Tropic Press: J.C. Bruce: Newsletter

J.C. Bruce is the founder of Tropic Press. He is an award-winning journalist and author. He holds dual citizenship in the United States of America and his native Florida.

Onward thru the fog

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed if you are a rational person living in the Free State of Florida, but there are plenty of smart, reasonable people just like you here. The purpose of this newsletter and the Tropic Press website is to provide a source of news and commentary that shines a light through this irrational fog. Thank you for your support as a subscriber. It is invaluable. This is especially so for those of you who have chosen to upgrade to paid subscriptions. Your contributions are making this possible.

J.C. Bruce

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As this newsletter was written, Tropic Press was reaching more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere. With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort by sharing this newsletter with friends. If you are reading this as an email, simply forward it. Or you can use the link below. Thanks.

Today’s sponsor: Tropic Press Bookstore

Today’s report is brought to you by Tropic Press Books, home of The Strange Files. The six-book series makes the perfect gift for the mystery fans in your life. You can find more information about these hilarious stories here.

Why don’t you run for office?

The upcoming midterm elections provide a generational opportunity to change the complexion of Florida’s political makeup. But for that to happen, Republican candidates for the state Legislature must face Democratic opponents on the ballot. Currently, there are far too many seats where Republicans are running unopposed. You can change that. Find out how you can run and how to get help doing so:

Got questions on how to go about throwing your hat in the ring? Project 140 has the answers. Here’s their email address:

email Project 140

UPDATE: House blocks DeSantis on vaccines and AI; will vote on gerrymandering Wednesday

J.C. Bruce — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 18:02:32 GMT

UPDATE:

Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez blew up Gov. Ron DeSantis’ plans to weaken vaccine mandates for school children and to create new guardrails on artificial intelligence as the Legislature convened today.

Which leaves one remaining topic for the special session—gerrymandering the state’s congressional districts to favor the G.O.P even more so than they do already (more on that in this morning’s report, below). A vote on the map the governor has presented to the legislature (above) will take place tomorrow.

“Our work here will be finished, and all of you will be free to return home tomorrow afternoon,” Perez told House members.

And why did the House decide to kill DeSantis’ other pet issues?

“There were no bills filed on these policies prior to the start of this special session; consequently, we will not be taking up those issues,” Perez said.

As noted by the Florida Phoenix:

This is only the latest break between DeSantis and Perez, two powerhouse Florida Republicans. The two have feuded since Perez took over the lower chamber last year, insisting on asserting the House’s independence from the executive branch.
For most of the previous six years, the House mostly gave the governor anything he asked for.

This morning’s post:

By J.C. Bruce

Tropic Press

No sooner had Gov. Ron DeSantis released his proposal to further gerrymander the state’s congressional districts than Republicans and Democrats alike began saying he just shot himself in the foot.

Florida’s constitution forbids drawing congressional districts for the purpose of favoring one political party over another.

But in announcing the new map that the state Legislature will consider starting today, DeSantis:

Didn’t present it to legislators first, but, instead, showboated his way onto Fox News to brag about how he was adding four new Republican seats to the state’s congressional map.
Then he flashed that map, all marked up in 24 red districts and a miserly 4 blue districts, just to underscore the point of how he planned to screw the Democratic Party.

As one Republican consultant—who has been involved in past redistricting cycles—told NBC News:

“This is wild. I don’t know how you can argue a red and blue map released from the governor’s office doesn’t show some form of partisan interest.”

Democratic state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith said that early release alone could be enough to show there was partisan intent from the governor’s office. As he posted on social media:

“The fact that the Governor shared his illegally-rigged Congressional map with @FoxNews before sharing it with state senators voting on them TOMORROW shows how partisan and illegitimate this process is.”

DeSantis, as has been written about extensively in this space, is slavishly obeying President Donald Trump’s call to rig the midterm elections in favor of Republicans so he won’t lose his G.O.P. majority in Congress.

Trump knows perfectly well that the minute Democrats take control of the House, one of the first items of business will be his impeachment.

DeSantis is more than happy to join the ranks of other Republican governors who have kissed Trump’s ring. In DeSantis’ case, he’s out of the job at the end of the year, so currying favor with Trump is an obvious and pathetic stab at political relevancy. And maybe a paycheck.

Florida is already one of the most heavily gerrymandered states in the nation with, as noted, the vast majority of congressional districts drawn to favor Republicans—20 out of 28—even though the G.O.P voter registration in the state is not nearly that proportionally dominant.

Here’s the math:

Republicans certainly do have a big edge over Democrats in terms of party registration. Setting aside voters with no party affiliation and voters belonging to minor parties, the divide is:

Republicans: 58 percent

Democrats: 42 percent

But the way the state is currently gerrymandered, Republicans have an unfairly disproportionate advantage in terms of congressional districts that lean red:

Republicans (with 20 seats): 71 percent

Democrats (with 8 seats): 29 percent

If DeSantis’ new map is approved during the special legislative session that starts today, the imbalance that he claims his new map would create would be:

Republicans (with 24 seats): 86 percent

Democrats (with 4 seats):14 percent

How any court could look at that and not see partisanship is beyond imagination.

The new DeSantis map specifically targets the districts held by four Democrats: Reps. Kathy Castor, Lois Frankel, Darren Soto and Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Democrats’ heads are, as you would expect, exploding. These reactions, as reported by Politico:

Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried called it “wild” that DeSantis was instructing the Legislature to ignore the Constitution. She maintained that Republicans were “playing with fire” because some safe Republican seats have been reconfigured in order to try to flip a handful of Democratic seats.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, in a post on X, also blasted the effort and said the new map violates both the state’s redistricting standards as well as the 14th Amendment. “See you in court,” he said.
State House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell said the map was “cynical swamp-like behavior” that was designed to help DeSantis if he runs for president again in 2028.
“It’s entirely for himself and his political future,” said the Tampa Democrat.

That’s what they think. How about you?

J.C. Bruce is the founder of Tropic Press. He is an award-winning journalist and author. He holds dual citizenship in the United States of America and his native Florida.

Onward thru the fog

J.C. Bruce

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Today’s sponsor: Tropic Press Bookstore

Why don’t you run for office?

Got questions on how to go about throwing your hat in the ring? Project 140 has the answers. Here’s their email address:

email Project 140

Legislature reconvenes and aims to gut Democrats' representation in Congress

J.C. Bruce — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 04:01:25 GMT

No sooner had Gov. Ron DeSantis released his proposal to further gerrymander the state’s congressional districts than Republicans and Democrats alike began saying he just shot himself in the foot.

Florida’s constitution forbids drawing congressional districts for the purpose of favoring one political party over another.

But in announcing the new map that the state Legislature will consider starting today, DeSantis:

Didn’t present it to legislators first, but, instead, showboated his way onto Fox News to brag about how he was adding four new Republican seats to the state’s congressional map.
Then he flashed that map, all marked up in 24 red districts and a miserly 4 blue districts, just to underscore the point of how he planned to screw the Democratic Party.

As one Republican consultant—who has been involved in past redistricting cycles—told NBC News:

“This is wild. I don’t know how you can argue a red and blue map released from the governor’s office doesn’t show some form of partisan interest.”

Democratic state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith said that early release alone could be enough to show there was partisan intent from the governor’s office. As he posted on social media:

“The fact that the Governor shared his illegally-rigged Congressional map with @FoxNews before sharing it with state senators voting on them TOMORROW shows how partisan and illegitimate this process is.”

Trump knows perfectly well that the minute Democrats take control of the House, one of the first items of business will be his impeachment.

