TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed that Florida will “reject” the Biden administration’s effort to rewrite Title IX, which DeSantis warned will “gut” protections for girls in women’s sports.

“The Biden administration is plunging ahead with a radical rewrite of Title IX, seeking to impose gender ideology on K through 12 schools all across the country,” DeSantis said. “This will gut protections for girls and for women.”
“It will, for example, overrule rules that Florida has enacted that makes sure that our girls and women athletes are able to compete with fairness and integrity, and that you can inject males into those competitions,” he said. “And that you can inject males into women’s bathrooms and locker rooms.”
“They are trying to impose this under administrative rule,” DeSantis said. “They don’t have the authority to do it. And in Florida, we will not abide by it.”
According to the U.S. House Oversight Committee, the Biden administration is looking to redefine sex discrimination to take into account “gender identity” rather than simply biological sex.

By redefining sex discrimination to include “gender identity” in regulation, the Biden Administration will be eradicating female-only sports, spaces, and scholarships at institutions receiving federal funding.
House Oversight Committee

Because current regulations are based on biological sex – male and female – switching the definition to include gender identity would enact new protections for students who are biologically male, but identify as women.
Late last year, a court upheld Florida law ensuring that school sports are separated by biological sex, a measure that took effect in 2021.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a teenage student athlete by her family, who attends public school in Broward County. The student identifies as a “girl,” but was born a “biological male,” the ruling said.
Judge Roy Altman approved Gov. Ron DeSantis’ motion to dismiss the legal challenge, which was predicated on arguing the law violates Title IX, deprives a student athlete of “equal protection,” and violates “due process right of privacy,” according to the ruling obtained by Florida’s Voice.
“We disagree that the statute comes anywhere close to creating the sort of caste-like system the Constitution forbids – a system in which transgender girls are legally demeaned and degraded because of their gender identity,” the ruling said.
The law, SB 1028, was signed in 2021 by DeSantis.
The governor credited Rep. Kaylee Tuck, R-Lake Placid, and then-Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland for their work in ensuring the protections for women’s sports.
The full bill was sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Travis Huston, R-Palm Coast, and the companion House bill was sponsored by Rep. Stan McClain, R-Ocala.
“As a father of two daughters, I want my girls, and every girl in Florida, to compete on an even playing field for the opportunities available to young women in sports,” DeSantis said in 2021 at the bill-signing.

https://flvoicenews.com/desantis-vows-florida-wont-abide-by-biden-efforts-to-rewrite-title-ix-over-womens-sports/

Bob Iger says Disney lost sight of its role to entertain rather than push messaging.
NEW YORK – Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger said the company has lost sight of their role in the entertainment industry at the New York Times DealBook Summit this week.

(I say it’s too damn late. You were warned, over and over and over and still you tried to push child abuse and wokeness on a mostly unwilling audience. I hope Disney loses enough of it’s revenue base to hurt everyone in the top echelon. Go Woke, Go Broke.)According to CNBC reporter Alex Sherman, Iger said at the forum that Disney must primarily entertain, and that their role is not just to push messaging.
“He says it got worse when he left as CEO/Chairman,” Sherman reported.
“For the first time, he’s talking about how they need to focus on delighting audiences, and the storytelling, rather than what he calls ‘the messaging’ in the movies,” said Matt Belloni, a founding partner of Puck News.
“The wokeness is an issue,” he said. “That’s what Iger is saying. He’s saying that the messaging in the movies is a problem for them.”
“He’s acknowledging all the noise out there, about how audiences – they don’t like some of the moves Disney has made with their casting choices, and with their characters and messaging in the movies,” Belloni said. “He wants them to pull back on that and focus on the storytelling.”
For example, Disney casted Halle Bailey to play as Ariel in a live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, an instance of the main character’s physical features not resembling the original story, which was a move that caused backlash among some viewers over focusing on race rather than accuracy.
Iger’s comments this week come shortly after the company warned in a recent SEC filing that there are present “risks” to their brand and reputation over the company continuing to pursue environmental and “social goals.”
“Generally, our revenues and profitability are adversely impacted when our entertainment offerings and products, as well as our methods to make our offerings and products available to consumers, do not achieve sufficient consumer acceptance,” the company said. “Consumer tastes and preferences impact, among other items, revenue from [a variety of sources].”
Iger also recently said the company wants to “quiet the noise” in the cultural war.
Polling has also found an adverse relationship from consumers based on political affiliation against Disney.
Disney had gained exposure on political issues in 2022 when they opposed Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill, which restricted gender identity and sexual orientation teachings in grades K-3. Those restrictions have since been expanded to all grades with some exceptions.
Gov. Ron DeSantis was at the forefront of battling Disney, a topic he’s touted throughout his 2024 primary campaign.
The governor and his appointed board overseeing the Walt Disney World area have also been embattled in a legal dispute over the district’s authority.
Despite the worries and the feud with Florida, the company has nonetheless said it will invest billions in its Florida attractions.
Recently, DeSantis said he has “moved on” from the Disney feud. He’s maintained that he has won against the company.
“Apart from Florida, Disney has had a lot of problems and I think that the skirmish they got in with these young kids [K-3 Parental Rights bill] – I think that’s a symptom of why they’re not doing as well,” the governor said to CNBC. “Parents have lost some confidence.”
“But, where we are today – you know – we basically moved on,” he said. “They’re suing the state of Florida, they’re going to lose that lawsuit. So what I would say is, drop the lawsuit.”
Disney is seeking to cut additional costs after a slight rebound in the fourth quarter for revenue.
After becoming the company’s CEO in 2022, Iger said he planned to “quiet things down” with regard to the battle with DeSantis and Florida.

