Latest news with #MarjoryStonemanDouglasHighSchoolPublicSafetyAct
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
FSU shooting: New details, student marches, funeral planned. What to know Wednesday
Nearly a week after a gunman opened fire on the Tallahassee campus of Florida State University, killing two people and injuring six more, about 200 FSU students and teachers marched from Westcott Fountain to the Florida Capitol to demand lawmakers enact common sense gun laws and kill a bill that would lower the age to buy a long gun to 18. House Bill 759, which would overturn the part of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act that restricts the sale of long guns to people 21 years of age and older, passed the House in March and was sent to the Senate in early April, where it has sat for weeks. A similar Senate bill was withdrawn. "Hey hey, ho ho, gun violence has got to go," the crowd chanted. A bill to allow weapons or firearms at school-sponsored events or on school property, filed this year by former Sen. Randy Fine, was voted down on March 25 by the Criminal Justice Committee. 4-3. Posts to social media promote another march on Thursday, April 24, from the Landis Fountain to demand the FSU administration take action against white supremacists on campus. Here's what we know about the shooting as of Wednesday, April 23. The family of Tiru Chabba, a 45-year-old father of two who was one of the two people killed during the mass shooting, has announced that a funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. ET Friday, April 25th in Greenville, South Carolina at the Mackey Funerals and Cremations at Woodlawn Memorial Park. Chabba was on the FSU campus Thursday as an employee of campus vendor Aramark Collegiate Hospitality when he was shot and killed, according to the family counsel The Strom Law Firm, which initially identified Chabba via email. The firm was retained by the family to "ensure that all those who bear responsibility for this senseless act of violence are held to account." He is survived by his wife and two children. FSU graduate and state Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, called for a moment of silence for his alma mater as the Florida Senate began an April 23 floor session. Simon was a defensive lineman for the Florida State Seminoles and played on the 1999 National Championship team before a career in the NFL, largely with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was elected into the FSU Hall of Fame in 2010. Simon, first elected to the Senate in 2022, gave an "emotional tribute," a reporter covering the session reported on social media, adding that he "tearfully ... ask(ed) for a moment of silence," during which he was hugged and comforted by fellow lawmakers. On Tuesday, four FSU students — including two who had been huddled in a barricaded classroom during the Thursday shooting — walked to the Capitol Rotunda with House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell of Tampa to accuse Florida lawmakers of complicity in mass shootings around the state with their support of policies normalizing gun violence. 'All we got was Gov. DeSantis releasing a single Twitter video. Not even a written statement. This disconnect between what happened and the governing majority's blanket of silence is just disgusting,' said Simon Monteleone, a 19-year-old student and campus activist from Cape Coral. The FSU shooting was the sixth mass shooting in Florida this year, and the fourth Florida school shooting since 2012, according to the Gun Violence Archive. FSU mass shooting fallout: After shooting, Florida State students demand gun reform at Florida Capitol Five victims from the mass shooting have been released, officials at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare said Tuesday. A remaining patient "related to the April 17 shooting at Florida State University" remains in good condition, TMH said. The hospital will not name patients, but the only remaining person involved in the shooting is the suspect, 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner. A sixth victim was injured while fleeing but was not shot and did not go to the hospital, FSU leaders said. None of the victims have been identified, but one, Madison Askins, 23, gave an interview over the weekend and described how she pretended to be dead to avoid getting shot again. Before the first baseball game after the shooting, FSU faculty, staff and students were invited onto Mike Martin Field of Dick Howser Stadium for a moment of silence and a performance by the FSU Marching Chiefs. Dr. Matthew Ramseyer, a Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare trauma response surgeon, threw out the ceremonial first pitch in the game against Stetson. First responders and healthcare workers were honored during the fourth inning. FSU won, 11-6. After the shooting: How FSU baseball's Link Jarrett has turned Howser into a place to 'heal' after shooting A Florida State University Police Department officer fired the shot that took down mass shooting suspect Phoenix Ikner, according to FSU leaders in a virtual trustees meeting Tuesday afternoon. FSUPD responded instantly when a student called in an active shooter at 11:58 a.m. on Thursday, April 17, FSU Police Chief Jason Trumbower said. 'All on-duty officers and command staff responded at that time, at approximately 12 o'clock, so noon,' Trumbower said. 