Resistance Report: Special Session Edition

The attacks from Washington keep coming — relentless and exhausting by design. But you’re not alone! The Equality Florida team is tracking policies, gathering resources, and working with our legal and national partners to assess the full impact of the Trump administration’s executive actions. Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming webinars, town halls, and ways to fight back. Things are moving fast, so make sure you're following us on social media for the latest info.

Meanwhile, we also wanted to make sure you didn’t miss what went down in Tallahassee this week. Check out this special edition of our Resistance Report for the latest from the special session.

Earlier this month, Governor Ron DeSantis called for a special session to draw attention to himself after the inauguration and rush through cruel anti-immigration legislation. While Republican leaders publicly and repeatedly feuded with the Governor over details of the legislation, our pro-equality champions stood firm in opposition to CS/SB 2B. Watch Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith attempt to amend CS/SB 2B and save in-state tuition for Dreamers.

The TRUMP Act (CS/SB 2-B):

• What it does: This bill immediately repeals the bipartisan 2014 law allowing in-state tuition rates for undocumented students who graduated from Florida high schools and were brought to the United States as children. This law has given countless hardworking students the opportunity to put themselves through college and graduate to become lawyers, business owners, and community leaders. CS/SB 2-B expands the footprint of immigration enforcement by state and local officials with hundreds of millions in funding and imposes a mandatory death penalty for capital offenses committed by undocumented migrants. It also revokes the Governor’s authority to oversee the so-called “Unauthorized Alien Transport Program”, shifting that authority to the Agriculture Commissioner.

• What’s happened: Ultimately, the bill passed both chambers, but not before Senator Shevrin Jones also tried to amend the bill by grandfathering in students receiving in-state tuition waivers. In the Senate, 6 Republican Senators (Bradley, Calatayud, Collins, Grall, Ingoglia, and Martin) joined Democrats in opposition to the bill for various reasons.

• What’s next: Governor DeSantis has promised to VETO the bill because it’s not right-wing enough — the latest in his public clash with legislative leaders.

* This Special Session marked a dramatic departure from previous sessions with both the Florida Senate and House firmly declaring their independence from the Governor by rejecting his proposals, overriding several of his budget vetoes, and publicly criticizing his leadership. Watch this space to see how together, with our champions, we can leverage this new dynamic to try and stop DeSantis’ anti-LGBTQ agenda and protect freedom and equality for all Floridians. ??

We’re already gearing up for Legislative Session — the 60 most dangerous days in Florida — which begins on March 4th. Our team is committed to being in the Capitol every single day — fighting every fight, showing up in every room they’re debating our rights, and outnumbering the opposition. But we can’t do it alone. We need you by our side!

Join us for our Pride At The Capitol Kick-Off on Tuesday, March 18th, and Wednesday, March 19th! This is your chance to meet directly with lawmakers, tell your stories, and testify in committees on bills that impact our community. Last year, hundreds of citizen lobbyists joined us to help us defeat 21 of 22 anti-LGBTQ bills in Tallahassee! We also encourage you to stay for the Second Annual Let Us Live March on Thursday, March 20th, which is being organized by trans-led organizations and leaders across the state. These events are critical opportunities to show up in force and demand our elected officials protect our rights and freedoms.

With Donald Trump back in the White House, attacks on LGBTQ communities are ramping up, racial division is being sown at every turn, and the dismantling of our democracy is accelerating. News is breaking quickly, and we want to make sure you stay informed. Follow us on social media for resources from Equality Florida and our partners nationwide and ways to take action.

We’ll start our weekly email Resistance Reports the week of March 4th when legislative session begins!

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Most importantly, don't give into fear, resist at every turn, and continue to take care of each other. This is how we fought back in Florida for the past four years, throwing sand into the gears of their hateful machinery.

Together, we’ll continue to fight back to protect our communities and defend the values we hold dear.