Excellent news this week, as Gov. Ron DeSantis seems able to again additional teacher pay raises forward of the 2026 Legislative Session.
Talking at a Instructor of the Yr ceremony in Orlando, DeSantis spoke of the $1.36 billion pot on this 12 months’s price range devoted to instructor salaries, a complete the Home initially resisted.
“I feel we will do higher subsequent 12 months, so we’ll be pushing for that, and simply be sure to inform your state Representatives to get with this system right here,” DeSantis mentioned, by no means resisting an opportunity to take a shot at his newfound enemies within the Home.
Interchamber bickering apart, that’s a welcome announcement for the hardworking academics who do one of the vital jobs in society: assist educate our youngsters and construct them up to achieve success.
But it surely’s vital to notice that these raises could also be a matter of necessity, as DeSantis’ personal administration seeks to exert extra management over the state’s training system.
He’s already made the problem a precedence throughout his tenure as Governor. However simply this week, DeSantis’ hand-selected Training Commissioner, Anastasios Kamoutsas, issued an additional warning to colleges to make sure they’re backing parental rights initiatives.
As we’ve written, the Left has been a bit too excessive right here in endorsing a kind of something goes angle within the classroom within the identify of inclusivity. However the Proper’s counterbalance to that has been to empower kooks to go elevate hell at Faculty Board conferences and past to attempt to bully educators into bending to their will.
Kamoutsas’ letter seems to foreshadow extra penalties if faculties aren’t toeing the administration’s line. And add to that one other announcement this week from the State Board of Training lowering the standards for specialists who handle faculty library books. In different phrases, it’s a approach of getting in unqualified individuals who will even implement the administration’s viewpoint right here.
That’s to not point out all the modifications coming as a result of cuts in the U.S. Department of Education.
These seemingly aren’t welcome bulletins for academics throughout the state, who seemingly aren’t eager to have the state continuously watching over their shoulder.
So extra pay raises could be the price of doing enterprise to keep away from an extra exodus of instructing expertise from Florida.
Now, it’s onto our weekly sport of winners and losers.
Winners
Honorable point out: Rays baseball in Tampa Bay. It seems the Tampa Bay Rays — with emphasis on “Tampa Bay” — have discovered a lifeline.
As The Athletic reported this week, it seems there’s a deal to promote the crew to Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski, who in flip says he’ll hold the crew within the Tampa Bay space.
The information adopted months of uncertainty after a deal to construct a brand new stadium within the Historic Gasoline Plant District, together with new growth, fell by following the fallout from Hurricane Milton.
With that deal useless, it was unclear what Rays proprietor Stuart Sternberg would do going ahead. Now, Sternberg might be out of the image solely, with an settlement in precept to promote the crew for $1.7 billion.
Curiously, whereas Zalupski desires to maintain the crew native, he does reportedly choose having the brand new stadium in Tampa slightly than in St. Pete.
It stays to be seen how which may occur or whether or not it may possibly assist the Rays overcome their fame as one of many worst-attended teams in baseball. However at the least a technology who has grown up with the crew gained’t have it yanked out of town due to a domino impact triggered by an act of God.
Virtually (however not fairly) the largest winner: Ralph Massullo. In 2022, Massullo — then a member of the Home — acquired bullied out of working for the open Senate District 11 seat after Gov. Ron DeSantis determined to endorse his shut ally, Blaise Ingoglia, within the Republican Major.
With DeSantis then on the peak of his powers in Florida, Massullo noticed the writing on the wall and withdrew from the race, returning to the Home and successful a fourth and remaining time period.
There might be no such drama this time.
Massullo, now two years faraway from service after hitting time period limits, announced his run for the SD 11 seat in a Particular Election to exchange Ingoglia as Senator after DeSantis appointed Ingoglia as Chief Monetary Officer (extra on that in a second).
And this time, Massullo is working with the Governor’s help.
“Succeeding Blaise Ingoglia within the Senate might be a troublesome act to observe, but when anybody can do it, Ralph Massullo can,” DeSantis posted on X. “Ralph has my help to be the subsequent senator from Senate District 11.”
That every one however ensures that Massullo will win this Particular Election, setting him as much as run as an incumbent in November 2026.
The most important winner: Ingoglia. Ingoglia will now be part of the Cupboard, a transfer that may enable him to have incumbent standing forward of a high-powered 2026 showdown with Sen. Joe Gruters.
