With a Republican governor and a Republican-dominated state legislature, Florida has typically leaned conservative in its beliefs and policies, and its current politics are no exception. The majority of the traditionally blue Miami-Dade County voted red in the most recent midterm election.
Here are some of the current laws and stances of the Florida government on several present-day issues.
Climate Change
As one of the cities in the United States most affected by climate change, Miami, along with other portions of South Florida, are anticipated to be at least partially underwater by 2060, according to Harold Wanless, geography and sustainable development professor at UM.
Despite this, in May of this year, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 1645, which deleted references to climate change from state law. These lines were put into place by former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist in 2008.
“Florida rejects the designs of the left to weaken our energy grid, pursue a radical climate agenda, and promote foreign adversaries,” DeSantis said on X on May 15, 2024.
The removal of the references de-emphasizes the use of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. HB 1645 puts restrictions in place about the building of structures designed to help curate energy from wind. DeSantis’ signing also disallows local governments within Florida to make their own laws regarding environmental restrictions.
In an interview with NBC 6, Yoca Arditi-Rocha, executive director of the climate change advocacy nonprofit, Cleo Institute, said, “This purposeful act of cognitive dissonance is proof that the governor and state Legislature are not acting in the best interests of Floridians, but rather to protect profits for the fossil fuel industry.”
This bill comes after DeSantis turned down hundreds of millions of dollars that were offered by the federal government to help combat the effects of climate change in 2023.
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Florida public colleges have been heavily impacted by Florida DEI laws going into place.
The University of Florida eliminated all DEI positions earlier this year as a result of a Florida regulation that disallows spending money on DEI programs. DeSantis was very satisfied with this decision and is proud that Florida is moving in an “anti-DEI” direction.
At a UM-hosted teach-in that took place last year, history professor Michael Bustamante showed a syllabus from a class he teaches with versus without content prohibited by House Bill 999, which restricts DEI-related material from being taught in public schools.
“Without establishing false equivalencies, do we really want to go down a road of idea suppression, that is not too dissimilar from the very practices of unfreedom that we so often criticize elsewhere in the world, especially from Miami,” said Bustamante.
Even though anti-DEI restrictions are running rampant throughout Florida, DeSantis’ Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (WOKE) Act, which makes teaching Critical Race Theory in schools illegal and outlaws diversity trainings in the workplace related to privilege and race, was found to be illegal on the basis of the First Amendment by several judges and courts and has been blocked from passing. The law was first introduced in 2022 and its most recent unconstitutionality ruling came in late July.
Abortion
Ever since the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court in June of 2022, abortion rights in individual states have been called into question. After the overturning, a Florida law that passed the state legislature in 2022 put a 15-week abortion ban into place.
“This will represent the most significant protections for life that have been enacted in this state in a generation,” DeSantis said as he signed the bill.
In May of this year, a more restrictive abortion ban was signed by DeSantis, making abortion illegal after six weeks gestation, with certain exceptions. Abortion in the cases of rape, incest, and human trafficking are permitted up to 15 weeks gestation. Abortion is also allowed if carrying the pregnancy further would pose a significant health threat to the mother.
In an interview with CNN, Alexandra Mandado, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of South, East and North Florida said, “This ruling is a grave setback to human rights in our state.”
This most recent ban has cut off access to abortion for many women in the Southeast U.S., as Florida was the last state in the region to enact a ban this strict.
Florida’s new law may be overturned as soon as November this year if at least 60% of voters vote in favor of Amendment 4 on Election Day. This amendment would allow abortion in Florida until fetal viability, which is roughly 24 weeks into pregnancy.
LGBTQ+
In Florida, 21 of 22 anti-LGBTQ+ laws failed to pass the state legislature when they met in March of this year. A ban on transgender children receiving gender-affirming medical care was also reversed after a federal judge found the ban unconstitutional on the basis of discrimination.
One of the most infamous anti-LGBTQ+ laws is the Parental Rights in Education Act, more commonly known as the “Don’t Say Gay” Act, which prohibits instruction regarding gender identity or sexual orientation and was enacted in 2022. The original law applied to kindergarten through third grade and was expanded to include fourth through twelfth grade in 2023.
A settlement by civil rights attorneys and educational officials was reached in May of this year stating that gender identity and sexual orientation could be discussed in school classrooms, as long as the discussion is not part of instruction.
Marijauna Use
Similarly to abortion, marijuana is also on the ballot this November. Florida Amendment 3, the Marijuana Legalization Initiative, would allow for possession of up to three ounces of marijuana for recreational use for people ages 21 and over if 60% of voters vote “yes”.
As the law stands currently, marijuana is illegal to use recreationally in Florida. According to Chapter 381 of Florida Statutes, marijuana use for medical purposes is permitted if the user has a Medical Marijuana Use Authorization.
Possessing 20 or fewer grams of marijuana is a misdemeanor and could result in jail time or fines, while possession of more than 20 grams is considered a felony and is punishable by jail or prison time, probation, and a heavier fine. Having even higher amounts in your possession could result in up to 30 years imprisonment and fees of up to $200,000.
If legalized, Florida would join the 24 states, and Washington D.C., that have legalized recreational marijuana use.