Here’s the math:

Republicans certainly do have a big edge over Democrats in terms of party registration. Setting aside voters with no party affiliation and voters belonging to minor parties, the divide is:

Republicans: 58 percent

Democrats: 42 percent

But the way the state is currently gerrymandered, Republicans have an unfairly disproportionate advantage in terms of congressional districts that lean red:

Republicans (with 20 seats): 71 percent

Democrats (with 8 seats): 29 percent

If DeSantis’ new map is approved during the special legislative session that starts today, the imbalance that he claims his new map would create would be:

Republicans (with 24 seats): 86 percent

Democrats (with 4 seats):14 percent

How any court could look at that and not see partisanship is beyond imagination.

The new DeSantis map specifically targets the districts held by four Democrats: Reps. Kathy Castor, Lois Frankel, Darren Soto and Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Democrats’ heads are, as you would expect, exploding. These reactions, as reported by Politico:

Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried called it “wild” that DeSantis was instructing the Legislature to ignore the Constitution. She maintained that Republicans were “playing with fire” because some safe Republican seats have been reconfigured in order to try to flip a handful of Democratic seats.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, in a post on X, also blasted the effort and said the new map violates both the state’s redistricting standards as well as the 14th Amendment. “See you in court,” he said.
State House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell said the map was “cynical swamp-like behavior” that was designed to help DeSantis if he runs for president again in 2028.
“It’s entirely for himself and his political future,” said the Tampa Democrat.

That’s what they think. How about you?

J.C. Bruce is the founder of Tropic Press. He is an award-winning journalist and author. He holds dual citizenship in the United States of America and his native Florida.

Onward thru the fog

J.C. Bruce

Share Tropic Press: J.C. Bruce

Share Tropic Press!

Today’s sponsor: Tropic Press Bookstore

Why don’t you run for office?

Got questions on how to go about throwing your hat in the ring? Project 140 has the answers. Here’s their email address:

Email Your Interest

WEEKLY DEBRIEF: DeSantis says white men need protection. Alligator Alley still in business. Is Florida's boom fading?

J.C. Bruce — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 10:03:11 GMT

White men need protection, according to Ron DeSantis

That Was The Week That Was

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill that bans local funding of initiatives aimed at helping minorities.

Why?

Because D.E.I. (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) initiatives end up favoring some groups and disfavoring others, he said.

"The disfavored groups, No. 1, obviously, would be white males, and I think they've been discriminated against," DeSantis said.

DeSantis raked in $250,000 after rate hike was approved

Late last year, a regulatory board in Tallahassee appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis gave Florida Power & Light permission to raise electricity rates by roughly $7 billion over the next four years — a record-setting rate hike that allows the monopoly power company to pocket the highest profit margin in the country outside of Alaska.

A month later, FPL’s parent corporation gave Ron DeSantis a quarter of a million dollars.

Read the investigative report from independent journalist Jason Garcia on the Tropic Press website and here:

Jason Garcia

U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick quits

Florida Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick abruptly resigned from Congress on April 21 moments before a House Ethics Committee hearing that could have led to her expulsion, ending a turbulent tenure representing the state’s 20th Congressional District.

Her departure followed a sweeping scandal involving allegations that she diverted roughly $5 million in federal disaster funds—originally intended for COVID-19-related services—through her family’s healthcare company and into her 2021 congressional campaign. Federal prosecutors charged her with multiple counts, including fraud, money laundering, and illegal campaign contributions, accusations she has denied.

The resignation has immediate political implications for Florida. Her heavily Democratic district is now vacant, triggering a special election that is expected to remain in Democratic hands but could intensify intraparty competition.

Adding to the confusion, her district could be totally reconfigured during a special session of the state Legislature due to convene this week (more on that below).

Alligator Alcatraz will remain open for now

The Everglades concentration camp will remain open for now, largely because the federal government has stiffed the state for $600 million it promised.

A federal appeals court overturned a Miami judge’s order that would have required Florida to begin shutting down the Alligator Alcatraz and stop accepting new detainees. The Eleventh Circuit ruled that plaintiffs failed to show the federal government controls the facility, emphasizing that Florida has not been reimbursed for more than $600 million in state spending despite earlier federal funding promises.

Judges said the absence of federal funding means environmental review laws do not apply, allowing the state-run site to continue operating. The decision leaves the facility’s future open unless federal funding or control is established.

A coalition of Floridians helps save Endangered Species Act

Environmentalists from around the state travelled to Washington, D.C. to hand-deliver a letter to members of Congress urging them to oppose legislation that would undercut protections for Florida’s sensitive wildlife habitats.

And it seems their mission was a success. According to Politico:

The House on Wednesday abruptly shelved legislation that would overhaul the Endangered Species Act, in an apparent response to Republican opposition to the bill.
Speaker Mike Johnson yanked the ESA Amendments Act, H.R. 1897, from consideration without explanation. But opposition from six Florida Republicans and other GOP members triggered the delay…

Is Florida’s population boom cooling off?

The pace of Florida’s growth may be waning as the high cost of living is driving out middle-class residents.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Net migration plunged from 315,000 in 2022 to roughly 22,500 in 2025—about a 93 percent drop—as rising housing and insurance costs make the state unaffordable. While Florida still gains residents, the explosive growth is slowing. Some of the reasons:

Declining Affordability: Skyrocketing housing costs are causing a “priced out” effect, especially for younger workers.
Migration Slowdown: Net domestic migration has dropped significantly, with many leaving for more affordable states like Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee.
Surplus Housing & High Costs: A surplus of homes in some areas hasn’t helped affordability, as high costs (home prices often nearing $400k) deter buyers.
Reduced In-Migration: The high cost of living, including elevated insurance, is pushing middle-income earners out and causing many residents to consider leaving.

Yet another special legislative session on tap

Florida House and Senate leaders announced Thursday that they have agreed to spend about $52 billion in general revenue dollars in the next fiscal year on the state’s priorities, finally clearing the way for the Legislature to do the one thing it’s annually required to do: Pass a budget. Legislators will return to Tallahassee May 12-29 for an 18-day special session.

As it turns out, Spaceship Earth is our only home; we need to take better care of it

Meme of the Week

Quote of the Week

“If Florida Republicans proceed with this illegal scheme, they will only create more prime pick-up opportunities for Democrats, just as they did with Trump’s dummymander in Texas. We will aggressively target for defeat Mario Díaz-Balart, Maria Elvira Salazar, Carlos Giménez, Kat Cammack, Anna Paulina Luna, Laurel Lee, Cory Mills and Brian Mast. We are prepared to take them all on, and we are prepared to win.

“Maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time.”

— House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Gov. Ron DeSantis calling a special session of the Florida Legislature to redraw the state’s congressional boundaries.

Letter of the Week:

Traditionally, it takes six nails to close a coffin lid. How many have we banged into the lid on our environment’s coffin so far? Who is wielding the hammer? How many nails are still in his mouth?

—Charles G. Masi

Looking Ahead

April 26. Confederate Memorial Day. Sure, it’s the 21st century and, yes, the Civil War is in our distant past. But here in the so-called “free” state of Florida, a former slave state, this is an actual recognized state holiday, although the wage slaves working for the state government don’t get a day off for it, fittingly.

Tuesday, April 28. The Florida Legislature is scheduled to convene a four-day special session, called by Gov. Ron DeSantis. On the agenda: Redrawing the state’s congressional districts to gerrymander them even more favorably for Republicans, the regulation of A.I., and so-called “medical freedom” legislation that caters to the anti-vax crowd and could possibly result in the elimination or diminishment of requirements that children entering school be vaccinated against infectious and often-fatal diseases, thus weakening the general “herd immunity” of the state’s population at large.

May 1 is International Workers’ Day, focusing on the rights of labor, immigrants, and social justice issues. Although the holiday originated in our country, it is mostly celebrated overseas. Our official Labor Day is in September.

May 2. Kentucky Derby. Post time is 6:57 p.m. While watching the Run for the Roses, a mint julep is the beverage of choice for many. If you’re making one at home, here’s how you do it: Take a perfectly good glass of bourbon and ruin it by mixing in crushed mint leaves (or dandelion leaves, I suppose, if you’re fresh out of mint), throw in some sugar to up the diabetes factor, and add ice. Then throw it down the sink and make yourself a proper drink.