https://flvoicenews.com/bob-iger-says-disney-lost-sight-of-its-role-to-entertain-rather-than-push-messaging/

American Legislative Exchange Council ranks Florida first place for education freedom.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis celebrated the results from the American Legislative Exchange Council that ranked Florida as the number one state for education freedom.
The report detailed that Florida, followed by Arkansas and Indiana, got an overall A grade by the council through the categories of funding and financing programs, charter schools, homeschooling, virtual schooling and open enrollment.
“This new ranking further proves that Florida is the national leader in education,” he said.
The ranking comes as Florida has approved numerous educational reforms, ranging from covering parental rights to massively expanding school choice.
“By focusing on academic achievement, expanding school choice, and empowering parents, Florida continues to see unprecedented success in our classrooms,” he added.
“Florida’s commitment to education shines through ALEC’s ranking, which has Florida leading the country in education freedom,” Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. said.
“Florida’s dedication to universal school choice and protection of parental rights is the reason why Florida stands ahead of the rest,” he added.
Several states that are both majority Republican and majority Democratic received an F grade. However, the lowest ranked states out of the grade included New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
The governor’s office also commented on how Florida is the number one state for education by the U.S. News and World Report.
Additionally, the Heritage Foundation’s Education Freedom Report Card marked the state number one.

https://flvoicenews.com/american-legislative-exchange-council-ranks-florida-first-place-for-education-freedom/

Disney Depravity - Cartoons/Memes Dump

 

DeSantis-Appointed Board Busts Disney's Taxpayer-Paid Employee Perks Scheme.
(There is no bottom to the barrel of taxpayer fraud going on in the Disney empire.)

