TALLAHASSEE — Setting the tone for a legislative session in which Republicans have unprecedented supermajorities in the House and Senate, Gov. Ron DeSantis promised to “swing for the fences” as he delivered his fifth State of the State address Tuesday.
“We will stand strong, we will hold the line, we won’t back down, and I can promise you this: You ain’t seen nothin’ yet,” DeSantis said, eliciting applause in the crowded House chamber.
DeSantis, who was captain of the Yale University baseball team, is now the undisputed skipper of the Republican-controlled Legislature, and the House and Senate backed up his pledge to come out swinging. The same day the governor delivered his annual remarks to lawmakers, GOP lawmakers filed controversial proposals that would prevent abortions after six weeks of pregnancy and carry out DeSantis’ crackdown on immigration.
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The abortion bills (SB 300 and HB 7) came after the Republican-controlled Legislature last year passed a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The proposed restrictions are almost certain to make abortion one of the most-contentious issues of the 60-day legislative session.
Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, issued a statement Tuesday blasting the proposed six-week limit.
“Florida Republicans have once again demonstrated a complete disregard for the women of our state and for our collective freedoms,” Eskamani said. “As we’ve already seen in other states, a six-week ban is extreme, dangerous and will force millions of people out of state to seek care and others will be forced into pregnancy. Most people do not even know they are pregnant until after six weeks, so this six-week ban might as well be a complete ban.”
The current 15-week abortion restriction is the subject of a constitutional challenge by seven abortion clinics and a doctor. The Florida Supreme Court in January agreed to take up the challenge.
In addition to the constitutional issues, the 15-week limit has drawn criticism because it does not include exemptions for victims of rape or incest. The six-week restriction proposed this week would allow abortions up to 15 weeks of pregnancy in cases of rape or incest, but they would require women to present proof that they were victims.
During a news conference after his State of the State address, DeSantis called the exceptions “sensible, and we welcome pro-life legislation.”
The immigration-related proposals were filed by Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, and Rep. Kiyan Michael, R-Jacksonville.
The measures (SB 1718 and HB 1617) would make changes such as preventing counties and municipalities from funding organizations that issue identification to people who don’t have “proof of lawful presence in the United States.”
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As DeSantis set the tone for Republicans, outnumbered Democrats this week accused the governor of using his bully pulpit to build toward a potential 2024 run for president.
House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, told reporters after the State of the State address that DeSantis is “solely focused on running for the GOP nomination for president, and that’s how he’s governing right now as families suffer.”
STRANGE BEDFELLOWS
The session’s sizzling start continued to heat up this week, as the House and Senate teed up proposals that would allow Floridians to carry concealed firearms without licenses. The bills are ready for consideration in both chambers.
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Under longstanding Florida law, gun owners have needed to obtain state concealed-weapons licenses to carry guns, a process that has included completing training courses and passing background checks. The bills (SB 150, HB 543) would scrap the requirements, though it says people carrying guns would have to be able to display valid identification “upon demand by a law enforcement officer.”
The measures have united two groups on polar opposite sides of the issue in opposition to the bills.
On one side, gun-control advocates have criticized the elimination of the training requirement.
Several members of the group Moms Demand Action, which was formed after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut, opposed the bill during a final Senate committee hearing Thursday.
“It’s downright shameful to push forward this dangerous legislation that will eliminate our decades-long permitting system,” Katie Hathaway, a Moms Demand Action member, said.
At the other end of the spectrum, gun-rights advocates have been riled by what they say is a misapplication of the “constitutional carry” label given to the measure by its supporters — and argue that the proposals don’t go far enough. The gun-rights advocates have called for what is known as “open carry,” which would not require firearms to be concealed.
DeSantis signaled this week that he would support an open-carry proposal. But he also indicated he would approve a concealed-carry bill. The governor’s comments, and his widely rumored potential run for president, were cited by open-carry supporters during the Senate hearing.
“If the governor cannot get a very friendly legislature to add open carry to this bill, then how do we think he will do trying to convince Congress to act on anything if he were to become president? If open carry isn’t added to this bill, it shows political impotence on the part of Gov. DeSantis,” said Matt Collins, a Winter Park resident who addressed the Senate panel.
Meanwhile, the National Rifle Association, the Florida Sheriffs Association and the Florida Police Chiefs Association have been among groups supporting the current proposal.
Senate sponsor Jay Collins, R-Tampa, maintained that reducing barriers to being able to carry a firearm will help law-abiding citizens protect themselves.
CLEAN HANDS
The new leader of the Florida Democratic Party is off the hook for an alleged ethics violation.
The Florida Commission on Ethics on Friday dismissed a long-running dispute about whether Nikki Fried, a former state agriculture commissioner, violated state law by not properly disclosing financial information.
The decision came after an accountant and an attorney for Fried filed affidavits vouching for information that was initially filed showing her income in 2017 and 2018. The forms were later amended to show substantially higher income — spurring a complaint that Fried had violated the law.
Evan Power, chairman of the Leon County Republican Party, filed the ethics complaint in June 2021. The case played out as Fried, a Democrat, unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2022. Fried was elected chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party last month.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Drawing a national spotlight as he prepares for a potential White House bid, Gov. Ron DeSantis opened the annual legislative session Tuesday by touting the state’s accomplishments and vowing to “swing for the fences so that we can ensure Florida remains number one.”
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Ron DeSantis is so obsessed with ‘woke’ that he is asleep at the wheel.” — House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, following the governor’s State of the State speech Tuesday.
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