Last Week’s Tropic Press Headlines

In case you missed it, here are some of the stories that headlined Tropic Press this past week.

With Trump’s approval rating in the dumpster, this is the chance for Democrats in Florida

Trump nemesis Alex Vindman is now officially a candidate for U.S. Senate

DeSantis now plans multiple special sessions; confusion reigns among Florida legislators

ASK THE BIRD: What’s with all these special sessions of the state Legislature?

Florida’s leaders see terrorists behind every bush -- and in the pews, too? No weirdness here

Why don’t you run for office?

Got questions on how to go about throwing your hat in the ring? Project 140 has the answers. Here’s their email address:

Email Your Interest

Thanks for your support

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed if you are a rational person living in the “Free” State of Florida, but there are plenty of smart, reasonable people just like you here. The purpose of this newsletter and the Tropic Press website is to provide a source of news and commentary that shines a light through this irrational fog.

Thank you for your support as a subscriber. It is invaluable. This is especially so for those of you who have chosen to upgrade to paid subscriptions. Your contributions are making this possible.

J.C. Bruce

With Trump's approval rating in the dumpster, this is the chance for Democrats in Florida

J.C. Bruce — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:43:56 GMT

According to the latest polling, President Donald Trump’s approval rating has plummeted to a mere 30 percent for his handling of the nation’s economy.

And as we have learned, when it comes to elections, “It’s the economy, stupid.”

Trump’s current cellar-dwelling ratings in the latest AP-NORC poll are similar to Joe Biden’s during 2022 when, like now, inflation was eroding consumers’ buying power. Trump frequently cited Biden as a “loser” for those poll numbers, and he made improving the economy a key campaign promise during his 2024 presidential campaign.

Obviously, it’s a promise he hasn’t kept, a failure driven by a tax policy that favors the rich, tariffs that drive up the cost of goods, and an illegal war in Iran that has caused the price of oil to skyrocket.

What does all this portend for the upcoming midterm elections in which the economy will unquestionably be a huge factor and in which many Republicans are running on Trump’s coattails?

It’s certainly not good news for Republicans. And it speaks to an unprecedented opportunity for Democrats.

Here in Florida, where we will be electing a new governor and U.S. senator, this could tip things in the Dems’ favor.

And it might also boost the chances of Democrats gaining seats in the Florida Legislature.

If…

If there are actually Democrats running against all the Republican candidates.

And, as this was written, that is not the case.

According to Margie Stein, who is leading a statewide candidate-recruiting effort, there are still about 38 seats—32 in the state House and 6 in the state Senate—in which Republicans will run unopposed.

This is nuts.

If there ever were a year for Democrats to step up, this is it.

Stein is heading up Project 140—the name is derived from the number of Florida House and Senate seats up for grabs in the midterms. Since I originally wrote about her organization’s recruitment efforts, about half the unopposed seats now have Democratic candidates.

But with about six weeks left before the qualifying deadline, more Democrats need to step up.

“So, I am trying to make a difference, and so can YOU by running for office.” That’s her pitch.

“If you believe in democracy, step up and become a candidate. Win or lose, you will be helping Florida politics change course and maybe even help elect a Democrat for governor, Senate or Congress by increasing the margin of election victory.

“In 2022, the Democratic Party did not compete in 53 state and federal seats in Florida. We can never do that again.”

I’m often asked by readers: “What can I do?”

Well, here’s your chance: Toss your hat into the ring.

Even if you are in a ruby red district, your efforts will result in more Democratic voters going to the polls. And those numbers can roll up to make the difference between a Democrat or a Republican in the governor’s mansion or the Senate.

And maybe even change the political dynamic in Tallahassee.

Give it a thought. And if you want more information on how to run and how to get help in doing so, here’s how to contact the organizers at Project 140:

Run for Office

In summary:

The upcoming midterm elections provide a generational opportunity to change the complexion of Florida’s political makeup. But for that to happen, Republican candidates for the state Legislature must face Democratic opponents on the ballot. Currently, there are far too many seats where Republicans stand to run unopposed. Here’s additional information on how we can fix that:

J.C. Bruce is the founder of Tropic Press, Florida’s largest newsletter and website dedicated to making you the smartest and most informed voter in the state. Information is power. Use it wisely.

To get out the vote, we need to get out the candidates--and we’re making headway

Onward thru the fog

Thank you for your support as a subscriber. It is invaluable. This is especially so for those of you who have chosen to upgrade to paid subscriptions. Your contributions are making this possible.

J.C. Bruce

Please support this work

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As it turns out, Spaceship Earth is our only home; we need to take better care of it

J.C. Bruce — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:20:29 GMT

Tomorrow, we celebrate Earth Day, the largest secular observance in the world, celebrated by more than a billion people, all to support the idea that our planet’s environment is worth protecting.

That would seem self-evident, since it is the only habitable planet in our Solar System, so it makes sense to take care of it.

You would think that we would be as protective about that as we would be ensuring the safety of our own homes, Earth being our own home, and all.

And in some respects, we’re better off today than we were in the recent past:

In the United States, for instance, air and water quality are better today, thanks to tougher environmental regulations. And it is also true that the cost of renewable energy has dropped dramatically (81 percent since 2009), making clean energy more viable.

And globally, we have increased leafy green areas on the planet by about 5 percent in the last couple of decades, and deforestation is dropping, although not by nearly enough in places such as the Amazon.

That acknowledged, our climate is in crisis with greenhouse gas emissions reaching record highs and causing extreme weather events (such as more and stronger hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin) and rising sea levels, which should be alarming to everyone on the planet and especially those of us living in coastal areas.

And we are facing increasing losses in our biodiversity, the consequences of which could be catastrophic.

Of immediate concern to those of us living in Florida and other states around the Gulf of Mexico is the threat of increased offshore oil drilling bringing the danger of oil spills, a single one of which could devastate our beaches and tourism-driven economy.

Add to that the Trump administration’s so-called “God Squad,” a committee of Trump minions empowered to exempt oil and gas activities from the Endangered Species Act, threatening to override rules that protect the Gulf’s marine life, such as the Rice’s whale, sea turtles and manatees.

The Supreme Court has been no help either, which has narrowed federal protections under the Clean Water Act to only wetlands with a “continuous surface connection” to navigable waterways. Meaning more than 7 million acres of Florida wetlands may lose federal environmental protection.

And it appears the water quality of the Everglades will not meet its May deadline, meaning the levels of phosphorus in the water—from agricultural runoff—remain too high.

So, it’s not all songbirds and dolphins out there.

And it is a further example, not that one is needed, of how elections have consequences.

These are all issues with solutions. The science is there. The technology is there. What’s missing is the political will.

While we’re still a democracy, we can fix that.

J.C. Bruce is the founder of Tropic Press, Florida’s largest newsletter and website dedicated to making you the smartest and most informed voter in the state. Information is power. Use it wisely.

Earth Day

Onward thru the fog

Thank you for your support as a subscriber. It is invaluable. This is especially so for those of you who have chosen to upgrade to paid subscriptions. Your contributions are making this possible.

J.C. Bruce

Please support this work

Get Your Mingo Merch

The official Tropic Press Store is now open and ready for business. You can order your very own Miss Mingo tee shirts and coffee mugs online. All sales are final. Check out the store here:

Time to take back our state

The upcoming midterm elections provide a generational opportunity to change the complexion of Florida’s political makeup. But for that to happen, Republican incumbents in the Legislature must face Democrats on the ballot. Currently, there are far too many seats where Republicans stand to run unopposed. Here’s how we can fix that:

After the election, who will our representatives actually represent--us or the lobbyists?

J.C. Bruce — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:03:08 GMT

When Floridians go to the polls this fall, we’ll be voting to fill 140 seats in the state Legislature —both the House and Senate—that will be up for grabs.

