Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced the state version of Elon Musk's Department of Governmental Efficiency, which he wants to audit universities and eliminate nearly one thousand positions at "obsolete" state boards and commissions.

Florida's DOGE task force will be formed solely to "prune" excess spending around the state and hold powerful institutions accountable, DeSantis said at a Tampa press conference on Monday. Hopefully, he added, it will use artificial intelligence to identify superfluous or noncompliant workers, agencies, and boards.

"We are creating a state DOGE task force that will implement a multi-pronged approach to eliminate bureaucratic bloat and modernize our state government," DeSantis said, revealing that the group will serve a one-year term and disband after the "completion of the mission."

It will take after President Donald Trump's federal DOGE, created last month to trim excess spending and positions he believes to be unnecessary. Headed up by billionaire and Trump confidant Elon Musk, CNBC estimates that the new department, founded last month, would cut around 300,000 federal workers. It would be the largest job cut in American history.

What's the Mission?

The task force's mission includes boosting a key point of the governor's agenda: revamping higher education. Florida universities would be subjected to an "independent review and audit" by the Florida DOGE, which would examine finances, operation effectiveness, and cooperation with eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

"This is the DOGE-ing of our state university system," DeSantis said. "This will include examining course programming and staff at the institutions...Some of the ideological study stuff we just wanna prune that and get that out."

The massive reformation of higher education is a huge staple of the DeSantis administration, particularly as he geared up for his failed presidential run in 2023. This included gutting the liberal arts New College of Florida in hopes of turning it into the "Hillsdale of the South"—referring to the stringently right-wing university in Michigan—and striking DEI programs in colleges and universities.

The Florida DOGE also plans to eliminate at least 70 state boards and commissions the governor claims to be obsolete or inefficient, noting that some members haven't had appointments for "many, many years." This would involve terminating around 900 positions, compounding the 747 roles he suggested the Legislature dissipate in his proposed budget last month.

This new time-limited task force will expand upon Florida's current Government Efficiency Task Force created in 2006 as part of a state constitutional amendment. This group meets every four years to recommend various government and budget cuts.

The post DeSantis Announces Florida's Own DOGE Task Force to Audit Schools, Cut State Boards appeared first on The Floridian.

Gov. Ron DeSantis implored Floridians to stop and think before they listen to what Sen. Randy Fine has to say about his new appointee to the University of West Florida, an embattled professor Fine called a "bigot."

DeSantis responded to the growing backlash facing Scott Yenor, a former Boise State University professor appointed by DeSantis to lead UWF's board of trustees, for comments that Fine and the Jewish Legislative Caucus have called antisemitic and anti-women. At a Tuesday committee hearing, Fine doubled down and ripped into Yenor for being an "idiot."

But DeSantis dismissed Fine's remarks Wednesday, telling reporters at a Tallahassee press conference to "consider the source."

"I stand by the appointment of Scott Yenor, he has been a champion for the types of reforms at universities we need," DeSantis said from the Capitol press room. "Let's just consider the source: that same Senator called me antisemitic...I just think it's misplaced criticism. I think it's part of a separate political agenda."

In response, Fine told The Floridian via text message that he has never called the governor an antisemite, claiming DeSantis is instead "deflecting" criticism of his "abhorrent" pick by lying.

"Ron DeSantis is deflecting legitimate criticism of his poor judgment because he can’t defend his abhorrent choice," Fine said. "I’ve never called Ron DeSantis an antisemite; by falsely accusing me of doing so he raises real questions about whether he actually is one."  

Though the governor's office did not respond to a request for comment on when Fine allegedly called him "antisemitic," this is not the first brush the Florida conservatives have had with one another. Fine, the Legislature's sole Jewish Republican, was one of the first to switch his endorsement to Donald Trump during DeSantis' presidential bid, claiming DeSantis had not done enough to combat antisemitism after the Oct. 7th attack on Israel.

Months later, the two sparred over DeSantis attending a football game in Ireland, a country Fine described as "antisemitic" for recognizing Palestine as a sovereign state. Fine has since promised to investigate the pay and duties of the governor's staffers for allegedly "unprofessional" behavior and has most recently clashed with DeSantis over illegal immigration legislation.

Who's Scott Yenor, and What Did He Do?

On Tuesday, Fine spearheaded the charge to delete Yenor's name from a Senate bill that would have allowed him to sit on the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition's board of directors. He called him a "bigot," an "idiot," and a "misogynist," leading the Senate panel to nix the 55-year-old from consideration.

Yenor was one of five UWF appointments made in early January. A member of the Society for American Civic Renewal, a men-only Christian nationalist organization, and an employee of the Claremont Institute's Center for the American Way of Life, he first came under fire for 2021 comments calling feminism "evil" and lambasting higher education's "indoctrination camps," AP reported.

