Resistance Report Week 6: The 19 most dangerous days are ahead

We’re entering the final stretch of the Florida legislative session, and the pressure is mounting. With only 19 days remaining, extremist lawmakers are ramping up their attacks on our freedoms as dangerous bills are inching closer to their final votes.

This resistance has always been people-powered and, because of your advocacy, multiple bad bills have already stalled or been neutralized in the committee process — including the Don’t Say Gay or Trans at Work Bill. Two other horrendous bills — the Pride Flag Ban (HB 75/SB 100) and Anti-Diversity in Government Contracting (HB 1185/SB 1694) — were also stopped in their tracks. No other Senators were willing to carry these bills by Senator Fine once he resigned from the legislature, meaning both bills are officially dead in the Senate this session.

It’s a big win — but we’re not taking anything for granted. We’re still facing the 19 most dangerous days in Florida. And we know that anything can happen during these last few weeks. We must remain vigilant and be ready to mobilize at a moment's notice against any last-minute threats. 

Pride at The Capitol Volunteers meeting with lawmakers this week!

In other frontline news: this week, news broke of a beloved teacher at Satellite High School in Brevard County being fired for using a student’s preferred name. This dedicated teacher is being fired for recognizing a student in the same manner that we acknowledge our family, friends, and peers who use a nickname, middle name, or a shortened name. Respecting a student’s name is the easiest way for teachers to create a positive and welcoming learning environment. We stand with the hundreds of students and community members who have spoken in support of this teacher and protested Governor DeSantis and the Brevard County School Board’s prioritization of culture wars at the expense of high-quality teachers. Their actions send a powerful message: our schools should focus on retaining educators, not punishing them for treating students with dignity and respect.

A group of students at a walkout protesting in support of a Brevard County high school teacher.

Photo Credit: MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY

Our ongoing Pride At The Capitol program is a crucial element of our work to stop or minimize the impact of bad bills and prepare for legal challenges against any that are passed into law.

But this effort relies heavily on pro-equality supporters like YOU. Your presence in Tallahassee, your stories, and your voices in committee hearings are making a real difference. We’ll be in the Capitol every day for the remainder of the session, and we need you there with us.

Join us on the frontlines by signing up to support our effort in-person during any of the remaining days and weeks ahead.

If you can’t join us in person, please consider a donation to help us get as many people to Tallahassee as possible. Every dollar makes an impact! 

This week’s WINNERS are Senator Shevrin Jones and Senator Tracie Davis. During the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee hearing on the bill Attacking Citizen-Led Amendments (SB 7016), both Senators asked tough, pointed questions. In a powerful show of solidarity, all Senate Democrats on the committee — including Senators Rosalind Osgood, Kristen Arrington, Mack Bernard, Tracie Davis, and Shevrin Jones — yielded their speaking time so that everyday Floridians who came to oppose SB 7016 had more time to testify. It was a meaningful, symbolic act against a bill that threatens to silence voters by making the constitutional amendment process even harder to access. 

 This week’s LOSER is Scott Yenor, a DeSantis appointee who resigned as Chair of the University of West Florida Board of Trustees. Yenor’s Senate confirmation was staunchly opposed for outrageously sexist, racist, and anti-Semitic views on higher education. The Governor’s nomination was a reckless attempt to further this ideological corruption of our taxpayer-funded university system at the expense of students. Yenor epitomized DeSantis’ anti-diversity and anti-inclusion mindset — and the way it should be widely rejected. 

🚨Birth Control Ban for Minors Bill (HB 1505/SB 1288)🚨

Sponsors: Sen. Erin Grall and Rep. Rachel Plakon

• What it does: The Birth Control Ban for Minors Bill (also known as Restricting Minors’ Access to Health Care) would restrict minors’ access to birth control, STI testing and treatment, and more without parental consent. Our public health system should prioritize young peoples’ ability to take responsibility for their health and proactively minimize health risks. The bill has already received bipartisan opposition in the Senate.

• What happened: HB 1505 PASSED out of the House Judiciary Committee this week and was amended significantly; minors are still allowed to get tested for STIs without parental consent, but would need parental consent for treatment - unless the parent has been legally found to be abusive. Next, it heads to its final committee of reference in the House: the Education and Employment Committee.  

• How you can help: Contact lawmakers right away and urge them to vote NO on SB 1288/HB 1505. Young people deserve to protect and advocate for their health without unnecessary barriers.

