In a massive victory for Florida Republicans, a Leon County circuit judge rejected a desperate, last-minute bid by Left-wing voting groups to block the state’s newly drawn congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Circuit Judge Joshua Hawkes handed down the <a href="https://www.commoncause.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/248949428-Order.pdf">stinging defeat</a> on Tuesday, denying motions for a preliminary injunction filed by a coalition of liberal outfits — including Equal Ground, Common Cause Florida, the League of Women Voters of Florida, and LULAC. The activist groups had desperately clawed to sideline the map, complaining that the districts were &#8220;overtly partisan&#8221; and illegally engineered by Governor Ron DeSantis and the GOP-led Legislature to favor Republicans.
But Judge Hawkes wasn&#8217;t buying the partisan hysteria. In his ruling, Hawkes declared that the challengers utterly failed to meet the incredibly high legal bar required for the courts to intervene before a full trial. Despite the plaintiffs dumping mountains of paper onto the court — including a staggering 1,900 pages of evidence from Equal Ground alone — Hawkes concluded that they simply did not have the goods.
&#8220;The Court concludes that from this record, there is insufficient evidence of impermissible intent to show substantial likelihood of success on the merits,&#8221; Hawkes wrote.
The legal dogfight centered on Florida’s controversial &#8220;Fair Districts Amendments,&#8221; which ban drawing lines to favor a political party. Activists claimed the map&#8217;s sole architect, Jason Poreda, weaponized partisan data. However, the court found that those claims relied on weak inferences rather than direct proof. Furthermore, Hawkes noted that the map was drawn to fix unconstitutional, race-based lines in South Florida&#8217;s CD-20 — noting that federal equal protection guarantees override partisan complaints.
“Plaintiffs’ evidence focuses on challenging the constitutionality of the 2026 map, but does not sufficiently challenge the political branches’ finding that CD-20 in the 2022 map was drawn with impermissible racial intent,” Hawkes wrote.
Hawkes also threw real-world logistics on the activist groups, pointing out that the state’s election machinery is already revving its engines. With Florida&#8217;s primary less than three months away and the general election less than six months away, the judge ruled that changing the rules of the game now would inflict total chaos on voters.
Turning the state&#8217;s massive election apparatus around at this late hour, Hawkes argued, would be like trying to turn a battleship on a dime. He wrote:
<blockquote>
The election machinery of the state is already underway. Similar to the town election in Walker v. Best, it is more difficult for the much larger ship of statewide elections to change directions at this juncture. The primary is less than three months away, and the general less than six months. The public interest weighs more in favor of certainty than a haphazard judicial mandate of discarded maps.
</blockquote>
Defiant liberal groups vowed to drag out the fight, <a href="https://www.wptv.com/news/politics/leon-county-circuit-judge-lets-floridas-new-congressional-map-stand-for-2026-elections">threatening</a> to take their grievances as far as they can. But with the clock ticking and the 2026 election cycle locked in, the ruling ensures that DeSantis’ map stands — giving Sunshine State Republicans a major structural advantage as they look to dominate the upcoming midterms.
Florida&#8217;s congressional redistricting map could give the GOP an additional four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, holds a press conference to speak

Judge Stops The Left’s Effort To Cause Redistricting Chaos In Republican State

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTJacT6zPq0

Florida

Redistricting

Ron DeSantis

A newly approved Florida congressional map could eliminate up to four Democratic-held seats ahead of the November midterm elections, intensifying a nationwide redistricting fight.
Florida Republicans, who hold supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature, passed the map on Wednesday <a href="https://x.com/FLVoiceNews/status/2049508175368315113?s=20">over loud liberal opposition</a>, sending it to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’s desk. DeSantis is expected to sign the bill. 
The redrawn districts target Democratic seats in the Tampa, Orlando, and South Florida areas, aiming to flip them to Republican control. Democrats currently hold seven of Florida&#8217;s 28 districts. 
Under the plan, Florida Democratic Reps. Kathy Castor, Darren Soto, Jared Moskowitz, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz could face significantly tougher re-election fights. 
If enacted, the map would reflect the Sunshine State&#8217;s broader political shift in recent years. Once a swing state that backed Barack Obama twice, Florida has moved decisively to the Right, with Republicans now holding a roughly 1.5 million-voter registration advantage.
&#8220;Florida got shortchanged in the 2020 Census, and we’ve been fighting for fair representation ever since,&#8221; <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ron-desantis-unveils-new-florida-congressional-map-would-give-gop-extra-four-seats">DeSantis told Fox News Digital</a>. &#8220;Drawing maps based on race, which is reflected in our current congressional districts, is unconstitutional and should be prohibited.&#8221;
The push to redraw Florida&#8217;s map coincides with a <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-109_21o3.pdf">bombshell</a> Supreme Court ruling sharply limiting the use of race in congressional redistricting. 
In a 6-3 decision, the court struck down Louisiana&#8217;s map, which included two majority-black districts, as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Writing for the conservative majority, Justice Samuel Alito said the Constitution generally forbids race-based line drawing absent a compelling justification.
Wednesday’s ruling clears the way for other states with majority-minority districts to change course. New maps in states including Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee could net Republicans as many as 12 seats in Congress, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/15/upshot/supreme-court-voting-rights-gerrymander.html">according to a New York Times analysis. </a>
Democrats decried the decision as an attack on democracy, despite pursuing partisan gerrymandering in California and, more recently, Virginia. 
“Now we&#8217;re now at a point where affirmative action is gone, diversity is gone, equity gone, inclusion gone, racial tolerance gone, the Voting Rights Act largely gone, but guess what, extremists, we’re still here, and we’re not going anywhere,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hakeem Jeffries: “We&#8217;re now at a point where affirmative action is gone, diversity is gone, equity is gone, inclusion is gone&#8230;” <a href="https://t.co/4b9Bm7KNwy">pic.twitter.com/4b9Bm7KNwy</a>
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) <a href="https://twitter.com/theblaze/status/2049567900688605318?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
Florida’s map is likely to face legal challenges. A provision in the state constitution effectively bars partisan gerrymandering, according to The New York Times. DeSantis has argued that recent court rulings from both the state and U.S. Supreme Court have laid the groundwork to uphold the maps.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The SCOTUS ruling also invalidates the below provisions of the FL Constitution requiring the use of race in redistricting:
”…districts shall not be drawn with the intent or result of denying or abridging the equal opportunity of racial or language minorities to participate in… <a href="https://t.co/IqrLoWdO0L">https://t.co/IqrLoWdO0L</a>
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) <a href="https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/2049510607108358651?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
Zack Smith, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said Wednesday’s Supreme Court ruling did not address political gerrymandering. 
“So at least from a federal constitutional perspective, the federal constitution isn&#8217;t going to have anything to say about political gerrymanders,” Smith said in an interview with The Daily Wire. 
“That&#8217;s going to be left to the states and really depend on what each state&#8217;s laws in each state&#8217;s constitution says about how their state legislatures draw their legislative maps,” he added.

