Florida Politics (1 Viewer)

[ignatiusjreilly]

This is kind of fascinating, less as a "Florida politics" issue and more as a "don't make a rush to judgment based on a tweet" issue. In a nutshell, there were a bunch of people on Twitter getting riled up over a Tallahassee Democrat article reporting the Leon County School Board was going to require schools to notify all parents about the presence of a trans kid in locker rooms or on school trips. You may be shocked to learn that the outrage appears to have been misguided.

But even that doesn't explain the whole issue, which is very complex and confusing and still remains somewhat ambiguous. The article I linked to is long, but if you skip to the bottom you can read Signal's summary and avoid getting into the (mostly irrelevant) details.

Some people might want to cite it as proof that concerns about the PRE law are overblown, but I don't think that's an accurate takeaway. In fact, I would argue that the law has compounded an already difficult issue by raising the stakes of getting these decisions wrong while offering precious little guidance for schoolboards trying to figure it all out.

Like I said, the main takeaway should be "If you read something on Twitter that seems to press all your buttons, take a moment and examine the story critically before getting yourself into a lather."

 

[The Commish]

This is kind of fascinating, less as a "Florida politics" issue and more as a "don't make a rush to judgment based on a tweet" issue. In a nutshell, there were a bunch of people on Twitter getting riled up over a Tallahassee Democrat article reporting the Leon County School Board was going to require schools to notify all parents about the presence of a trans kid in locker rooms or on school trips. You may be shocked to learn that the outrage appears to have been misguided.

But even that doesn't explain the whole issue, which is very complex and confusing and still remains somewhat ambiguous. The article I linked to is long, but if you skip to the bottom you can read Signal's summary and avoid getting into the (mostly irrelevant) details.

Some people might want to cite it as proof that concerns about the PRE law are overblown, but I don't think that's an accurate takeaway. In fact, I would argue that the law has compounded an already difficult issue by raising the stakes of getting these decisions wrong while offering precious little guidance for schoolboards trying to figure it all out.

Like I said, the main takeaway should be "If you read something on Twitter that seems to press all your buttons, take a moment and examine the story critically before getting yourself into a lather."

This is ONE example of a billion we are provided every single day as to why SM should just be burned to the ground.  I hadn't heard anything about this until your post.  I'm so thankful most of this crap isn't in my life.

That said, this starts top/down.  If the state legislature would take the time to write clear and concise legislation in the first place, it cuts out the opportunity for confusion almost entirely.  Instead, by design, we have incredibly vague, poorly written "sound byte legislation" passed to get headlines.  What's the result?  The school boards across the state spend their entire summers meeting together to try and figure out how not to get sued instead of focusing on the path forward for the kids and providing them the best education they can.  

 

[rustycolts]

Someone explain this to me like I'm five: Why would you send out stimulus checks to fight inflation?

I get the populist reason for wanting to be seen as helping people deal with its effects (and notice that, once again, DeSantis is using funds from Biden's American Rescue Plan, which he vociferously opposed, for his own political benefit). But from an economic standpoint, stimulus checks would seem to be the worst thing you could do in an inflationary economy

According to this article it was a budget surplus that paid for the checks not stimulus funds. Article could be wrong though have to look into it a little further. 

https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/theyre-real-florida-to-provide-almost-60k-families-with-450-per-child-from-hope-florida-program/

 

[Philo Beddoe]

According to this article it was a budget surplus that paid for the checks not stimulus funds. Article could be wrong though have to look into it a little further. 

https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/theyre-real-florida-to-provide-almost-60k-families-with-450-per-child-from-hope-florida-program/

Let me know if I have this right. Florida runs a surplus and they distribute it back to the taxpayers. The corrupted leftist media runs a partisan hit piece like they always do, even though they just got done kissing Newsom’s rear end for doing the same thing.

 

[The Commish]

Let me know if I have this right. Florida runs a surplus and they distribute it back to the taxpayers. The corrupted leftist media runs a partisan hit piece like they always do, even though they just got done kissing Newsom’s rear end for doing the same thing.