Soon after his appointment, Yenor took to social media to list the "slim pickin's" making up the Congressional Democrat Party. This included noting the potential disqualifiers of party members, which meant that "only six" of the 47 Democrat Senators are straight white men.

Throughout the backlash, however, DeSantis has defended his appointment.

"I'm not somebody that's just going to let someone be out there and be unfairly maligned by distorting all this stuff...I don't think he's antisemitic at all," he said. "I'm not leaving anyone on the battlefield undefended."

Fine will be resigning from his Senate seat on March 31 to pursue a vacant congressional seat. Having handily won his primary in late January, the Republican firebrand is expected to win the red-tilted District 6 during the April 1 special election.

The post DeSantis Clashes With Fine, Brushes Off ‘Bigot’ Remarks Against Embattled UWF Appointee appeared first on The Floridian.

Florida college students could carry their concealed guns onto campuses and into dorms if a new bill filed Tuesday passes, prompted by a rise in antisemitism across American universities.

Sponsored by Sen. Randy Fine, the sole Jewish Republican in the state Legislature, SB 814 would allow for the possession of firearms at every property owned by Florida colleges or universities, including residence halls. Fine was inspired by the drastic increase in antisemitic incidents on college campuses following Hamas' massacre of Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023.

"The Second Amendment does not take the semester off when you step on a college campus,” Fine said in a press release. “Adults should have the right to protect themselves on campus, particularly after so many universities across America chose to protect Muslim terror advocates over their own students."

Though Fine's bill would legalize concealed firearms on campus, it would allow a college or university to request certain spots be designated "sensitive locations" devoid of guns during sporting events. This request, complete with a security plan, would have to be submitted to and approved by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Fine first announced that he would file a bill allowing "Jewish students to start carrying" in April, as pro-Palestine protests on college campuses were reaching their peak. He doubled down in September after two Jewish students in Pennsylvania were attacked by a man wearing a keffiyeh, a Middle Eastern headscarf, but was quickly rebuffed online by gun safety advocates, including Fred Guttenberg, the father of a 14-year-old murdered at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.

Guttenberg accused Fine of weaponizing antisemitic attacks to loosen gun restrictions, slamming the lawmaker for voting to abolish concealed carry permits in 2023, calling him a lunatic, and demanding the two debate. Fine declined, insisting he doesn't debate people who call him a lunatic, and promised he would file the legislation.

And now he has.

Fine will resign his Senate seat on March 31 to pursue a vacant congressional seat. Already having won his primary for the red district, he's expected to become the next Congressman of District 6—though that means he will only be present for four weeks of the regular session.

In a text message to The Floridian, he said that while he doesn't know if he will be able to pass his bill before he leaves for Congress, a "number of Senators have told me they support the idea."

The bill comes amid a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents on college campuses, which spiked 700% after the Oct. 7th attacks. From 2022 to 2023, Hillel International reports. From 2022 to 2023, there were 290 antisemitic incidents on campuses compared to 1,854 between 2023 and 2024. Anti-Muslim incidents similarly surged, with the Council on American-Islamic Relations reporting a 300% increase in campus incidents.

The post Fine Files Guns on Campus Bill After 'America Chose to Protect Muslim Terror' appeared first on The Floridian.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Former House Speaker Paul Renner was appointed to the state university system's Board of Governors by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday.

Paul Renner, 57, served as House Speaker for the 2022-2024 legislative term. During that time, Renner, a Republican, represented House District 19 which includes Flagler County and parts of St. Johns County.

Overall, Renner served in the Legislature for nine years after winning a special election in 2019.

Renner is a U.S. Navy veteran and was commissioned as a Surface Warfare Officer. Among his military operations, Renner served in the Gulf War during Operation Desert Storm and was a Small Boat Officer for the destruction of floating Iraqi mines.

Before service, Renner graduated from Davidson College and law school from the University of Florida (UF) in 1994. After UF, Renner served as a state prosecutor working high-profile misdemeanor cases and felony cases as an attorney in the Felony Trial Unit.

Still in the Reserves, Renner was called to serve as an Intelligence Officer in Afghanistan in 2011. During that time, Renner focused on counter-terrorism efforts and was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal.

He currently is an attorney for Nelson Mullins in Orlando.

The Board of Governors has 17 members, 14 of which are appointed by the Florida Governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate for a term of seven years. Other members include Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr. and Chairman Brian Lamb.

Other seats are filled by the chair of the Advisory Council of Faculty Senates, the Commissioner of Education, and the chair of the Florida Student Association.

This appointment is effective April 15 if approved by the Senate.

The post Former House Speaker Paul Renner Named to Board of Governors appeared first on The Floridian.