Florida Passes New Maps That Could Threaten Multiple Democratic Seats

The only thing thicker than Hakeem Jeffries’ hypocrisy is the smog of self-delusion that follows him into every room, choking the life out of the very truths he claims to uphold.
Last week, Jeffries, the House minority leader, was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkJG--0ScE0">practically doing a victory lap</a> in the end zone after Virginia Democrats pulled off the ultimate &#8220;Democracy™&#8221; maneuver: convincing 51.5% of voters to scrap an independent commission so the General Assembly could gerrymander a 10-1 split. To Jeffries, this wasn&#8217;t a power grab; it was a &#8220;big victory for America&#8221; and a &#8220;march toward a more perfect union.&#8221; Apparently, a &#8220;more perfect union&#8221; looks exactly like a map where half the voters get 90% of the representation.
Jeffries and the &#8220;Dollar-Store Obama&#8221; brigade framed this as a noble &#8220;firewall&#8221; against the orange man in the White House. Even Barack Obama emerged from his latest Netflix production to explain that gerrymandering is actually fine, as long as Democrats do it to &#8220;level the playing field.&#8221; It’s a bold strategy: saving democracy by destroying it first.
But fast forward to Monday, April 27, and Jeffries has suddenly rediscovered the sanctity of &#8220;Fair Districts.&#8221; The moment Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suggested that the Sunshine State—which has seen a decade of growth in just three years—might need its own mid-decade tune-up, Jeffries’s halo reappeared.
Jeffries took to X to huff and puff about &#8220;blatant partisan gerrymandering&#8221; and &#8220;nakedly targeting communities of color.&#8221; He actually wrote, &#8220;See you in Court,&#8221; without a hint of a blush, despite the fact that a Virginia judge just tossed his own party’s referendum into the trash for being unconstitutional.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The DeSantis Dummymander blatantly violates Florida’s Fair Districts Amendment banning partisan gerrymandering.
It also violates the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution by nakedly targeting communities of color. 
See you in Court. <a href="https://t.co/DeDqW84s7M">pic.twitter.com/DeDqW84s7M</a>
&mdash; Hakeem Jeffries (@hakeemjeffries) <a href="https://twitter.com/hakeemjeffries/status/2048812217915642288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The hypocrisy is so thick you could carve it. When Virginia Democrats attempt a 10-1 sweep, it’s a &#8220;march toward justice.&#8221; When DeSantis looks at a map, it’s a &#8220;Dummymander&#8221; and a violation of the 14th Amendment. Jeffries has <a href="https://x.com/Breaking911/status/2046984191716340211">told</a> Florida Republicans to &#8220;F around and find out,&#8221; which sounds a lot like a threat from a guy whose own &#8220;victory&#8221; is currently stuck in judicial purgatory.
DeSantis, ever the happy warrior, has <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2047020226785493096">responded</a> by offering to pay for Jeffries’ plane ticket to Florida. He even offered to take him fishing.
It’s a generous offer: Jeffries could use the time on the water to practice his latest trick—complaining about the &#8220;rigged system&#8221; in Florida while the ink is still wet on his own attempt to rig Virginia.
If Jeffries wants a war, he’s found a battlefield, but he might want to check his own backyard before he starts crying about the neighbors&#8217; fences.

Hakeem Jeffries

High Priest Of Hypocrisy: Hakeem Jeffries Demands Fairness In Florida Only After Rigging Virginia

Congress

Politics

Virginia

The nationwide mid-decade redistricting battle appears to be entering its final stretch, with major developments unfolding in Florida, Texas, and Virginia.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday unveiled his proposed congressional map that could add up to four GOP- leaning seats, as lawmakers prepare to take up the plan during a special session that kicks off on Tuesday.
&#8220;Florida got shortchanged in the 2020 Census, and we’ve been fighting for fair representation ever since,&#8221; DeSantis told <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ron-desantis-unveils-new-florida-congressional-map-would-give-gop-extra-four-seats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a>. &#8220;Our population has since grown dramatically, and we have moved from a Democrat majority to a 1.5 million Republican advantage. Drawing maps based on race, which is reflected in our current congressional districts, is unconstitutional and should be prohibited.”
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court cleared the way for Texas’s congressional map to move forward, shooting down a lower court ruling that had blocked it over claims of race-based gerrymandering. The map is expected to produce five Republican-leaning seats, according to the <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2026/04/27/texas-redistricting-map-ruling-us-supreme-court-upheld-2026-midterms/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Texas Tribune</a>, and the high court had previously signaled in December that it was likely to allow the plan to stand.
“This was an intentional effort to limit the power of people of color in a state known for going to extremes to suppress the vote,” said Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “It is one of the most blatant examples yet of modern-day racial gerrymandering, under the thin guise of partisanship.”
In Virginia, the state Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday in a closely watched case that could determine the fate of a newly approved congressional map. Voters last week narrowly backed a constitutional amendment that would shift the state&#8217;s delegation from a 6-4 split to a 10-1 Democratic advantage.
If the Virginia court blocks the new map, it could significantly alter the broader redistricting fight and determine which party will come out on top.
“Hang in there. This isn’t over in Virginia, and that’s just the Virginia chapter,&#8221; former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, a Republican, told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/virginia-dem-power-grab-faces-courtroom-showdown?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=7&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Virginia+Dem+Power+Grab+Faces+Courtroom+Showdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a>. &#8220;I think there’s a lot of regret across the country about the redistricting play in Virginia.”
With Republicans holding a narrow 218-212 majority in the House, and five seats currently vacant, the outcome of these redistricting battles will play a decisive role in determining control of Congress.

