What’s On DeSantis’s MAGA Wish List
March 7, 2023
Ron DeSantis is set to deliver his State of the State address today — where he will unveil his extreme wish list for the upcoming Florida legislative session as he continues his desperate chase for the MAGA base. Here’s a preview of what you can expect from DeSantis in the new session:
Going as far back to 2018, DeSantis has repeatedly committed to signing a 6-week abortion ban into law — and has signaled that he will use the upcoming session to do so.
Tallahassee Democrat: “DeSantis in his 2018 campaign for governor said during the Republican primary that he would support a law banning abortion when a fetal heartbeat is thought to be detected, usually around six weeks.”
Relatable with Allie Stuckey: QUESTION: “What do you think is coming down the pipeline for pro-life legislation in Florida?”
DESANTIS: “Well, I think there’s a lot of support in Florida for heartbeat legislation.”
Click Orlando: “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would sign a six-week abortion ban if and when it came to fruition during a news briefing Wednesday discussing the proposed ‘Framework for Freedom’ 2023-24 state budget. ‘We’re for pro-life. I urge the legislature to work, produce good stuff, and we will sign,’ DeSantis said.”
Daily Signal: “‘The upcoming 2023 Florida legislative session starts in March, and we look forward to working with the Florida Legislature to further advance protections for innocent life,’ [DeSantis’s] press secretary Bryan Griffin shared with The Daily Signal on Tuesday afternoon.”
Florida Politics: “Gov. DeSantis ‘ready to sign’ abortion ‘heartbeat bill’”
DeSantis is pushing legislation that could make it easier for criminals to buy guns and was even caught on tape pledging that he would “absolutely” support extreme open-carry legislation in the new session.
Tampa Bay Times: “Luis Valdes, Florida director of Gun Owners of America, said he asked DeSantis at a book tour stop in Jacksonville Beach whether he would support open carry and if he would have it added to current bills.
‘Yeah, absolutely,’ DeSantis is heard to say during a 10-second interaction recorded by Valdes and shared with the Times.”
Tallahassee Democrat: “Florida looks bound to soon allow people to carry guns without the need for a concealed weapons permit, a showcase, pro-gun move demanded by Gov. Ron DeSantis before his widely expected run for the Republican presidential nomination.”
Orange County Sheriff John Mina: “As a law enforcement officer who has been serving this community for over 30 years, I vehemently oppose any type of permitless or open-carry legislation. I’m not alone. Many law enforcement leaders — even in states that allow it — oppose this senseless idea.”
While working families are being crushed by some of the highest health care costs in the nation, DeSantis has sat on his hands and refused to expand Medicaid coverage for Floridians.
Spectrum News 13: “Studies show Florida hospital bills rank among the highest in the nation”
WUSF: “Study finds employees in Florida pay among the highest rates for health insurance”
Florida Politics: “As many as 1.75 million Floridians could lose Medicaid coverage once the state begins taking steps on April 1 to return its Medicaid program to pre-pandemic levels.”
And despite the fact that Florida is dealing with one of the most acute teacher shortages in the nation, DeSantis is more focused on pandering to the MAGA base than working with parents and educators to solve real issues that kids and public schools are facing.
NPR: “Florida’s department of education, under the leadership of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, rejected an Advanced Placement course on African American studies. The decision is leading to a wave of backlash across the country…”
BuzzFeed: “Florida’s School Book Bans Have Teachers ‘Walking On Eggshells’”
BuzzFeed: “Over the past two years, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has promoted a variety of staunchly conservative education laws… he rubber-stamped the so-called Don’t Say Gay bill, which prohibits LGBTQ topics from being discussed in classrooms from kindergarten through third grade. Now, [DeSantis’ book ban] is the latest piece of the puzzle as conservatives work to reframe school policy in the state, with all the individual pieces of legislation coming together to create an environment of uncertainty.”