TALLAHASSEE—A sweeping anti-illegal immigration bill barring undocumented students from receiving discounted tuition rates passed its first—and last—Florida committee Wednesday and will head to the Senate Floor for a final vote.

The 51-page measure, sponsored by Republican Senators Randy Fine and Joe Gruters, repeals a 2014 bipartisan law that allowed certain undocumented high school graduates to qualify for in-state tuition waivers at public universities. After nearly three hours of debate, it passed the Senate Appropriations Committee down party lines in a 12 to 6 vote.

"I am sorry that their parents did this to them, but these children did not magically appear in the United States," Fine said, claiming the immigration waivers cost $40 million. "Their parents chose to break the law. And the responsibility that these children find themselves in...is their parents' responsibility, it is not the taxpayers of the state of Florida."

Along with increasing penalties for criminal illegal immigrants, SB 2C would also eliminate a law sponsored by then-Rep. Jeanette Nuñez. That law granted in-state tuition waivers to undocumented kids who attended Florida high schools for at least three years. Under the new bill, these students can finish the current school year at discounted rates but must pay full tuition starting in the 2025-2026 academic year.

The bill is one of three measures sponsored by Gruters and Fine in the third special session of the year as part of a compromise package drafted between GOP leaders in the Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis. The measures, which all passed committee Wednesday, are a result of weeks of vicious infighting punctuated by two special sessions, threats of violence, and soon-to-be twelve killed bills.

On the other side of the debate, Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia joined Democrats in calling the provision a "poison pill." Garcia told The Floridian after the meeting that while she voted for the bill because its other components align with President Donald Trump's agenda, she might not support it on the Senate Floor unless it allows current undocumented students to graduate.

"I don't think that they should put in-state tuition in the same paragraph of some of the issues that we're working on," she said. "When [Fine] said that that's an incentive for people to cross the border—no, it's not."

When asked if she'd spoken with Fine about editing the bill, she said, "I don't care for Senator Fine. You can put that on the record."

The post 'Poison Pill': Florida Bill Striking In-State Tuition for Undocumented Kids Advances to Floor appeared first on The Floridian.

Representative Aaron Bean (R-FL) is reintroducing legislation to counter malicious foreign influence in America's education system through funding.

Named the Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education (TRACE) Act and introduced initially last June, Rep. Bean's bill would require schools to notify parents of how and where foreign funding affects their child's educational curriculum.

In addition to requiring greater transparency on who is funding educational material, the TRACE Act empowers parents by requiring schools to disclose if any staff are compensated by other countries or "foreign entities of concern."

In his press release, Rep. Bean said, "American schools are for education, not espionage. We cannot allow our students—the future of our great nation—to be corrupted by foreign adversaries who are systematically and aggressively attempting to influence our nation's K-12 schools."

Additionally, the Florida Congressman accused school funds accrued via foreign sources as a "Trojan Horse" that needed to be cracked open before being wheeled into the gates.

"Yet this is what happens when our institutions of learning accept the trojan horse of foreign funding. I am proud to reintroduce this bill to solidify the rights of parents to know how foreign influence may be impacting their child's classroom and to deter the ability of foreign nations to reach America's youth," Bean continued.

The Floridian previously discussed education with Bean in December, telling us that he wanted education to return to the states since federal control is another factor creating undesirable effects on students.

"Some people like the control that the Department [of Education] gives because they are able to say, 'If you play along with what we want, everything has strings attached, and if you play along with the deep state, then we will reward you with extra money.' So again if we are totally honest, the role [of education] would be much better run at the state level, we will have that debate," Bean said in comments to The Floridian.

The post Bean Reintroduces Bill to Counter Malicious Foreign Influence in American Schools appeared first on The Floridian.

Former Broward County Commissioner and School Board Chair Torey Alston has been named the next President of Broward College. He was unanimously selected by the school's board of trustees. Alston also served on the Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) Board of Trustees and the Miami-Dade County Public Schools leadership team.

President Alston thanked the Broward College District Board of Trustees and shared that his familial experiences make him understand the importance of the college system.

“God is so good and I want to thank the Broward College District Board of Trustees for their vote of support and confidence as I transition to President of Broward College,” Alston said. “As the son of two parents who attended community college including my father who completed the police academy forty years ago from then Broward Community College, I know the value of the state college system first-hand.”

The newly-adorned Broward College President stated that he is all ready to partake in this role.