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board, the municipal-like entity that encompasses the Disney World amusement park and resort, created on February 27 by Gov. Ron DeSantis to replace the Reedy Creek Improvement District, announced Monday it has uncovered a self-dealing practice by the old district worth some $2.5 million in 2022.
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District also submitted a referral to the Florida Inspector General, detailing millions of dollars worth of perks and benefits that the former Disney-controlled Reedy Creek Improvement District funneled back to Disney by billing Florida for the perks enjoyed by RDIC employees.
For decades, the former Disney-run RCID used taxpayer funds to provide season passes and amusement experiences to its employees and their family members, cover the cost of discounts on hotels, merchandise, food, and beverages, and give its own board members VIP Main Entrance passes.
The CFTOB release said that in 2022 the perks scheme cost Florida taxpayers more than $2.5 million.
In addition to constituting unethical benefits and perks, the scheme raises significant questions regarding self-dealing as the board members were only permitted a maximum of $100 per month in compensation per the Reedy Creek Improvement District Act.
The most recent invoice Disney sent to CFTOD included a charge for “Q1 FY22 Tickets” for nearly $500,000, the release said.
Other items invoiced from Disney CFTOD include $16,837.39 for merchandise discounts, $4,969.52 for food and beverage discounts, and $3,764.48 for water park discounts. CFTOD was also billed for employee hotel rooms at the Disney Yacht Club Resort, Disney Caribbean Beach Resort, and Disney Coronado Springs Resort.
The release said that immediately upon discovering the employee perks scheme, the CFTOD initiated the process to abolish the program while allowing district employees to access any Disney grounds as required for their official duties.
Reedy Creek was created as a municipality in 1967 to provide Disney the independence it desired to build Disney World and its adjacent properties and give the company advantages that would incentivize it to invest in the then-underdeveloped central part of the state.
DeSantis and his wife, Casey, were married at Disney World in 2009, and the governor and the company did not clash in public until February 2022, when the legislature passed the DeSantis parental rights bill. The bill codified that parents would have a role in how sensitive subjects would be taught to their children, and it forbade sexual content from being discussed in classrooms until the fourth grade.
After Disney's once and future CEO Bob Iger condemned the bill, pressure built on his successor Bob Chaptek to rebuke the governor for his parental rights bill.
Chaptek denounced the bill in a company-wide memo, and he signaled in the memo that Disney would become a participant in the state's culture wars.
“Finally, I want to address concerns about our political contributions in Florida. While we have not given money to any politician based on this issue, we have contributed to both Republican and Democrat legislators who have subsequently taken positions on both sides of the legislation. I can also share that Geoff Morrell, our new Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, will be reassessing our advocacy strategies around the world, including political giving, as he begins to integrate the communications, public policy, government relations and CSR teams.”
This challenge to DeSantis, who was up for reelection that November, opened the governor to the idea that if Disney was now a political agent in the state, opposed to his agenda, the company should not enjoy special privileges.
The governor laid out his case in his Feb. 28 op-ed in The Wall Street Journal.
“For more than 50 years, the state of Florida put Disney on a pedestal. That all changed last year, when left-wing activists working at the company’s headquarters in Burbank, Calif., pressured Disney to oppose Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act. The legislation bans classroom instruction on sexuality and gender ideology in kindergarten through third grade and requires that sex instruction in other grades be age-appropriate. Disney executives were seen on videos boasting about the company’s plans to inject sexuality into its programming for children.”
With this in mind, the governor and the legislature stripped from the books the Disney-dominated Reedy Creek district and its board and replaced it with the current Central Florida district and its board appointed by the governor.
As the new board rebalances the relationship between Disney and the Sunshine State, it is apparently also going over the books.
Now it is up to the state's inspector general to see if this conflict takes a criminal turn.

https://redstate.com/mccabe/2023/08/22/disneys-25-million-taxpayer-paid-perks-scheme-sent-to-ig-n2162882

Climate Alarmists/Leftists Seethe as PragerU Videos Will Be Allowed in Florida Classrooms.

PragerU, a conservative organization that produces educational videos that often question left-wing orthodoxy, is now an approved vendor for Florida public schools. The Florida Board of Education approved the use of PragerU videos as a source of information, saying that the company’s videos aligned with the state’s revised civics and government standards.
And, boy, is the left-wing climate cult upset about the prospect of schoolchildren hearing facts and opinions that don’t conform with their “climate change is an existential threat to life as we know it” narrative.
“By teaching future generations blatant lies and propaganda and … climate denialism that is in direct contradiction to scientific fact,” said Raymer Maguire of the Cleo Institute, a climate-hysteria think tank based in Miami, “we are setting up our future generations to not have the tools and the education they need to tackle what is arguably the greatest crisis that they’re going to face in their lifetime.”
According to Maguire, PragerU videos are denying a reality that is blatantly obvious to him and his peers.
“What they’re doing is completely denying the nearly universally accepted scientific fact that humans burning carbon is resulting in us having the climate impact that we feel today,” Maguire added.
Or, perhaps, what’s happening is that schoolkids in Florida might get an opinion different from the left-wing dogma on not just climate, but several other issues as well.

 

But Maguire and the Cleo Institute aren’t about to allow such free speech to occur without attempting to intervene.
“We are mobilizing our members and organizers across the state to speak with their local school board members,” Maguire said. “Because the activists, the voters, the people on the ground, can help to help grow the momentum to reject this on a county-wide level across the state.”
Some counties have already announced they would not use PragerU videos.
”I believe this should not be utilized, so I asked the chief academic officer if it would be used in Pinellas County schools, and I was informed that the district has no plans of adding these resources to [the] curriculum,” said Caprice Edmond, a Pinellas County school-board member.
Some educators are upset that the Florida Board of Education has, essentially, given educators the green light to use PragerU videos without the consent of the school district.
“And throughout the state of Florida, teacher contracts largely protect them to have the autonomy to build this in their lessons should they choose to,” said Jessica Wright, a former teacher who is now the vice president of the nonprofit Florida Freedom to Read Project. “And so a district may be able to say, ‘we don’t recommend this, it’s not in our curriculum maps, we do not promote it being used,’ but the teacher could still have the autonomy to use it, and virtually have no negative repercussions for it, because it’s been endorsed and promoted by the state.”
So, it’s wrong for a teacher to go off-script in their lessons once in a while? Isn’t that the type of thing that teachers unions have been fighting for for decades?
Marissa Streit, PragerU CEO, confirms Wright’s fear that the Florida Board of Education’s approval will allow teachers to use the organization’s videos without fear of being fired.
“We have seen that our schools have been hijacked by the left. They have been politicized, they have been used by union bosses, they have been doing everything under the sun not for our children,” Streit said.
“And so we have launched PragerU Kids and we started providing great ‘edutainment,’ educational entertainment for children across America. But we didn’t just stop there. Now we’re actually making turnkey curriculum. Content for your schools. And the state of Florida just announced that we are now becoming an official vendor. This means that if you are a teacher in Florida, you cannot be fired for using PragerU content,” she added.
It’s important to note that the Florida Board of Education does not require the use of the PragerU videos — it only allows them to be shown as part of a balanced curriculum. But that’s not something the political Left and climate alarmists can allow. Allowing students to see alternatives to the spurious narratives they’re teaching as facts might make some students question those narratives.