Governor DeSantis And ICE Announce Largest Joint Immigration Enforcement Operation In Florida History

Map Wars Heat Up As DeSantis, Supreme Court, And Virginia Clash Over Congressional Lines

Texas

Florida could be the Republicans’ last stand in the mid-decade redistricting battle, as the state legislature prepares to convene a special session Tuesday to consider new congressional maps.
If approved, the proposed maps could add three to five seats that favor Republicans in the state, according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/23/florida-redistricting-desantis-republicans-maps-trump-00887120" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Politico,</a> potentially shaping the balance of power in a narrowly divided U.S. House.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has criticized the effort, warning Florida Republicans to “F around and find out.”
“If they go down the road of a DeSantis dummymander, the Florida Republicans are going to find themselves in the same situation as Texas Republicans who are on the run right now,” Jeffries said at a Wednesday press conference.
Jeffries also expressed confidence that Democrats will win tough seats in red states, adding, &#8220;Under no circumstances are Texas Republicans picking up five seats. They&#8217;ll be fortunate if they get two or three. While in California, we are going to get all five.”
“The Republicans are dummymandering their way into the minority before a single vote is cast because they started this war and we&#8217;re going to finish it,” he continued.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis laughed off Jeffries&#8217; comments, suggesting that a national campaign by Democrats targeting the Sunshine State would only bolster the GOP.
“There’s nothing that could be better for Republicans in Florida to see Hakeem Jeffries everywhere around this state,” DeSantis said, according to <a href="https://floridapolitics.com/archives/792314-the-door-is-open-ron-desantis-scoffs-at-hakeem-jeffries-threat-to-expand-dem-efforts-in-florida/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Florida Politics</a>. &#8220;Please, be my guest. I will pay for you to come down to Florida and campaign. I’ll put you up in the Florida Governor’s mansion. We’ll take you fishing.&#8221;
Mid-decade redistricting efforts have rocked numerous states. In California, recent changes are expected to favor Democrats in several districts, while Texas Republicans have approved new maps to strengthen their position.
In Virginia, a Tuesday special election approved changes that could create four more Democrat-leaning seats, though a state circuit court judge has temporarily blocked the results from taking effect pending further legal review, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/virginia-dem-power-grab-faces-courtroom-showdown?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Virginia+Dem+Power+Grab+Faces+Courtroom+Showdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> reported.
When The Daily Wire reached out to DeSantis’ office for further comment, a spokesperson simply stated, “Stay tuned!”
At the state level, Democrats in Florida are also pushing back on the process. State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith criticized the lack of publicly released maps ahead of the session.
“Just 6 days out from the Florida GOP dummymander and still NO MAPS!” Smith posted to X on Wednesday. “They want rigged Congressional maps that keep Trump’s Republican party in power despite majority opposition from Florida voters.”
Florida&#8217;s current congressional delegation includes eight Democrats and 20 Republicans. Nationally, Republicans hold a slim 218-212 majority in the House, with several vacancies and a number of competitive races expected to factor into the chamber&#8217;s balance of power. The <a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cook Political Report</a> ranks 16 House races as &#8220;toss-ups,&#8221; with 14 contests considered &#8220;Lean Democrat&#8221; and two as &#8220;Lean Republican.&#8221;

