Florida Stays ‘Nimble’ as DeSantis Pushes Back on Federal AI Overreach

By Florida Jolt On Oct 6, 2025 0 Copy Link Print

H/T Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida, original report published Oct. 2, 2025

As artificial intelligence continues to reshape industries and institutions, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is urging the state’s schools and universities to remain “nimble” in responding to the rapid advances in AI technology.

Speaking at the University of Florida on Monday, DeSantis warned that breakthroughs in AI could emerge that “really aren’t what anyone’s thinking about” and could prove revolutionary. “We need to be mindful of that, and we need to make sure that we’re doing it,” DeSantis said.

The governor did not expand on earlier comments from July, when he called for Florida to develop AI-related policies aimed at preventing domination by “tech overlords.”

Subscribe to The Florida Jolt Newsletter!

While DeSantis keeps a close watch on how AI is handled at the state level, a new potential conflict is brewing in Washington. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr said this week the FCC is exploring whether it can override state and local regulations it considers too “heavy-handed” on AI.

Speaking at a technology expo in D.C., Carr claimed that some AI-related services may fall under federal telecom authority. If so, the FCC could move to preempt state-level laws. But legal experts are already throwing cold water on the idea, saying the FCC’s jurisdiction over AI is, at best, murky. A Congressional Research Service report from earlier this year warned that the FCC’s authority is “not boundless.”

DeSantis has consistently opposed federal attempts to sideline state-level AI policy. A congressional proposal to ban states from regulating AI for ten years was shot down earlier this year. The governor was among its critics, calling AI “very dangerous” if it supplants, rather than enhances, the human experience.

DeSantis-Era Education Reforms Under Scrutiny

Also on Monday, while state officials touted Florida’s strong performance in the latest U.S. News & World Report university rankings, New College of Florida President Richard Corcoran took aim at the criteria used in the assessments.

Corcoran—who has led the charge in transforming New College under DeSantis’ conservative education agenda—argued the rankings are tainted by liberal peer reviewers unhappy with the state’s ideological shift.

“This guy has changed the ideology of higher education to say, ‘We’re teaching how to think, not what to think,’ and we’re being peer reviewed by people who think that’s absolutely horrendous,” Corcoran said, referring to DeSantis.

New College fell to No. 135 in national liberal arts rankings, continuing a decline that has followed its reinvention as a model for conservative higher education.

Big Backing for DeSantis Ally Uthmeier

Meanwhile, political buzz is growing over the upcoming race for Florida Attorney General. With rumors that President Trump may recruit House Speaker Daniel Perez (R–Miami) to challenge current Attorney General James Uthmeier, national Republicans are already stepping in.

The Republican Attorneys General Association announced Monday that it is committing seven figures in campaign funding to back Uthmeier’s 2026 run. Uthmeier, a former DeSantis chief of staff, was appointed in February to succeed Ashley Moody after her move to the U.S. Senate.

The support signals strong conservative backing for Uthmeier in what could become a highly watched GOP primary next year.

Other stories you may want to read:

Transgender Ideology Is Collapsing-and Florida Is Leading the Way

About
Latest Posts

Florida Jolt

Florida Jolt was founded, in part, to give a voice to people scorned by the legacy media, parents of public school children, conservatives, homeschoolers, the religious, the traditional, pro-lifers, libertarians, etc.