https://thenewamerican.com/us/education/climate-alarmists-leftists-seethe-as-prageru-videos-will-be-allowed-in-florida-classrooms/

 Leftists Don’t Want Florida Kids To Learn About These Former Slaves’ Self-Made Success Stories.

Rushing to attack DeSantis, many have attacked history itself, pushing views that degrade the contributions of blacks in early America.
The debate on teaching black history, and the role slavery played in it, is front and center in the state of Florida. While many on the left (and now the right) lambast Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state Department of Education for their new history curriculum standards, which teach that some former slaves leveraged skills gained during slavery for their own prosperity as free men, it is clear that real history is under threat of being lost.
American slavery was brutal, oppressive, and dehumanizing. It is a stain on our country’s history that continues to plague us today. Slavery is a grave wrong against humanity. However, we seem to lack consensus on how to teach this sensitive subject.
Despite how insensitive some may believe it to be, some slaves did learn skilled trades, and they did use these skills to secure their freedom. Some of these former slaves even went on to use these skills to buy freedom for their families and build successful businesses. This is not an opinion but a fact.
For example, let us consider the stories of Free Frank McWorter, Henry Boyd, and Benjamin Thornton Montgomery.

 

“Free” Frank McWorter was born a slave in South Carolina in 1777. McWorter worked odd jobs and side hustles in his spare time to save up money to buy his freedom. Once free, he leaned on the business skills he honed in negotiating with his former slaver on the frontier to make money. McWorter invested in real estate and commercial farming. As a free man, he amassed a small fortune, bought the freedom of his family members, and became the first black American to charter a new city inhabited by both black and white buyers.
Similarly, Henry Boyd was born a slave in Kentucky in 1802. Boyd learned carpentry as a slave and used the skill to earn money to buy his freedom. Once free, he became a successful businessman and saved enough money to buy the freedom of his enslaved siblings. Boyd eventually started a furniture business, and his revolutionary steam-powered factory produced thousands of bed frames. Unfortunately, his success made him the frequent target of racist arsonists that seriously crippled his business over time.
Born in Virginia in 1819, Benjamin Thornton Montgomery was trained to operate machinery, which he would later go on to design. He also acquired knowledge of land surveying and construction building as a slave. In 1842, Montgomery opened a retail store on the Hurricane Plantation that was so successful, he eventually bought the plantation holdings in October 1866. In the Reconstruction era, Montgomery was appointed justice of the peace, becoming one of the first black men and former slaves to hold public office in Mississippi.
Admittedly, this is by no means an exhaustive list of those who garnered skills as slaves and leveraged them for personal and familial benefit later in life. Historical records include numerous such accounts of black people accomplishing amazing things despite racism. Undoubtedly, some stories were never properly documented and may be lost to time.
Yet these three stories highlight a more urgent concern, in a rush to attack Florida and DeSantis, many have unwittingly attacked history itself.
Partisan individuals and groups seeking to score political points are openly advocating for erasing history. Those blindly attacking Florida’s standards are purposely pushing the distorted idea that the state is planning to teach children that slavery was beneficial. This isn’t true, and such an endeavor would arguably be a violation of Florida state law.
These blind attacks are also exceptionally disrespectful, implying the black scholars who devised the education standards desired for students to believe slavery was somehow beneficial to those enslaved.
However, let’s consider the ramifications of refusing to teach the entire story of slavery. This refusal would feed into a nasty, flawed, and disgusting view of black American history that ultimately degrades the contributions of blacks in early American society. It’s hard to see how black Americans would be better served by such an erroneous approach.
African American history is the story of a resilient people that persevered through even the most unimaginable and challenging circumstances — and that is exactly how it should be taught.

https://thefederalist.com/2023/08/02/leftists-dont-want-florida-kids-to-learn-about-these-former-slaves-self-made-success-stories/

 THANK YOU GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS  
Woke Professors Reportedly Fleeing Florida Universities in Protest
“because of the perceived anti-higher education atmosphere in the state." (IT’S NOT A DEFECT, IT’S A FEATURE.)