🚨Attacking Citizen-Led Amendments (HB 1205/SB 7016)🚨

Sponsors: Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka and Sen. Erin Grall

• What it does: These bills attempt to effectively End Citizen-Led Amendments that allow we the people to change the state constitution via statewide referendum. Florida already has some of the strictest requirements in the nation for citizen-led amendments, but this legislation imposes new and insurmountable barriers that put constitutional amendments even further out of reach and consolidate power toward politicians and away from the voters. 

• What happened: In a slight improvement, SB 7016 was amended to remove the $1 million bond for proposing a constitutional amendment; however, it still retains a tightened 10-day turnaround timeline which still makes it nearly impossible for people to meet the proposed requirements in time. SB 7016 PASSED its final committee in the Senate and will now head to the Senate floor for a full vote.

• How you can help: Contact your state senator right away and tell them to vote NO on SB 7016.

🚨Expanding Book Banning (HB 1539/SB 1692)🚨

Sponsors: Rep. Doug Bankson and Sen. Stan McClain

• What it does: This bill would increase book banning and censorship in Florida’s K-12 schools by rejecting a longstanding constitutional standard to make it easier to object to educational materials. Parents have long had the opportunity to challenge content in Florida’s schools, but under recent state laws, authoritarian practices like banning books and censoring curricula have drastically increased. Florida already leads the nation in book-banning, with over 4,500 books banned during the last school year. Further limiting students’ access to books does not protect students, it makes them less prepared to succeed.

• What's coming: We’re expecting HB 1539 to be added to the agenda on the House Education & Employment Committee this coming Thursday, April 17th. We must keep the pressure on lawmakers to oppose this bad bill so that Florida students have the freedom to read and learn without censorship.

• How you can help: Contact lawmakers immediately and urge them to vote no on HB 1539/SB 1692.

🚨Voter Suppression Bill (HB 1381)🚨

Sponsors: Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka

• What it does: This bill would make it significantly harder for eligible Floridians to register to vote and stay on the voter rolls, akin to the SAVE Act that recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives. It is the latest attempt to suppress voters in Florida under the guise of “security” and "integrity" by adding citizenship verification hurdles, increases surveillance through agencies like the DMV, and expands the state’s power to purge voters from the rolls.

• What's coming: HB 1381 passed favorably in its first committee. We’re expecting HB 1381 to be added to the agenda of its final committee, House State Affairs, this coming Thursday, April 17th.

• How you can help: Contact lawmakers on the House State Affairs Committee and urge them to vote no on HB 1381.

🚨Defunding Advocacy in Schools (HB 1255/SB 1618)🚨

Sponsors: Rep. Dana Trabulsy and Sen. Alexis Calatayud

• What it does: An alarming provision in this education bill would prohibit public schools, school districts, and charter schools from spending any state or federal funding on any programs or activities that advocate for or engage in undefined “political or social activism.” These programs and activities can help teach critical thinking and other important skills. Similar provisions in higher education have already led to universities shutting down critical programs and activities that help a diverse range of students learn and thrive.

• What happened: SB 1618 PASSED by an 18-1 vote in its final Senate committee of reference, Fiscal Policy. The bill next heads to the Senate floor for a full vote.

• How you can help: Contact your state senator immediately and urge them to vote no on SB 1618.

🚨Civil Liability for Fetuses (HB 1517/SB 1284)🚨

Sponsors: Rep. Sam Greco and Sen. Erin Grall

• What it does: The Civil Liability for Fetuses Bill is an anti-abortion bill that would empower abusers to sue Floridians who have accessed abortion care and their doctors–a frightening possibility for survivors of domestic violence that could have widespread ramifications for access to reproductive services. It seeks to address a nonexistent problem, as Florida law already allows individuals to sue for negligence and medical malpractice leading to loss of a pregnancy.

• What happened: SB 1284 PASSED by a 5-3 vote in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice. Next, it moves to its final committee stop, Senate Rules.

• How you can help: Contact lawmakers immediately and urge them to vote no on SB 1284/HB 1517.

With just 19 days left, we must remember that every call & email, every share, and every voice counts - and we’ll be in Tallahassee until the final gavel falls.

We must remember that our voices matter, our actions matter, and our movement matters.

Make sure you’re following us on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok for the latest updates. 

Together, we will resist, and we will make a difference. 

Onward,

Team Equality Florida