We have a 20ish billion surplus....over 15 billion of that is in the general fund because it was funds they didn't have to spend since they got COVID relief funding from the federal government and used that instead.  Sales Tax revenue is way up over predictions from last August adding another 2-3 billion to the total.  

The "sides" here are playing semantics.  The only actual statement here (made by DeSantis' press secretary) is incorrect.  These monies (regardless of the line item you choose to take them from) being injected into the economy don't help with inflation.

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

That said, this starts top/down.  If the state legislature would take the time to write clear and concise legislation in the first place, it cuts out the opportunity for confusion almost entirely.  Instead, by design, we have incredibly vague, poorly written "sound byte legislation" passed to get headlines.  What's the result?  The school boards across the state spend their entire summers meeting together to try and figure out how not to get sued instead of focusing on the path forward for the kids and providing them the best education they can.  

I thought about making that point in my original post, and it may well be true, but I didn't know enough to say for sure. The truth is, laws or no laws, this #### is hard. To cite just one example, the people crafting this policy (just about all of whom were very committed to supporting trans kids) had a debate over whether to make a blanket announcement at the beginning of the year telling parents that there could be trans kids in locker rooms or on overnight trips, which some favored because then they weren't singling out specific kids. But others pointed out, not unreasonably, that there were so few trans kids in the district that bringing the issue up pre-emptively could lead to parental backlash over an issue that was never going to actually present itself.

All I know is that between Covid, the CRT debate, LGBTQ issues and many, many other issues, you couldn't pay me enough to sit on a school board right now.

 

[SoBeDad]

Meanwhile, in things that really matter, yet another insurance is leaving the state causing financial pain in most cases as homeowners scramble to find more expensive coverage. 17 other insurers have been threatened to have their ratings downgraded which create absolute chaos. The rating company said the state legislature didn't do enough to address fraudulent claims during the past session (but did have time to pass the "don't say gay" bill).

How long have Republicans been in charge in Tallahassee? 20+ years? I wouldn't place all the blame on DeSantis but  I wouldn't be surprised if this, rising rents, and the abortion issue make the 2022 election a little closer than initially anticipated 

 

[Joe Mammy]

Nazis fly DeSantis flags in Tampa outside the young conservatives convention. No denouncing from Goober. Why should he? Those are his voters. 

 

[The Commish]

On a positive note....we just got back from a short little keys trip and mini season might take you all of 15 minutes or so to catch your limit.  With the bull#### that Trump pulled with the tariffs it's been a huge impact on the industry and many companies have gone out of business.  We were at three of our holes over a couple days and there were DOZENS of lobsters livin' it up for a few more days.  It's not going to get any easier than this.

 

[NorvilleBarnes]

Nazis fly DeSantis flags in Tampa outside the young conservatives convention. No denouncing from Goober. Why should he? Those are his voters. 

Absolutely on brand that you believe this.

 

[Joe Mammy]

Absolutely on brand that you believe this.

Absolutely up your alley to back him. 

 

[NorvilleBarnes]

did have time to pass the "don't say gay" bill

We're still doing this?

 

[NorvilleBarnes]

Absolutely up your alley to back him. 

Of course, I'm a conservative Floridian who doesn't fall for the most transparent Project Lincoln nazi hoaxes. But hey, you do you.

 

[Joe Mammy]

Of course, I'm a conservative Floridian who doesn't fall for the most transparent Project Lincoln nazi hoaxes. But hey, you do you.

So they're fake Nazis? 

Achtung, Baby!

 

[NorvilleBarnes]

So they're fake Nazis? 

      JFC

 

[Joe Mammy]

      JFC

I'll laugh with you! 

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

I don’t think they were fake Nazis. 

I also don’t think DeSantis is responsible for every idiot who shows up at his rallies. 

I do think he should condemn them because you should always condemn Nazis.

i don’t think his failure to do so is a result of him being a secret Nazi or trying to win the “Nazi vote”

I do think it’s probably a function of his stubborn adherence to his dumb political bro  code that says you never do the thing that the Left wants you to do. 

Finally, I think I’ve already spent more time time thinking about the story than I ever wanted to

 

[NorvilleBarnes]

I don’t think they were fake Nazis. 

I don't even want to debunk this. It brings me so much joy knowing you guys buy this stuff.