Alston has received endorsements from major players in Sunshine State politics. This list includes (but is not limited to) the following:

• “I served with Torey on the FAMU Board of Trustees many years ago and he still carries that same passion for education today. He would be a great College president,” said Ranking Member of the House Higher Education Budget Subcommittee State Representative Gallop Franklin.
• “When you think of strong leadership in Broward, only a few names come to mind. After working with Torey directly on big state issues as FDOT Chief of Staff and watching him serve as CEO at GMX, I know he will be a great President for Broward College,” said Adrian Lukis, former Chief of Staff to Governor Ron DeSantis.
• “As a Broward native and fellow Blanche Ely High School alum, I’ve worked alongside Torey early in the current administration when he served as FDOT Chief of Staff, so I’ve seen his leadership and competence. Broward College will be in good hands with Torey at the helm,” said former NFL great Vice-Chair of the Senate Education Postsecondary Committee State Senator Corey Simon.
• “I know Torey and I have watched his leadership at GMX since its inception. He has a bold vision for Broward College and its students, and he will be a phenomenal college president,” said Florida House Speaker Danny Perez.
• “Our families have known each other for years and I am excited that the Board has named Torey, a fellow Blanche Ely High School alum, a finalist for college president. I support him to be the next President of Broward College,” said former NFL great Henri Crockett, President-elect of the Orange Bowl Committee.

The post Broward College Appoints Former Broward County Commissioner Torey Alston as President appeared first on The Floridian.

Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL) released a statement announcing a Department of Defense grant to rebuild Tinker PreK-8 School on MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.

The $86 million award will improve the quality of Tinker's campus and curricula and expand its capacity to accommodate the children of Air Force service members and ensure their education.

In her press release, Rep. Castor said, "I am grateful to the military families, leadership at MacDill, Hillsborough County Public Schools, and local advocates for working with me over the years to ensure that the Department of Defense (DoD) invests in students at MacDill."

Additionally, she emphasized, "Our service members and their families deserve access to high-quality, reliable child care and schools, and their kids deserve to learn in a safe and healthy environment. Unfortunately, in its current state, Tinker has challenges."

Rep. Castor explained that efforts to improve and expand the Tinker School have been ongoing for over a decade. In 2011, the facility ranked 118th out of 156 on the Department of Defense's Public Schools on Military Bases Installations priority funding list, jumping to 60th in 2018 thanks to sustained appeals and funding increases in the yearly National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

In 2022, the Tinker School finally secured a spot among the top 12 schools, thereby making the recent award of $86 million possible.

The grant comes just a few short weeks after Castor demanded Harbor Bay, MacDill's housing community, and the Michaels Organization, its building contractor, expedite housing repairs for residents in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

As the Florida Congresswoman's letter revealed, the hurricanes only shed light on a persistent delay and inadequacy of home repairs for Harbor Bay residents. During a town hall meeting with residents about rebuilding, "an overwhelming number of questions and concerns around housing were raised by members of the community but were met with little to no answers from Harbor Bay."

The post Castor Announces Grant to Rebuild MacDill Air Force Base School appeared first on The Floridian.

Gov. Ron DeSantis blasted the media's "cherry-picking" criticisms of right-wing politicians, prompted by backlash over his new university appointee previously advocating against women delaying motherhood for higher education.

His comments fall in light of an AP News report, which found that new University of West Florida board appointee Scott Yenor had railed against the "evils" of feminism at a 2021 National Conservative Conference, where he claimed that a good society discourages women from putting off motherhood to attend higher education's "indoctrination camps."

Yenor, a political scientist, believed schools should slow efforts to recruit women into engineering, law, and medical fields, and instead "recruit and demand more" of men in those programs.

After swift backlash, a reporter asked Gov. DeSantis to comment on Yenor's appointment—though the Governor insisted he was "not familiar" with Yenor's supposed beliefs.

"If you look at the state of Florida, we probably have a higher percentage of women enrolled in our state universities than we do men, and that's probably grown under my tenure," the governor said at a Jacksonville press conference Friday morning. "But what I don't do, what I don't like, is cherry-picking somebody saying [something] and then trying to smear them."

DeSantis blasted the media for attacking right-wingers' backgrounds, but not doing the same for appointees with "flagrant left-wing backgrounds."

"That's just swept under the rug," he said. "You never hear legacy media trying to highlight any of that. 
So I don't play those games."

Yenor, 55, was one of five UWF appointments announced Tuesday. A member of the Society for American Civic Renewal, a men-only Christian nationalist organization, and an employee of the Claremont Institute's Center for the American Way of Life, he was invited to speak at the conservative conference in 2021.

Aside from blasting feminism, Yenor derided the "medicated, meddlesome, and quarrelsome" qualities denoting "independent women," earning him a fresh round of backlash from his school at the time—Boise State University—where he worked as a professor of political science.

A BSU student wrote an open letter condemning the teacher's "diminishing" and "radical" comments, lambasting his "insidious and dangerous" words.

The post DeSantis Slams 'Smear' of Appointee Amid Backlash Over Comments on Women, Education appeared first on The Floridian.

Abolishing the Department of Education (DOE) has gained traction among Republicans, including Representative Aaron Bean (R-FL), who recently told The Floridian that he wants education to return to the states. This would effectively abolish critical race theory (CRT) at the federal level.

