The Ybor City Stogie

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Matt Gaetz DROPPED By Incriminating DOJ Investigation

#POWERUP Workshop for Youth & Family Organizers

Democrats slam DeSantis for bans during Black History Month

Florida GOP’s plan to make it harder to pass constitutional amendments

In recent years, Floridians have approved constitutional amendments ushering in medical marijuana, a $15 minimum wage and restored voting rights for felons. more

Ron DeSantis Called Out By College Board For His Constant BS

Hundreds marching at the Capitol to "Save our History"

Faith leaders rally against move to block AP African American studies course in Tallahassee

Lilly Jane (Will McLean Foundation Audible Art Series)

SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2023 AT 2 PM

Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center

TIX

DOJ officially decides not to charge Matt Gaetz in sex-trafficking probe

The Justice Department has informed lawyers for at least one witness that it will not bring charges against Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz after a years-long federal sex-trafficking investigation.

More HERE

Ron DeSantis’s war on “woke” in Florida schools, explained

From book bans to a hostile campus takeover, here’s a rundown of DeSantis’s conservative plan for Florida education.

In 2020, Ron DeSantis’s administration declared him the “Education Governor” for how eager he was to dramatically change the state’s education system. Three years later, he’s provoked — and been engulfed in — an ongoing list of education controversies as part of his fight against “woke ideology,” or schools acknowledging or teaching about systemic injustice in American society.

As DeSantis prepares to announce his campaign for the presidency, as many have speculated, he has ramped up his involvement in Florida schools. Not only is he doubling down on existing legislation, he’s also introducing new rules and regulations — and making sure the Education Department follows through. While he largely focused on K-12 in the early years of his term, this year he has launched new plans to remake higher education.

More HERE

Candidate Debate for Florida Democratic Party Chair

Watch Live:

Florida Legislative Black Caucus Facebook Page

Rep. Maxwell Frost on The Daily Show

Jane Castor talks about challenges and opportunities facing Tampa

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, is running for re-election. Election day is March 7th and Castor has not drawn a major opponent.

Castor met with WUSF's Florida Matters at City Hall last week to talk about the challenges facing Tampa, and issues she thinks are important for the city.

The topics Jane Castor addresses are:

On the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police officers
On police reform and what needs to change
On former police chief Mary O’Connor and whether changes should be made to the hiring process
On organizational issues with the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority and the leadership of Adelee Le Grand
On affordable housing
On the city of Tampa’s East Hanna Avenue development and criticism over the cost and lack of diversity of contractors
On the DeSantis administration’s policies on LGBTQ+ and DEI issues and Tampa’s relationship with state government

House panel proposal would make it harder to change Florida's constitution

“This is raising the bar to an extreme level,” said Letitia Harmon, Florida Rising policy and research director. “This is raising the threshold for how we get our voices heard and how we have rights that reflect our needs in our communities as a part of the structure of our government.”

House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, said Monday the proposal would eliminate a “critical path” for Floridians to make changes in government.

“The constitutional amendment process allows people who may have a minority opinion to take their idea to the open market and see if they can get the support of the people to get it passed,” Driskell said. “And especially in a state like Florida, where Republicans have had such a strong hold on our government for decades, it can be very difficult to get big sweeping policies passed.”

More HERE

Senate Democrats decry Gov. DeSantis for pushing more lax gun laws

Two South Florida Democratic Senators, noting the fifth anniversary of the Parkland shooting where 17 people were killed, faulted Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican legislative leaders for pushing new gun laws.

The Legislature is moving ahead with a measure this year that would allow people to carry concealed weapons in the state without having to have a permit.

“I can’t believe we’re about to have another bill that’s going to increase the number of guns in the state,” said Sen. Tina Polsky, a Democrat whose district includes Parkland. “To me it’s just a tragedy that we would do that in this state five years after Parkland. And I just want to say to the families that I represent, ‘I love you. I hear you. I’m fighting for you.’”

More HERE

New Florida Bill Would Outlaw Rent and Price Controls

In the wake of Florida's surging housing prices, some local counties, cities, and municipalities have been discussing rent control and limitation measures to provide relief to local residents. A new bill introduced in the Florida Senate would stop those measures dead in their tracks.

The new bill, SB-102, passed through the Community Affairs Committee in the Florida Senate unanimously - it now sits in the appropriations process. The bill takes direct aim at measures designed to limit rental prices in a local community or county, and also narrows some of the verbiages that had previously been on the books with regard to such price limitations.

More HERE

Tampa has worst inflation in US, 2.5% higher than national

While inflation is down nationally, it’s not down quite as much in the Tampa area. According to the new inflation reports published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, while the national inflation rate fell to 6.4%, Tampa is still above at 8.9%.

While the national inflation rate rose a reported 0.5% year over year in January, in Tampa, it rose 1.7%, more than three times higher than the rest of the country.

More HERE