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(Tempo) Florida this Week is made possible in part by support from the Tampa Bay Times.

- Coming up next as Liz Cheney is booted from the Republican leadership in Congress.

What does it mean for the party in Florida?

The special session on gambling expansion gets underway next week.

A lawsuit is filed against the new state law expanding penalties on protesters and more state money is heading to private schools.

Political insights next on Florida this Week.

(upbeat music) - Welcome back.

There was a shakeup in the Republican Party's congressional leadership this week.

Congresswoman Liz Cheney was removed from her senior post after warning that ex-president Donald Trump posed a threat to our democracy.

The vote house Cheney came as some congressional Republicans during a hearing on Wednesday downplayed the January 6th, assault on the U.S. Capitol.

Here's Georgia Congressman Andrew Clyde.

- There was no insurrection and to call it an insurrection in my opinion is a bold face lying.

Watching the TV footage of those who entered the Capitol and walked through Statuary hall, showed people in an orderly fashion staying between the stanchions and ropes taking videos and pictures.

You know, if you didn't know that the TV footage was a video from January the 6th, you would actually think it was a normal tourist visit.

- (Rob) But as law enforcement has reported, and those who've watched the hours of video of the invasion know, the extremists who stormed the Capitol were armed.

They had Bear Spray at nine millimeter semiautomatic handgun, battering rams, nooses, zip ties, racist symbols and even chanted the names of politicians that they were searching for.

Protests of a different kind or at the center of a new legal challenge here in Florida.

The NAACP legal defense and education fund and the ACLU filed a lawsuit in federal court this week against that so-called 'anti-riot' bill signed last month by the governor.

The governor says the state needs additional penalties against protestors who take part in demonstrations that turn violent.

The law was first proposed after last summer's massive protest in the wake of police killings of black people.

The protest involved millions of people who peacefully who marched here in Florida and around the country.

But a few cities did see some violence related to those protests.

The governor signed a bill this week that would vastly expand school vouchers, making more middle class and upper middle-class families available to use the subsidy, to pay, to send their children to private schools.

There's going to be more opportunities for more students and and more families throughout the state of Florida as a result of this legislation.

- [Rob] And a special session gets underway in Tallahassee on Monday for lawmakers to consider vastly expanding gambling in Florida, especially sports betting.

The demotion of Liz Cheney this week as part of a split is part of a split Republican party over how to deal with former president Trump and the January 6th insurrection for more than 30 years, Lawyer Mac Stipanovich, was a major figure in the Republican Party.

He was the Florida executive director for the Reagan Bush campaign in 1984 Chief of Staff and former Governor Bob Martinez and Senior Advisor to Jeb Bush.

He's currently not affiliated with a political party and Mac Stipanovich joins us now.

Mac, good to see you.

- Good to see you again.

So, what message does it say to those Florida Republicans that Liz Cheney has been ousted or Florida Republicans who think that the election was not stolen and that the insurrection was a real thing?

- Well, it says is you better be very quiet that it's not safe to tell the truth.

It's not safe to be honest and it's really not safe to defend democracy anymore.

If you're a Republican, you have to defend Donald Trump which is certainly not the same thing.

- Mac are there many Republicans that you've talked to in Florida that, that feel that way?

Or, or if they just disappeared?

I mean, are, are there many Republicans that they're upset at the direction of the party?

- You know, most of them were so coward by their ambition and desire to be reelected that I'm not sure how much they think about it at all.

That's what, that's the extraordinary thing about what happened to Liz Cheney and what she did is that, you know I can't think of another politician at least recently who took a principle stand and was willing to be run out of office for it.

Some have retired like Jeff Blake or Bob Corker or something, and then mumble some things as they went out the door, but Cheney's courage.

And her lack of fear is extraordinary.

Commentary on the Times, that we would find somebody who stands on principle to be remarkable.

- Let me play a soundbite from Liz Cheney on Thursday on Fox News and the topic of whether or not the election was stolen was discussed.

And here here's the soundbite.

- We all have an obligation.

And I would say Fox News, especially, especially Fox News has a particular obligation to make sure people know that the election wasn't stolen.

Fox News - I think you've said that numerous times - Fox News, Bret, I'm going to answer your question.

Fox news needs to make sure that the American people - No, but if you're mentioning Fox News, you have to know this show that we've said that numerous times Brett you're doing the interview, I'm answering the questions.

- Congresswoman - We need to make sure that the American people recognize and understand that the election wasn't stolen, that we shouldn't perpetuate the big lie And that there's real danger.

- So Mack, in terms of the party, faithful, who believed the election was stolen, who believed that there wasn't an insurrection.

