Latest news with #ShevrinJones
CBS News
25-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Will a budget deal be reached? Sen. Shevrin Jones on when there might be an agreement
Florida state budget The Florida Legislature has one responsibility – to pass a budget. But the 60-day session has come and gone, and legislators are nowhere close to a budget deal. Jim talks to State Senator Shevrin Hones about that, and when there might be a budget agreement. Guest: State Sen. Shevrin Jones/D-South Florida About this issue DeSantis' second-to-last legislative session in Tallahassee has been defined by interparty squabbles that spilled out into the open, as the Legislature's GOP leaders sparred with each other and openly defied the term-limited governor. Over the 60-day regular session, members of DeSantis' own party launched an investigation into the signature initiative of his wife, first lady Casey DeSantis, accused a key ally of the governor of criminal conspiracy and advanced measures aimed at reining in his administration. Despite enjoying a GOP supermajority in both chambers, legislative leaders failed to pass the one bill Florida law requires, the state budget, ahead of the scheduled end of the regular session on Friday. Instead, lawmakers ran out the clock, dragging their negotiations into the night before announcing a budget framework shortly before 10 p.m. Friday.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill shielding Florida elected officials' addresses from public headed to governor
ORLANDO, Fla. — New legislation meant to protect elected officials and their families from harassment worries government watchdogs who say it would also prevent voters from knowing if their lawmakers live in their districts as required. The Florida Legislature in April overwhelmingly approved the bill (SB 268), which would exempt disclosure of phone numbers and the full home addresses of a wide range of public officials, including members of the Legislature. Sponsored by state Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-Miami Gardens, the bill aims to protect public officials and their families from threats, harassment and intimidation. It is now headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis for approval. State Sen. Jason Brodeur, R-Lake Mary, who co-sponsored the bill, said that several years ago, when he was serving in the Florida House, a brick was thrown at his home's living room window. 'Critics need to serve in office for 10 minutes before casting stones,' said Brodeur, whose district includes Seminole County and part of Orange County. 'I don't care what nonpublic officials think about it.' But Bobby Block, executive director of the Florida First Amendment Foundation, said he doubts the bill will prevent officials from being targeted — but is convinced it will hurt government accountability. 'What this law will do is it will make it now impossible … for citizens to know, to be able to check, whether the person that they are voting for or reelecting still lives in the district they purport to represent,' he said. Block said Floridians' First Amendment rights are threatened whenever government information is limited. The bill is just the latest in the Legislature's decade-long effort to carve out exemptions to Florida's public records laws, he said. 'The Sunshine State is being increasingly the Shady State,' he added. State Rep. Bruce Antone, D-Orlando, faced an ethics complaint last year from his opponent in the Democratic Party primary who accused him of not living in his district, despite legal requirements to do so by Election Day. Addresses on multiple official documents — including voter registration forms, property tax records and campaign filings — suggested he did not live in his district, which covers part of Orlando and west Orange County, according to a 2024 report by Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida journalism program. The bill — which Antone supported — would make information used in that investigation inaccessible. When asked if that story motivated his vote, Antone said he didn't have 'any particular reason' for supporting the bill. 'Like the overwhelming majority of my house of representatives colleagues, I voted for the bill, and 95% of the bills that passed this session passed unanimously,' he said. The bill would allow someone to see an officials' city and ZIP code but not their street address. The information that would be available may not be enough to confirm residency of lawmakers since many districts include multiple cities and ZIP codes. The bill also shields from the public the names of lawmakers' neighborhoods and GPS coordinates or other data that would identify their home address. State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, voted against the bill, one of just two members in the House to do so. She said she sympathizes with other lawmakers' concerns — she has faced harassment at home — but does not want them addressed by limiting public access to information. Eskamani also said lawmakers shouldn't have special privileges. 'I'm uncomfortable giving myself special treatment or special privacy just because of the title next to my name,' she said. 'At the end of the day, there's a lot of individuals that are at risk, that are harassed just like we are, and they don't have that same kind of protection.' If signed into law by DeSantis, the bill will take effect July 1 and apply to members of Congress and the Florida Legislature, the governor and Cabinet, mayors, county property appraisers and supervisors of elections, school superintendents, school board members and city and county commissioners. The spouses and adult children of those officials would have the same information exempted, and minor children would have additional information kept private, including their names, birth dates and names and locations of schools or day care facilities they attend. State law already blocks from the public that information for law enforcement personnel and active or former civilian personnel employed by law enforcement; current or former Supreme Court justices; judges in county, circuit and appeals courts; state attorneys; public defenders; county tax collectors; and clerks of circuit court. Former state Sen. Randy Fine, elected to Congress in April, said during a committee hearing on the bill in February that the legislation would protect lawmakers, recounting the death threats he said he'd received. 