Lawsuits imminent as Legislature ignores state constitution at DeSantis' bidding
Your curated summary of the top news from the previous week, plus a look ahead to coming events
That Was The Week That Was
The big story of the week in Florida was, of course, the Legislature’s rubber-stamping Gov. Ron DeSantis’ hastily redrawn map of the state’s congressional districts to further gerrymander Republican odds in the midterm elections.
As a result, it’s possible that the number of Democrats in Congress from Florida could shrink from eight to four. And DeSantis made no secret that it was done for partisan advantage despite a constitutional prohibition.
Lawsuits to block the changes will doubtless be forthcoming, but whether they can stop this miscarriage of justice before the midterm elections is uncertain.
I covered that extensively during the week, and there are links to those stories below.
In other news…
Trump’s illegal war in Iran claims yet another victim—Florida-based Spirit Airlines.
The rising price of jet fuel because of the war in Iran was the final nail in Spirit Airlines’ coffin.
While the pioneering low-cost carrier worked through two bankruptcies and other internal cost-cutting measures, it couldn’t make it with the cost of fuel roughly doubling, a direct result of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Its last flight landed Saturday.
The airline, headquartered in Dania Beach, had reached out to the White House for help, hoping President Donald Trump might intervene, but they got a cold shoulder. Might not have helped that Spirit is not on the list of companies donating to Trump’s bloated ballroom project.
Independent journalist Jason Garcia has disclosed that Florida’s governor pushed a plan in the latest regular session of the State Legislature that would have cost nearly 100,000 Floridians their health insurance.
From his report:
Aides to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis quietly devised a plan to kick as many as 100,000 Floridians off their health insurance — including mothers of children as young as six years old…
The DeSantis plan reflected the longtime wishes of a constellation of conservative policy groups, particularly the Foundation for Government Accountability, a Naples-based think tank that has worked closely with the DeSantis administration during his tenure as governor. DeSantis has adopted many FGA priorities as his own — including, most recently, efforts to weaken child-labor laws and to erect additional barriers to unemployment benefits…
With DeSantis leaning in, Republican leaders in the Florida Senate muscled the proposed Medicaid purge through their chamber on a party-line vote. But the legislation was never considered in the House of Representatives…
But the idea is by no means dead. It could potentially be resurrected later this month, when Florida’s GOP-controlled Legislature convenes for a special session to finalize a new state budget.
Former Miami Congressman David Rivera is convicted of secretly lobbying for Maduro’s Venezuela.
A former Miami congressman and longtime friend of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been convicted in connection with a secret $50 million lobbying campaign on behalf of Venezuela that took place during the first Trump administration.
Jurors found Republican David Rivera and an associate, Esther Nuhfer, guilty on all counts, including failing to register as a foreign agent with the Justice Department and conspiracy to commit money laundering as part of their work for former President Nicolás Maduro’s government.
Democratic U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz says that despite the state Legislature’s unconstitutional redraw, she will run for re-election to the House in the coming midterm election. Her old district went for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election by about 5 percent, a safe district for Democrats. Now, her district sprawls into ruby red parts of the state, including Collier County, and went for Trump by about 10 points.
“The easiest decision for me to make is that I’m running,” she said.
And in the truth is stranger than fiction category …
There are rumors flying that Amazon is discussing a reboot of the reality TV show, The Apprentice, that starred Donald Trump and, arguably, afforded him the level of fame and fandom without which he never would have become president.
But who to star this time?
Insiders say—and I am not making this up—Donald Trump Jr., his son.
Meme of the Week
Quote of the Week
“This is clearly unconstitutional. This is gerrymandered map-rigging, and I don’t see how anybody can support it.”
— Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman of Boca Raton on the new congressional maps approved by the state Legislature
Letter of the Week
I want to shout out to every registered voter in Florida that we all be of one mind. Upholding our rights for equality, freedom of speech and most importantly holding those in the Florida legislature accountable by voting for new leadership. If we do not change, then we will only continue to repeat the past. I for one feel mortified by the actions of our State and Country and how we are now perceived by other nations. Be the change you want to see in the world!
— Karen
Looking Ahead
How long will it take before lawsuits are filed to block the Legislature’s redraw of the state’s congressional districts? That will be one of the stories we will be monitoring this week.
Also…
May the Fourth Be With You. Yes, it’s Star Wars Day on, of course, May 4, a time to celebrate your inner Wookie. You can read all about the origins of the holiday in my Florida Weekly column here:
Some people say the pun is the lowest form of humor. Before you jump on that bandwagon, you may want to consider the next item…
May 5 is Cinco de Mayo, commemorating the loss of the British cargo ship HMS Hellman that went aground off the coast of Veracruz in 1878, taking its cargo of mayonnaise to Davey Jones’ Locker. The sinking of the mayo was a gastronomical catastrophe.
(It is possible that it also commemorates the victory of valiant Mexican troops over the forces of Napoleon III in Puebla, Mexico, in 1862, an event hardly anyone in the actual country of Mexico celebrates, but it has turned into a great excuse to eat tacos and drink margaritas here in the U.S.)
May 6 is Touron Day—well, it is formally known as Tourist Appreciation Day, but along about now our “appreciation” for snowbirds has about run its course, and we eagerly await their flocking back north where they belong.
May 7 is the National Day of Prayer, an event, as I note in yet another Florida Weekly column, when politicians who otherwise are never seen near a church make a big deal about how pious they are by arranging photo ops at the nearest sanctuary. For the nation’s 250th anniversary, a major “National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise, and Thanksgiving” is also scheduled for May 17 on the National Mall, doubling the photo-ops.
May 12-29. The next special session of the state Legislature is scheduled, with its primary topic the state budget, which it failed to complete in its earlier regular session. That said, we need to be watchful of other issues that might be added on, as Jason Garcia noted earlier in this column.
Last Week’s Tropic Press headlines
In case you missed it, here are some of the stories that headlined Tropic Press this past week.
Trump travels to The Villages for a safe place to brag about the tottering economy
SeaShellGate: If Comey can be prosecuted, then none of us are safe from Trump’s goons
UPDATE: House blocks DeSantis on vaccines and AI; will vote on gerrymandering Wednesday
Voting rights take it on the chin in Washington and Tallahassee today
ASK THE BIRD: Are the seashells rising up in protest all on their own?
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