'In less than two minutes, seven of our officers converged on the suspect in the greenway between the student union and Moore Auditorium.' Officers drew the suspect's attention and "also at noon, FSU PD neutralized the suspect,' the chief said. Ikner, a 20-year-old political science student and stepson of a Leon County deputy, was significantly injured and is expected to be in the hospital for some time before he'll be transferred to the county jail. Law enforcement kicked in 300 doors across the campus to make sure there were no additional shooters, Trumbower said. Along with countless memorials of flowers, balloons and stuffed animals along the sidewalks and steps of the campus, students have been adding handwritten messages of support, gratitude, faith and calls for gun reform. Memorials of flowers, balloons, stuffed animals and heartfelt messages lined the sidewalks and steps of the Florida State University campus in Tallahassee Monday as classes resumed four days after a gunman went on a shooting rampage that killed two and left six injured in less than five minutes. The upcoming week of classes is the last before finals. In a statement Saturday night after backlash erupted over plans to open the campus Monday, McCullough said that classes would resume as scheduled, remote options would be available for many courses and attendance policies would be waived for students who weren't ready to come back. Many professors have given students the option to freeze their grades and made finals optional. They also made it so that coursework and tests after the shooting can only help students' grades. Phoenix Ikner, the stepson of a Leon County sheriff's deputy, is the suspected shooter in an attack at Florida State University on Thursday, April 17, that killed two and injured six. Police say Ikner waited for an hour in an FSU parking garage and then, using his mother's gun, opened fire at the FSU Student Union. Trumbower said the first call came in at 11:58 a.m. and by noon, FSU PD converged on the suspect. The university sent out an alert to students and faculty at 12:01 p.m. as law enforcement from multiple agencies quickly descended on the campus. Ikner refused to comply and was shot by an FSU PD officer, Trumbower said. He is believed to have acted alone, according to Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell. Students were released from a shelter-in-place request after law enforcement cleared the campus. The shooting claimed the lives of Robert Morales, an FSU employee and high school football coach, and Tiru Chabba, 45, a married father of two from South Carolina, who was at FSU on a work-related visit. 'I just need to play dead': Florida State University student on surviving campus shooting A vigil held on campus Friday afternoon drew thousands to honor the victims. On Easter Sunday, students packed the pews for Easter Mass. Tallahassee police provided a timeline of the April 17 shooting at Florida State University. 11 a.m.: Phoenix Ikner arrives at an FSU parking garage. 11: 51 a.m.: Phoenix Ikner leaves the parking lot. 11:56 or 11:57 a.m.: Phoenix Ikner fires the first shot, then walks in and out of buildings and green spaces, firing a handgun. 11:58 a.m.: 911 calls report a male actively shooting on FSU campus. Nearby police officers respond. By 12 p.m.: Phoenix Ikner is shot by responding officers and taken into custody. Along with Chabba, Robert Morales, the university's dining coordinator, was the other person shot and killed during the mass shooting that shook the university and community. Aside from his dining service work, Robert was a long-time special teams coach for Leon High School's football program and a partner in local favorite Gordos Cuban Cuisine. Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil said the shooter was 20-year-old FSU student Ikner, the stepson of Leon County Deputy Jessica Ikner. Born Christian Gunnar Eriksen, Ikner changed his name when he was 15 following a troubled childhood marked by decades-long custody battles between his parents. Ikner's biological mother spent about five months in jail after taking him against his will to Norway. Phoenix Ikner said that with his new name, he had hopes of rising from the 'ashes' of his childhood. Ikner attended Lincoln High School and was a long-standing member of the 2021-22 Leon County Sheriff's Office Youth Advisory Council as a high school junior. Sheriff Walt McNeil said Phoenix was 'steeped in the Leon County Sheriff's Office family.' Jessica Ikner, a middle school deputy, practiced shooting with her stepson, though "not in an official capacity," according to the Leon County Sheriff's Office. Deputy Ikner is currently on personal leave and is being reassigned, an LCSO spokesperson said. "Unfortunately, her son had access to one of her weapons, and that was one of the weapons found at the scene. We are continuing our investigation as to how that weapon was used and what other weapons perhaps he may have had access to," McNeil said during a press conference. As of Wednesday morning, April 23, Ikner is still hospitalized after being shot by law enforcement. Ikner faces a long list of charges, including first-degree murder, once he is released and transferred to the county jail. Ikner's motive is still unknown. "The suspect invoked his rights not to speak to us," Revell said at Thursday's press conference. According to USA TODAY, students who knew Ikner were horrified but "weren't shocked given things he had said publicly." In the aftermath of the shooting on Thursday, people who knew Ikner said he had a history of espousing radical conspiracy theories and hateful ideas. The president of a student politics club said Ikner 'espoused so much white supremacist rhetoric' that they booted him from the group. By the time