what’s happening.”
USA TODAY reporters contributed to this story.
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