GettyImages-2181789679

GOP Has One Final Chance To Counteract Dems Big Win

House of Representatives

The political war over the American map reached a fever pitch this week as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis delivered a blistering takedown of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). After the New York Democrat attempted to use a narrow, legally shaky victory in Virginia to threaten the Sunshine State’s redistricting plans, DeSantis didn&#8217;t just push back—he dismantled Jeffries’ entire political persona.
The spark for the confrontation was Tuesday’s referendum in Virginia. In a move that critics have slammed as a naked partisan power grab, Virginia voters narrowly approved—51.5% to 48.5%—a constitutional amendment allowing the Democratic-led General Assembly to bypass a bipartisan commission. The goal? Redrawing maps to transform a 6–5 Democratic edge into a crushing 10–1 advantage.
While Democrats celebrated the move as &#8220;defeating gerrymandering,&#8221; the victory was short-lived. A Virginia judge immediately threw a wrench in the works, ruling the referendum unconstitutional and blocking certification due to procedural failures.
That didn&#8217;t stop Hakeem Jeffries from &#8220;popping off,&#8221; as DeSantis put it. Flush with the Virginia news, Jeffries took to the microphones and social media to issue a warning to Florida Republicans. &#8220;Our message to Florida Republicans is F around and find out,&#8221; Jeffries barked, claiming Republicans are &#8220;dummymandering&#8221; their way into the minority and vowing to &#8220;crush&#8221; what he called the &#8220;DeSantis Dummymander.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Rep. Jeffries &quot;Our message to Florida Republicans is F around and find out. If they go down the road of a DeSantis &#39;dummymander&#39;, the Florida Republicans are going to find themselves in the same situation as Texas Republicans.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/RlNH0OH4Kp">pic.twitter.com/RlNH0OH4Kp</a>
&mdash; Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href="https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/2046984191716340211?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Democrats defeated Donald Trump’s gerrymandering scheme in Virginia tonight. 
We will crush the DeSantis Dummymander in Florida next.
Maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time. <a href="https://t.co/zM1oXhZT8K">pic.twitter.com/zM1oXhZT8K</a>
&mdash; Hakeem Jeffries (@hakeemjeffries) <a href="https://twitter.com/hakeemjeffries/status/2046754383707148505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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DeSantis, who has called a special session for late April to address Florida&#8217;s massive population-driven malapportionment, was more than happy to accept the challenge.
&#8220;This guy, Jeffries, popping off in Washington about Florida,&#8221; DeSantis told reporters with a grin. &#8220;He wants to be Speaker of the House, and he&#8217;s kind of like—more liberal than Pelosi and all this other stuff from New York City. I just want to know: &#8216;Ooh, Florida. We&#8217;re going to go after Florida.&#8217; Please: be my guest.&#8221;
DeSantis then leaned into a devastatingly polite mockery, offering to pay for Jeffries’ travel and put him up in the Governor’s Mansion. &#8220;We&#8217;ll take you fishing,&#8221; DeSantis quipped. &#8220;We&#8217;ll do all this stuff. There&#8217;s nothing that could be better for Republicans in Florida than to see Hakeem Jeffries everywhere around this state. Voters will not like what they see.&#8221;
The governor then twisted the knife, pointing out that despite Jeffries’ attempts to move further left to appease his base, the radical wing of his own party remains unimpressed. &#8220;I kind of feel bad for the guy because he&#8217;s as Left as they come. He&#8217;s always going Left. And yet the far-Left hates him. You know, they call him a &#8216;dollar-store Obama.&#8217; They call him &#8216;AIPAC Shakur,&#8217; all these different derogatory names that they do. And so he&#8217;s tried to ingratiate himself with [them], but they&#8217;re just not drinking the Kool-Aid.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨 HOLY CRAP! Gov. Ron DeSantis just BODIED Hakeem Jeffries threatening Florida if we re-draw our 2026 maps
&quot;&#39;Oh, we&#39;re gonna go after Florida.&#39; PLEASE. BE MY GUEST. I will PAY you to come campaign! I&#39;ll put you up in the Florida governor&#39;s mansion! We&#39;ll take you fishing.… <a href="https://t.co/uAN8gVXVHR">pic.twitter.com/uAN8gVXVHR</a>
&mdash; Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2047020226785493096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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While Jeffries relies on bravado, DeSantis has pointed to the cold reality of Florida’s growth. The governor has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_lIyHRCw68">noted</a> that Florida has seen ten years of population growth in just three, rendering current districts unfair. He has also hinted at an upcoming Supreme Court decision, likely penned by Justice Samuel Alito, that could further solidify the legal standing for mid-decade adjustments.
As the legal battles in Virginia prove that Democratic overreach often hits a judicial wall, DeSantis made one thing clear: if Hakeem Jeffries wants a war in Florida, the governor is happy to provide the battlefield—and the fishing rod.

DeSantis Obliterates ‘Dollar-Store Obama’ Over Redistricting Threats

This article is part of MI x DW, a collaboration that brings Daily Wire readers exclusive commentary and research from the Manhattan Institute’s world-class team of scholars.
In this piece, originally published in <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/new-college-florida-gender-studies-activism">City Journal</a>, Colin Wright argues that faculty at New College of Florida continue to advance activist scholarship in ways that undermine the state’s post-woke reforms.
* * *
When Florida Governor Ron DeSantis pledged to rein in “<a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/07/13/1110842453/florida-gov-desantis-is-doing-battle-against-woke-public-schools">woke indoctrination</a>” in public education, he wasn’t bluffing. Over the last several years, he and the legislature have pursued an aggressive legal and governance strategy to push far-left ideology out of taxpayer-funded institutions. The justification is straightforward: the people have the right to demand that public universities not become subsidized activist factories.
Laws can close academic departments and impose subject-area bans on paper, but campuses are still run day-to-day by faculty and administrators who may not be interested in what voters want. When progressive activists dominate a university, they will inevitably try to circumvent the law.
