- [Narrator] This is a production of WEDU PBS Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota.

- Coming up right now on WEDU.

Former U.S.

Senator and Florida Governor, Bob Graham, dies at the age of 87.

Andrew Warren is running again for Hillsborough State Attorney, the job from which he was suspended by Governor DeSantis.

The National Writers' group says "Florida is number one in the nation for school book banning."

And President Biden plans to campaign in Tampa in the coming week, but will it help stop the rising Republican tide?

Political insights next on "Florida This Week."

(bright music) Welcome back.

Our first guest is Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, a professor of law at Stetson University College of Law.

Professor, welcome to "Florida This Week."

Nice to see you again.

- Thanks for having me.

- I wanna start with a news story about book bans in school libraries.

A new report out this week found that Florida saw the highest number of school library book ban cases in the country in the last half of 2023, 3,135 cases.

The Writers' Freedom group, PEN America says, "Half the cases came in one district, Escambia County in the Florida panhandle."

And I wanna ask you this.

Governor DeSantis has claimed that not a single book has been banned in Florida.

A statement that PolitiFact says was false, but this is what the governor said.

The governor says, "No book is banned in Florida."

He says, "The most grotesque pornographic books that are in schools that have been removed have been removed because they're inappropriate."

And legally speaking, is he right?

Is there no book ban in Florida?

- No, I think we're embarrassingly number one in book bans in the nation.

And if students at public schools can't access books, those books are essentially banned for that student.

- But could the governor say, look, it's people in the community, in the school districts that have an opinion about a book and they just wanna see that book removed from school libraries.

So the state's not involved, its individuals, individual citizens.

- Yeah, well, we are turning individuals against each other.

And what's been happening is individuals are challenging books and then the book is taken off the shelves.

So whether you think of this as the state sort of outsourcing censorship, the result is the same that children in these public schools can't access these books.

- Now, this week the governor signed a bill limiting how many challenges a non-parent may make to books in school libraries.

Is that an admission that the original law went too far?

- Well, I think the original law did go too far, but this is not much of an improvement.

As I understand it, people who do not have a kid in school can still challenge books in Florida.

And then parents who have a kid in school can challenge a infinite number of books in Florida.

So I don't think we've fixed this problem yet.

- All right.

Well, on another topic, the governor signed legislation that prohibits cities and counties in Florida from creating heat protection safety rules for outdoor workers.

This legislation effectively kills a proposal in Miami-Dade County to require a 10 minute break in the shade every two hours for any outdoor construction workers or farm workers.

Here in Florida, there are two million workers that work outside across the state.

Professor, this is one example of a larger effort by Tallahassee to say to local governments, you are no longer in control.

Tallahassee is in control.

What do you think of that trend?

- Yeah, we've seen this all over the country.

There is an enormous amount of tension between red state legislatures and blue cities.

So blue cities will pass some sort of reform and then the Republican legislature will override that reform.

And we've seen that in Florida and now it has come to heat ordinances.

- Is there any way local governments can fight back to say, no, Tallahassee, you can't control?

We're the people that know the problem locally.

We're trying to fix it and you should stay out of this.

- I mean, unfortunately, under the Florida Constitution, the Florida Legislature is essentially the final word here, but it's a sort of troubling trend because the people at the local level probably know better than those in the State Capitol.

- So the number of heat related deaths in Florida has risen 88% from 2019 to 2022.

I'm wondering, it's become very dangerous out there.

There have been about 120,000 workplace injuries around the country due to heat-related injuries.

Can workers who are working outside, let's say a farm worker or a roofer who is forced to stay out too long, suffers an injury because of heat exposure, could they sue their employer?

- So I'm gonna defer on suits by employees to employers as I'm not a lawyer in that area, but what I can say is there may be a conflict between federal law, which also protects workers under OSHA and state law.

So if there's a conflict between federal law and state law, then it's going to be the federal protections that control.