We asked Rep. Bean why he believed Democrats are against abolishing the Department, which he suggested was because "some people like the control that the Department gives because they are able to say, 'If you play along with what we want, everything has strings attached, and if you play along with the deep state, then we will reward you with extra money.' So again if we are totally honest, the role [of education] would be much better run at the state level, we will have that debate. Hopefully we will have that debate, and Trump [is] certainly elevating it with Elon [Musk] and Vivek [Ramaswamy]."

The Floridian noted that the Sunshine State has eliminated CRT within the Florida curriculum and asked Rep. Bean what a plan to abolish CRT at the federal level might look like.

"Well, again, the federal government does not have a role in curriculum. Our hearing yesterday really just shined the spotlight on the best curriculums around the country where there is critical thought being taught, how to be growth-involved. We also spotlighted some of the worst programs where young people are taught that our country is a bad country and that because of your race, you are oppressed and, taking away time from teaching reading, science, and math. Our scores if you look at our report card versus other industrialized countries, we are mediocre. We are just mediocre. We should be leading the front, but we have gotten away from our mission of teaching the basics," the Florida Congressman continued.

We asked what Bean intended to bring to Washington from Florida. He pointed to Jacksonville's Tiger Academy and KIPP, which he claimed produce students with an 84% chance of getting into college.

"What is the magic? How do they do it? How do they teach these kids? And it turns out there is no secret; it is just extra time. School days at some of these schools go to five o'clock and they have a Saturday once a month where you come in and you spend extra time. They focus on reading. If you cannot read, it is hard to learn science, math, or anything else, and there is a focus on more time to make that happen," Bean concluded.

The post Bean Wants Education to Return to States, Abolish CRT appeared first on The Floridian.

MIAMI - Florida voters will decide if school board candidates are required to disclose their party affiliation under a constitutional amendment in November.

The Partisan Election of Members of District School Boards, or Amendment 1, would require district school boards to be elected in a partisan election as opposed to a nonpartisan election.

Amendment 1 was sponsored by Rep. Spencer Roach, R-Fort Myers.

"This is not about, at least for me, advancing the cause of one political party over another. But for me it,'s about transparency, and I simply believe that we have an obligation to give voters as much information about a candidate as possible, ad let them make a decision about vetting a candidate," Roach previously said.

As an example, a school board candidate would be featured as a Democrat or Republican. Currently, a candidate is not labeled and therefore nonpartisan.

School board elections have remained nonpartisan since a voter appr0ved amendment in 1998.

Others, like Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville, are opposed to the amendment.

"I believe this bill is not about transparency at all. This bill is about making our school-board elections and our school boards more contentious, more like D.C., which y'all (Republicans) honestly always try to oppose," Nixon said.

If passed, Amendment 1 will take effect for the November 2026 general election. If opposed, school board elections would remain nonpartisan in the state.

A 60% vote threshold for the measure is required for approval.

School board members in Florida are elected on four-year terms and oversee the schools of the district. Florida is one of 41 states with laws currently requiring school board elections to remain nonpartisan.

The post Amendment 1: What to know on ballot measure requiring party affiliation for school board candidates appeared first on The Floridian.

The Floridian spoke to the former Assistant Director of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) – Rich Marianos – concerning the rise of vape devices in American communities, especially vapes from China.

These devices have infiltrated high schools and college campuses while appearing in the United States illegally from Asia. Marianos discussed this notion with us over the weekend.

“In the last five years, there’s been an epidemic in the United States where there’s been about a 2,000% increase in the use of these disposable vapes, and specifically the ones that are coming from China,” Marianos began. “There’s quite a difference between these and the ones that are marketed by industry … the disposable vapes are strictly designed for tobacco harm reduction, to get people away from combustible cigarettes.”

However, the problem with Chinese vapes is that they are branded and marketed for children, raking in huge amounts of money for improper companies.

“The ones that are coming from China, which is becoming a huge, huge market, are designed for youth, children, fruity flavors, that have and continue to attract kids … when they realized they could market these to kids, and they’re doing it all over the internet, China, specifically Chinese organized crime in the Xinjin Valley, decided that they could make a ton of money, to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars right now on the backs of our kids.”

In the state of Florida, these products have dominated the disposable vape market. Chinese-owned companies such as Elf Bar, Fume, and HQD accounted for over 85% ($355 million combined) of the market ($410 million) in 2023. Also, Florida has seen vape sales increase nine times compared to states such as New York.

None of these brands are FDA-approved.

Marianos continued by sharing his frustration with the lack of concern from society as a whole surrounding these illicit vapes.