Such efforts appear to be happening at New College today. Though the Gender Studies department was shut down at the Sarasota school, and Florida law forbids the use of state and federal funds to “promote or engage in political or social activism,” faculty continue to oversee work promoting activist pseudoscience, treat opposition to explicit content in K-12 libraries as equivalent to Nazism, and celebrate “queer bibliographies” and “resistance” to elected officials.
Consider a 2025 undergraduate thesis covering the “Evolution of Gender” in drama and fashion.
Nova Myhill, a professor of English and Theater, Dance &amp; Performance Studies at New College, sponsored the thesis, which explicitly lists “Gender Studies” as its “Area of Concentration.”
At a glance, the thesis appears to be a broad, benign survey of gender-expression conventions through fashion in the context of theater. But it quickly advances to extreme activist views of sex and biology. The opening section, titled “Our Idea of Sex,” portrays sex in humans not as “concrete” or “permanent” but as something “closer to being reflections of societal preconceptions than anything based only on ‘biology.’” It claims that the idea that humans have two sexes became widespread only “around the mid-1700s” due to “changing values of what was important within identity, class and gender beginning to take the utmost importance when using clothing as a symbol or sign of identity.” It even asserts that “there was a time when we conceived of the human race as only ‘one-sex’,” and that our “re-envisioning of the sexes” during the Enlightenment into two categories — male and female — actually “led to the differentiation and specific designation of reproductive organs; the penis, testicles, ovaries, and uterus.”
If this were the only undergraduate thesis at New College promoting such radical activist views, it might be dismissed. It is not.
In January 2026, the college approved and archived an undergraduate thesis in the Division of Humanities that engaged in political activism and covered Gender Queer and Fun Home — books the sexually explicit content of which has prompted parents to oppose their inclusion in school libraries. Myhill also sponsored this thesis and is thanked effusively in the acknowledgements.
Oddly, this thesis includes two abstracts. The first, more formal one describes an exploration of “book censorship, theft, and destruction,” framed as actions “employed to specifically target queer, trans, Jewish, and other marginalized communities,” and ends by describing the authors’ “queer works” as “an act of cultural legacy, heritage transmission, and resistance.” The second reads like a direct taunt of DeSantis and New College’s policy reforms:
<blockquote>This thesis is about queers, trans people, gender, Nazis, book burning, moral panics, censorship, Magnus Hirshfeld, pornography . . . queer bibliography, the Phantasma, classroom libraries, Ron DeSantis, what it’s like to be erased, and also how people fight back . . . so why not read it already?</blockquote>
This isn’t “academic” in any meaningful sense, but rather activist writing designed to indoctrinate, recruit, and promote activism.
In one section, the thesis classifies Gender Queer as essential reading and mocks DeSantis for displaying redacted pages from the book during his November 2023 debate with California Governor Gavin Newsom. It frames Florida’s higher education reforms as part of an “anti-gender movement” with “chilling reach.”
The thesis also compares Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Christopher F. Rufo’s rhetoric to the “paranoia and persecution of McCarthyism in the 1950s” and claims that he helped incite a “reactive moral panic” like the one behind Nazi-era book purges in 1930s Germany. It compares <a href="https://x.com/christopherrufo/status/1824307070839165333">Rufo’s tweet</a> about abolishing the college’s Gender Studies program to a “long and fiery radio address” delivered by “Joseph Goebbels.” Again, such comparisons are not objective scholarship but political activism.
Other recent theses at New College also veer in an activist direction, including a 2025 thesis on “Queer Resistance and the Fight for Change in Morocco,” a 2026 thesis on “Why Queer People Like Horror Films,” and another in 2025 titled “Who Holds the Mic?: Exploring Image, Control, and Identity in Queer.”
Of course, Florida’s higher-ed reforms don’t ban students from discussing controversial topics in class or engaging in activism in their free time. State leaders intended them to prevent public institutions from using public funds to “promote, support, or maintain” programs or activities that “advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion” or “promote or engage in political or social activism.”
The work required to shepherd student theses entails faculty time and labor, institutional oversight, and curriculum funded by and developed under the authority of the university. It strains credulity to present as legitimate scholarship works that push false, ideologically charged views of biology or that describe themselves as works of “resistance.” A process that produces such works appears to flout Florida law’s intent to prevent state and federal funds from being used to “promote or engage in political or social activism.”
None of this is to say that shutting down New College’s gender-studies department was in vain. The volume of activist “scholarship” produced at the institution has declined markedly, and that’s a true achievement.
Nonetheless, Florida’s academic reforms are not self-enforcing. As always, personnel is policy. True believers on the faculty will look for workarounds. If nobody is paying attention, abolished departments will soon reappear inside more traditional ones — in this case, the departments of English and Theater, Dance &amp; Performance Studies.
Institutional responsibility lies with the faculty and administrators who decide which scholarship to approve, endorse, or reward. New College’s trustees and the state legislature can pass resolutions and rewrite statutes, but they cannot monitor every thesis committee or syllabus. 
That requires constant vigilance, because the pattern is predictable: abolish the department, then watch its ideology migrate to the English department, the history department, or the library.
If New College wants to fulfill its evolution into a post-woke institution, its guardians should not approve scholarship that treats its vital reforms as analogous to a second Holocaust. Leaders should hold faculty accountable when they use university resources to resurrect discarded programs and pursue activism under new names.
* * *
<a href="https://www.city-journal.org/person/colin-wright">Colin Wright</a> is an evolutionary biologist and Manhattan Institute Fellow.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis engages with New College of Florida