 

[Joe Mammy]

 We were at three of our holes over a couple days and there were DOZENS of lobsters livin' it up for a few more days.  It's not going to get any easier than this.

Nice. I used to get out the tickle stick and do beach dives in Hollywood for mini every year.

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

FPL acting like the evil corporate villain in a B-movie

Powerbrokers: How FPL secretly took over a Florida news site and used it to bash critics

When Florida Power & Light faced a spate of bad publicity and political blowback, a small but ambitious news website called the Capitolist sprang to the public utility’s defense.

Taking aim at foes of FPL’s proposed rate hikes and controversial attempts to buy Jacksonville’s public utility, the Capitolist savaged the critics, impugning their motives and suggesting they were part of “dark money” schemes. “Documents suggest Florida’s largest companies are secretly sabotaging effort to protect power lines from hurricane damage,” declared the headline of one such article from 2019.

Behind the scenes, FPL executives were back-slapping.

Unbeknownst to readers, the article — which promoted legislation to reimburse the multibillion-dollar utility for undergrounding power lines — wasn’t published simply because the Capitolist was staunchly conservative and pro-business as editor Brian Burgess had proudly announced when he founded the publication in 2016.

The article was written after the FPL president and CEO Eric Silagy made clear he wanted it. And, as it happened, Silagy was secretly running things at the Capitolist.

While portraying itself as a feisty independent outlet, the Capitolist — which aims its content directly at Tallahassee decision makers — was bankrolled and controlled by executives of the power company through a small group of trusted intermediaries from an Alabama consulting firm, according to an investigation by the Miami Herald, based on a massive leak of documents.

 

[rustycolts]

Nazis fly DeSantis flags in Tampa outside the young conservatives convention. No denouncing from Goober. Why should he? Those are his voters. 

I'm not a Nazi. I've been called a Nancy before is that the same?

 

[Joe Mammy]

I'm not a Nazi. I've been called a Nancy before is that the same?

I'm not saying all of Goober's supporters are Nazis. Just those Nazis at the rally are his voters. And I'm not buying this fake Nazi nonsense, this group has been showing up at Disney and also on overpasses. Bunch of troublemakers.

Nancy? Them's fighting words!

 

[SoBeDad]

I don't even want to debunk this. It brings me so much joy knowing you guys buy this stuff.

Both Rubio and Rick Scott condemned the Nazi protest. So did Turning Point USA,  the conservative group that organized the summit. It seems that the Goyim Defense League might be the organizers of the Nazi protest. Per wiki, one of their members ran for US Senate in CA in 2018 and got just over 1% of the vote, more than 50,000 voters. 

Why is DeSantis setting himself up for this line in a debate (to paraphrase Gillum):

"I'm not calling Mr. DeSantis a Nazi, I'm simply saying the Nazis believe he's a Nazi."

>>TPUSA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet said on Sunday the group “100% condemns those ideologies in the strongest of terms” and said the neo-Nazis have “nothing to do” with the organization.

"Since these individuals were located on public property, our security attempted to, but was not permitted to remove them. We have no idea who they are or why they were here,” Kolvet said in a statement.

“Our students, after initially confronting them, ultimately took the mature route and vacated the space. Once that happened, these individuals left.”

The neo-Nazi group on Saturday night clashed verbally with left-leaning protesters, who were demonstrating mainly against U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last month to overturn Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to abortion.

Photos taken by local Tampa outlet Creative Loafing shows neo-Nazis in red shirts waving Swastika flags and other blue flags that read “DeSantis Country.”

They also distributed flyers that falsely claimed Jews were behind abortions. The flyers were created by the Goyim Defense League, an antisemitic hate group, Creative Loafing reported.<<

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

The numbnuts at the Lincoln Project who organized the fake protest are idiots for all kinds of reasons. First and foremost, dressing up as Nazis is offensive no matter what you're trying to accomplish (didn't any of these people read Mother Night?) But also, they gave people license to dismiss any further demonstrations of anti-Semitic groups as false-flag operations. I can tell you that as a Jew, I wish all we had to deal with were fake neo-Nazis.

