Florida State Republicans Made Shameless Bait & Switch Legislation

On January 27, 2025, the State Legislature was called in for a special session to tackle several key issues that are of crucial importance to the people of Florida. Called to Tallahassee by Governor Ron DeSantis, Floridians expected a smooth process in which their concerns would be addressed by their elected officials. Unfortunately, the public learned that the State Legislature serves everyone but the people.

Within thirty minutes, the Republican supermajority-dominated House and Senate declared the Governor’s special session was over. Furthermore, they overrode the Governor’s veto on the state budget and reinstated frivolous spending against the wishes of the taxpayers.

Over the past four years, Floridians have been driven to pinch pennies in ways that our grandparents and great-grandparents did during the Great Depression. The majority of Florida’s Republican lawmakers voted unanimously with their Democrat counterparts, and essentially said in a loud, unified voice, “It isn’t our money we’re spending, who cares about being fiscally conservative. LET’S SPEND IT!”

Furthermore, Republican lawmakers showed Florida voters that their voices and opinions do not matter. These voices and opinions were quantified in the 2022 gubernatorial election, where Gov. DeSantis won statewide in record numbers that haven’t been seen since the days of Ronald Reagan. Gov. DeSantis was elected to office by the people of Florida on a number of key issues: Immigration enforcement, home ownership protections, and most importantly, Second Amendment rights restorations.

The Republican Legislature scuttled the Governor’s immigration plan. Instead, they introduced their own piece of legislation, which was extremely watered down, and they had the nerve to name it the Trump Act. Florida's Republicans believed that if they named it after President Trump, the people would gloss over the fact that it is worthless legislation. This isn’t the first time Florida's voters have seen such repulsive actions from Florida’s Republican lawmakers. Florida’s gun owners have been facing this for over a decade now.

In 2023, State Republicans proudly proclaimed that they were introducing Constitutional Carry, yet it was missing a key provision -- permitless open carry -- and they pushed the bill through without amending it to be real Constitutional Carry. When Gun Owners of America and their allies showed up at the Capitol during the committee hearings, demanding that open carry be added to the permitless concealed-only carry bill, Republican Rep. Chuck Brannan threw gun owners’ Constitutional Carry petitions in the trash.

Republican lawmakers continue to blatantly ignore the views and opinions of their constituency. This was after Gov. DeSantis himself said he was in support of open carry being added to the bill. The same is now being done with immigration enforcement.

The Trump Act states that the Commissioner of Agriculture & Consumer Services would be Florida’s top immigration enforcement official. That is Wilton Simpson, who, as a previous Senate President, was caught on an open mic during the pandemic, cheering that the 2021 session was "going to be a very productive session with all the leeches outside.” By leeches, he meant the people; who have the right to be in the Capitol and speak with their lawmakers.

It’s not surprising that pro-immigration enforcement groups are furious with Wilton Simpson and his political underlings over the way they have gutted immigration enforcement legislation. And before we forget, Wilton Simpson was also a key figure in pushing gun control after the Parkland tragedy in 2018. So, seeing him and his political lackeys pull a bait & switch on the public isn’t anything new. As a former state law enforcement officer, I can personally attest that a number of businesses in the state hire illegal aliens, and those businesses got slaps on the wrist instead of actual punishments. They get away with slaps on the wrist because of the actions of key lawmakers like Wilton Simpson.

Appointing Wilton Simpson as Florida’s top immigration enforcement officer is like appointing the local drug addict to run the drug evidence locker for the local PD. The actions of House Speaker Daniel Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton are atrocious, stink of political elitism, and remind me of something I’d see in Fidel Castro’s Communist Cuba or Gavin Newsom’s Authoritarian California.

They claim they represent the people, yet their actions clearly show where they stand. Sen. President Ben Albritton said he’s against open carry and House Speaker Daniel Perez echoed Albritton’s statements. Now we see the same being done for immigration enforcement.

With Republicans like these, who needs Democrats?

Luis Valdes is Gun Owners of America’s Florida State Director and a loud mouthed freedom loving, communist hating, Cuban-American. You can follow him on X at @RealFLGunLobby.

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