Ikner had enrolled in Tallahassee State College last year in 2024, other students said he was expressing extremist conspiracy theories and hateful ideas and was once kicked out of a "political round table" club for what one student claimed was frequent white supremacist and far-right rhetoric. The suspected FSU gunman held a fascination with Hitler, Nazis and other hate groups, according to screenshots of his online activity captured by the Anti-Defamation League. Ikner used a drawing of Hitler as a profile photo for an online gaming account. For the name of another account, the 20-year-old used 'Schutzstaffel,' the name of the ruthless 'SS' paramilitary group that started out as Hitler's personal bodyguard, grew into death squads and ran the concentration camps where millions of Jews were murdered. More: New records show suspected FSU shooter had troubling fascination with hate groups The Miami Herald reported that Ikner was cracking jokes about getting a good night's rest after taking a hit to the head in an online chat for students in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at FSU and Tallahassee State College. After another student suggested he get hit again to cancel it out, Ikner replied, "Twice the head trauma, twice the power. I'm evolving." The FSU shooting occurred nearly 26 years to the day of one of the deadliest, most infamous school shootings: the attack and attempted bombing at Columbine High School in Colorado. On April 20, 1999, two 12th-grade students murdered twelve students and one teacher, the deadliest mass shooting at a K-12 school in history to that point. The Columbine High School massacre has been the inspiration for dozens of copycat shooters, several of whom specifically planned for the anniversary. Florida State University is located in the state's capital, Tallahassee. It is found in the middle of the Panhandle between Jacksonville and Pensacola. The main campus of Florida State University is officially located at 600 W College Ave, Tallahassee, FL 32306. According to LCSO, Ikner acted alone during the shooting, despite online rumors of multiple shooters. A video has gone viral across social media showing someone walking past a wounded, bleeding woman lying face down on the grass. Rather than stopping to help or even running away from an active shooter, as what sounds like two shots are fired in the background, the person walks by while sipping from a Starbucks cup. While officials believe the video is authentic, the Tallahassee Democrat is not running the video due to its graphic content and because it has not been verified as real or related to the FSU shooting. See reactions: Viral video after FSU shooting seems to show person sipping coffee while passing wounded victim The FBI has set up a tip line for anyone with information about the shooting that happened at FSU. Anyone with video or audio media related to the incident can upload it here. A GoFundMe has been set up to assist in Askins' recovery. Donate here: Contributing: William Hatfield, Arianna Otero, Jim Rosica, Jeff Burlew, Ana Goñi-Lessan, Alaijah Brown, Elena Barrera, Brittany Misencik, Gregg Pachkowski, Mollye Barrows of USA TODAY Network – Florida and Michael Loria of USA TODAY. (This story was updated to add new information.) This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida State University mass shooting updates: Students demand action
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida House votes to repeal gun control measure enacted after Parkland shooting
The Florida House of Representatives voted to repeal a gun control measure passed after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. "Minimum Age for Firearm Purchase or Transfer" (HB 759) would lower the minimum age from 21 to 18 for buying a firearm, specifically "a long gun, such as a shotgun or rifle." "To me, this bill is about the right to defend yourself, the right to keep and bear arms, the right to a well-armed militia. It's not about the tragedy," said Rep. Michelle Salzman, R-Pensacola, the bill's sponsor. But while the bill passed the House, a similar bill in the Senate, "Firearm Purchase or Transfer" (SB 920), has not yet been heard in committee. When asked if the House bill was dead in the Senate, House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, said there's still time. "I think that's premature," Perez said. Gov. Ron DeSantis has been candid about supporting the repeal of age requirements, red-flag laws and for allowing open carry: 'Those are things that a lot of us have been talking about for a long time,' DeSantis said on the opening day of the 2025 legislative session. In early March, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the 21-year-old age limit in response to a lawsuit challenging the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, saying it "does not violate the Second and Fourteenth Amendments because it is consistent with our historical tradition of firearm regulation." "From the Founding to the late-nineteenth century, our law limited the purchase of firearms by minors in different ways. The Florida law also limits the purchase of firearms by minors. And it does so for the same reason: to stop immature and impulsive individuals, like (the Parkland shooter), from harming themselves and others with deadly weapons. Those similarities are sufficient to confirm the constitutionality of the Florida law," the opinion says. During debate, Democrats urged House members to consider the court's opinion and to remember the families affected by the Parking shooting. "This law was signed in the blood