When those newly elected—or re-elected—politicians journey to Tallahassee for the next legislative session, there’s an important question we should know the answer to:

A. Will they be representing our interests?

B. Or will their loyalties be to the army of lobbyists and political action committees eager to line their wallets?

If recent history is any guide, we should be very worried that the answer to that question is B.

Case in point:

According to in-depth research by independent investigative reporter Jason Garcia on his Seeking Rents website and newsletter:

Florida lawmakers banked $14 million in campaign contributions on the day before the start of the 2026 legislative session, according to a Seeking Rents review of first-quarter campaign finance reports.
The avalanche of donations recorded on Jan. 12 was, in part, the result of an annual fundraising orgy that takes place in Tallahassee on the eve of every lawmaking session. Legislators are forbidden from raising money during their 60-day session, which means they — and the special interests seeking to buy access and influence in the state Capitol — must scramble to beat the opening gavel.
Much of that last-minute money was essentially laundered through intermediaries — like political committees controlled by lobbyists or campaign consultants — that make it difficult to trace the true origins of many donations.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Jason’s report on Substack is rich in detail about where this money came from and to whom it was slipped.

I’m keeping this morning’s post short, so rather than tying up your attention here, you can check out his reporting. It’s an eye-opener.

I’ve cross-posted the story on the Tropic Press website, or you can go directly to Jason Garcia’s Substack page and read it here:

Jason Garcia

I would also note that you are seeing this kind of reporting first thanks to independent journalists.

As regular readers of Tropic Press know, in addition to original reporting, one of the missions of this newsletter and the Tropic Press website is to share this kind of enterprise journalism to the widest possible audience, so it’s a pleasure to be a conduit for Jason Garcia’s work today as well as the regular contributions published here by others, including the Florida Phoenix, The Florida Trident, The Paradise Progressive, and pollster Mark Schullman, among others.

Thank you for your support that makes all this possible.

Onward thru the fog

Thank you for your support as a subscriber. It is invaluable. This is especially so for those of you who have chosen to upgrade to paid subscriptions. Your contributions are making this possible.

J.C. Bruce

Please support this work

Get Your Mingo Merch

The official Tropic Press Store is now open and ready for business. You can order your very own Miss Mingo tee shirts and coffee mugs online. All sales are final. Check out the store here:

Time to take back our state

Would you trust the Florida Legislature to pick the next U.S. Senator for you?

J.C. Bruce — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 10:02:49 GMT

Gov. Ron DeSantis is calling the Florida Legislature back into special session next week to help out his frenemy, Donald Trump, rig the midterm elections in the G.O.P.’s favor.

He wants legislators to redraw congressional districts to lean Republican even more so than now, where the G.O.P. already claims 20 out of the state’s 28 U.S. House seats.

Like that’s not enough.

Floridians hate this idea by a wide margin, according to polls. And there’s evidence that at least some members of the Florida House and Senate aren’t all that swelled up about the idea, either. The smarter ones among them realize it could backfire, and by the time they’re done taking their Sharpies to the state map, they could actually end up helping Democrats.

Wouldn’t that be a hoot!

So, it remains to be seen where all this Sturm and Drang will lead, but if it’s anything like the regular session that recently ended, they won’t accomplish much.

That’s right: The Florida Legislature has one important job—craft a state budget. And they not only couldn’t get that done in time, they’ve now delayed yet another special session on the budget because they still can’t figure it out.

And it is into these ineffectual hands that our Founding Fathers entrusted the task of naming U.S. Senators.

I realize that’s quite a segue—from Florida to the Founders, but I’ll explain.

You see, April 8 was the anniversary of the ratification of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

This year, when Floridians go to the polls, voters will have to power to decide — among other races on the November ballot—who will be the state’s next member of the United States Senate, a periodic task that we take for granted.

But it wasn’t always that way.

The Founders, in their wisdom, granted that authority—not to ordinary citizens—but to state legislatures.

Sure, the people could directly elect their representatives in the lower chamber of Congress, the House, but, much like the British House of Lords, membership of the Senate would not be entrusted to the rabble.

Ironic, right, given we’d just fought a war to free ourselves from the English way.

But that’s how things stood until April, 1913, when, after a series of scandals, the 17th Amendment was ratified, giving the power to the people to directly elect members to the upper chamber of Congress.

Florida, as it turns out, failed to vote on the amendment—not that it mattered; enough states did. But it was a portent of political ineffectiveness to come.

As far as Florida was concerned, things were just fine. And if the rest of the country hadn’t overruled them, well, the same bozos in Tallahassee who couldn’t pass a budget in the last session (and who totally failed to name the flamingo the state bird) would still be entrusted with this important task.

Our current senator, Ashley Moody, only has the job because she was appointed to the post by DeSantis when Marco Rubio quit to become Trump’s Secretary of State.

Were the 17th Amendment not ratified, then the Democrats currently vying for the party’s nomination wouldn’t have a prayer of being considered by the Legislature. Given the overwhelming Republican majority, Moody likely would have gotten the nod uncontested.

But, as it turns out, Democratic voters will have a handful of wannabe senators on the August primary ballot. The frontrunners, as this was written, are Alex Vindman, a retired U.S. Army officer, and state Rep. Angie Nixon.

And the winner of that contest will square off with Moody in November. All thanks to the 17th Amendment.

Florida’s failure to endorse the direct election of U.S. senators was not its only lapse.

Seven years later, the states were given yet another opportunity to fix a glaring oversight by the Founding Fathers—this time to give women the right to vote.

The 19th Amendment passed on August 18, 1920, but, once again, Florida sat out the decision, thus continuing its pattern of failing to get the job done on time.

While our fair state never has gotten around to ratifying the 17th Amendment, the Florida Legislature finally mustered the energy to vote on the 19th Amendment, but not until 1969—49 years later.

Incredibly, there are actually some ultra conservatives—modern day Tories—who claim that the direct election of senators is a bad idea, and that we should return to the days of yesteryear and the old House of Lords model.

Not hard to figure out why when you consider that as of early 2026, Republicans control 28 state legislatures and 57 chambers, while Democrats only control 18 legislatures and 39 chambers.

Sends a chill up the spine to think of it, doesn’t it? The same clowns who can’t draw up a state budget on time being in charge of naming our senators?

Enjoy your right to vote while you still have it.

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Time to take back our state

Private Bone Spurs wants to beef up the draft--just in case he needs a bigger army in Iran

J.C. Bruce — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 12:00:37 GMT

Donald Trump is taking a lot of flak over the news his Selective Service System wants to scour federal databases to find young men who have failed to register for the draft.

The irony is obvious:

During the Vietnam War, Trump dodged the draft himself at least five times—mostly claiming college deferments and finally, in 1968, claiming that bone spurs in his heels made him unfit for military service.

To be fair, Trump was not alone among men of his generation in trying to avoid the draft.

The Vietnam War, as we learned through the release of the Pentagon Papers (thank you, New York Times and Washington Post), was based on a lie, was unwinnable, and needlessly cost more than 58,000 American lives—and countless more Vietnamese casualties.

And the draft was unfairly administered, allowing well-to-do (mostly white) young men to safely stay home, while others (mostly working-class, rural and minorities) became cannon fodder.

That changed with the institution of the lottery system, which also catalyzed the anti-war movement.

The problem with Trump is, of course, his shameless hypocrisy.

The huckster who yammers endlessly about how he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize renames the Defense Department the Department of War and plunges America into another dubious conflict, this time in the Mideast.

The man who succeeded in avoiding military service himself now wants to beef up the draft just in case his congressionally unauthorized war in Iran requires an invasion force. Or, if not this war, the next one he illegally launches.

There’s a reason he’s mocked as Private Bone Spurs.

But it shouldn’t be because he succeeded in avoiding a senseless death in a stupid war.

It should be because he’s happy to send so many others to their senseless deaths in a stupid war.

Especially after he promised voters he would avoid “foolish” foreign entanglements and make America First.