- And I think that's what this legislation does too, is that it says effectively OSHA is in control, the federal agency.

So one last question.

In 2020, the legislature passed protection for high school athletes from heat exposure and you've got a difference now.

Workers don't have access to that protection.

Are we treating two classes of people differently here in Florida?

- It sounds like we are treating workers more poorly than athletes and that's troubling.

We should have heat protections in a state like Florida for both groups.

- Well, professor, thanks for coming on "Florida This Week."

Nice to see you again.

- Good to see you.

(bright music) - Joining us now on our panel, Julia Hassler is a Republican and the president of Libertad, Club Hispano Republicano de Pasco.

Natasha Sutherland is the deputy director of Florida Watch.

And Craig Patrick is the political editor and chief investigative reporter at FOX 13 News.

Nice to have you all here.

Thank you for coming by "Florida This Week."

Former U.S.

Senator and two term Florida Governor, Bob Graham, who gained national prominence as chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee and is an early critic of the Iraq War has died.

He was 87.

He grew up on his family's dairy farm in Dade County.

He was a millionaire, Harvard educated lawyer.

Graham was known for his work days when he would take a new job for a day such as a waiter, a tomato picker, a factory worker, or a department store Santa.

It was his way to meet and connect with ordinary folks.

Over the course of five decades in public life he had a total of 408 outside work days.

Graham was among the earliest opponents of the Iraq War saying it diverted America's focus on the battle against terrorism.

He was also critical of President George W. Bush for failing to have an occupation plan in Iraq after the U.S. military threw out Saddam Hussein in 2003.

He co-chaired the 9/11 Congressional Commission.

Later Graham called for full disclosure about possible Saudi Arabian government involvement in the September 11th terror attacks.

So, Craig, this week, many politicians of all political parties, I mean, President Biden, former President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Democrats, but then many Republicans said nice things about Graham.

Former Governor Jeb Bush did.

Governor DeSantis, Senator Rick Scott, CFO Jimmy Patronis.

Even the Republican Party put out a statement pro Graham this week.

Why do you think he was able to get that much, you know, how many people, I mean, that?

- Yeah, he was a consummate consensus builder.

He was a moderate who was very passionate about his state.

You see his legacy in so many different ways.

Ways you may not realize from the widening of Dale Mabry highway in Tampa to the Skyway Bridge that bears his name, its stability and its safety.

Certainly heading to our south, the preservation and protection and restoration of the Everglades he started that.

And then all across the state there was an economic boom on his watch, but he also balanced that with smart growth.

He gave us the era of growth management laws that were dismantled some 30 years later, but it still reduced urban sprawl much more than we otherwise would have seen.

And then once he left the Senate, among other things, he co-chaired the investigation into the BP oil disaster and recommended changes to prevent a similar such disaster.

He also was a very outspoken advocate for teaching civics in our schools.

Something that Graham often said is that there's a certain core of politicians who think it's to their advantage to have citizens not very well informed because it makes 'em easier to get reelected.

So he always pressed for schools to teach students to be more engaged so that our government would be more responsive.

And I think we're seeing the legacy of that in so many different ways.

He was very popular, and by the way, his successor was former Governor Bob Martinez.

He told us this week that he thought that he was not just polite and collegial, but was always on the right side of the issues.

When are you gonna hear that in today's climate?

A Republican saying his Democratic predecessor was always right on the issues.

That's why Graham left office as governor with an 83% approval rating unheard of in today's world.

- That really is.

Natasha, Graham once said this about his job as governor.

He said, "We work for all the taxpayers of the state of Florida, not just the ones who vote for me."

Is that era over where we see politicians trying to bridge the gap?

- I really hope not.

You know, Bob Graham, he served with integrity, honesty, decency and compassion.

And it's been really incredible to see the outpouring from folks on both sides of the aisle that reflect on his life of service and leadership.

He was a champion for everyday working Floridians.