At New College of Florida, Gender Studies Quietly Continues

College

Education

Gender

gender ideology

Leftism

Manhattan Institute

MI x DW

School Board

Woke Culture

Hatem Fariz has quite a rap sheet.
He served roughly three years in prison after pleading guilty to a conspiracy to provide material support to Iranian terror proxy Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and for additional counts in a separate case involving a reported $1.4 million food stamp <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna14416473" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scam</a>. He once bragged about assaulting a child he believed was “cooperating with the Jews” and laughed off a deadly bombing in Israel while helping raise funds for terror groups in the Middle East, <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2024/06/07/among-usf-gaza-protesters-past-supporter-palestinian-islamic-jihad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Tampa Bay Times.
But Fariz appears to have undergone a reinvention. Now he’s best known as a pillar of Florida’s Muslim community.
Fariz landed in Florida after his release from a federal prison in 2010, according to the Tampa Bay Times. While serving as the director of the Islamic Community of Tampa — also known as the Al-Qassam Mosque — Fariz has organized pro-Palestinian protests and become a prominent community member. The local police chief, Kenneth Albano, even called him &#8220;a force for reason within the Muslim community,” the Tampa Bay Times reported in 2024.
At the time, he was also characterized by his former attorney as the &#8220;worker bee&#8221; of another man convicted of supporting the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in the same case, Sami Al-Arian, a former University of South Florida professor, the local news outlet <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2024/06/07/among-usf-gaza-protesters-past-supporter-palestinian-islamic-jihad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The Tampa mosque run by Fariz was registered in Al-Arian’s name in 1992, <a href="https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/ConvertTiffToPDF?storagePath=COR%5C1607%5C0119%5CAR007229.tif&amp;documentNumber=N50793&amp;__cf_chl_rt_tk=cS_4PQbBuE4SpccV7XaeKWsRii7jhChEr4sqPKTepcU-1775848730-1.0.1.1-fbYKMu5z54qPMwhiyLcgP.Ws65p4AcSo051StYnxa1I" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to state records.
Al-Arian has since been <a href="https://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2015/02/al-arian-saga-ends-with-deportation-202233" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deported</a> to Turkey. But thanks to Fariz, he still appears to have a footprint in Florida.
A new <a href="https://networkcontagion.us/reports/from-tehran-to-tampa-iranian-proxy-networks-operating-through-floridas-501c3-sector/">report</a> from the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) says that figures like Fariz are just a small part of a seemingly benign “network of nonprofit, religious, and advocacy organizations operating in and connected to Florida that show repeated documented overlap with individuals convicted of terrorism-related offenses, designated under U.S. sanctions authorities, or publicly associated with Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and broader Iran-aligned influence ecosystems.”
The report says that the Iran-aligned influence network is gaining a foothold in Florida, and the claims have caught the attention of Florida lawmakers. Florida Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins told The Daily Wire he’s “100% serious” about addressing the allegations made in NCRI’s report.
Collins shared his concern that the “deceptive and slow insidious method” of radical groups that entails “embedding in communities and changing people&#8217;s mindsets.”
“We better understand that we have to get ahead of this now so this doesn&#8217;t become a problem,” said Collins, a candidate for Florida governor.
Florida&#8217;s current governor, Ron DeSantis, has already taken action on the issue. Just last week, DeSantis <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/red-state-slams-door-on-sharia-law-ramps-up-fight-against-domestic-terrorism?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Red+State+Slams+Door+On+Sharia+Law%2C+Ramps+Up+Fight+Against+Domestic+Terrorism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed a law</a> that would allow state authorities to designate groups as terrorist organizations and even expel students attending local universities who support them.
Florida has also zeroed in on the influence of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in the state. In December, DeSantis signed an order designating CAIR as a foreign terrorist organization. CAIR has denied any connection to terrorism and has filed a lawsuit regarding the order.
The designation was based on the group’s alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, which Florida also designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
“CAIR was founded by persons connected to the Muslim Brotherhood and was created, in the words of persons affiliated with CAIR, as ‘an official U.S. cover representing the Islamic community’ to conceal ties to Islamic extremist groups,” the state’s order on the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/desantis-joins-texas-in-designating-cair-and-muslim-brotherhood-as-terrorist-organizations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">designation</a> read.
Last month, the designation was blocked by a federal judge after CAIR&#8217;s lawsuit.
CAIR’s Florida chapter has promoted both Al-Arian and Fariz, casting them as victims of political prosecution. Both have been close allies of CAIR in the state.
Fariz solicited donations for CAIR’s galas in 2018 and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/100000732120533/posts/2824374567596920/?rdid=4wVlW22xDydq7EZe#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2019</a>, highlighting its &#8220;great work.&#8221;
“Please donate generously for the great work that CAIR is doing and continue to do. Our goal through this post is $10k,” Fariz <a href="https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2185617568139293&amp;id=100000732120533&amp;rdid=147NTcrMXRTIofpH#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> in one of the posts.
CAIR’s Florida branch <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/xBS09KpfWm4?t=1160s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listed</a> Fariz&#8217;s Islamic Community of Tampa as “a leading sponsor” of its 2021 gala. The Islamic Community of Tampa was also <a href="https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=5241359602565059&amp;id=100000732120533&amp;http_ref=eyJ0cyI6MTc2NTU3MTkyMTAwMCwiciI6IiJ9&amp;_rdr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listed</a> as a co-sponsor of a community fundraiser advertised for March 2022. Fariz was listed as a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CyghF6QAUWU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contact</a> for CAIR Florida’s “Week of Action” in October 2023.
The organization’s Tampa chapter organized a <a href="https://www.cair.com/cair_in_the_news/cair-fl-1200-turn-out-for-al-arian-doc-premier/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">showing</a> of Al-Arian’s documentary in 2007. CAIR Florida <a href="https://www.cair.com/cair_in_the_news/cair-fl-al-arian-film-takes-familys-perspective/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the film focused on “post-Sept. 11 hysteria and the persecution of a Muslim, as well as the emotionally grinding devastation the prosecution brought to the Al-Arian family.”
CAIR Florida <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDuYqJYgeQW/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">featured</a> Al-Arian in a 2020 webinar on the experiences of “political prisoners.”
That same year, the group promoted Fariz’s story during a webinar on “persecution in the United States.” He was also <a href="https://www.facebook.com/100064587523594/posts/4449023131779167/?rdid=jX5ffBVuBejNV9gX#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nominated</a> for a CAIR Florida “Protect Award” at the time.
A CAIR Florida 2021 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDA4uyvYy8U">fundraising video</a> featured Fariz hailing the organization for having “provided … relief” during his case.
He also spoke at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/xBS09KpfWm4?t=1932s">CAIR Florida’s 2021 gala</a>, where he characterized his terrorism case as “baseless.”
The Islamic Community of Tampa mosque received a $9,000 grant in 2021 from another organization tied to the pair of figures, the Coalition for Civil Freedoms, <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/451653796/202201369349305635/full" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a financial disclosure statement.
While behind bars, Al-Arian &#8220;spent much of his time in prison drafting a vision for an organization that would support political prisoners and their families,&#8221; which eventually became the Coalition for Civil Freedoms, <a href="https://www.civilfreedoms.org/page/about-us" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the organization&#8217;s website.
The organization pays stipends to Muslim prisoners accused of terrorism and provides the &#8220;most vulnerable prisoners $100 each month,&#8221; <a href="https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/donate-to-give-relief-to-muslim-political-prisoners" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to its donation page.
Fariz is now listed as the chairman of the board, development director, and treasurer for the Coalition for Civil Freedoms. The group also has a branch registered in Florida under Fariz’s name, according to state records.
In the Coalition for Civil Freedoms&#8217; latest annual <a href="https://www.civilfreedoms.org/sites/default/files/2025-07/Annual%20Report%20-%202024%20%20.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a>, CAIR’s Florida chapter is listed as a member organization. Fariz also appears to have close connections with the group.
Al-Arian currently serves as the director of the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) at Istanbul Zaim University in Turkey, <a href="https://www.izu.edu.tr/en/ciga/about-us/director's-message" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to his bio on the school’s website.
CIGA has previously hosted terror-tied individuals.
In 2024, the center hosted Hamas official <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-815165" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Osama Hamdan</a>, who is sanctioned by the United States government. He was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/l1nHOUBhJ7Y?t=5931s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">billed</a> as a speaker on “Palestinian resistance.” During his remarks, Hamdan advocated for “a new map” of the Middle East that excludes Israel.
In February 2025, CIGA <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9VhaA2vfI0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hosted</a> Majed Al-Zeer for a seminar on his book months after he was <a href="https://sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov/Details.aspx?id=48631" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sanctioned</a> by the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
That May, Al-Arian <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cigaistanbul/posts/join-us-for-a-powerful-conversation-on-al-daymuma-the-permanence-of-the-struggle/1242329581236105/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">moderated</a> an event for CIGA featuring Al-Zeer to discuss another one of his books on keeping “the Palestinian cause alive.”
Neither Al-Arian nor Fariz responded to requests for comment. CAIR also didn’t respond to a request for comment.

