Florida Dems Confront DeSantis on Minority Issues, Call Him ‘A Standard-Bearer for Trumpism’

“Gov. DeSantis would rather engage in a culture war, than the war to fight poverty in our communities,” a state senator said.

Florida Democratic legislators and gubernatorial candidates strongly called out Gov. Ron DeSantis and state GOP legislators during a news conference to report on what they called the “State of Black & Brown Florida.”

During the event, which was held Tuesday on capitol grounds, gubernatorial candidates US Rep. Charlie Crist and state Sen. Annette Taddeo joined state Rep. Anna Eskamani and state Sens. Shevrin Jones and Bobby Powell to publicly denounce DeSantis’ HB 7 and HB 1557 bills, which, among other restrictions, will limit how racism is discussed in schools.

Proponents of the bill say this is in order to avoid making people feel “discomfort” or “guilt” based on their race, sex, or national origin. But opponents of the legislation see it differently.

“Tallahassee Republicans that actually call themselves conservatives with a straight face, are passing bills that pretend like it’s the government’s job to protect their fragile little souls from feeling bad if they learn about slavery, or any of the not-so-pleasant history of our state,” said Taddeo, who compared Florida’s government to those of communist countries. 

A Standard-Bearer for Trumpism

DeSantis was also criticized for calling Florida the freest state in the country, earning a strong rebuke from Powell.

“Who does the freedom extend to? Neo-Nazis? Proud Boys?” Powell questioned. “Does it extend to those who feel free to use racial slurs, but reject protests for equality? Who is this freedom for?”

For his part, Sen. Shevrin Jones argued DeSantis is appealing to the base by becoming “the next standard-bearer for Trumpism,” while ignoring the issues minority Floridians face every day.

“Gov. DeSantis would rather engage in a culture war, rather than the war to fight poverty in our communities,” Jones said.

In his statement, Charlie Crist, who is running to unseat DeSantis in November, accused the incumbent of using the legislation to spark support for his 2024 presidential run.

“He’s forgotten us,” Crist said, adding that DeSantis “is more concerned about Iowa voters than he is about the people of Florida.”