I mean, even his commitment to periodic work days where he took on hundreds of jobs and I think it really showed his commitment to walking in all of our shoes to show how much he cared.

And I really hope that this isn't the last that we'll see of, you know, magnificent politicians like him.

And I know that he'll be sorely missed, so.

He definitely set an example that I hope that politicians in Florida will strive for.

- Julia, do you think we can get back to those days?

- Well, we certainly should in many ways because whomever is in leadership is representing.

If they already won, they have a position of responsibility for every citizen of our Florida.

So whether it's this county or that one, I'm from Pasco, you know, we all have to understand that people are watching, and he was certainly a people person, so that's why he identified with different jobs just to show, I mean, just to even know how hard it was to be a waiter, to be a farm worker, to be in any type of position, so.

- Yeah, a lot of those were blue collar jobs.

- Yes.

- Yeah.

Well, in a surprise move, Andrew Warren, the twice elected Hillsborough State attorney, who was suspended from office by the governor in 2022, said this week that he will run again for the job.

Warren was suspended by the governor after he signed pledges vowing not to prosecute cases involving transgender healthcare or Florida's abortion law.

- That is what the legislature has enacted.

And it's not for him to put himself above that and say that he is not going to enforce the laws.

- [Rob] Warren's policies also discouraged prosecuting certain low-level nonviolent crimes in cases arising from police stopping people for incorrectly riding their bicycles.

After his suspension, Warren sued to get his job back and the federal court agreed that Warren's First Amendment rights had been violated by the governor.

And an appellate court said a federal judge in Tallahassee has the right to restore Warren to the job as state attorney.

However, so far that judge has not acted.

- The courts found very clearly I had done nothing wrong.

I did nothing wrong other than speak out on issues of public concern, which is my right both as a private citizen and especially my right and my obligation as a public official.

- Natasha, it's kind of late in the year.

Why do you think Andrew Warren changed his mind?

- I think that he's ready for the people to speak again.

I mean, I think that he believes in democracy and that's important.

And, you know, as was mentioned, the people chose him twice already as state attorney, so why not allow them to make their voices heard loud and clear once again?

I think that he believes in, you know, fair representation and making sure that, you know, folks have exactly the person that they need in those offices they elected.

It's not really a partisan issue.

It's an issue about, you know, whether or not folks believe in the rule of law or the Constitution, and that sort of thing.

And I think that, you know, Andrew Warren is a man of the people and that's why.

- And in some ways do you think that this is gonna be kind of a referendum on Governor DeSantis and his handling of his job for Hillsborough voters to say, yes, I approve of the way the governor's handling his job, or, no, I disapprove so I'm gonna vote for Andrew Warren?

- I mean, I think in some ways it could be, you know, but I think we have to also remember that, you know, Governor DeSantis has done things that show that maybe he doesn't exactly believe in democracy.

And I think that really this is more so leaving it to the people to decide for themselves who they want in charge of things that are local issues.

- Julia, you told me that you were at the press conference where the governor announced that Andrew Warren was being suspended.

Why did you go and what did you think of the suspension?

What do you think of his decision to run?

- Well, in a way I understand, but at that point, when you are representing a position as his, you must abide by the law.

And I support Governor DeSantis on this a hundred percent.

And I think when you hold a position where you have to follow certain, what you think personally, it's not what does the job.

It is only what you are hired to do.

- Craig, Andrew Warren says, all state prosecutors have discretion and they can decide how to enforce laws, which laws to enforce.

Julia says, well, you've gotta follow the law to the letter.

Warren says, look, I disagree with the laws against abortion, against arresting kids who are riding the wrong way on bicycles and giving them tickets at least.

What do you think about Warren's decision to run?

- Well, his decision I think is based on so many different variables that we have in this year's election.

You've got a recreational marijuana question.

You also have an abortion question that could drive more voters out who wouldn't otherwise vote and based on the circumstances of his removal, could ultimately give him a boost.

Another variable, who's the incumbent?