They also distributed flyers that falsely claimed Jews were behind abortions. The flyers were created by the Goyim Defense League, an antisemitic hate group, Creative Loafing reported.<<

Those flyers were a minor news story a few weeks ago. Distributed in various Jewish neighborhoods throughout South Florida and blaming Jews for abortion, Disney, etc. They were weirdly dated, with one featuring a picture of former Ohio Sen. Howard Metzenbaum, who left office in 1994.

I don't want to overstate the threat. These GDL goobers aren't exactly the Brownshirts. And I don't know/care if they were the ones behind the TPUSA protest. But they are real.

 

[Philo Beddoe]

We have a 20ish billion surplus....over 15 billion of that is in the general fund because it was funds they didn't have to spend since they got COVID relief funding from the federal government and used that instead.  Sales Tax revenue is way up over predictions from last August adding another 2-3 billion to the total.  

The "sides" here are playing semantics.  The only actual statement here (made by DeSantis' press secretary) is incorrect.  These monies (regardless of the line item you choose to take them from) being injected into the economy don't help with inflation.

That wasn’t my point. My point was about how the media treats governors based on their political affiliation but you know this. Like how I know how you are going to respond with some crap about brietbart and the beltway pundit being the equivalent of the NYT and WaPo.

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

“Our students, after initially confronting them, ultimately took the mature route and vacated the space. Once that happened, these individuals left.”

Credit where it's due: TPUSA's reaction is exactly what you should do with losers like this. Outrage is their oxygen, so don't give them any.

No idea if this ever actually happened, but I heard that Ann Coulter (who, I should be clear, is not a Nazi, but does similarly live off of generating outrage) was once invited to speak at a college campus. Instead of trying to deplatform her or protest the speech, students came up with the idea of attending the speech and simply not reacting to anything she said, which left her incredibly flustered

 

[The Commish]

That wasn’t my point. My point was about how the media treats governors based on their political affiliation but you know this. Like how I know how you are going to respond with some crap about brietbart and the beltway pundit being the equivalent of the NYT and WaPo.

Na...at some point, you'll see our national media for what it is.  They'll do whatever they have to in order to get your attention and eyeballs.  Until you demand change by ignoring it, they aren't going to.  They like any attention they get, including the faux outrage...it all makes them money  

ETA:  You'll notice I merely pointed out the reality/facts of what was being discussed and provided no commentary on "sources" or any of that garbage....I couldn't care less about the media in this country.

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

I probably wouldn't take my kids to a drag brunch -- I mean, maybe the 12-year-old, but I doubt he'd enjoy it. But threatening to shut a restaurant down for hosting one seems a bit extreme:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration filed a state complaint against Miami’s R House on Tuesday that says the Wynwood bar’s weekend Drag Show Brunches expose minors to “sexually explicit drag shows.” “The nature of the performances described above, particularly when conducted in the presence of young children, corrupts the public morals and outrages the sense of public decency,” the complaint says in an argument accusing R House of disorderly conduct.

As with mask mandates, Covid vaccines and educational curricula, we once against see that DeSantis' supposed libertarian concern for parental rights is a bit like Henry Ford's view of color choices for the Model T: Parents have the right to determine how their kids are raised, as long as they choose to raise them the way DeSantis wants them to.

 

[Joe Mammy]

When I was a kid in Miami my Dad took me to the Drag Races.

Funny cars, rails, wheelies! It was a blast! Snake! Mongoose! Big Daddy Don Garlits!

They never served much brunch.

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

When I was a kid in Miami my Dad took me to the Drag Races.

Funny cars, rails, wheelies! It was a blast! Snake! Mongoose! Big Daddy Don Garlits!

They never served much brunch.

Did you at least get to meet RuPaul?

 

[HellToupee]

When I was a kid in Miami my Dad took me to the Drag Races.

Funny cars, rails, wheelies! It was a blast! Snake! Mongoose! Big Daddy Don Garlits!

They never served much brunch.

Of course not , you were with your dad

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

Veterans can now teach in Florida with no degree. School leaders say it 'lowers the bar'

I don't want to jump to any conclusions on this, but if it is allowing unqualified teachers into classrooms simply based on their previous employment (or their spouse's previous employment), that seems not good.