of the victim's families," said Rep. Robin Bartleman, D-Weston, a Broward County School Board member at the time of the Parkland shooting. "Please do not undo the good we have done, and do not slap those families and the community in the face by repealing this law." But Florida's new Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a social media post that he would not defend the law if the NRA, one of the plaintiffs in the suit that was appealed, decided to take it to the U.S. Supreme Court. And House Republicans argued the passage of this bill aligns with other responsibilities given to teens when they turn 18, like voting and joining the military. They also said the repeal would close a "loophole" that lets someone under 21 have a firearm if their parent buys it for them. "Some time ago, this body, meaning to do well, took a wrong turn," said Rep. Dean Black, R-Jacksonville, a co-sponsor of the bill. Seventeen students and staff at Douglas High School were killed by a 19-year-old who legally bought an AR-15-style rifle and gunned down the victims at his former high school on Valentine's Day of 2018. Ana Goñi-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network – Florida, can be reached at agonilessan@ This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida House rolls back age for buying long guns from 21 to 18
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
I saw Parkland students help pass Florida gun reform. Now it's all at risk
It was Feb. 20, 2018, when I boarded a bus headed from Parkland to the Capitol in Tallahassee. The bus was full of teenagers, including me, with a few adults also acting as chaperons. It was a week after 17 students and administrators had been shot and murdered at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Valentine's Day. Outraged by the gun violence that nearly destroyed their beloved high school, the South Florida teens wanted change. They wanted Florida lawmakers, then in session, to pass some legislation to at least limit assault weapons. On the way, I began chatting with some of the students and they learned I had worked in public relations. A sophomore that I'd later learn was from Parkland asked, 'Oh, so you write speeches for a living?' I replied, 'Yeah, something like that.' Hours later, these students packed a Florida Senate committee room. They were about to be given a crash course in decorum and procedures because Tallahassee loves decorum and procedures. Speaker cards were filled out as they were instructed. Behind me was the young man from the bus. He passed me his cell phone, hands shaking, and kindly asked me to read his speech. He wanted to make sure he focused on his classmates and not on himself. The words described what it was like to watch his classmate shot. A few more phones were handed to me. I made no corrections to their speeches. All I could muster the strength to say through the tears was, 'It's perfect.' The meeting began, and hundreds of speaker cards were turned in. The committee chair read the amendment number out loud, and only one speaker was acknowledged. Unbeknownst to the crowd, it was Marion Hammer, the renowned Florida spokeswoman with the NRA. She walked up and simply said, 'We are down on this amendment.' When the Parkland students booed, the committee chair used her gavel and reprimanded the students. These students, who had witnessed the deadliest mass school shooting at that time, were being lectured. The entire room was in an uproar, and after 30 minutes of protest, the students were eventually allowed to speak, but only for two minutes each. On March 9, 2018, the 'Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act' was signed into law. Two of its central provisions were raising the purchasing age of a firearm from 18 to 21 and enacting 'red flag laws,' granting law enforcement the ability to remove a firearm from the presence of someone posing a risk to themselves or others. This bill was lauded as a bi-partisan win, a step in the right direction, action in the face of decades of inaction in gun control. It has been said that no side of the aisle was happy with the bill. Some thought it went too far, some that it didn't go far enough. Republicans bragged about this bill though, their bill. Now, the law championed by Parkland kids on a bus, the Republican majority and signed by the Republican governor in 2018, Rick Scott, is on the verge of being overturned by the Republican majority in 2025, spearheaded by another Republican governor, Ron DeSantis. I had signed up as a chaperone and had no intention of speaking that day in the committee meeting. I was there to support these kids, because that's what they were, kids — fearless, resilient and brave nevertheless. I chose to do my part that day. I filled out a speaker card. I spoke for two minutes. A few hours later, as we were on our way back home on the bus, several students, including the sophomore whose face I'll never forget, pleaded with me to run for public office. I did, and exactly one year later, I debated new provisions to that bill as a state representative for District 103. That bus ride with those Parkland student survivors changed my life in so many ways. But nothing was more impactful than being asked to proofread those students' speeches. They wrote those speeches so someone, anyone, would listen. Once again, albeit seven years later, these students' voices are being dismissed and the Parkland 17 are being forgotten. Who will be the adult in the room this time to put a stop to it? Cindy Polo is a mother and former state representative for District 103.
