Trump’s taunts intensify, DeSantis gets scolded on foreign policy, and it’s March bill madness

It’s Monday, March 20, and the harsh glare of the national spotlight is upon us — and our governor. The state Legislature keeps racing through life-changing bills. And the congressional Republican caucus has arrived in Orlando – for a three-day retreat.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

We were reminded last week there is much we still haven’t learned about Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Dovish talk for one-time hawk: The Republican Florida governor was a foreign affairs hawk when he served in Congress, criticizing the Obama administration in 2014 for not supporting Ukraine forcefully enough against Russian aggression. But last week, as he prepares an expected presidential campaign to challenge former President Donald Trump, the governor changed direction and instead mirrored the former president’s isolationist stance.

DeSantis described Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine “as a territorial dispute” and suggested that the defense of Ukraine should not be a priority for an American president.

‘Big mistake’: The comment immediately drew criticism from conservatives, including within the Rupurt Murdoch media chain. The Wall Street Journal, for example, called the statement the governor’s “first big mistake” and gave him a failing grade.

No more government restraint? In contrast to DeSantis’ foreign policy restraint is his aggressive and activist use of state power. His political memoir and his first four years in office provide a road map for how the governor sees the future of the GOP. We took a deep look at how his to effort to implant conservative values into government and society compares to Trump’s and what it means to the limited-government philosophy of the Republican Party of the past.

March bill madness: Determined to forge ahead with an agenda DeSantis can use on the campaign trail, Florida legislators have been dunking big bills this session as often as March Madness free throws. A sampling from last week:

Universal vouchers: On Friday, the full House passed a universal school voucher bill that would make every Florida student eligible to receive taxpayer funds to attend private or alternative schools. The measure, which carries a still-to-be-determined price tag, was slammed by Democrats and other critics as a “coupon for millionaires.”

Six-week abortion ban: On Thursday, a House Committee voted for a bill to restrict abortion to six weeks in nearly all cases, setting up another likely legal challenge to the state’s privacy clause. The measure tightens the law passed last year that would restrict abortion to 15 weeks but includes exceptions for rape and incest.

“Sex reassignment” ban: A Senate committee advanced a bill to make “sex reassignment” medical care illegal for transgender minors. The measure will put into law the rule adopted by the Board of Medicine and Board of Osteopathic Medicine in November that bans the use of puberty blockers, hormone therapies or surgeries to treat gender dysphoria for anyone in Florida under age 18.

Easier to sue critics: A Florida House committee on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to a sweeping bill to make it easier to sue for defamation despite warnings from across the political spectrum that the measure is unconstitutional and could lead to a flurry of lawsuits against news organizations, talk radio hosts and even politicians.

Harder to sue insurers: The Florida House gave approval Friday to a measure aimed at helping insurance companies who charge the highest auto and homeowners insurance premiums in the nation. The legislative solution is to make it harder for customers to sue their insurers when claims are disputed.

Unhappy consumers: The lopsided efforts to protect insurance companies and businesses from lawsuits, however, has drawn a variety of opponents: motorcycle riders, accident victims, doctors and two parents whose daughters were murdered during 2018′s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.

Trump’s taunt: Former President Donald Trump has also joined the chorus of the bill’s critics. He blasted the governor last week for wanting to give insurance companies widespread protections from lawsuits. He turned to Truth Social just after midnight last Thursday and called the proposal “the worst Insurance Scam in the entire Country!”

Lowering gun age: A House committee approved a bill that would lower the minimum age from 21 to 18 to buy rifles and other long guns in Florida, reversing part of a 2018 law enacted after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

Speed bump: But in a signal that not everything is going to be smooth sailing this session, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said Wednesday there is no companion bill in the Senate and little support for lowering the minimum age for guns in her chamber.

Stifling gender discussions: The House has advanced a bill that would expand restrictions on sex and gender discussions from Pre-K through 8th Grade and ban the use of pronouns in schools. During a subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, Republican state Rep. Stan McClain said his bill would also include restricting girls from talking about their menstrual cycles.

Canceling diversity programs: As legislators were discussing how to restrict gender talk, DeSantis led a roundtable discussion last Monday that portrayed Florida’s public universities as a system of schools that had lowered its standards and was gripped by an “ideology” that based advancement on race instead of merit. It’s part of the governor’s agenda aimed at reshaping Florida’s higher education in the name of combating “orthodoxy” and “uniformity of thought.’’

Slow pokes poked: We’ve all seen them: the drivers who cruise in the left lane on the highway, too often driving below the speed limit. One Florida lawmaker wants to alleviate this nuisance by making it easier for police to ticket errant drivers.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

Trump’s allies file ethics complaint: The rivalry between Trump and DeSantis escalated yet again last week as a pro-Trump super PAC publicized a letter it sent to the Florida Commission on Ethics alleging the governor has violated the state’s campaign finance laws because he has improperly benefited from campaign contributions and other political gifts that are allowed only for declared candidates. Meanwhile, the former president said he is preparing for a possible indictment from New York prosecutors as early as this week.

Scott v. DeSantis continues: U.S. Sen. Rick Scott distanced himself from DeSantis on two significant issues last week as the former governor gave an interview to Noticias Telemundo suggesting that he agrees with public support for more moderate abortion policies than those advanced by the DeSantis and Republican-controlled legislature. Scott also said he was opposed to DeSantis’ proposal to revoke in-state tuition for “Dreamers,” which Scott signed into law in 2014.

Dark days for Sunshine law: Since DeSantis took office, the number of exemptions to the state’s public records law has expanded, and the interpretation of what is a public record has shifted. The governor’s lawyers advanced an unprecedented interpretation that claims for the first time that he has an executive right to keep key government records secret from the public. And this year, DeSantis is urging the Legislature to make Florida the first state in the nation to weaken the legal precedent protecting the public and journalists who publish critical comments about public figures.

Drag show retribution: The governor’s pressuring of private businesses continued last week, when the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation filed a complaint against the Hyatt Regency Miami, putting the hotel chain on notice that its state liquor license will be revoked because of a drag show at the adjacent James L. Knight Center in which the state claimed minors were present.

Officer saw no ‘lewd acts’: At a similar crackdown at a ‘Drag Queen Christmas’ event at the historic Plaza Live theater in Orlando, undercover state officers reported that no “lewd acts” took place, according to an incident report obtained by the Miami Herald. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation nonetheless proceeded to file a complaint against the theater, claiming the venue had illegally exposed children to sexual content.

Recruiting New College transfers: Hampshire College of Massachusetts, known for its progressive, iconoclastic approach to higher education, is offering admission and a tuition match to all students at New College of Florida, a school with a similar philosophy that is being overhauled by DeSantis and the conservative leaders he appointed to run it.

No immigration case appeal: The Biden administration declined to appeal a federal court ruling that blocks a key Department of Homeland Security program that was used to help the agency relieve migrant congestion at the U.S. southern border. The parole program allowed DHS to release tens of thousands of migrants into the country while they await immigration proceedings. But the decision not to appeal the ruling comes as the agency was phasing out use of the program, according to agency statistics.

Disney’s drama: In this week’s episode of “Woke Wars,” the weekly podcast of the Miami Herald opinion team, they tackle the Disney drama as well as the state’s hands-on approach to private businesses, even as it coddles some of them.

Thank you for reading! The Politics and Policy in the Sunshine State newsletter was curated this week by Tallahassee Bureau Chief Mary Ellen Klas. We appreciate our readers, and if you have any ideas or suggestions, please drop me a note at meklas@miamiherald.com.

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