How Terror-Linked Figures Built A U.S. Community And Operated In Plain Sight

Iran

Terrorism

Palm Beach International Airport will be renamed after President Donald Trump under legislation signed Monday by Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. 
The change is set to take effect July 1, with the Federal Aviation Administration working to update navigational charts and databases as part of the transition.
The <a href="https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/919/BillText/er/PDF">bill&#8217;s</a> approval changes the name to &#8220;President Donald J. Trump International Airport.&#8221; Trump frequently flies out of Palm Beach International after weekend stays at his Mar-a-Lago home. 
The legislation passed the Florida Senate in a 25-11 vote on February 19 and the state House 81-30 on February 17. The FAA noted that airport naming decisions are made at the local level and do not require federal approval.
“Palm Beach International Airport is now officially…. ‘President Donald J. Trump International Airport!,’” Eric Trump wrote on X. “Proud to have played a small role in making this happen.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Palm Beach International Airport is now officially…. “President Donald J. Trump International Airport!”
Proud to have played a small role in making this happen. Huge thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/megforflorida?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@megforflorida</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovRonDeSantis</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/JamesUthmeierFL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JamesUthmeierFL</a>, and the overwhelming majority in the Florida House! <a href="https://t.co/Yi5LSdlDaT">pic.twitter.com/Yi5LSdlDaT</a>
— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricTrump/status/2038733856417747089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2026</a></blockquote>
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President Trump&#8217;s second son also thanked DeSantis, State Attorney General James Uthmeier, and State House Rep. Meg Weinberger for getting the proposal across the finish line. 
Weinberger, who introduced the bill, said the renaming recognizes Trump&#8217;s ties to the Sunshine State.
“This historic recognition celebrates a President who made Florida his home and saved our great Nation,” she said. “Thank you to everyone who worked tirelessly to make this moment possible as we honor President Trump’s legacy and his extraordinary contributions to America.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 It&#8217;s OFFICIAL!
Governor <a href="https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovRonDeSantis</a> has signed House Bill 919 to honor the greatest president of our lifetime, <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a>, by renaming PBI to Donald J. Trump International Airport.
This historic recognition celebrates a President who made Florida his home and saved… <a href="https://t.co/ooL4vEY3A0">pic.twitter.com/ooL4vEY3A0</a>
— Megforflorida (@megforflorida) <a href="https://twitter.com/megforflorida/status/2038732802565239050?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The Florida Republican Party welcomed the name change.
&#8220;Welcome to the new President Donald J. Trump International Airport — right in the heart of Palm Beach! Florida is honored to be home to this landmark tribute to President @realDonaldTrump,&#8221; the party said in a statement on social media.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Florida is making it official! 🇺🇸
Welcome to the new President Donald J. Trump International Airport — right in the heart of Palm Beach!
Florida is honored to be home to this landmark tribute to President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a>. <a href="https://t.co/lGtmZG83D7">pic.twitter.com/lGtmZG83D7</a>
— Florida GOP (@FloridaGOP) <a href="https://twitter.com/FloridaGOP/status/2038729762542158068?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2026</a></blockquote>
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TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-TRUMP

Palm Beach Airport Is Getting A New Name. Hint? It’s Trump-Inspired

Donald Trump

Mar-a-Lago

Florida Republicans just passed a sweeping voter integrity bill aimed at safeguarding the state’s elections — with one key timeline detail.
The Republican-controlled Legislature pushed the measure through Thursday, sending it to Gov. Ron DeSantis after it cleared both chambers in largely party-line votes. The Florida House approved the bill 77–28, while the Senate passed it earlier in the day by a 27–12 vote.
The legislation is modeled on President Donald Trump’s SAVE America Act, a federal proposal that would require proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote.
The measure requires proof of citizenship during voter registration and expands coordination between election officials and state agencies responsible for confirming eligibility.
DeSantis praised the legislation after lawmakers sent it to his desk, saying the move would further cement Florida’s reputation as a national leader on election security.
“Although Florida has already enacted much of what the federal legislation contemplates, this will further fortify our state as the leader in election integrity,” DeSantis wrote on social media.
Florida already bans non-citizens from voting — a prohibition voters added to the state constitution in 2020. The new legislation builds on that rule by tightening how the state verifies citizenship during the voter registration process.
State Sen. Erin Grall, the Republican sponsor of the legislation, said lawmakers must continue strengthening election protections where vulnerabilities exist.
“What is our tolerance for fraud and lack of integrity?” Grall said during debate.
State investigators have previously uncovered instances of non-citizens registering or casting ballots. A report released last year by Florida’s Office of Election Crimes and Security said investigators reviewed more than 800 potential cases and identified nearly 200 individuals believed to have illegally registered or voted. Many of those cases were referred to law enforcement.
The legislation also includes additional election changes, including a provision preventing college students from using student identification cards when voting in person.
One key timeline detail appears in the legislation itself.
The proof-of-citizenship requirement would not take effect until 2027, meaning it would not apply to the 2026 midterm elections.
The delayed rollout gives state agencies and local election supervisors time to update voter registration systems and coordinate verification procedures before the new requirements begin.
The bill now heads to DeSantis’ desk for his signature.