Miami Herald
22-03-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
I saw Parkland students help pass Florida gun reform. Now it's all at risk
It was Feb. 20, 2018, when I boarded a bus headed from Parkland to the Capitol in Tallahassee. The bus was full of teenagers, including me, with a few adults also acting as chaperons. It was a week after 17 students and administrators had been shot and murdered at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Valentine's Day. Outraged by the gun violence that nearly destroyed their beloved high school, the South Florida teens wanted change. They wanted Florida lawmakers, then in session, to pass some legislation to at least limit assault weapons. On the way, I began chatting with some of the students and they learned I had worked in public relations. A sophomore that I'd later learn was from Parkland asked, 'Oh, so you write speeches for a living?' I replied, 'Yeah, something like that.' Hours later, these students packed a Florida Senate committee room. They were about to be given a crash course in decorum and procedures because Tallahassee loves decorum and procedures. Speaker cards were filled out as they were instructed. Behind me was the young man from the bus. He passed me his cell phone, hands shaking, and kindly asked me to read his speech. He wanted to make sure he focused on his classmates and not on himself. The words described what it was like to watch his classmate shot. A few more phones were handed to me. I made no corrections to their speeches. All I could muster the strength to say through the tears was, 'It's perfect.' The meeting began, and hundreds of speaker cards were turned in. The committee chair read the amendment number out loud, and only one speaker was acknowledged. Unbeknownst to the crowd, it was Marion Hammer, the renowned Florida spokeswoman with the NRA. She walked up and simply said, 'We are down on this amendment.' When the Parkland students booed, the committee chair used her gavel and reprimanded the students. These students, who had witnessed the deadliest mass school shooting at that time, were being lectured. The entire room was in an uproar, and after 30 minutes of protest, the students were eventually allowed to speak, but only for two minutes each. On March 9, 2018, the 'Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act' was signed into law. Two of its central provisions were raising the purchasing age of a firearm from 18 to 21 and enacting 'red flag laws,' granting law enforcement the ability to remove a firearm from the presence of someone posing a risk to themselves or others. This bill was lauded as a bi-partisan win, a step in the right direction, action in the face of decades of inaction in gun control. It has been said that no side of the aisle was happy with the bill. Some thought it went too far, some that it didn't go far enough. Republicans bragged about this bill though, their bill. Now, the law championed by Parkland kids on a bus, the Republican majority and signed by the Republican governor in 2018, Rick Scott, is on the verge of being overturned by the Republican majority in 2025, spearheaded by another Republican governor, Ron DeSantis. I had signed up as a chaperone and had no intention of speaking that day in the committee meeting. I was there to support these kids, because that's what they were, kids — fearless, resilient and brave nevertheless. I chose to do my part that day. I filled out a speaker card. I spoke for two minutes. A few hours later, as we were on our way back home on the bus, several students, including the sophomore whose face I'll never forget, pleaded with me to run for public office. I did, and exactly one year later, I debated new provisions to that bill as a state representative for District 103. That bus ride with those Parkland student survivors changed my life in so many ways. But nothing was more impactful than being asked to proofread those students' speeches. They wrote those speeches so someone, anyone, would listen. Once again, albeit seven years later, these students' voices are being dismissed and the Parkland 17 are being forgotten. Who will be the adult in the room this time to put a stop to it? Cindy Polo is a mother and former state representative for District 103.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DeSantis wants Legislature to ‘reevaluate' gun safety laws passed after Parkland
Gov. Ron DeSantis, Senate President Ben Albritton, and House Speaker Daniel Perez stand in front of a joint session of the Florida Legislature to hear the governor's State of the State address on March 4, 2025. (Photo by Jay Waagmeester/Florida Phoenix Gov Ron DeSantis said Tuesday in his State of the State address that he wants the Florida Legislature to re-examine key provisions of the landmark 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, enacted following the shootings in Parkland that killed 17 students and school administrators. Specifically, the governor wants the Legislature to repeal language that raised the legal age to purchase a shotgun or rifle in Florida from 18 to 21 and also the state's 'red flag' law, which allows law enforcement or family members to petition a court to temporarily remove a person's firearms if they pose a risk to themselves or others. 'We need to be a strong Second Amendment state. I know many of you agree, so let's get some positive reform done for the people in this state of Florida,' he said. During a press conference held immediately after the speech, DeSantis reiterated his criticism of those laws, adding once again that he would like Florida to join the overwhelming majority of states that allow open carry. 