How important is Fox News to that belief?

- Well, I think that Fox News is actually is right-wing and extreme as it is, is among the more moderate among the three that includes OAN and Newsmax and Congresswoman Chaney is exactly right.

The bedrock of democracy is the public's belief in the legitimacy of its government and what Donald Trump has done.

And what Republicans are continuing to do on his behalf is chip away at hammer away at that confidence.

It is incredibly dangerous, incredibly irresponsible.

And I think that you know that history is going to judge all of them very harshly and Liz Cheney, not so much - Mac, you have a column this weekend in the Tampa Bay times.

And it's about searching for that middle ground that elusive middle ground that we seem not to be able to find.

If you were to pick out a Democrat and Republican from here in Florida, that might be able to work together on some sort of compromise.

And don't see each other as enemies, who would you pick for your team?

- Well, there are Democrats running that in their heart are center-left and not left-wing extremist are at least running or going to be running.

Charlie Chris is one of them.

And Val Demings is probably one of them, even Nikki Freed is one of them.

There's not currently a extremist Democrat on the horizon.

On the other side, like I said, the Republicans are so coward that it's hard to name anyone who's currently in office but folks who were formerly Republicans and would be center-right would be David Jolly, Francis Rooney.

A small handful of folks.

- It's a disappearing group of people.

Well, Mac - Well , yeah, like what I said before you got to wait till old white guys like me die off before the Republican party can recover.

- Well, I hope that doesn't come any time soon especially for you (laughter) - Mac, thanks a lot.

Thanks for coming on the program.

- I appreciate it.

Thank you.

(techno music) - The work of the Florida legislature will continue next week with a special session to deal with the new gambling agreement with the Seminole Tribe.

Joe Brown is an Independent journalist and was a long time reporter and columnist at the Tampa Tribune.

And he joins us now, Joe, good to see you.

- Yeah, glad to be back - Joe, this special session begins on Monday and it's pretty big.

There there's a lot of elements to this gambling expansion.

Um, it would make Florida the biggest state in the country for online sports betting for using a mobile app.

And I'm wondering what, what's your take on this?

This, this agreement was arrived at, by the governor and the Seminole Tribe just a few weeks ago.

What's your take on, on expanded gambling here in Florida?

- Well, they've been trying to expand it for as long as I've been here.

They've been trying to roll the dice no pun unintended and see how far they could, how much they could get away with, you know.

Look at these commercials, I'm sure you've seen them about all what this agreement is going to do.

Make a sound so rosy, you know I mean, half a billion dollars is not that much in our budget when you stop and think about it.

So I don't see it as really in this expansion but I don't think it's going to provide that much of a benefit.

- Part of it is the sports gambling, but then there are some concerns that maybe a dormant slot machine licenses would be revived and that some millionaires or billionaires will get ahold of them and use them to expand gambling.

Right now we have about 13 places across the state where physically you can gamble.

This means that everybody's cell phone is a gambling spot.

And I'm just wondering, what does that do to our family friendly reputation here in Florida if we expand gambling?

- Well, the law is limited to cell phones.

There's not much we can do about it, but already the proponents of Amendment III which was passed by 71% of Florida voters in 2018, have said, they're going to fight this in court.

And you know, so it's just going to be limited.

Any expansion in a casino has to be approved by the voters.

So that's, it'll be limited as far as where you can do all this stuff.

- And do you think that there was a rush to get this?

get this measure before the legislature?

I mean the, the governor and the Seminole Tribe negotiated this privately just a few weeks ago now it's being presented to the legislature.

Has there been a rush to do this?

Has there been adequate conversation?

(laughter) - Not to, well, obviously not between a couple of people.

Yeah.

But not, you know, between the folks who were supposed to decide what's best for the citizens of Florida.

And why couldn't they have brought this up weeks ago, months ago, you know, when the legislature was in session I don't understand that, you know, but again, again its, it's going to have to be approved by the voters if it expands in casinos - The physical casinos.

Yeah.

So, Joe, I want to ask you another question recently the governor signed these new voting restrictions on mail and voting.

You're retired from your job at the newspaper.

Tell me, what do you make of the restrictions on mail and voting?

How, how important is mail and voting to seniors like yourself?

- Very important.

I voted an person the last election while I was there.

I noticed, you know, the dropout box at the old polling places and somebody monitoring them.

And I thought, you know, instead of me struggling with my arthritic knees to get out the car and everything I took, I could just make out my ballot at home, drop it off at the box right there.

And that's it And then check online later to make sure my vote counted.

What could be better than that.

But now I don't even know if if I have to reapply, to vote by mail.