Sunglasses with american flag on wooden table

Take Notes, America — Florida Just Passed A Voter Integrity Bill

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Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins has jumped into the gubernatorial race to succeed second-term Gov. Ron DeSantis.
&#8220;I’m running for Governor because leadership is forged under pressure, not in soundbites,” Collins told <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/florida-lt-gov-jay-collins-jumps-sunshine-state-gubernatorial-race-succeed-ron-desantis">Fox News Digital</a>. “I served over 23 years in the United States military, mainly as a Green Beret, where accountability is real, decisions have consequences, and service comes before self. That experience shaped how I lead and why I believe public office is a public trust.&#8221;
&#8220;We chose to make Florida home for my family because it stands for freedom, opportunity, and personal responsibility. In the Legislature and as Lieutenant Governor, I’ve worked alongside Governor Ron DeSantis to deliver results and advance a bold, conservative agenda. I did not come to chase headlines. I came to deliver results. Standing with law enforcement. Protecting communities. And to keep Florida strong,&#8221; he added.
Last August, DeSantis appointed Jay Collins as Florida’s 21st Lieutenant Governor, filling the vacancy created by Jeanette Nuñez’s transition to the presidency of Florida International University. A former State Senator representing Tampa’s District 14, Collins has rapidly ascended the ranks of Florida leadership. During his swearing-in ceremony, Governor DeSantis underscored Collins&#8217; reputation for toughness and resilience, famously dubbing him the &#8220;Chuck Norris of Florida politics.&#8221;
While Collins has established himself as a formidable legislative presence, his identity is fundamentally rooted in his 23 years of military service. A highly-decorated Green Beret and Purple Heart recipient, Collins’ military career is defined by extreme grit. After being shot in the arm during a firefight in Afghanistan, Collins — a senior medic — famously assisted in performing surgery on his own limb, using a war surgery manual to save it.
His resilience was tested further after a mortar blast sent him falling 25 feet, causing severe spinal and internal injuries that led to years of chronic, ischemic pain. Despite his leg &#8220;dying&#8221; to the point of being blue and hairless, Collins continued to serve until the pain became unbearable. In 2014, he underwent a leg amputation; remarkably, he re-qualified for service within a year, returning to the Green Berets for five more years of active duty. This &#8220;never-quit&#8221; ethos, forged on a farm in Montana and hardened in combat, remains the cornerstone of his political brand.
In recent interviews, including an in-depth appearance on &#8220;Facing South Florida,&#8221; Collins has leaned into his military background to discuss international diplomacy and law enforcement. Collins maintains a warrior’s perspective: &#8220;Everything is earned &#8230; competition drives excellence.”
Whether discussing constitutional originalism or the capture of foreign dictators, Collins positions himself as a leader shaped by service, emphasizing that he is &#8220;owed nothing&#8221; and is prepared to fight for Florida’s future with the same intensity he brought to the battlefield.
Collins joins an already humming race, with Rep. Byron Donalds, investor James Fishback, and former House speaker Paul Renner also running. Currently, Donalds is the odds-on favorite, with <a href="https://floridapolitics.com/archives/772573-byron-donalds-in-dominant-position-in-gop-primary-for-governor-new-poll-shows/">polls</a> showing him holding a substantial lead among Republican candidates. The House rep also has the endorsement of President Donald Trump.

UFL Press Announcement

Florida Lt. Gov Jay Collins, Decorated Green Beret, Enters Race For Governor

Elections

governor

Jay Collins

The New York Times rolled out another <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/28/us/new-college-ron-desantis-florida-conservative.html">installment</a> of its favorite genre — Ron DeSantis, Destroyer of All That Is Good™ — this time lamenting that New College of Florida, long a leftist sandbox where grades were optional, and gender theory reigned, has been rudely interrupted by a governor who thinks college should actually teach … well … college.
“At the state school, gender studies is out. ‘The Odyssey’ is required reading. A Charlie Kirk statue is coming. Has one ideological bubble replaced another?” the Times hyperventilated.
The Times paints the picture with a heavy brush: gender studies out, Homer’s “Odyssey” in, DEI dismantled, and conservative professors hired. Athletics are expanding, buildings are being repaired, enrollment is rising — but to the Times, the real scandal is that the ideological monopoly of the Left is no longer protected turf. The narrative is clear: New College used to be an enlightened paradise of “nonconformists,” until Florida Republican Gov. DeSantis staged a “conservative takeover” and imposed a curriculum centered on the Western canon.
The outlet breathlessly notes that some faculty and students bailed, others grumbled that freshmen are being forced to read a 3,000-year-old epic, and professors wonder whether there will still be “room for people like them.” The Times frames the reforms not as an attempt to restore academic rigor, but as a right-wing project creeping toward total control — repeatedly warning that the college is “moving toward the ideological right.”
Yet, <a href="https://x.com/DavidMBrowder/status/2005701914076254695">enrollment is up</a>. Faculty hiring is up. State investment is stabilizing the school. Buildings once covered in mold are now being brought back into use. In other words, the place was collapsing, and DeSantis did something about it.
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So DeSantis answered — bluntly — on X. Conservatives have complained about universities for years, he noted, but Florida actually acted. His overhaul “re-centered the college on merit, free speech, classical learning and the pursuit of truth,” ensuring New College becomes the premier public liberal arts college in America. No apologies. No hedging.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Conservatives have complained for years about leftist control of universities, but never actually did anything about it.
Our overhaul of New College in Sarasota re-centered the college on the solid intellectual foundations of merit, free speech, classical learning and the… <a href="https://t.co/6q6P7E2TCX">pic.twitter.com/6q6P7E2TCX</a>
&mdash; Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) <a href="https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/2005683823850168614?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
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This is part of a broader pattern. DeSantis, re-elected in a landslide, has systematically pushed back on woke orthodoxy in education, requiring civic literacy, mandating intellectual-freedom surveys, and refusing to let classrooms become indoctrination centers. New College even began accepting the Classic Learning Test, signaling that classical education is welcome again.
To the Times, this is dangerous. To DeSantis, it’s called doing his job.
And while critics cry “authoritarianism,” the numbers tell another story: students are enrolling, the faculty has grown, and parents now have a publicly-funded option that doesn’t sneer at Western civilization. The panic isn’t about academic decline — it’s about leftists losing their monopoly.
Homer replaces ideology. Debate replaces dogma. And that, apparently, is the crime.

NY Times Attacks DeSantis As Florida College Ditches Gender Studies For Classic Western Literature

New York Times

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