We know who the incumbent is today.

We don't know how the litigation will ultimately work out and whether he gets reinstated, where would that lead?

All of this I think is telling Andrew Warren that he's got a shot at this thing, so why not give it another try?

Especially after the court ultimately agreed with him and disagreed with the assertion that he had done anything illegal that you can say something and as long as you don't act on it, you're not necessarily, or you're not breaking a law that it becomes a matter of free speech.

And I think this is going to be one way or another, a referendum on Governor DeSantis because he made Andrew Warren a central piece of his presidential campaign before he dropped out, so.

Among other things that made Andrew Warren a household name in the world of at least state politics in Florida and even beyond.

And so Warren recognizes that can work for him or against him, to what extent just isn't clear because we've got a whole calculus equation that makes your head hurt of all the different factors that work into this.

Of course, you know, you've got a presidential race at the top of the ticket, and some unresolved trials of one of the presumed candidates.

We just don't know which way any of this is gonna go.

Therefore, you don't know the turnout mix.

It ultimately will be left to voters.

This is all a big mystery to us.

Warren's looking at that and saying, why not?

- All right.

Suzy Lopez, who is in the office right now appointed by the governor.

She has $400,000 in campaign money that she can tap into.

That's a lot of money.

It's getting pretty late in the year.

There's gonna be a primary two in August for the Democrats.

Is it too late?

- Well, we don't wanna discount Ms. Strauss because we're presuming that he will get the nomination.

So we may be jumping the gun on that.

And when you're talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars, you're at an economic disadvantage, but, also, what have we seen?

Money doesn't always vote, people do.

And because we have such an unusual confluence of circumstances approaching this November, I think that may neuter the impact of money.

By the way, President Biden has a significant advantage in fundraising, but based on the circumstances, it may not help him as much as we have seen in prior cycles because the candidates are already so well-known.

What do we have in this race?

Two candidates, presumably.

One's gotta get through the primary who are also very, very, very well-known.

- Okay, well, the "Tampa Bay Times" reports that Governor DeSantis is proclaiming that the Tampa Bay region is no longer a toss-up, politically speaking, that is.

The governor is citing voter registration numbers posted this on social media.

Prior to 2021, Florida never had more registered Republicans than Democrats, but now a million voter R registration advantage is within reach.

Hillsborough is about to flip from D to R, which will mean every county in the Tampa Bay market has an R advantage in this previously swing region of the state.

And the Tampa Bay area went solidly for DeSantis during his 2022 blowout reelection win against Democrat Charlie Krist and Republicans have since made significant gains in voter registration in Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties.

The governor's declaration comes as the White House announced that President Joe Biden will be visiting Tampa this coming Tuesday.

So why are the Democrats, Julia, making so many gains?

- The Democrats?

- The Republicans, why?

- Yeah, the Republicans exactly.

Well, we have so many Hispanics.

I'm gonna talk as a minority for a second, and, you know, we are about faith, family and freedom.

And all of that nonsense has got to stop because we believe on conservative values.

So, therefore, you know, people that are actually wanting their vote to count now they are switching, or they are coming from all these blue states that now they're saying, oh no, Florida, it's about my kids, it's about my country, no.

- What is it about Democrats that Latinos feel don't appeal to faith, family and freedom?

- Well, they have way too many topics that are against our Christian values and about our children.

When it comes to family, that is a priority for Latinos.

And the same way, you know, we came here escaping communism, socialism, dictators, et cetera, terrorism, living in fear.

So we came to the land of the free precisely to be one.

We acquire our American citizenship with pride.

- Craig, this area was strong for President Obama, even for most Democratic presidential candidates in years past.

Why do you think the change is happening?

- Well, the change in voter registration, I think Julia's right about part of it.

It would be a lot of people moving from the northeast and progressive areas.

You'd say, well, that would bring more Democrats.

