DeSantis and Harris butt heads

When he was campaigning in Utah on Friday, a reporter asked Governor Ron DeSantis about Florida’s new state teaching standards that say that “slaves developed skills” that could be used for “personal benefit.”. DeSantis suggested that slaves may have benefitted from learning blacksmithing skills, but Vice President Kamala Harris isn’t buying that.

Debate over Florida litigation reform

In March, Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 837, a law overhauling Florida’s litigation landscape. But panelists who spoke to a civic group in Tampa on Friday disagree about what the new law means for Floridians.

120 Plant City farmworkers to be laid-off

More than 100 people will lose their jobs at a Plant City tomato processing facility. The Business Observer reports that Ag-Mart Produce, which operates Santa Sweets is laying off a total of 120 Florida employees, most of whom are in Plant City, as it gets out U.S. farming operations. The company says it can’t compete with imported produce.

New LGBTQ+ restrictions for teachers and students

The Florida Board of Education approved two amendments that place new restrictions on both teachers and students. Educators could lose their teaching licenses for not using assigned gender labels. Students cannot use the bathroom of their choosing and cannot use preferred pronouns. Administrators see this as an issue that erodes trust as students lose safe spaces.

Information from the Florida Public Media, News Service of Florida, and Associated Press was used in this report.

The Scoop: WMNF’s Daily News Digest

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