And let’s not forget that the blood on his hands is shared by every single member of Congress who fails to step up and pass a War Powers Resolution to stop it.

We need to remember that when we go to the polls in November.

Assuming we’re still allowed to vote.

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DeSantis signs his pet anti-terrorism bill; should Donald Trump be worried?

J.C. Bruce — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 11:42:24 GMT

Controversial bill that would allow surveillance of Florida citizens moves ahead in Legislature

Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed into law draconian legislation that gives him the power, through his “chief of domestic security,” to designate groups or individuals as “domestic terrorists.”

The law would apply to any group that “is intended to intimidate, injure, or coerce a civilian population; influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or affect the conduct of government through destruction of property, assassination, murder, kidnapping, or aircraft piracy.”

Civil liberties organizations are justifiably aghast, but there could be a silver lining, which I’ll get to in a moment.

The bill, as signed, is overly broad and it most likely will be challenged in court. DeSantis acknowledges this but says he believes he’ll ultimately win on appeal. Of course, he does.

We’ll see.

The Florida Phoenix has done an admirable job of outlining all the legislation’s ins and out and why it is so terrifying. You can read more here.

I’ve published extensively about DeSantis and his crusade to stamp out civil rights organizations not to his liking, his primary target being CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

But opponents of the legislation worry it could be applied overbroadly to other groups, too.

As a CAIR representative said after DeSantis signed the bill:

“We have already been unjustly targeted — most notably when Governor DeSantis falsely labelled CAIR as terrorists without lawful authority or evidence. This is not just about CAIR. This expanded and deeply flawed framework can attack any organization that dares to dissent. As Floridians, together, we’ll watch how this unprecedented law is enforced, and whether it is used or abused.”

“Does the governor and his Cabinet have the ability to designate NOW (the National Organization for Women) or Planned Parenthood as a domestic terrorist organization?” asked Rep. Robin Bartleman, a Democrat from Weston.

Those concerns are clearly legitimate.

However, there may be a bright side to all this.

Given the legislation’s broad authority, it appears to me that the “terrorist” designation could also apply to any Florida resident who:

Runs roughshod over international law;
Tosses bombs at unindicted foreigners in Caribbean fishing boats;
Kidnaps foreign heads of state;
Unlawfully turns a blind eye to the murder of Americans in city streets;
Has a history of associating with known Florida child molesters;
Imprisons thousands of men, women and children without proper legal due process;
And who prosecutes military attacks from a Florida base (for instance, Tampa’s MacDill) while threatening war crimes against civilian populations.

So, Gov. DeSantis, a suggestion:

There’s somebody with a legal residence in Palm Beach County you should ask your chief of domestic security to investigate.

He lives at a mansion known as Mar-a-Lago.

You can easily find it. It will be the one with all the boxes labeled “Top Secret” sitting by the curb waiting for trash pickup.

Just saying.

Florida Muslims come to state Capitol despite ‘terrorist’ designation by DeSantis

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Time to take back our state

Very best and very worst of America on display today, at the capital and beyond the moon

J.C. Bruce — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:00:23 GMT

At about 1 p.m. today, we will have the opportunity to see the very best and the very worst of what it means to be an American.

Following a deranged message on Easter Sunday threatening to send another country “back to the Stone Age,” President Donald Trump has scheduled a press conference at the White House.

And while that gaggle is taking place in Washington, D.C., something historic and marvelous will be unfolding in outer space. For the first time in more than 50 years, human beings, launched from Florida, will circle the moon.

One event will be a chilling reminder of just how fragile our democracy is and how the freedoms we take for granted as Americans can be threatened by a madman.

The other will illustrate the greatness our country is capable of.

On Earth:

On a sacred Christian holiday, Donald Trump said this on his social media platform:

Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell—JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP

That’s right, the president who bellyached endlessly about how he deserves the Nobel Peace prize is threatening war crimes. The same man who said, “Great nations do not fight foolish wars,” has got us in the middle of one in Iran, and it is going badly.

The economy is tanking, American service members are dying, and our incoherent commander-in-chief has no plan to salvage the mess he’s gotten us into other than continuing the bombing until morale improves.

What will he say at his scheduled 1 p.m. EDT press conference today? His mouthpiece, Karoline Leavitt, says it will be to discuss the rescue of a pilot shot down over Iran, a mishap that only took place because of Trump’s ineptitude.

In Space:

At approximately the same time, four astronauts, three from America, one from Canada, aboard the Artemis II , will begin their flyby of Earth’s nearest neighbor.

It has been 53 years since the last time human beings last circled or walked on the Moon. The last mission was Apollo 17, which departed the lunar surface on Dec. 14, 1972.

The Artemis II crew won’t be landing. This mission is a dress rehearsal for the next touchdown, expected to take place in 2028.

It’s a remarkable achievement, one that should capture our complete attention today, and likely would were it not for the insanity taking place on our own world.

How crazy is this?

Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Leader, had this to say about Trump’s “disgusting and unhinged Easter message” —

“Something is really wrong with this guy.”

It’s early in 2026, but that has to be the understatement of the year. So far.

I would argue that there’s also “something wrong” with members of Congress who allow this madness to continue.

All well and good that Trump’s political opponents take potshots. Where’s the real action to remove him from office?

The House summoned enough support for a discharge petition to release the Epstein Files. What’s holding them back from pushing Articles of Impeachment?

A final thought:

Imagine a world in which, instead of this erratic and shortsighted leadership in Washington, we had a nation that could establish and stick with lofty, long-term goals, such as our efforts at space exploration.

Why has it been half a century since we visited the Moon? It’s not a technological failure, but a political one.

Had we not failed to plug away at it—a lack of resolve on the part of both Republicans and Democrats—we not only would already have a base on the Moon, but likely set foot on Mars.

Instead, we waste resources and human lives on fruitless “wars of choice,” the latest being Iran.

The big objection to the cost of space exploration has always been the argument that those resources would better be spent on Earth.

Fair enough in principle, I suppose. But in reality, we’ve squandered those resources in the past, just as we are doing now, because of short-sided and incompetent political leadership.

That bemoaned, today, despite Trump, is a day to hail our latest achievement in space.

Godspeed, Artemis II.

J.C. Bruce is the founder of Tropic Press, a Florida online news service dedicated to sharing news and commentary relevant to Florida readers. Bruce is an award-winning former newspaper editor, journalist and author living in Florida, his native state. Before he switched to journalism, he was an astronomy major at the University of South Florida, in case you’re wondering why he’s so gung-ho about rocket ships.

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To get out the vote, we need to get out the candidates--and we're making headway

J.C. Bruce — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 10:02:31 GMT

David Silverberg may serve as the poster child for the progress Project 140 is making in its drive to ensure that every Florida House and Senate race this fall has a Democrat on the ballot.

Only a month ago, there were 11 State Senate and 47 State House races with no Democratic candidates—meaning automatic wins for Republicans—and worse, depressed turnout among Democrats whose votes are needed for critical statewide races such as those for the governorship and U.S. Senate.

In the past month, that number of empty spots on the ballot has been whittled by about a dozen as candidates have stepped up.

Here’s the thing: Data show that when there are no blank spots on the ballots, turnout is higher. And the midterm elections will turn on turnout.

Just a week ago, for example, there was no Democrat running for the seat being vacated by former Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, a Republican from Naples.

It’s a ruby red district, and any Dem running in that area for either the House or the Senate is in for an uphill battle. Some may think it’s hopeless, but you have to see the big picture:

When candidates step up for tough fights like this, they bring along supporters, fund-raisers, and door-knockers who otherwise might sit the election out. This stimulates overall voter turnout. Even if those candidates ultimately can’t beat the overwhelming local odds, the extra voters they bring to the polls—who also cast ballots in statewide races—may make the difference in important close elections.

