What is behind Ron DeSantis’s Stop-Woke Act?

 

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has been grabbing national headlines with his relentless attacks on so-called "woke". In addition to his Stop-Woke (Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees) Act, which prohibits educational institutions and businesses from teaching students and employees anything that would cause anyone to "feel guilt, anguish or any form of psychological distress" due to their race, color, sex or national origin, he has barred University of Florida professors from giving evidence against the state’s voting law, claimed that professors at public [schools] have no right to freedom of speech, and organizing a “hostile takeover” of the New College of Florida, one of the best liberal arts colleges in the country.

Read more HERE

New renderings show baseball stadium in proposed 'GasWorx' District that would link Ybor and Channelside

 

"The City of Tampa released new renderings of a one-of-a-kind baseball stadium in the middle of the proposed GasWorx District, which would link Ybor and Channelside. 

The design shows the stadium just South of Ybor City and the Selmon Expressway, and just east of the Channel that is now home to a shipping hub.

The owner of the site, Darryl Shaw, did not want to comment on this stadium design, which came from a firm in Kansas City. The Rays, which had that design made, did not want to comment either.

More HERE

Ybor Life

7th Ave

Ron DeSantis ramps up war on education

USF Spring Plant Festival

APRIL 15, 2023 AT 10 AM – 3 PM

USF Botanical Gardens - Tampa

Busel Trotters in Ybor City

Happy Hour Jams with the Noan Partly Duo

WEDNESDAY AT 5 PM

Hooch and Hive - Tampa

Tampa group holds rally demanding change in wake of Tyre Nichols' death

 

A few dozen people took to the streets in downtown Tampa Saturday to call for justice for 29-year-old Tyre Nichols. 

So far, five Memphis police officers have been charged in connection with his death. Community members say they're outraged by what happened and want to see changes in how communities are policed.

"I just couldn't believe the brutality of it," Tampa Bay Community Action Committee member Taylor Cook said.

More HERE

Jamaal Bowman Sends Message To Republicans & Ron DeSantis: ‘Read A Damn Book Or Two’

Tampa Hoods: Bayshore

Bayshore

Dozens gather at vigil for Tyre Nichols in Orlando

Famous Last Words, LIMBS, Dark Divine in Ybor City

Crowbar - Ybor City

Matt Gaetz LEFT SPEECHLESS after getting DESTROYED during Hearing

Tampa Hoods: Ybor City

8th Ave

Stef & Liam's Tampa Adventures | Florida Aquarium & USS Victory

State frantic for nurses

 

Fewer than two-thirds of Florida nursing students passed the national licensing exam in 2022, according to a new report from the Florida Center for Nursing.

The National Council Licensure Examination is the final step for graduates to become licensed health care providers in a state that is desperate for nurses.

Nursing staffs at Florida hospitals have been plagued by high turnover and a large number of vacancies, with projections that the state will be short nearly 60,000 nurses by 2035. Yet Florida has had the lowest exam pass rate in the nation since 2017, according to Tampa Bay Times analysis.

Pass rates for registered nurses fell by 1 percentage point from 2021, dropping to 63.9%, the new report said. That’s far below the national average pass rate of 79.9% for first-time U.S.-educated test-takers.

More HERE

Frost: 'I'm Looking Forward To Working With My Republican Colleagues' To Adequately Fund Agencies

Famous Last Words, LIMBS, Dark Divine in Ybor City

Crowbar - Ybor City

MY USA TRAVELS in TAMPA

Tampa Hoods: Ybor City

7th Ave

Robin Lockett is in the Rotation

Suncoast NORML Cannabis Action Awards in Tampa, Florida

INFO

The Hand of Reason at Hot Wax - Ybor City

Jahfari Reggae Band in Tampa

JUNE 3, 2023 AT 7:30 PM

Freckled Fin Irish Pub

CONQUERING THE TAMPA 25!

Jessica Rose in Land o Lakes Tonight

Loud Mouths Kitchen & Bar

The Columbia | Ybor City | Tail Light Replacement

Proposed recreational marijuana amendment in Florida clears first big hurdle

 

Backers of a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the recreational use of marijuana have passed a preliminary hurdle to get on the 2024 ballot, submitting more than enough petition signatures to trigger a Florida Supreme Court review of the measure.

The "Smart & Safe Florida" political committee, which has been bankrolled by the multi-state cannabis operator Trulieve, had submitted 294,037 valid petition signatures as of Thursday afternoon, according to the state Division of Elections website. At least 222,898 signatures are required for the court to review the proposed wording of the measure, a key legal step in the process.

More HERE

Florida legislators to consider expanding DeSantis' migrant flight program in special session

 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to use a special legislative session next week to build out a high-profile program that was used last year to fly dozens of migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

State legislators plan to consider a bill that would build on DeSantis’ executive order by creating an “Unauthorized Alien Transport Program" as part of an effort “to respond to the influx of migrants landing in the Florida Keys,” according to a pair of memos issued by legislative leaders to members of the state House and Senate.

More HERE

Tampa Hoods: Ybor City

7th Ave

Matt Gaetz MELTS DOWN after Top Democrat utterly HUMILIATES him in debate

10 Children's Books About Racism And Activism To Help Parents Educate Their Kids

 

Seek out tools that can help you and your kiddo(s) grapple with systemic racism. Over the years, many children’s authors have written books that can help spark conversations about racial justice, empathy and what it means to be actively anti-racist — and keep those necessary conversations happening again and again.

HERE are 10 to consider

Balloon Update: US downs Chinese balloon over ocean

The United States on Saturday downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America and became the latest flashpoint in tensions between Washington and Beijing.

An operation was underway in U.S. territorial waters in the Atlantic Ocean to recover debris from the balloon, which had been flying at about 60,000 feet and was estimated to be about the size of three school buses.

More HERE 

Tampa mail-in ballots being distributed, Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections says

 

City of Tampa voters who have requested vote-by-mail ballots should start monitoring their mailboxes, according to the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections office.

Officials say the Supervisor of Elections office sent out 14,875 vote-by-mail ballots Thursday afternoon for the upcoming city of Tampa municipal election.

More HERE

According to the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections' website:
"Vote By Mail requests made prior to November 8, 2022 have expired. Vote By Mail requests for elections occurring in 2023 and 2024 are currently being accepted."

You can check your vote-by-mail status and request vote-by-mail HERE

Tampa ban on gay conversion therapy violates First Amendment, Florida appeals court says

A federal appeals court upheld on Thursday a district judge's ruling that struck down a Tampa, Florida, city ordinance prohibiting so-called "talk" gay conversion therapy.

In a unanimous ruling, a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court decision that struck down a Tampa ordinance that banned counselors in the city from offering "talk therapy" to minors aimed at eliminating a same-sex attraction.

More HERE

Ybor Life

7th Ave

The FIGHT Between Trump & DeSantis Gets SPICY