Danielle J. Brown, Florida Phoenix

Lawmakers in the Florida Senate were set to discuss attacks on drag shows and other performances on Tuesday, but several senators decided to talk about what happened Monday, when a House member went on a tirade against transgender Floridians.

“I want to acknowledge that that type of vitriol, it’s coming because that is the type of climate that has been created in this country. That is the type of climate that we are creating in this state, to where we are basically giving people a hall pass to say crazy things like that,” said Sen. Shevrin Jones, a Democrat who represents part of Miami-Dade County.

“That what happened yesterday is dangerous,” Jones added. “That what happened yesterday should not happen in a body of leaders who sit and walk inside this chamber, who represent 22 million people.” ...

Younger winners received a $100 art supplies gift card as well as a year pass to Florida state parks, while older students got a “2-year Florida College Plan scholarship provided by the Florida Prepaid College Foundation and a $100 gift card for school supplies,” according to a press release Friday.

Four educators also were recognized as Black History Month Excellence in Education award winners. Each educator will receive $2,500 in prize money from Volunteer Florida, the release stated.

The reception celebrating Black History Month came at a time when the month of February is almost over and when the state’s education system is still fraught with criticisms on how African American history should be taught in Florida schools. ...

As Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to chastise the century-old College Board and its related programs — from honors-level Advanced Placement courses to college entrance exams — eliminating those activities could create a dramatically different school experience for Florida high schoolers.

In just 2022, nearly 200,000 students in Florida took the college entrance exam called the SAT, and tens of thousands of high school students have participated in Advanced Placement courses that could lead to earning college credits ahead of schedule.

If those programs are eliminated in Florida public high schools, it’s not clear how families would react if DeSantis makes changes. The debacle arose last month over an AP African American studies course that has become a national controversy....

In June, abortion rights protesters carried signs which read “abort SCOTUS” and demonstrated on the lawn of the Capitol in protest of the U.S. Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade and federal abortion protections.

And just last week, well over a hundred anti-abortion protesters gathered in the Capitol rotunda shouting out “make Florida totally abortion free,” as the Legislature convened in an organizational session. Some protesters carried posters with medical images of fetuses outside the Capitol building.

The Florida Capitol and its grounds have long been an avenue for exercising free speech — whether abrasive or not — but a new rule proposed by the Department of Management Services could lead to a chilling effect on protests and free speech for Floridians, according to various activists and organizers. ...

Anti-Trump political group Lincoln Project has set its sights on Gov. Ron DeSantis as he continues publicizing state recovery efforts following damage brought on by Hurricane Ian.

In a new ad from the PAC, video footage shows houses getting destroyed and cars partially submerged in floodwaters as a female voice-over says “Here we go again, hurricane season in Florida.”

“Florida homeowners are paying more for storm insurance every year. What has Ron DeSantis done to help us?” the voice over asks. ...