As I wrote a month ago, every vote counts:

Consider the year 2000, when Florida was the epicenter of national controversy. The election between Vice President Al Gore and Gov. George W. Bush of Texas was so close that it ended up in the Supreme Court. By the time the court stopped the recount of ballots, Bush was ahead by only 537 votes. There were numerous uncontested legislative seats during that election giving Republicans easy wins. What if more Democrats had volunteered to run? Would those few extra votes have made a difference? It’s certainly possible.

Also: This will be an unusual midterm election. Republicans are reeling from an avalanche of bad news, and President Donald Trump’s collapsing popularity may depress the Republican turnout and votes — not only among G.O.P. members but also among right-leaning independents who overwhelmingly are disillusioned with Trump’s behavior.

Witness the recent State House victory of Emily Gregory, a Democrat and political newcomer, who beat her Trump-endorsed Republican opponent in Palm Beach County’s special election—in a Republican district that includes Trump’s Mar-a-Lago.

Silverberg sees the opportunity.

His decision to jump into the fray was encouraged by a chance meeting with Margie Stein at a rally for U.S. Senate candidate Alex Vindman in Naples. Stein is the leader of Project 140, the independent candidate-recruitment initiative I wrote about a few weeks ago.

Bemoaning the paucity of Democrats on the ballot, Stein asked Silverberg: Why don’t you run?

Until then, Silverberg had busied himself as editor of The Paradise Progressive, a popular newsletter commenting “on news affecting the Paradise Coast of Southwest Florida that is overlooked, ignored or avoided by local traditional media.”

After talking to Stein, he decided to change roles, from observer and commentator to candidate.

“It finally got to the point where I couldn’t sit on the sidelines anymore,” he said. “I was urging other people to get involved, and the time came where I had to do it myself. The stakes are so high and the dangers so great that we all have to get out of our comfort zones or there won’t be any comfort left. I was very comfortable in my zone, but sometimes you just have to take to the barricades.”

Although Silverberg has been involved in other candidates’ campaigns in the past, this is his first time in the ring, himself. “Well, since high school.”

He says one of the key points of his campaign will be the closure of Alligator Alcatraz, which is in the Senate district he’s running for.

“Alligator Alcatraz is a moral stain, it’s a financial drain and it cannot remain,” he says in one of his online messages to supporters. “Real Americans don’t build concentration camps—real Americans liberate concentration camps. Make no mistake, Alligator Alcatraz is a concentration camp.

“Spending a million dollars a day on this monstrosity when everyday Floridians are suffering is unacceptable.”

But what about the odds? I asked him.

“If ever there was a year or election cycle when things could change, this is it,” he said. “People are fed up, they're waking up and they just might do something new and surprising inside the voting booth.”

When Stein started Project 140’s candidate drive for this election, there were 58 legislative races with no Democratic candidates out of a total of 140 legislative races, hence the project’s name.

That number has been reduced, but there’s more work to do.

How is that going?

“I think there’s a lot of enthusiasm,” she says. “A lot of people are stepping forward.”

J.C. Bruce is the founder of Tropic Press, a Florida online news service dedicated to sharing news and commentary relevant to Florida readers, whether it originates in the Sunshine State or elsewhere. Bruce is an award-winning former newspaper editor, journalist and author living in Florida, his native state.

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Florida's AG hates rainbow crosswalks, but he digs giving guns to felons

J.C. Bruce — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 12:41:34 GMT

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier apparently hates rainbows.

He’s been doing his level best to wipe them out — well, repainting them — all over the alleged “Free” State of Florida.

As the state’s top lawyer, he says he’s enforcing rules that ban political messaging on state-mandated roads. Signs with his boss’s name on them are fine. Roads renamed after Charlie Kirk or Donald Trump are fine. But rainbows are not fine.

This is a little odd considering Uthmeier teaches religious education classes in Tallahassee. He should know that the rainbow, according to the Bible story, is the gift God gave Earthlings as a promise never to drown everybody on the planet again. (Everyone except Noah and a few friends and animals, of course. I’m still unclear how dinosaurs and mosquitoes fit into that picture.)

So, what’s not to like about rainbows?

Because rainbows are woke, of course.

And in the “Free” State of Florida, you are free to agree with Uthmeier and his boss, Gov. Ron DeSantis, or you are free to leave. And in Florida, infamously, we Don’t Say Gay. And the gay rights flag comprises the colors of the rainbow. As do all those colorful sidewalks.

Now, to be balanced and fair, while Uthmeier has a burr under his saddle about rainbows and what they represent in popular culture, he’s all about guns.

He couldn’t wait to endorse a court decision opening up the state to the open carry of firearms.

And now, he’s campaigning to allow criminals to carry guns, too.

Yep. Our state’s chief law enforcement officer thinks crooks should be able to pack heat.

Catch them painting a crosswalk with rainbow colors, and they’re off to the slam. But that Colt on their hip? That’s fine and dandy.

This has the law-enforcement community scratching its collective head, and the association of the state’s elected prosecutors has taken exception to Uthmeier’s assertion that “non-violent” felons ought to be able to carry guns, to wit:

“A person who chooses to act in their own self-interest in a manner that risks being sent to prison is a dangerous person,” wrote Douglas Wyler, the general counsel for the prosecutors’ association. “Such a person has demonstrated their disregard for the law without concern for the consequences. From a constitutional perspective, it is a class of people who were historically barred from possession of a firearm, precisely because they are dangerous.

How very odd that our chief law enforcement attorney is at odds with the people who actually put people in jail. Especially since Uthmeier loves, loves, loves concentration camps like Alligator Alcatraz, which he named.

Perhaps this counterintuitive disconnect may have something to do with the fact that Uthmeier, while holding the position of Florida Attorney General, an elective office, has never actually run for public office himself until now.

He was DeSantis’ chief flunky—pardon me, chief of staff—who got appointed to the job when Ashley Moody took a powder to fill in for Marco Rubio when he bailed on his job in the United States Senate to become Trump’s secretary of state.

As DeSantis’ henchman, he has been reported to have been in the heart of the Hope Florida scandal, for which a grand jury presentment in Tallahassee has yet to be released.

Now, he’s finally running for office, trying to keep the job DeSantis gifted him. He faces a Republican primary challenger, and the winner of that contest likely will face former state Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez, favored among Democrats running for the job.

His Give Crooks Guns stance may play with some Second Amendment fans, but it’s a head-on collision with law enforcement advocates, and it’s hard not to see this, politically, as an unforced error.

Uthmeier is twisting himself in knots to explain his convoluted constitutional arguments. But at the street level, it will be a hard sell—as will his latest declaration that he thinks it’s fine for the state government to give tax dollars to churches, which is a clear violation of the First Amendment’s “Establishment” clause—and state law— that will inevitably end up in court.

He’s a novice at running for office, so maybe he should recall that when you’re explaining, you’re losing.

Or maybe we should just keep that to ourselves.

As Sun Tzu suggested in his Art of War, “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”

State can fund religious charter schools, ‘encourage’ religion, Uthmeier says

FOR MORE ON THIS ISSUE:

Rare divide: Florida’s elected prosecutors oppose Uthmeier on arming certain felons

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We can’t take back Florida from top-to-bottom Republican control if we don’t have candidates running for office. Here’s how you can help:

Project 140

Trump to Pam Bondi: 'You're Fired!' Florida's former AG is second cabinet member sacked -- so far

J.C. Bruce — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 18:41:06 GMT

Attorney General Pam Bondi is out.

Her firing today represents the second Cabinet official to be sacked by President Donald Trump. She follows Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem who got the pink slip less than a month ago.

Bondi’s tenure as the nation’s top law enforcement officer will be remembered for her willingness to sacrifice the Department of Justice’s independence, her weaponization of the DOJ as a tool for Trump’s vengeance on political opponents, her nasty relations with Congress, and her gross mishandling of the Epstein scandal.

Before being picked by Trump to run the Justice Department, Bondi had served as the attorney general of Florida, where she was reported to have dropped a fraud investigation into Trump University after receiving a $25,000 donation from Trump.

