TALLAHASSEE — Republican firebrand Randy High quality has filed a invoice within the Florida Senate to ban native governments, public colleges and state universities from displaying flags selling a “fictional” Palestine, “pro-violence” Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ rights and different “woke” subjects.
High quality, who lives in Melbourne Seashore, has resigned from the Florida Legislature efficient March 31 to run for Congress, so he can be in workplace just for half of the 2025 session. He’s operating for the District 6 seat to interchange U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, R-St. Augustine, who has accepted the put up of nationwide safety advisor with the incoming Trump administration.
A key state senator stated High quality is unlikely to get the invoice, and different controversial measures he’s proposed in current weeks, by the Legislature earlier than he steps down, suggesting the proposal could also be extra about marketing campaign speaking factors than sensible lawmaking.
“Supporters of Muslim terror, little one mutilators, and groomers don’t have any proper to taxpayer sponsorship of their repugnant messages,” High quality stated in a information launch Monday. “As I put together to depart the Senate, I sit up for guaranteeing the one official place in a authorities constructing that you’ll discover their flags is in a rubbish can.”
High quality’s invoice would prohibit any authorities entity — together with cities, counties, colleges, faculties, universities and companies — from displaying any flag of a political nature, together with flags about race, gender and sexual orientation, political events, candidates, and political ideologies. The invoice additionally says the U.S. flag should be displayed extra prominently than every other flag.
Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, St. Petersburg and different cities have displayed rainbow flags throughout Satisfaction month and different celebrations supporting the LGBTQ neighborhood.
High quality’s workplace didn’t reply to a query about whether or not the ban would come with flags selling Again the Blue, a pro-law enforcement motion, or the state of Israel.
It’s certainly one of three controversial payments he’s filed for the upcoming 2025 session. One would eradicate in-state tuition for undocumented college students who attended a Florida highschool for 3 years, and the opposite would decrease the buying age for rifles from 21 to 18.
“I don’t see how he’s going to get a invoice by each the Home and Senate” earlier than he steps down, Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, the outgoing Senate President who will chair the highly effective guidelines committee within the upcoming session, stated throughout a podcast with Dara Kam of the Information Service of Florida.
High quality launched the same flag invoice in 2024 when he was nonetheless a member of the Home, nevertheless it died in committee.
“I’m exhausted having to reply to these ridiculous payments folks like Randy High quality maintain submitting as a substitute of fixing the actual issues Floridians are going through,” stated Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, who turned the primary brazenly homosexual Latin particular person within the Legislature when he was first elected in 2016. He’s certainly one of two brazenly homosexual males within the Senate.
As an alternative, Smith stated, lawmakers ought to be specializing in decreasing prices, making an attempt to sort out the property insurance coverage downside and the condominium disaster, the instructor scarcity, public transit and environmental points.