'I don't know what the Legislature is going to do in those respects but, in spite of us saying that 'we're the free state,' in spite of us being like, 'oh, we're this Republican bastion, conservative bastion,' we definitely lag on that issue.' Legislative leaders, particularly in the Senate, have opposed open carry in recent years. Senate President Ben Albritton said last fall that he doesn't support it because neither does law enforcement (specifically, the Florida Sheriffs Association), and repeated that opinion on Tuesday. He said he also supports 'Red Flag' laws. Although the governor focused on guns, perhaps no issue is more important to Floridians than the cost of property insurance. DeSantis insisted the news on that front is good, mentioning how 11 new companies have entered the market over the last year with more than 130,000 new private policies put into effect in 2024, and that 73% of state-backed Citizens Property Insurance policyholders in Miami-Dade County are scheduled to receive a rate decrease of an average of 6.3%. And he urged the Legislature to provide additional funding for those on the My Safe Florida Home waitlist — people who have been approved for grants to strengthen their homes against hurricane winds. DeSantis said he supports House Speaker Daniel Perez's plan to order a committee to hold hearings into property insurance companies moving billions of dollars to affiliate companies losses, based on a report from the Tampa Bay Times. 'If there's things that need to be done to be able to make sure that we have transparency and appropriate oversight, I'm all for it,' the governor said. 'What I am not going to support is opening the litigation floodgates. The fact is, our markets were being driven into the ground because of excessive litigation.' DeSantis took time once again to tout one of his new goals before he leaves office — to make Florida the first state to outlaw property taxes. The proposal could go before voters as a constitutional amendment in 2026 if lawmakers first approve a study of the issue. (Lee County Republican Jonathan Martin is sponsoring a resolution to require the state Office of Economic and Demographic Research to analyze the repercussions). 'Is the property yours or are you just renting from the government?' the governor asked the assembled members of the Legislature. And he emphasized that no one should believe that removing property taxes would lead to a state income tax, which the Florida Constitution does not allow. 'This body will not pass tax increases, and this governor will not sign tax increases,' he said to applause. DeSantis was successful in 2024 in stopping two proposed constitutional amendments from securing the 60% vote required for passage. Amendment 4 would have enshrined abortion rights in the Florida Constitution while Amendment 3 would have legalized use of recreational cannabis for adults. Both received majority support, however. Since then, citing a state report alleging fraud in the petition gathering process by the group advocating for Amendment 4, the governor has been calling for the Legislature to make it even more difficult for citizen-led constitutional amendments, complaining the process had been 'perverted.' 'We need to clean up the petition fraud and we need to clean up this out-of-control amendment process, and you in the Legislature have the opportunity to do just that and protect Florida's Constitution once and for all,' he declared. This was likely DeSantis' next-to-last State of the State address as governor. It came at an uncertain time in his tenure — while he remains the most powerful person in Florida government, in January GOP legislative leaders and rank-and-file legislators rebuked his initial proposals on illegal immigration. Whether his wife, First Lady Casey DeSantis, decides to run to succeed her husband in 2026, the governor took time in his speech to give credit to her work in leading Hope Florida, an initiative designed to make it easier for Floridians to access help for mental health and substance abuse. 'By the end of 2024, Hope Florida has helped nearly 30,000 participants reduce or eliminate their reliance on government assistance, netting the taxpayers over $108 million in annual savings,' he said. 'The Hope Florida model is now being replicated by other states around the country. Thanks to Casey for her leadership and ingenuity,' he declared, pointing to Casey, who sat with the couple's son, Mason, in the East Gallery of the Florida House chamber. Senate Democratic Leader Jason Pizzo praised DeSantis' handling of emergencies but lamented that Republicans have focused on culture wars instead of homeowner's insurance and increasing pay for law enforcement and teachers. Pizzo, who is expected to run for governor, in a rebuttal speech mentioned one of his bills, which would require all private employers to verify that their new hires are authorized to work in the country. 'You are not serious about curbing illegal immigration if you continue to cower to donors and not listen to our citizens,' he said. House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell delivered her caucus' rebuttal to the address. She hit DeSantis on his recently announced Florida DOGE initiative and push to remove property taxes, saying the governor was merely seeking attention. But Driskell acknowledged her party's superminority position, making it essentially impossible to pass their priorities, such as expanding Medicaid and universal background checks in gun sales. 'We understand the political reality of Tallahassee, so we know these ideas aren't likely to go anywhere, regardless of how good they are,' Driskell said in her pre-recorded remarks. 'It isn't easy being in the minority party in the Legislature, but we aren't Democrats only when it's easy. We're here to advocate for our communities and make our voices heard, and that's what we'll be doing.' 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