“One thing that frustrates me the most is, politically, you hear both sides very charged with ‘China is our number one national security problem.’ Well, if we know that they’re making hundreds of billions of dollars on the backs of our greatest resources – which are young adults, our children, why isn’t something being done about it? Why can’t we stop this flow? The kids are getting sick. We don’t know what’s inside [the vapes],” said Marianos.

Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signed a bill attempting to crack down on these vapes in late April.

The post Former ATF Assistant Director Sounds Off on Chinese Vapes, Lack of Concern appeared first on The Floridian.

The infiltration of the American education system by China has been a concern among Republicans, as many examples have demonstrated. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) recently spearheaded a letter with Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) demanding the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigate colleges and universities with Chinese ties and provide a counterstrategy.

"We write regarding reports that American institutions of higher education (IHEs) are failing to disclose financial ties with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Efforts to conceal CCP attempts to influence American students and steal intellectual property threaten our national security," Sen. Scott's letter began before detailing instances of institutions knowingly working with China through unauthorized means.

In October, Stanford University was forced to pay a $1.9 million fine after failing to disclose that twelve of its faculty members were receiving money from foreign sources, such as China. More recently, in July, the University of Maryland was caught doing the same thing, failing to disclose that research was being funded by Chinese companies like Alibaba and Huawei, and forced to pay a $500,000 fine.

"Undisclosed and unmonitored financial relationships between U.S. academia and the CCP are glaring national security risks. Such relationships leave the U.S. vulnerable to intellectual property theft, improper influence, and even espionage. It is imperative that DOJ take additional steps to swiftly address this concern," Sen. Scott continued.

As a result, the letter demanded that DOJ Attorney General Merrick Garland provide answers on how often colleges and universities violate the False Claims Act, how the DOJ is fighting China's infiltration of American institutions, and how it is cooperating with other agencies, such as the Department of Defense (DOD), to do so.

Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has taken action against China influencing our education system at the state level, signing legislation in September that revoked scholarships from schools with ties to the CCP.

"The Chinese Communist Party is not welcome in the state of Florida. We will not put up with any attempt to influence students with a communist ideology or allow Floridians' tax dollars to go to schools that are connected to our foreign adversaries," said Gov. DeSantis.

The post Scott Demands Investigation of Schools with Possible Chinese Ties appeared first on The Floridian.

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL—Prompted by one woman’s string of last-minute absences at the St. Lucie County School Board, officials and community members alike are demanding first-term member Jennifer Richardson resign or be removed.

She refuses.

“In my 18 years of being in public service in St. Lucie County I’ve never seen any other government official have this type of behavior,” Troy Ingersoll, a board member and former Board Chair, told The Floridian. “It’s appalling.”

He stressed that whether it’s illnesses affecting her “up to 20% of the time” or whether it’s a series of deaths in her family, if Richardson is not “physically able” to make it to meetings she “should step down.”

Elected in 2020, Richardson, a former teacher’s assistant, has skipped four board meetings and three workshops—three of which occurred in the past two months. This caused her to miss critical votes on upcoming fiscal goals, the review of standardized test results, and the approval of a reading plan submission to the Department of Education, among other issues.

And more importantly, Ingersoll says, it paves the way for the Governor to act.

“There’s got to be some sort of mechanism where if this behavior continues, the Governor can remove her,” he said, slamming her “unbecoming absences” that “would not fly” at any other job.

In fact, there is: Florida has a 60-day rule allowing the Governor to suspend an elected official who has missed 60 consecutive, unexplained days of work.

At the time of publishing, Richardson has missed 75 days.

"Smear campaign to discredit my reputation"

With a yearly salary shy of $48,000, Richardson notified Board Chair Debbie Hawley between ten and 30 minutes before the meetings' start times, stating that she felt "under the weather" on both occasions. She also told The Floridian that calls for her resignation are the result of a "smear campaign" to "discredit my reputation and work ethic."

"To put things in perspective, I have missed seven meetings over almost four years as a board member. Each time, I gave the Board notice as soon as I was able to and additionally provided them with the reasonings behind them so that they were aware," Richardson said in a statement, though she never gave notice to the Superintendent, which members say is "informal protocol."

"My absences were the result of personal tragedy and sicknesses which befell myself and my family, all of which were out of my control," she continued. "I can only hope that those same concerned citizens as well as the rest of the community can understand and empathize."

Retiree and frequent school board attendee Lori Dening is one such concerned citizen, telling The Floridian that she feels that Richardson "has abandoned her position."

"She is getting a paycheck and full benefits and she’s not doing her job—she’s not voting and she’s not there in attendance," Dening said.

“If you miss three school board meetings in a row, you shouldn’t be a member”

Board Chair Hawley expressed her own concern over Richardson’s case—believing that there is nothing she nor the Board can do about the District 4 member because she “explained” her absences beforehand, claiming this exemplifies a greater issue within school boards in that there is “no accountability whatsoever.”

