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Three prominent civil rights organizations in America have launched what appear to be coordinated attacks designed to hobble both Florida’s critical tourism industry and Governor Ron DeSantis’s impending campaign for president.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, the League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC, and Equality Florida, an LGBT advocacy group, issued advisories warning travelers of the dangers of visiting Florida, a state one Democratic strategist says is becoming a “terrorist state.” The attacks will likely fail, but they illustrate how these groups now function solely as advocates for the narrow interests of the Democratic Party, rather than the interest of the groups they purport to champion.
Here’s a bit from the NAACP’s press release:
This travel advisory comes in direct response to Governor Ron DeSantis’s aggressive attempts to erase Black history and to restrict diversity, equity and inclusion programs in Florida schools. Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals. Before traveling to Florida, please understand that the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color.
The NAACP’s Fort Lauderdale chairperson Marsha Ellison said of the advisory, “The fact that African Americans are dying, that our history is being erased and that we are shown to have little value is not a stunt to us.” She continued, “We want to advise anyone who is traveling to Florida or is even thinking about it to know about the hostile and racist policies put into place by Governor DeSantis.”
Aisha Mills, a Democratic strategist, said on MSNBC the NAACP’s advisory was “clever” and that Florida was “about to be a terrorist state to many of us here in America.” Mills said she just took her family to the state for Spring Break, but now, “as a lesbian and as a black woman” wanted “nothing to do with the place.” Ron DeSantis’s press secretary, Jeremy Redfern, and others pointed out that the NAACP’s Board of Directors Chair Leon Russell lives in Tampa. Russell claimed that the group isn’t advising black Floridians to leave, but rather just advising other people of color not to visit the state. So apparently it’s still safe to spend all your time here but not your vacation?
Florida isn’t erasing black history. Far from it. Since 1994, state law has mandated that all Florida students study black history, including slavery, the civil rights movement and “the history and contributions of Americans of the African diaspora.” DeSantis signed a bill to add to the curriculum the 1920 Ocoee massacre, in which dozens of black Floridians trying to exercise their right to vote were killed by a white mob. Additionally, just this month, DeSantis signed HB-551 to establish reporting requirements to make sure schools are teaching black history, and if they’re not, they’ll lose their funding. Another bill signed by the governor this month, SB-1606, lays the groundwork for the establishment of a museum of black history in Florida. Both laws passed unanimously and were ignored by the media.
Florida is number one in the country for black-owned businesses. And, between 2010 and 2020, Florida saw a net gain of nearly 60,000 black residents, making it the fifth most popular destination for blacks who moved to a new state in the decade. None of that apparently matters to NAACP leadership, but it should.
Equality Florida was actually the first group to take what it called the “extraordinary step” of issuing a travel advisory, “warning of the risks posed to the health, safety, and freedom of those considering short or long term travel, or relocation to the state.” The advisory is essentially an extended rant against what they call the “extremist” policies of Ron DeSantis, Florida’s popular governor, who was recently re-elected with a nearly twenty-point margin. The advisory claims the laws it doesn’t like “create an unsafe and unwelcoming environment for LGBTQ+ individuals, women, people of color, and other marginalized communities.”
It claims that, “in 2022 alone, the LGBTQ media organization GLAAD found 141 incidents of anti-LGBTQ protests and threats targeting drag events” in the state. Yet, nowhere in the lengthy advisory do they cite a single example of an actual physical attack against an LGBT person anywhere in the state. And so, the travel advisory appears to be more a way to express displeasure with legislation the group dislikes rather than a practical warning about safety. I live in St. Petersburg, which has a huge gay community, the state’s largest Pride celebration, scores of gay bars and clubs and even (much of the year) rainbow emblazoned public buses with the words “Ride with Pride” painted on them. The idea that it’s suddenly unsafe to visit here or any other corner of the state is ludicrous.
LULAC’s “historic warning” as they call it revolves around their displeasure with SB-1718, a recent law which cracks down on illegal immigration in the state. Here’s a bit from their warning:
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) strongly denounces the anti-immigrant measures signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis in Florida. LULAC exposes the extensive impact of Governor DeSantis’ sweeping anti-immigrant, anti-Christian family rampage, harming the Florida economy and further marginalizing immigrant communities. LULAC President Garcia warns Latinos traveling in Florida with family members to be cautious if they encounter law enforcement. “We do not doubt that if Abuelita or Tia is with us and we are profiled, DeSantis’s enforcement regulations will treat us like criminals, transporting a dangerous person who only wanted to visit family or enjoy Disneyworld.”
Tellingly, the warning provides no link to the actual law, so Latinos can read it and judge for themselves if the law is something for them to be concerned about. So what does the law do? It mandates the use of E-verify for employers with at least twenty-five employees. It certifies that Florida law enforcement will NOT recognize out-of-state driver’s licenses issued to illegal aliens. It creates penalties for smuggling aliens across state lines. And it requires hospitals to file quarterly reports documenting the expense and impact of uncompensated care given to illegal aliens, among other measures.
It also requires regional domestic security task forces to “work to ensure that hate-driven acts against ethnic groups that may have been targeted as a result of immigration enforcement incidents within or affecting this state are appropriately investigated and responded to.” But no media outlet has reported this provision of the law as it doesn’t fit the narrative. In all likelihood, no one at LULAC has read the forty-three-page law they’re so triggered about. In any case, they’re needlessly spreading fear, when, in fact, no one who is in the country legally has anything to worry about.
Florida had a record 34.6 million visitors in the first quarter of 2023. Tourists flocked to the state during the pandemic to enjoy a little freedom and the deluge of visitors has continued. Tourism puts food on tables in this state. I don’t think visitors will be deterred by the warnings. In fact, they might inspire more to come. But the fact that these groups are hoping to damage the state’s economy and put people out of work in the critical tourism industry here just to try to hurt Ron DeSantis illustrates that these groups have lost whatever legitimacy they once had.