'I may be the only member of the Legislature who has had two people arrested, prosecuted and imprisoned for making death threats,' Fine said. 'The last guy is sitting in jail right now because he said he knew where I lived, and he was coming to my house right then and there to kill me and my family, and we had to have law enforcement pull up to our house with sirens blaring and everything else.' Block, though opposed to the bill, said he worries the sense of fear in American politics contributed to the bill's passage, noting the April arson attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who had to flee the governor's mansion with his family in the middle of the night. 'Lawmakers, public officials, are afraid,' Block said. 'They're afraid of their rivals, they're afraid of trolls online, they're afraid of their base, they're afraid of their opponent's base. It is a sad indictment of the times in which we live now.'
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill shielding elected officials' addresses from public headed to governor
New legislation meant to protect elected officials and their families from harassment worries government watchdogs who say it would also prevent voters from knowing if their lawmakers live in their districts as required. The Florida Legislature in April overwhelmingly approved the bill (SB 268), which would exempt disclosure of phone numbers and the full home addresses of a wide range of public officials, including members of the Legislature. Sponsored by state Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-Miami Gardens, the bill aims to protect public officials and their families from threats, harassment and intimidation. It is now headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis for approval. State Sen. Jason Brodeur, R-Lake Mary, who co-sponsored the bill, said that several years ago, when he was serving in the Florida House, a brick was thrown at his home's living room window. 'Critics need to serve in office for 10 minutes before casting stones,' said Brodeur, whose district includes Seminole County and part of Orange County. 'I don't care what nonpublic officials think about it.' But Bobby Block, executive director of the Florida First Amendment Foundation, said he doubts the bill will prevent officials from being targeted — but is convinced it will hurt government accountability. 'What this law will do is it will make it now impossible … for citizens to know, to be able to check, whether the person that they are voting for or reelecting still lives in the district they purport to represent,' he said. Block said Floridians' First Amendment rights are threatened whenever government information is limited. The bill is just the latest in the Legislature's decade-long effort to carve out exemptions to Florida's public records laws, he said. 'The Sunshine State is being increasingly the Shady State,' he added. State Rep. Bruce Antone, D-Orlando, faced an ethics complaint last year from his opponent in the Democratic Party primary who accused him of not living in his district, despite legal requirements to do so by Election Day. Addresses on multiple official documents — including voter registration forms, property tax records and campaign filings — suggested he did not live in his district, which covers part of Orlando and west Orange County, according to a 2024 report by Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida journalism program. The bill — which Antone supported — would make information used in that investigation inaccessible. When asked if that story motivated his vote, Antone said he didn't have 'any particular reason' for supporting the bill. 'Like the overwhelming majority of my house of representatives colleagues, I voted for the bill, and 95 percent of the bills that passed this session passed unanimously,' he said. The bill would allow someone to see an officials' city and zip code but not their street address. The information that would be available may not be enough to confirm residency of lawmakers since many districts include multiple cities and ZIP codes. The bill also shields from the public the names of lawmakers' neighborhoods and GPS coordinates or other data that would identify their home address. State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, voted against the bill, one of just two members in the House to do so. She said she sympathizes with other lawmakers' concerns — she has faced harassment at home — but does not want them addressed by limiting public access to information. Eskamani also said lawmakers shouldn't have special privileges. 'I'm uncomfortable giving myself special treatment or special privacy just because of the title next to my name,' she said. 