Ron DeSantis is causing progressives to self-deport from higher education in Florida. I’m pretty sure this was intentional.
Campus Reform reports:
Pro-woke professors leave Florida universities in protest.
(AWESOME - GET THE F**K OUT AND STAY OUT. WE DON”T WANT YOU HERE.)
University professors in Florida are leaving in droves, and blaming the state’s fight against woke policies.
The Tampa Bay Times reported on a July meeting of the Florida Board of Governors. During the meeting, a number of professors expressed concern about the political climate in Florida. Professors and administrators said they were having difficulty hiring and retaining new teachers, in part because of Florida lawmakers dismantling CRT, DEI, and other planks of the leftist agenda from higher education.
Florida State University music professor Matthew Lata, told the Florida Board of Governors that new hires have rejected offers “because of the perceived anti-higher education atmosphere in the state.”
One employee at University of Florida reportedly said that a half dozen candidates who toured the campus “expressed mixed feelings about moving to Florida in the current political climate.” A candidate who applied to the philosophy department at the University of South Florida reportedly took a job at a lower-ranked school in another state over political concerns.
Florida Gulf Coast University ecology professor Edwin Everham said that 3 of 19 faculty members in his department have left, either for political reasons or because they found a better job, and applications for open positions dropped as much as ninety percent. A report from the American Association of University Professors found a law school position that went unfilled and added that some candidates turned down offers from Florida colleges without a backup plan.
UCF History professor and AAUP chapter president Robert Cassanello, says he hears regularly that job searches at the school have had no qualified candidates apply.

https://legalinsurrection.com/2023/08/woke-professors-reportedly-fleeing-florida-universities-in-protest/

 New Disney Board Eliminates Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Programs.

The new district board overseeing Disney World in Florida has eliminated its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, including a DEI board.
Mickey no longer has to pretend he’s transgender to keep his job.
In February, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation creating the new board and abolishing its predecessor, which was tightly linked with the primary business it regulated— Disney World.
The act was part of Mr. DeSantis’s war with Disney after its leaders came out against his Parental Rights in Education bill last year, one dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by detractors.
Since the district’s 1967 creation, Disney had enjoyed a unique self-governing status, putting it outside Florida county or city governments. It was governed by the Reedy Creek Improvement District, and it appointed the members to it. It enjoyed various tax exemptions.
Mr. DeSantis, noting no other business in Florida had such a sweetheart deal, created the new board—the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD)—whose members he appointed.
"Today, District Administrator Glenton Gilzean announced the abolition of all DEI programs at the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District," the district said in a public statement on Aug. 1.
"The announcement comes after the Reedy Creek Improvement District implemented hiring and contracting programs that discriminated against Americans based on gender and race, costing taxpayers millions of dollars.
"The announcement comes after an internal investigation into the district's policies," according to the statement.
"The district's DEI committee will be dissolved and any DEI job duties will be eliminated. CFTOD staff will also no longer be permitted to use any staff time to pursue DEI initiatives.

Read the rest at:
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/new-disney-board-eliminates-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-programs

 If The Florida Parental Rights In Education Law Hurts Your Feelings Or Pisses You Off, That's Just A Bonus

 

 

Hateful Two Time Loser Hillary attacks DeSantis and Florida, claims it “isn’t safe for people of color” and “LGBTQ+ people.”
Hillary Clinton has joined in the despicable attacks on Governor DeSantis and the state of Florida, labeling it ‘ultra-Maga’ and claiming it isn’t safe for black people, the alphabet mafia and even multi-billion dollar corporations:
This is absolutely abominable and incredibly untrue. In fact she can’t tell you how the state is ‘unsafe’ for any of these groups, because it isn’t.
Just like the NAACP’s ridiculous travel advisory, this is nothing but politics to try and sabotage Governor DeSantis’ big announcement.
I just wonder who put her up to this, who asked her to make this statement. Because she didn’t do it on her own, that I guarantee. I’m guessing it was the DNC behind it. We all know it’s not the first time they’ve worked together to try and torpedo a presidential campaign.
Considering the fact that Trump lives in the state, I wonder if he’ll step up to defend DeSantis from these unfair attacks?

Florida Don't Want No Freaks