She was widely regarded as among Trump’s most loyal minions and seemed to relish the role as his personal attack dog.

Oddly, despite her demonstrations of fealty, she never was Trump’s first choice for the job. Trump originally tried to appoint former Florida U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, who had to withdraw his candidacy amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

From the Associated Press:

The announcement follows months of scrutiny over the Justice Department’s handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation that made Bondi the target of angry conservatives even with her close relationship with Trump. She also struggled to satisfy Trump’s demands to prosecute his political rivals, with multiple investigations rejected by judges or grand juries or yet to produce charges.
Trump named Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as the acting attorney general, though three people familiar with the matter have said he has privately discussed Lee Zeldin, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, as a permanent pick.
… Her departure continues a trend of Justice Department upheaval that has defined Trump’s presidency as multiple attorneys general across his two terms have either been pushed out or resigned after proving unwilling or unable to meet his demands for the position…
“You’ve turned the People’s Department of Justice into Trump’s instrument of revenge,” Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary committee, said at a February hearing.

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DeSantis, doing Trump's bidding, signs new draconian voter suppression law

J.C. Bruce — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 10:03:26 GMT

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the president’s Mini-Me in the Sunshine State, has signed into law a bill near and dear to Donald Trump’s heart.

It’s a voter suppression bill, styled after the national SAVE America Act, that has frustratingly (to Trump) been stalled in Congress and would make it more difficult for citizens to register to vote by adding new, draconian identification requirements.

“Our constitution in the State of Florida says only American citizens are allowed to vote in our elections,” DeSantis proclaimed as he signed the bill. “And so we need to make sure that that is the law.”

It’s useful to re-read those words: It’s already illegal, the state constitution says so, but we need a new law to make it even more illegal? Like double-secret illegal?

Well, no, we don’t, and no sooner had DeSantis set down his pen than lawsuits were filed.

Here’s what Politico reported:

The new law adds proof of citizenship requirements and increases the role of state agencies to confirm citizenship. Backers of the measure contend many Floridians would not be affected because roughly 99 percent of those with driver’s licenses are already compliant with REAL ID standards that require documentation such as birth certificates.
But opponents — who are now calling it the “show your papers” law — maintain the new requirements will ultimately lead to eligible voters being pushed off the voter rolls, including married women who have changed their names and older minority voters who were born in the South and may not have a birth certificate. The lawsuit filed Wednesday also questions whether it would affect Puerto Ricans born before 2010 who came to Florida following natural disasters such as Hurricane Maria.
The groups that challenged the law — the League of Women Voters of Florida, Florida Immigrant Coalition, Florida Rising, Common Cause, Hispanic Federation, and UnidosUS — contend the measure is unconstitutional and violates the First and 14th amendments. They said it will harm ongoing voter registration efforts by the groups, Caren Short, director of legal and research at the League of Women Voters of the United States, said the new law is “based on xenophobic lies and disinformation. The Legislature’s failure to look out for constituents instead of legislators’ own political interests will harm married women, naturalized citizens, young people, and many other eligible voters who do not have ready access to documents like passports or birth certificates.”

Not everything in this unnecessary legislation is to Trump’s liking. For one thing, it doesn’t come into effect until after the midterm elections. Also, it doesn’t restrict mail-in voting, which Trump hates even though that’s how he votes.

Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that would—were it ever held to be constitutional, which, in all likelihood, it will not—add further restrictions on mail-in voting through the creation of a nationwide voter list. Anyone not on the list would not have their ballots delivered by the Post Office.

Small problem with that—besides the fact Trump has no legal authority in the matter—is that Florida allows voters to register to vote up to 29 days before an election, so eligible voters might find themselves excluded from the list if the state cooperated.

In which case Florida Republicans might find themselves crosswise with Trump.

Oh, the horror!

Of course, were it up to Trump, we wouldn’t have any more elections, anyway.

Stay tuned on that one.

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Trump's executive order creating a voter registry is blatantly unconstitutional; it must be stopped

J.C. Bruce — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:45:35 GMT

Remember those times Donald Trump said, since he’s president, we don’t need elections anymore?

Great joke, right?

Maybe he thought it was April Fool’s Day or something.

Turns out he wasn’t fooling about his intentions.

Why?

Because yesterday, Trump signed an executive order to create a nationwide list of eligible voters and to restrict mail-in voting. Specifically:

He ordered the Department of Homeland Security (the same lovable federal agency that brought us ICE) to work with the Social Security Administration to compile a list of registered voters in every state—and to verify they are entitled to vote.
And he ordered the Post Office to block the delivery of mail-in ballots to voters who are not on the list.

You know this already, but just to be clear:

HE DOES NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DO THIS!

Elections are run by states, not by would-be-monarchs living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

As Heather Cox Richardson wrote this morning:

“This is unconstitutional on its face,” election law expert David Becker told Yunior Rivas of Democracy Docket.
“The Constitution clearly gives the president no power over elections.” The Senate Rules Committee oversees federal involvement in elections, and its top Democrat, Alex Padilla (D-CA), called the order a “blatant, unconstitutional abuse of power,” adding that Trump has “no authority to commandeer federal elections or direct the Postal Service to undermine mail and absentee voting.”
Representative Joe Morelle (D-NY), the top-ranking Democrat on the House Administration Committee, said that the order is “illegal, dangerous and subversive” and that “Donald Trump fears the American people and is willing to violate the Constitution to stop them from voting.”
“See you in court,” posted Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). “You will lose.”

Trump claims to be doing this under the guise of “election integrity,” but we all know that’s a sick joke.

What he wants is to suppress the midterm election vote because he knows the Republican Party, which he’s working overtime to destroy, is going to be—to use one of his favorite terms—decimated. And when the G.O.P. loses control of the House and the Senate, his unmonitored destruction of our democracy comes to an end.

We mustn’t forget that the Felon-in-Chief is also the guy who attempted to overthrow the last election he lost, begged his vice president to fraudulently block the Electoral College vote count, and urged a mob to storm the Capitol—all in service of thwarting the will of the people in a fair and free election.

Trump doesn’t care about “voter integrity,” he hates elections.

It’s no joke.

As Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes told the Associated Press:

“It is just wrongheaded for a president of the United States to pretend like he can pick his own voters. That’s just not how America works.”

Yep. Un-American as hell.

From Florida to the Moon

NASA is set to launch four astronauts on a roughly 10-day journey around the moon this evening. This will be the first time since 1972 that humans have been back to the Moon, although this trip will not involve a landing.

The launch window today opens at 6:24 p.m. and lasts for two hours. Florida weather forecasts are favorable, but if liftoff from Cape Canaveral is delayed, NASA still has opportunities for the rest of the week.

The Artemis moon program is a “multi-phase campaign” to return humans to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years. It’s named after the twin sister of Apollo.

The program is structured as a series of increasingly complex missions:

Artemis I (Completed 2022): An uncrewed flight test that successfully sent the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS) rocket around the Moon and back.
Artemis II (Scheduled for today): The first crewed mission of the program, which will take four astronauts on a 10-day lunar flyby without landing.
Artemis III (Scheduled for mid-2027): A crewed demonstration in Earth orbit to test rendezvous and docking with commercial lunar landers.
Artemis IV (Scheduled for 2028): Targeted to be the first mission to land humans on the Moon’s South Pole since the Apollo era.
Artemis V and beyond: Planned annual missions to build a permanent Moon base and maintain a regular human presence.

Meet the crew that will blast off from Cape Canaveral:

Artemis Crew

Onward thru the fog

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BREAKING NEWS: Federal judge halts construction of Trump's ridiculous ballroom

J.C. Bruce — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 22:00:58 GMT

A day after Trump was bragging to reporters about his grandiose plans for a new $400 million ballroom, a federal judge has pulled the red carpet out from under him.