'At the end of the day, there's a lot of individuals that are at risk, that are harassed just like we are, and they don't have that same kind of protection.' If signed into law by DeSantis, the bill will take effect July 1 and apply to members of Congress and the Florida Legislature, the governor and Cabinet, mayors, county property appraisers and supervisors of elections, school superintendents, school board members and city and county commissioners. The spouses and adult children of those officials would have the same information exempted, and minor children would have additional information kept private, including their names, birth dates and names and locations of schools or day care facilities they attend. State law already blocks from the public that information for law enforcement personnel and active or former civilian personnel employed by law enforcement; current or former Supreme Court justices; judges in county, circuit and appeals courts; state attorneys; public defenders; county tax collectors; and clerks of circuit court. Former state Sen. Randy Fine, elected to Congress in April, said during a committee hearing on the bill in February that the legislation would protect lawmakers, recounting the death threats he said he'd received. 'I may be the only member of the Legislature who has had two people arrested, prosecuted and imprisoned for making death threats,' Fine said. 'The last guy is sitting in jail right now because he said he knew where I lived, and he was coming to my house right then and there to kill me and my family, and we had to have law enforcement pull up to our house with sirens blaring and everything else.' Block, though opposed to the bill, said he worries the sense of fear in American politics contributed to the bill's passage, noting the April arson attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who had to flee the governor's mansion with his family in the middle of the night. 'Lawmakers, public officials, are afraid,' Block said. 'They're afraid of their rivals, they're afraid of trolls online, they're afraid of their base, they're afraid of their opponent's base. It is a sad indictment of the times in which we live now.'
Miami Herald
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Here's why we must protect Florida elected officials by sealing home addresses
Government transparency is good for democracy. But it shouldn't extend to the addresses of elected officials. Public access to home addresses of those who are elected to represent constituents may seem harmless, but in today's hyper-partisan times, elected officials are becoming targets of real-world threats and violence. Providing easy access to personal addresses and phone numbers in an era when doxxing and political extremism are commonplace is not a virtue of democracy — it's a security risk. In an effort to protect elected officials and their families, Florida Sen. Shevrin Jones, a Democrat from Miami and Sen. Jason Brodeur, a Republican from Lake Mary, have introduced Senate Bill 268. The bill would keep personal information of elected officials such as home addresses and phone numbers out of public records. The bill, which passed the Florida Senate with broad bipartisan support (34-2), shows a recognition by lawmakers that public service should not come at the cost of personal safety. This is not theoretical. During the committee meeting, both Democratic and Republican senators shared stories of being targeted. Then-Sen. Randy Fine, a Republican from Melbourne Beach who has since been elected to Congress, told the Miami Herald last month that two people have been arrested and imprisoned for threatening him and his family. 'We had to have law enforcement pull up to our house with sirens blaring and everything else,' said Fine. 'I got the joy of understanding what it's like to be important for a few days, as I couldn't go anywhere without a ton of security with me.' Sen. Barbara Sharief, who is a former Broward County mayor, said she had her home address published on a Ku Klux Klan-affiliated site. 'I was on three months' worth of security protection,' she told the Miami Herald. These experiences are chilling. Elected officials shouldn't have to go through things like that simply to serve the community. Some critics argue that there's a risk to transparency and accountability and if the bill becomes law, it could hamper public oversight. For example, if elected officials are allowed to keep their addresses secret, would they be able to run for office in a new district where they don't reside? Those concerns are not unreasonable. But that overlooks a fundamental principle of government. The government's duty is to protect its citizens and their rights — and that includes elected officials. SB 268 does not remove elected officials from public accountability. Rather, it shields them from intimidation. Elected officials will still be accountable if this bill is approved. Those who demand unlimited transparency in the name of accountability fail to recognize that privacy is not in opposition to accountability. Transparency has limits, and those limits should be drawn where they protect the basic safety and security of individuals who choose to serve. The threats against officials aren't just anecdotal but represent a dangerous trend in our increasingly divided society. When elected officials face intimidation, especially in their homes, we undermine the representative democracy we claim to cherish. Conservative principles have always long supported law and order, but when public servants live in fear, there can be no order. Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home was invaded and her husband bludgeoned, President Donald Trump was the subject of two apparent attempted assassinations, and, recently, there was the arson of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence. The sealing of public records in SB268 is not permanent. It would only apply while the individual holds office, and it wouldn't shield officials from questions about residency or redistricting. It would still list the city in which the elected official lives. The safety of our elected officials isn't about whether they are Republicans or Democrats. It's a commitment to ensuring public service doesn't come at the cost of safety. Mary Anna Mancuso is a member of the Miami Herald Editorial Board. Her email: mmancuso@
Miami Herald
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
‘Someone paid $47K to have me killed.' Should Florida lawmakers' addresses be secret?