No, during the pandemic and the age of telecommuting, when they were longer tethered to living in a specific area, many who may have disagreed with policies of their government leaders decided that they could move south to Florida.

That's why the data shows we statistically saw more conservatives and more Republicans moving to Florida.

Also a big part of this has been prior Democratic Party management, frankly, failing and failing badly.

In terms of messaging their economic message that they're there for the working people just did not get through to the voters.

And also in terms of logistics, they ran miserable Get Out The Vote efforts.

They had little to no ground game and it showed over and over again.

Having said that, though, there is new management now, that's relatively untested.

Did pretty well last year in Jacksonville, didn't they?

- Let's bring Natasha and Natasha, we just have a minute, but what would you say about what this apparent term means?

And can it be changed around?

- Yeah, I think it can.

And I think we welcome President Biden to be laser-focused on the issues that Floridians actually care about, like lowering costs.

And as he stated, you know, we've had some wins on the progressive side.

We've got Democrats taking back Jacksonville mayor's office.

We flipped a seat in a special election electing Tom Keen in the state house and House District 35 in Central Florida by capturing actually 70% of NPA voters.

And as was mentioned before as well, 1.2 million signatures across party lines to put limiting government interference with abortion on the ballot this fall.

I believe that Florida is in play and for democracy to work, all of our politicians have to be working hard to actually earn our vote regardless of our party, regardless of the registration.

And so I believe that the fight for Florida continues.

- All right, before we go, what other news stories should we be paying attention to?

Julia, let's start with you.

- Well, I'm running for Pasco State committeewoman and I would love your vote.

For youth reaching our values and principles and still for them respect, you know, we need to get to the faith-based also because everybody needs to vote this election.

And also minorities.

I am the president of a Hispanic Republican outreach club and I am proud to be representing, not just as I just said minorities, that we're gaining in doing voter registration in any event, but just being a Republican conservative in Pasco County.

Thank you.

- All right Natasha, your other big story of the week.

- Yeah, I've been paying attention to the 22,000 vulnerable Florida children that have lost subsidized healthcare this year despite the federal protections in place to prevent that.

So I think that folks really need to be paying attention to these vulnerable children that need healthcare.

- All right, Craig, your other big story.

- Well, she's right about kid care.

I would add one more.

This one flew under the radar I would say a good bit.

It's an international story that affects Florida significantly.

That'd be the new Copernicus report it dropped Friday.

These would be the nations of Europe showing the accelerating effects of climate change.

What you're finding is that March, the warmest March on record.

February, warmest March, January.

For 10 straight months we now have a situation where we are seeing rapidly escalating accelerating effects of climate change.

Of course, that disproportionately affects the state of Florida in the heart of Hurricane Alley.

That speaks to, among other things, the home insurance crisis because reinsurance rates and therefore our rates in the end are affected largely by models that factor the effects of climate change into the mix.

It also affects certainly the oncoming hurricane season as well.

And it speaks to the need, one, to continue to find ways to reduce our reliance on fossil fuel.

And, two, also to focus on ways to continue to harden our homes and our communities and prepare for, unfortunately, the effects yet to come.

- All right, well, thanks to our guests, Julia Hassler, Natasha Sutherland and Craig Patrick.

Thank you very much.

Finally, another great musician with Florida roots has died.

Dickey Betts, a co-founder of the Allman Brothers Band, died peacefully at his home in Osprey surrounded by his family this week.

He was born in Bradenton.

He was best known for his song "Ramblin' Man."

♪ Daddy was a gambler down in Georgia ♪ ♪ He wound up on the wrong end of a gun ♪ ♪ And I was born in the back seat of a Greyhound bus ♪ ♪ Rollin' down highway 41 ♪ ♪ Lord I was born a ramblin' man ♪ ♪ Tryin' to make a livin' and doin' the best I can ♪ ♪ And when it's time for leavin' ♪ ♪ I hope you'll understand ♪ ♪ That I was born a ramblin' man ♪ (bright music)