And by the way, I say that as someone who considers the military an excellent professional training ground. If I interview a job candidate who's a veteran, I consider that a huge plus, because it tells me they are more likely to have strong management skills, self-discipline, etc. I'm just not totally clear on how well those skills would translate to classroom teaching. And the inclusion of spouses suggests this may be more of a "rah rah military" kind of thing.

I'd be curious to hear the perspective of teachers and school administrators on this issue.

 

[FairWarning]

Veterans can now teach in Florida with no degree. School leaders say it 'lowers the bar'

I don't want to jump to any conclusions on this, but if it is allowing unqualified teachers into classrooms simply based on their previous employment (or their spouse's previous employment), that seems not good.

And by the way, I say that as someone who considers the military an excellent professional training ground. If I interview a job candidate who's a veteran, I consider that a huge plus, because it tells me they are more likely to have strong management skills, self-discipline, etc. I'm just not totally clear on how well those skills would translate to classroom teaching. And the inclusion of spouses suggests this may be more of a "rah rah military" kind of thing.

I'd be curious to hear the perspective of teachers and school administrators on this issue.

I could be a substitute teacher in my county without a teaching certificate.  The schools are that desperate for help now.  Like everything else,  education seems like a hot mess now, really don’t want to deal with someone’s parents over trivial stuff.

 

[The Commish]

Veterans can now teach in Florida with no degree. School leaders say it 'lowers the bar'

I don't want to jump to any conclusions on this, but if it is allowing unqualified teachers into classrooms simply based on their previous employment (or their spouse's previous employment), that seems not good.

And by the way, I say that as someone who considers the military an excellent professional training ground. If I interview a job candidate who's a veteran, I consider that a huge plus, because it tells me they are more likely to have strong management skills, self-discipline, etc. I'm just not totally clear on how well those skills would translate to classroom teaching. And the inclusion of spouses suggests this may be more of a "rah rah military" kind of thing.

I'd be curious to hear the perspective of teachers and school administrators on this issue.

My mom lost her #### when she read this.

Couple things:

1.  She loves Ron.
2.  Retired Teacher.
3.  Lives in NC....I have no idea how she got wind of this.

 

[Rich Conway]

I could be a substitute teacher in my county without a teaching certificate.  The schools are that desperate for help now.  Like everything else,  education seems like a hot mess now, really don’t want to deal with someone’s parents over trivial stuff.

I would guess that encouraging unqualified teachers to join the ranks is not the best method to fix the "education is a hot mess" issue.

 

[joffer]

I could be a substitute teacher in my county without a teaching certificate.  The schools are that desperate for help now.  Like everything else,  education seems like a hot mess now, really don’t want to deal with someone’s parents over trivial stuff.

It’s a hot mess because DeSantis wants it that way.

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

It’s a hot mess because DeSantis wants it that way.

Right. I hope I'm wrong on this, but I get the sense DeSantis views teachers as a bunch of woke groomers doing a job a trained monkey could do, and he figures if you just bring in some military folks in they'll whip them into shape right quick.

 

[Osaurus]

Right. I hope I'm wrong on this, but I get the sense DeSantis views teachers as a bunch of woke groomers doing a job a trained monkey could do, and he figures if you just bring in some military folks in they'll whip them into shape right quick.

With the diluted curriculum, what could possibly go wrong?

 

[joffer]

Right. I hope I'm wrong on this, but I get the sense DeSantis views teachers as a bunch of woke groomers doing a job a trained monkey could do, and he figures if you just bring in some military folks in they'll whip them into shape right quick.

and spouses of veterans.  pretty much anyone with a pulse.

 

[The Commish]

Right. I hope I'm wrong on this, but I get the sense DeSantis views teachers as a bunch of woke groomers doing a job a trained monkey could do, and he figures if you just bring in some military folks in they'll whip them into shape right quick.

I just assumed he's doing it for the "look, I'm helping the military vets!!!!" headline.   

 

[The Commish]

I will say this in the interest of fairness....during this pandemic, we've been woefully low on teachers.  At my kids' school, they were so desperate, they took parent volunteers to run classrooms.  Is this the way to solve that?  Probably not, but it's not any worse than the current situation.