- Ah, so I wonder how many people are in your position, maybe a little older, maybe they're their knees aren't as good as they were.

And, and it's hard for them to get around.

I wonder how many people are going to be impacted by this law.

- More than they think I'll tell you.

You know, in fact, there's been a lot of hyperbole about this and you know, going back to Jim Crow days.

I'm not going to go that far, but it does go back to the days when the people are making it hard for certain people to vote and it might come back to haunt them.

Cause some of the people they want to vote might not be able to vote.

- Well, Joe Brown, it's always great to see you.

Thanks for coming back on the program.

- Oh yeah.

Any time.

I'm not going anywhere.

(laughter) (techno music) - Governor DeSantis signed a new bill into law this week greatly expanding Florida's K through 12 school voucher program.

He signed the bill at St. John, the Apostle Catholic School in Hialeah, private school that heavily relies on state scholarships.

Jennifer Martinez is the president of the Florida PTA which advocates for all families with a focus on diversity, equity and engagement.

Jennifer Martinez, welcome back to Florida this week.

- Thank you so much for having me.

It's my pleasure to be here to speak on behalf of all children.

- So the governor signed the school voucher bill this week 60,000 more students will become eligible for school vouchers.

What do you make of the expansion?

- Florida PTA was in Tallahassee.

This session, we did speak out against what was Senate bill 48 and it's now 70 45.

And the reason we spoke against it as PTA supports parental choice obviously you want to do what's best for your family.

We fully believe that parents have the right to choose the best education for their students.

And we want all children to reach their fullest potential and to have all their needs met.

However, we support accountability and transparency which is severely lacking in some of our private schools and some of the charter schools that these vouchers scholarships go to.

- (Rob) So.

- We also Go ahead - No, go ahead.

- Okay.

We also support and believe that any education institution receiving public tax dollars must offer a FAPE, Free Appropriate Public Education for all and they should not be discriminated against due to sexual orientation, religion, or due to disability.

- And you think that goes on in some of these schools.

Some of the schools are turning away people because of a disability or a sexual orientation.

- Well, if you read some of the reports that was done by the auditor general, and if you read some of the reports that was done by Step-Up, those are the things that are included in there.

They report that no such transparency data exists for K-12 scholarship, accepting private schools.

The most recent state mandated report on the academic performance of schools were, you know serving the Florida tax credit scholarship students list by name only those students with 30 or more test takers over three-year period of 1,542 private schools reporting test scores in 2018, 2019.

This report is only listing about 30% individually with the remaining 68.84% flying under the radar.

You know, and these are things that are a part of the public school system that are mandated.

So all we're saying is you can't compare an apple to an orange.

You can't say the public schools are failing.

and then continue to not fund them to be successful.

- I think the governor's presumption is that every private school is superior to a failing public school.

And he said, we want to give parents a choice to send their kids take their kids out of a failing public school and put them in a private school.

You're saying that not every private school is a good school.

- Well, what I'm saying is that they don't have the same accountability and transparency measures that are traditional public schools are held to.

And when you're going to make statements about public schools that are failing you need to be speaking representative of how they are comparative.

When you are saying this one is mandated to do this and this one doesn't have to do that.

You can't have the same successes coming out of those two.

That's like trying to make orange juice with an apple.

You're going to get apple juice.

You're not going to get orange juice.

- So some of the money that is going to go for this voucher expansion program is coming from the state coffers.

It's no longer the tax credit program exclusively.

What impact does this have on existing public schools around Florida?

- Well, over 80% of the voucher schools go to religious schools, mostly Christian.

Some of these schools, denounce evolution teach Bible centers or the Alarm Orlando Science Center earlier said that at least 156 of the Christian schools have anti-gay views more than 20,000 students with tuition paid for by the state backed scholarships of these campuses, 83% refuse LGBTQ students or could expel them for sexual orientation, again going against being acceptable, accepting of all children.

And it does deplete the funding when our public schools are lacking in adequate HVAC systems and infrastructure, books.

And these are the necessary tools that are needed, yet.

We continue to see in this current legislature, unfunded mandates coming down, decrease, we're still at a pure pupil ratio that I believe is from like eight years ago but everything else is increasing.

And we are asking our traditional public schools to continue to do more with less.

- So Jennifer, we just have 20 seconds.

If you were to give a grade to this legislature on how well it's supported public schools existing public schools, what grade would you give it?

- Well, that's a tough question.

I don't know if I can honestly answer that but based on our membership and where we are, it it would not be a supportive of a public education.

Public education in our opinion has not been fully supported by this legislature.

- Jennifer Martinez, thanks a lot for coming on Florida This Week.

