Dear Friends,
This is Part II of our report on the 2022 Legislative Session. As of this writing, we have already worked through one Special Session addressing congressional redistricting and independent special districts (Disney, Reed Creek). Both of these have been highly publicized already, so we won’t spend much time on those, except to tell you two things:
First, the congressional maps that we passed are fair and constitutional, and we fully expect that it will be upheld by the higher court. The Fair Districts Act, while (possibly) well intended, sends the wrong message about how we should operate as a society. Drawing a district to favor a population, based on the color of their skin, is moving us further away from the dream of Dr. King where we judge men not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Second, in regards to the Disney and the Special Districts Bill, the robust authority granted to the Reedy Creek Improvement District stretches well beyond those for other cities and counties. It was time for the legislature to conduct an extensive review of the powers and authorities of special districts through the lens of today’s environment. As elected officials, it is our duty to represent the best interest of Floridians, not boardrooms in California.
Back to our report on the 2022 Regular Session. We have two bills that we want to highlight this month that we’re sure you’ve seen already, but they were the two that we were the most excited about.
The first, HB 1557 – Parental Rights in Education Act, was a bill that your Senator carried through to final passage. This bill strengthens the Parents’ Bill of Rights Act, safeguarding the rights and responsibilities of parents to decide how best to raise their children and remain informed about their child’s education. Further, it prohibits teacher-led classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grades (K-3), and specifies that instruction in other grades must be age appropriate and consistent with state standards. Kids at that age don’t need indoctrination, they need to be taught skills that can help to make them life-long learners. This shouldn’t be controversial. We want to thank Governor Ron DeSantis and President Wilton Simpson for their unwavering support of this legislation.
The second bill sponsored by Senator Stargel, was HB 5 – Reducing Fetal and Infant Mortality. HB 5 prohibits abortions after 15 weeks of gestation. The bill clarifies the term “gestation” to provide a more commonly understood and medically accepted measurement of development. State government must do all we can to protect the lives of innocent children and provide support and educational information for parents. Destroying innocent life as an answer to unplanned pregnancies is not who we want to be as a people, and Florida is committed to being the voice for those who cannot yet speak for themselves.
Thank you for the honor of letting me serve you in the Florida Senate. It is truly a pleasure to represent hometown America in our state capitol.
Onward & Upward,
Senator Dennis Baxley