"It's a huge gap in the system, and it's created quite an uproar in our community because the voters are being unrepresented by someone they voted into office," Hawley said, claiming Richardson cannot be punished unless "she falls off the face of the earth for 60 consecutive days and nobody hears from her."

Education attorney Keith Altman, however, believes that Florida’s 60-day rule very much applies to Richardson.

“The whole point of being on a school board is to serve. To say that a school board member can just simply be on the board but never participate, just because they have excused absences, doesn’t make any sense,” Altman told The Floridian. “If you miss three meetings in a row, then you shouldn’t be a school board member, and it would seem that it’s now within the Governor’s purview that he could suspend her.”

Richardson is up for re-election on August 20th, facing down retired fire chief Nate Spera, who was endorsed by DeSantis earlier this week. Spera, a political newcomer, told The Floridian that he could do a "much better job" than Richardson, who he says has "abandoned the people of District 4."

The Governor's office did not respond to a request for comment.

Teacher's Assistant?

On top of the increasing appetite for her resignation, Richardson's former position as a teacher's aide for St. Lucie County Public Schools has also been called into question. According to her campaign website, she worked for the district in the late 90s, though county school records show no proof that she was ever employed there.

"Jennifer holds a bachelor's degree in organizational management from Indian River State College. Her professional experience includes working as a Teacher's Assistant in the St. Lucie County Public School System," states her campaign website.

When asked to explain, Richardson said she worked for a non-profit that helps children in need—not the county itself, despite what's posted on her website.

The post 'It's Appalling': Florida School Board Member Faces Resignation, Removal Calls appeared first on The Floridian.

The seemingly insidious nature of foreign influence in our educational system is a cause for concern. It can be challenging to detect, as children can be taught anti-American values unbeknownst to their parents. Recognizing this, Representative Aaron Bean (R-FL) has taken a stand, introducing a bill to combat this influence by enhancing transparency in foreign funding.

Named the Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education (TRACE) Act, Rep. Bean's bill would require schools to notify parents of how and where foreign funding is affecting their child's educational curriculum.

This bill is a testament to the power of parental involvement in K-12 education. It's a significant step forward, building upon the Parental Bill of Rights passed by the House last March. In addition to requiring greater transparency on who is funding educational material, the TRACE Act empowers parents by requiring schools to disclose if any staff are compensated by other countries or '"foreign entities of concern.'"

In a statement for Fox News, Rep. Bean said, "American schools are for education, not espionage. We cannot allow our students—the future of our great nation—to be corrupted by foreign adversaries who are systematically and aggressively attempting to influence our nation's K-12 schools."

Malign foreign influence on America's educational system has been a concern of Republicans in both chambers of Congress. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced a bill in December denying federal funding to any institute "owned, operated, or controlled by covered persons," which, in this case, means anyone with ties to adversarial foreign governments or associated entities.

Similarly, Representative Mike Waltz (R-FL) introduced a bipartisan bill last February prohibiting Chinese-owned or affiliated private schools in the United States from establishing Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) programs.

"Firms with direct ties with the CCP are buying up American private schools.  It is troublesome that our government has been supporting some of these schools financially. Our legislation would ensure that the Pentagon will no longer provide funding to these schools," said Rep. Waltz.

The post Bean Introduces Bill Fighting Foreign Influence in Schools appeared first on The Floridian.

HIALEAH, FL—As Florida languishes at the near worst-in-the-nation spot for teacher pay, Governor Ron DeSantis slams teacher unions while taking action—announcing Monday that he will approve $1.25 billion in the state budget toward teacher salary increases.

"This is an increase of close to a quarter of a billion dollars in funding over the previous years...and that brings our total investment in teacher pay increases to $4.6 billion since 2020," DeSantis said at a Hialeah press conference Monday morning.

He lauded Florida's recent ranking as number one in the nation for education—due to low in-state tuition and college readiness— though notably failed to mention the National Education Association's May finding that Florida ranks 50th for average teacher pay nationwide.

While DeSantis pointed out that Florida teacher salaries have increased from around $39,000 to around $48,000 in five years, spiked inflation has led teachers to actually be making 5% less than they did ten years ago, the report found.

The billion-dollar budget item, meanwhile, which has yet to be signed before its July 1st effective date, stresses that the money can only go toward teacher pay. Why? DeSantis worries teacher unions are not properly distributing funds toward teachers, pointing out that the president of the state's largest union, the Florida Education Association, makes nearly $400,000.

"I want [the money] to go to teachers, I don't want it going to the teacher unions," DeSantis said. He referenced last year's union bill which removed automatic deductions from members' paychecks. This means members now have to manually send a check instead of having their dues automatically taken out, a process critics have said is designed to wipe out unions altogether.