- Thank you so much for having me (techno music) - Civil rights groups including the ACLU have filed a suit this week seeking to overturn that new so-called 'anti-riot' law.

Michael Kubic is the Executive Director of the ACLU of Florida.

Micah, thanks for coming back on Florida this week.

Nice to have you here.

- Thanks for having me.

- So what's your biggest objection to what the governor and others have called the 'anti-Riot Bill.

- This is really a bill that is not about rioting at all.

It's about making it hard for folks to speak out.

It's a bill that is about criminalizing peaceful protest.

It's a bill that's overly broad.

That makes it so that if you just show up at a protest that someone decides is disruptive that you can be arrested for rioting.

Like even though you yourself didn't participate in the activity.

This is really about criminalizing protest making it hard for folks to speak out, especially Black and Brown Floridians.

Who've been protesting for racial justice and that makes the whole bill really a disgrace.

Something that debases our democracy.

And as about stifling, our First Amendment rights that's something that simply cannot stand.

- The governor and the supporters in the legislature say, look we don't want what happened on West Coast to happen here in Florida.

So we need additional laws in Florida to protect us against the violence that we saw in places like Portland or also in Minneapolis.

And then they say, without these laws we won't have any protection.

What do you say?

- Well, they say a lot of things.

They also say for example, that the bill is necessary because of the coup attempt that happened in January.

Even though they introduced the bill in September.

When they introduced the bill in September, they were very clear.

The governor was very clear that it was about making it hard for Black Lives Matter protesters to speak out.

The reality is that we have not had that sort violence or disruption in the state of Florida.

We've had folks out in the streets almost every day for a year without that kind of disruption.

And in cases where there is disruption we already have laws on the books.

It's already against the law to throw a rock through a window.

It's already against the law to engage in violence.

You don't have to create a new law to do that.

You just have to use the existing ones.

And the law that they have created is one that is so vague, so general that it says that you can just show up at an event and you can be one person at an event of a thousand people, and you can still be guilty of a crime that you didn't participate in.

That's about making it so that people are afraid to speak out.

And that's contrary to our values as Americans - By that measure, as you pointed out earlier if there were 40,000 people at the Capitol protest and several thousand broke into the Capitol and committed felonies, but the rest stayed outside.

Would all of the people that participate in the protest be liable for the felony?

- I think it's certainly the case that under the bill that was passed here that that would absolutely be possible.

I think it's a great question that folks should ask Governor DeSantis and the folks who voted for this.

Do they think that every single person who was present on the National Hall at Washington DC on January 6th?

Would they all be eligible to be charged under this bill?

I think the reality is that this is a bill, that's about making it hard for folks to protest, scaring people.

And we should remember too, that the bill also says that if you are a passing motorists and decide that you are frightened, that you are afraid of the protest that you see in front of you you're able to run over protesters with your car kill them and not be held civilly liable.

It's very clear that that's about making people afraid about giving impunity to those who want to do harm to protestors especially those speaking out for racial justice.

And that's, again, a reason why this is just a disaster and a disgrace of a bill.

- Mike, the, this is this challenge to the law has been filed in federal court.

Are the courts stacked against you?

Do you think that if this eventually makes it its way to the U S Supreme court, that you won't have a chance to try to overturn the Florida law?

- I, I believe the courts are still stacked in favor of truth and justice and freedom and the values that we have in the constitution.

And I think this bill's fault flies squarely in the face of all of those values.

I think there are folks across the ideological spectrum who see this bill as a rejection of free speech who see it as a rejection of the First Amendment and who know that just because Governor DeSantis is targeting Black Lives Matter protesters today doesn't mean that there won't be someone else tomorrow who is the target of law enforcement or a governor who doesn't like what they say.

That's what the First Amendment is about, is being able to speak out, regardless of what you say.

And this bill would make that more difficult for everyone not just racial justice protesters, but also folks adopting a much more conservative perspective.

And so I think the courts are going to respond to that and see it as the attack on the constitution, It really is.

- Michael Kubic of the Florida ACLU.

Thanks a lot.

Thanks for coming on the program.

- Thanks for having me.

(techno music) - Well, finally, Playing For Change is a movement created to inspire and connect the world through music with the belief that music has the power to break down barriers.

Here's their version of All Along The Watchtower, Stay safe ,take care of each other.

We'll see you next week.

(indie music) - All along watchtower Princes kept the view While all the women came and went Barefoot servants, too uh, outside in the cold distance A wildcat did growl Two riders were approaching And the wind began to howl, - Ahhh!

, hey ye!

- Ah ah ha Florida This Week is a production of WEDU who is solely responsible for its content