The Trump administration has been ordered to suspend construction of the ballroom, for which Trump ordered the demolition of the entire East Wing of the White House. Construction may not proceed without congressional approval.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington granted a preliminary injunction sought by an historic preservationist group noting that the National Trust for Historic Preservation is likely to succeed on the merits of its claims because “no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have.”

Leon, who was nominated to the bench by Republican President George W. Bush, said further:

“The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!”

From the Associated Press:

The ruling was the first major rebuke of Trump’s sweeping efforts to overhaul the White House, but it wasn’t immediately clear what it would mean for a sprawling project in which crews have long since torn down the East Wing, radically transforming the look and feel of the historic grounds.
The Trump administration filed a notice of appeal shortly after Leon’s decision.
The judge’s decision came two days before the National Capital Planning Commission, the agency that signs off on construction on federal property in the Washington region, is expected to approve the addition.
Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which filed the lawsuit, that prompted Leon’s ruling, said, “We are pleased with Judge Leon’s ruling today to order a halt to any further ballroom construction until the Administration complies with the law and obtains express authorization to go forward.”
The judge suspended enforcement of his order for 14 days, acknowledging that the case “raises novel and weighty issues, that halting an ongoing construction project may raise logistical issues.” He also recognized that the administration is likely to appeal his decision.

Onward thru the fog

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As the price of gas soars, Trump now has an airport named for him. and here's a peek at his planned Miami presidential library

J.C. Bruce — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 12:38:01 GMT

In the news: Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill to change the name of Palm Beach International Airport to the Donald J. Trump International Airport. Trump has revealed plans for his Miami presidential library that include a huge and tacky gold statue of himself. And the price of gas has topped $4 a gallon.

Soon, when you pull up to the pump, you’ll be able to use your crisp, new Trump-autographed dollar bills to pay for your gas.

But you’ll need a lot of them. This morning, the Associated Press shared the news that the average price of gasoline nationwide has now topped $4 a gallon.

It’s actually been higher than that in many locations for a while. I paid $4.15 in the Florida Panhandle a couple weeks ago on a return trip to Florida from the frozen wastelands of Ohio.

Most people don’t use cash anymore at the gas station, of course, and in what appears to me to be a glaring oversight, there’s no such thing — yet — as a Trump Gold Gas Card.

With our president’s obsession over naming everything after himself, this seems like a missed opportunity. But, of course, there’s the other TrumpGoldCard, the visa (as opposed to Visa) for rich (mostly white) people to immigrate into the United States.

So, maybe it’s just a matter of time.

Trump certainly does love to see his name on everything, and it’s fascinating to see how fawning politicians—including former political opponents like Gov. Ron DeSantis—seem to trip over themselves to satisfy his narcissistic obsessions.

DeSantis, for instance, on Monday signed a bill passed by the Florida Legislature to rename Palm Beach County’s airport after our doddering 79-year-old commander-in-chief.

It was also through a DeSantis-appointed board that several prime acres of land in downtown Miami have been transferred to Trump’s foundation to be the site of his presidential library, which, as you would imagine, will include very few bookshelves.

But it will include a gleaming gold statue of himself, gold elevators beside an Air Force One in the lobby, and, of course, a huge, gaudy TRUMP sign atop the skyscraper.

Here are some AI-generated images just released by His Majesty:

The land this self-aggrandizing temple to Trump’s vanity will be built upon could have been sold for millions of dollars that could have been used for the benefit of students at Miami Dade College, the previous owner.

But DeSantis and his cronies just gave it away. Don’t you just love how Republicans preach fiscal responsibility then make boneheaded moves like this?

It is curious that our lame-duck governor is so slavishly trying to earn back Trump’s favor after challenging him for the Republican presidential nomination.

You think DeSantis, who soon will be out of work, might be fishing for a job?

Onward thru the fog

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Moving forward: What is it we want once we remove the cancerous MAGA outrage

J.C. Bruce — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:14:50 GMT

On the eve of last weekend’s No Kings Day protests, political commentator Robert Reich shared a pertinent question he received:

“I know what you’re demonstrating against — Donald Trump — but is there a positive purpose, too?”

I’ve included a link to Reich’s thoughtful and persuasive response below, including this thought:

Trump himself is not the cause of the growing cynicism about democracy and the deepening polarization of our society.
He’s the consequence and culmination of decades of neglect of our system.

Trump is a conman. We all know that. And what all conmen do is prey on other people’s vulnerabilities. Trump would not be president if our democracy had been healthier in the first place.

He’s like an opportunistic cancer that grows because the immune system is weakened.

There are millions of Americans who will turn on the Republican Party during the coming midterm elections—if fair elections survive the next few months of Trump’s and the G.O.P.’s relentless campaign of voter suppression.

But they are just as likely to turn again unless things change.

So, it’s good to ask that question: What’s the plan, what is on offer that people can buy into and rally around?

I have my own thoughts on that, all pretty obvious, but first an emergency room analogy:

When a car wreck patient shows up in the E.R., doctors rush to stop the bleeding. Sure, sometime after they save the victim’s life, they can start planning a program of rehabilitation, but first things first.

To my mind, that’s what the No Kings Day protests are about: Rallying people around the idea that it is, in fact, possible to stop the hemorrhaging.

Much like antibiotics are used to fight a disease, the upcoming election gives us the opportunity to rid the American body politic of the infectious threat MAGA presents to our democracy,.

What’s that?

A top-to-bottom dominance of one political party that allows a clown like Trump to run roughshod over the guardrails the Founders created just to prevent the current disaster from ever happening.

First things first: Americans must reclaim Congress—both the House and Senate—to stand as a bulwark against our deranged president.

Argue all you want (and I’ll join you) that the Democratic Party has its own share of blame for the mess we are in. But at this moment in time, whether we like it or not, we have a two-party system of government, and stopping the MAGA onslaught on our freedoms means we must support Democrats.

Now, having said that, and acknowledging that’s the first step, it is crucial that the Democrats develop a clear and honest message of what they stand for.

Here’s Reich’s answer:

We are now in America’s Second Gilded Age. The only way to guard what is left of our freedom is to confront today’s anti-democracy movement with a bold pro-democracy movement that protects and revives the institutions of self-government.
A pro-democracy movement dedicated to not just to standing up against authoritarian strongmen like Trump and against big money like Peter Thiel’s, but to empowering all Americans, politically and economically.

That’s an inspiring mission statement. It’s all about freedom. But it needs bullet points.

Beyond undoing all the damage caused by Trump and his lickspittle followers, what’s on the to-do list to prevent this from happening again? Here are some specifics I’d suggest to prime the pump. Use the Comments button below to add your own if you like.

Raise the federal minimum wage to what it would be today if it had kept up with inflation and cost of living—somewhere north of $20 an hour.
Adopt Medicare For All. The Affordable Care Act (Obama Care) was always a stopgap measure. We have a proven, cost-effective national health care system in the United States already. Expand it to everyone, not just seniors and the disabled, like the rest of the civilized world.
Lower the crippling cost of post-high school education and job training. Public-supported education needn’t stop at Grade 12. In the age of AI, retraining will be vital.
Campaign finance reform is crucial as big money is killing our democracy. Overturn Citizens United, abolish Super PACs, ban corporate donations.
Tax the Rich, Relieve the Rest of Us: Billionaire democracy haters like Trump’s buddy, Peter Thiel (he mourns the idea that women have the right to vote), need to pay their fair share of taxes. In one of the most prosperous periods in our nation’s history following World War II, the tax rate on earnings over $200,000 was 94 percent. In today’s dollars that would be a base of $3.6 million. Seems fair to me.
Save Elections. Bernie Sanders suggests registering all Americans to vote when they turn 18 and that Election Day should be a national holiday. I’m with Bernie on this. (And, frankly, a lot of other things, too.)

We can’t get to these reforms without ousting the anti-democracy forces currently in power. So, first we stop the bleeding. By voting.

What do you think?

Onward thru the fog

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J.C. Bruce

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