 

[massraider]

and spouses of veterans.  pretty much anyone with a pulse.

I saw a teacher post a story about a waitress, whose husband served 4 years, 30 years ago, and the waitress had to observe for 12 hours and good to go. The waitress didn't know what 'phonetics' meant. 

I am completely in favor of programs to help vets find careers. Handing out teaching jobs is just plain stupid.

Why not make them air traffic controllers? Lion tamers? Plastic surgeons?

 

[Rich Conway]

I saw a teacher post a story about a waitress, whose husband served 4 years, 30 years ago, and the waitress had to observe for 12 hours and good to go. The waitress didn't know what 'phonetics' meant. 

I am completely in favor of programs to help vets find careers. Handing out teaching jobs is just plain stupid.

Why not make them air traffic controllers? Lion tamers? Plastic surgeons?

Because those jobs are important, unlike teaching positions?

 

[rustycolts]

When I was a kid in Miami my Dad took me to the Drag Races.

Funny cars, rails, wheelies! It was a blast! Snake! Mongoose! Big Daddy Don Garlits!

They never served much brunch.

You ever see Shirley Muldowney? What a bad ###.

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

Because those jobs are important, unlike teaching positions?

Right, it's the seemingly mindless calculations (military = good, teachers = bad, therefore military teachers = good) that bothers me. Maybe there's more to it, but I've yet to see it

 

[rustycolts]

Hey guys @Ministry of Paincould explain some of the in and outs of becoming a teacher in Florida. I don't believe it was his initial career. I'm not sure what education he has but unlike me I'm sure he has a higher education like most folks on this board. I don't think his degree was in education though. Maybe if he is still around he can explain what it takes to become a teacher in FL other than a degree in education. 

 

[NorvilleBarnes]

Hey guys @Ministry of Paincould explain some of the in and outs of becoming a teacher in Florida.

This might be where DeSantis got the idea that anyone can be a teacher.

 

[The Commish]

Wonder if Ron is going to get involved here and "punish" FP&L:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jun/24/a-florida-power-company-didnt-like-a-journalists-commentary-its-consultants-had-him-followed

Sorry...above article was the only one with detail that wasn't behind a paywall.  Covered extensively in Jacksonville area apparently.  I just heard about it on Florida Roundup on NPR.....good show for those who want a high level look at what's going on in different parts of the state.

ETA:  Should be noted, I praised his veto of the bill FP&L was pushing that would reduce the 1:1 ratio for solar contributors to the grid    I just wish he's have left out the "At this point and time...." qualification.

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

Wonder if Ron is going to get involved here and "punish" FP&L:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jun/24/a-florida-power-company-didnt-like-a-journalists-commentary-its-consultants-had-him-followed

Sorry...above article was the only one with detail that wasn't behind a paywall.  Covered extensively in Jacksonville area apparently.  I just heard about it on Florida Roundup on NPR.....good show for those who want a high level look at what's going on in different parts of the state.

ETA:  Should be noted, I praised his veto of the bill FP&L was pushing that would reduce the 1:1 ratio for solar contributors to the grid    I just wish he's have left out the "At this point and time...." qualification.

I initially assumed the article was about FPL setting up a fake news blog to pump out propaganda. Sounds like this was an additional bit of skullduggery on the part of the consulting firm they hired.

Even in a world where we've become inured to large corporations acting arrogant and exercising undue influence on our political process, it's starting to sound like FPL was next-level. This is the kind of stuff you would expect to hear from Putin's Russia or Orban's Hungary.

 

[The Commish]

I initially assumed the article was about FPL setting up a fake news blog to pump out propaganda. Sounds like this was an additional bit of skullduggery on the part of the consulting firm they hired.

Even in a world where we've become inured to large corporations acting arrogant and exercising undue influence on our political process, it's starting to sound like FPL was next-level. This is the kind of stuff you would expect to hear from Putin's Russia or Orban's Hungary.

Right....this is pretty bad, even for politics.  Energy sector has always been shady in terms of "dark money" stuff.  I remember an incident in Ohio where all this dark money kept funneling in to the SOS there.  It's certainly not unique to Florida, but it goes way beyond the line IMO.