Since then, the FEA has sued DeSantis for the law—accusing him of "political retribution" and "union-busting."

"[That bill] ushered in a new era of accountability for wayward...school unions...We're not going to facilitate those deductions," he said. "It's a recognition that these school unions have become extra partisan [and try to] impose left-wing ideology."

Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz agreed, tackling another angle of what he sees as the dangers of certain school unions: "They're focusing their energy on woke ideology, on protecting pornographic materials," Diaz said, referencing last year's controversial book ban aimed at removing "pornographic" readings from school shelves.

After several non-parents objected to certain school books—on both the left and the right—DeSantis this year signed a law cracking down on who can complain about school books.

Diaz, a former high school teacher, is no stranger to inappropriate educational complaints: when he was a state Senator, former students of his accused him of being a "pervert" and an "inappropriate teacher", alleging that the education official made comments to students about drugs and clubbing.

Diaz whole-heartedly denied the allegations, sending a cease-and-desist letter to one radio station for pushing out the students' message—which he called "slanderous".

The post DeSantis Slams "Left-Wing" Unions, Pledges Billions to Address Florida's Teacher Pay Crisis appeared first on The Floridian.

Early in May, Representative Aaron Bean (R-FL) savaged Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on the impact of illegal immigration on our nation's K-12 public school system. After a more recent hearing, the Florida Congressman made a series of comments to Fox News Digital, describing the effect the border crisis has had on schools, to the point that even blue state representatives are "fed up."

Rep. Bean estimated there are 500,000 illegal immigrant children in the United States, "and one of the very first places we feel the impact of illegal immigration is our K through 12 schools."

"So yesterday we invited representatives from some of our largest school districts in California, New York, and Texas, and they told shocking stories of just how hard it is to deal with these ever-increasing numbers that just show up," Rep. Bean continued, repeating stories of classes held in hallways and schools forced to find teachers who can teach in foreign languages.

"In fact, one school district has over 17 different languages they have to hire for. That is just a vast draining of resources," the Florida Congressman commented, further noting that New York schools have been closed to house illegal immigrants.

Such a strain on the education system only exacerbates the learning loss many children have experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We are already struggling right now still with COVID, with the learning loss that has set us back nearly two decades. How about that? It is not two years; it is two decades," Bean continued.

As a result, he urged the border to be shut down, ripping President Biden's recent executive action limiting crossings to 2,500 per day as having "more holes than Swiss cheese" and adding, "Hopefully, if Biden cannot shut down the border, maybe there is somebody coming in behind him who can, and that is what we are hoping for."

Moreover, Bean suggested that "that is where people are just fed up, even in the blue states. That is the funny [part]. We had blue state representatives at our hearing, and they are also fed up, and the sanctuary policy stuff, sanctuary city, and state policy is garbage [and] is going to the window because the numbers we have seen, it is just out of control."

The post Bean Details Impact of Illegal Immigration on K-12 Schools appeared first on The Floridian.

TALLAHASSEE, FL—A part-time college professor will not be allowed back at his university after he called for Jews to "return to exile" in parts of Europe.

Danny Krikorian, a U.S. Government professor at Valencia College in Orlando, proposed the existence of an "Arab Federation" encompassing municipal Arab states, represented by "The flag of the Arab people. The flag of Palestine," he wrote on X. He explained that Jews who live in Muslim areas—Mizrahi Jews—would be granted a "small autonomous municipality" called Judea.

As for other Jewish people? He called for a "sovereign federation" in which non-Mizrahi Jews would "return to exile in Europe." Germany, Russia, Poland, Ukraine & the Caucasus, Azerbaijan, and Georgia."

Rep, Randy Fine stated that Krikorian was "going to have a bad week" after his posts,  and he did,

These comments caused the popular X account, StopAntisemitism, to call on Valencia College's president to "look into" the situation. AntiSemitism, which has over 300K followers, has since deleted the May 26th post.

Valencia College promptly responded, "This part-time instructor is not currently employed at Valencia College and has not been issued any future teaching assignments." Krikorian, however, still has the university in his X bio.

After StopAntisemitism condemned Krikorian, he quote tweeted the post over 30 times: begging various accounts to help him, as he has sacrificed "myself", "my life", or "my livelihood" for Palestine. He asked for protection from the "harassment" from "Zionist Jews" and "Jewish Americans", calling pro-Israel supporters "neo-Nazis" in the process.

Krikorian, who also has a hip-hop account, announced that he is suing the StopAntisemitism account for defamation, citing "health issues related to my disabilities" that have been triggered by the "distress caused by violent threats and intimidation by Jewish extremists."

He did not elaborate on which health issues he had incurred from the social media post.

The post Part-Time Professor Who Called for Jewish Exile Not Invited Back to University appeared first on The Floridian.