State lawmakers are preparing to make the addresses and phone numbers of elected officials secret in what would be a sweeping change to the state's broad public records laws. Members of Congress, school board members, state legislators and other state and local officials — and their families — would have the option to have their personal information redacted from county and state records. The bill, SB 268, passed the Senate Wednesday with two Democrats voting against it. Its bill sponsor, Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-Miami, said he expects it to pass the House, as well. Lawmakers have pointed to the need for more protection amid a toxic political environment. Senators recounted in committees their experiences with death threats and instances of round-the-clock police protection at their homes. But open government advocates say the bill could make it easier for local and state officials to live outside their districts — or redraw districts to favor one politician over another. If the bill passes, elected officials would be granted rights approaching those of police, judges and prosecutors. Once elected to office, mayors, property appraisers, city and county commissioners and other elected officials could have their primary house number and street name redacted from records. So could their spouses and adult children. The names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth of their minor children and where they go to school would also be exempt from public records. The exemption would expire when the elected official leaves office. 'No one needs to know where you and your family live,' Jones told senators Wednesday. 'It has nothing to do with government, nothing,' he added. 'All you need to know is where you can come to my office to see my staff, to see me.' Jones said he received death threats following his impassioned 2022 speech against the Parental Rights in Education bill, also known as 'don't say gay.' Other senators on both sides of the aisle recounted their own stories. Former Sen. Randy Fine, R-Melbourne Beach, who was elected to Congress last week, said two people have been arrested and imprisoned for threatening him and his family. 'We had to have law enforcement pull up to our house with sirens blaring and everything else,' Fine said last month. 'I got the joy of understanding what it's like to be important for a few days, as I couldn't go anywhere without a ton of security with me.' Sen. Jason Pizzo, D-Hollywood, said state police in 2020 pulled him out of a committee to alert him to the fact that 'someone had paid $47,000 to have me killed.' Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, said a man recently came to his home asking for him. 'It scared the heck out of my wife,' he said. Sen. Barbara Sharief, D-Miramar, said her home address was placed on a Ku Klux Klan-affiliated website. 'I was on three months' worth of security protection,' she said. Some of the heated political rhetoric was evident in Gov. Ron DeSantis' dispute with Republican legislative leaders over a special legislative session on immigration earlier this year. The state's agriculture commissioner, Wilton Simpson, who was on the other side of DeSantis, received death threats. Opponents of the bill have noted that lawmakers haven't produced any data about the number of threats they've received or whether that number is going up. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which can pursue charges against people who threaten legislators, did not respond to a request for data on lawmaker threats. Critics of the bill also note that there are numerous instances of politicians getting caught living outside their districts, making them ineligible to hold office. 'It undermines accountability in the sense that no longer would anyone be able to be sure that their legal representatives live in their districts,' said Bobby Block, executive director of the First Amendment Foundation. The organization advocates for open government. Abdelilah Skhir, a senior strategist with the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, said the organization feared that records custodians would interpret the statute to redact more information than allowed. The organization asked senators to amend the bill to explicitly state that certain information in Florida's voter file, such as their precinct locations and the congressional districts they live in, must be public. If that information were redacted, it would be impossible to determine whether state and local officials were redrawing districts to favor one politician over another, Skhir said. 'Totally understand where they're coming from with wanting privacy and security,' Skhir said. 'But there's a balance they have to walk.'