It’s a stark transfer by DeSantis, who’s openly defying President Donald Trump’s most popular selection in Gruters and choosing Ingoglia as an alternative.
DeSantis additionally took the time to bash Gruters at a presser asserting his collection of Ingoglia, displaying the Governor is able to spend political capital to again Ingoglia as he runs for a full time period in 2026.
For Ingoglia, he’ll now see his profile rise, and it’s seemingly that he and DeSantis have a fallback place prepared for him relying on how subsequent 12 months’s Major shakes out.
And now it’s time for our recurring reminder that this can be a weekly column.
Ingoglia is clearly on prime this week. He gained out to succeed now-U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis on this position. For now, the Spring Hill Republican will exit a physique the place he serves amongst 39 colleagues and as an alternative be side-by-side with DeSantis as a part of the Governor’s Cupboard.
However 2026 does loom. And already, Trump is bringing out the large weapons, with close allies instantly becoming a member of Gruters’ marketing campaign, displaying that the President can be going to take this contest significantly and combat to get an in depth ally elected.
DeSantis is clearly standard within the Sunshine State, however one has to wonder if he has sufficient juice to win out towards the sitting President. A current survey from St. Pete Polls casts important doubt on Ingoglia’s possibilities.
So subsequent 12 months’s race might not finish effectively for Ingoglia. However that’s an issue for subsequent 12 months. For now, he’s the incumbent and Gruters isn’t, and Ingoglia will be capable of run that workplace as he sees match for over a 12 months.
Losers
Dishonorable point out: Cory Mills. Mills is now dealing with a lawsuit from his landlord searching for to evict Mills from his property in Washington.
In keeping with the paperwork, Mills pays a whopping $20,800 in hire per 30 days. However the swimsuit alleges Mills didn’t pay on time from March to July, inflicting Mills to owe greater than $85,000.
Mills has spent the week pushing again on the story, concentrating on impartial journalist Roger Sollenberger, who first reported on the swimsuit. Mills mentioned the problems had been associated to technical problems which didn’t enable him to pay his hire on-line.
Sollenberger countered that these messages are current and don’t present earlier missed funds, references Mills additionally being behind on hire funds in months prior, resulting in a warning in January.
Possibly Mills’ story is legit and he’ll prevail in the long run right here. However this can be a man who beforehand floated working for Senate to problem U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody in 2026. On the very least, this lawsuit is one other headache that Mills doesn’t want, and provides to different potential hurdles Mills is dealing with, together with a House ethics probe.
Talking of electoral issue, marketing campaign finance experiences that had been due this week reveals a challenger in Mills’ Home district outraised Mills within the second quarter.
Democrat Noah Widmann didn’t beat Mills by a lot, bringing it greater than $254,000 in comparison with Mills’ $253,000. But when Mills does stick round to run for re-election within the Home, this could possibly be an indication he’ll face a tougher-than-expected Normal Election matchup, particularly with the Democratic Congressional Marketing campaign Committee already itemizing Mills’ seat as a goal.
Virtually (however not fairly) the largest loser: Black voters. The authorized problem to DeSantis’ congressional map is formally useless, with the Florida Supreme Courtroom ruling in favor of the DeSantis administration this week.
A short refresher: DeSantis primarily hijacked the redistricting course of in 2022, vetoing a map handed by a GOP Legislature with a view to drive his personal most popular district traces as an alternative.
One of the controversial modifications DeSantis made was eliminating an oddly drawn district in North Florida that Florida’s Supreme Courtroom had beforehand drawn throughout a special authorized problem final decade. That North Florida district was designed to provide Black voters energy to decide on their Consultant of selection, and U.S. Rep. Al Lawson served there till DeSantis’ map fully reshaped it.
Lawson misplaced in 2022 whereas working in a majority GOP district towards fellow U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn, a Republican. A number of teams sued, arguing Florida’s Truthful Districts Modification disallows this methodology of diluting minority voter energy.
The Florida Supreme Courtroom, now stuffed with DeSantis appointees, disagreed. They primarily mentioned the earlier Justices on the courtroom had been unsuitable, and that the U.S. Structure overrides the Truthful Districts modification. The bulk discovered that the Equal Safety Clause disallows the kind of shoehorned district drawn to provide minority voters energy within the first place.
Which means DeSantis’ map will stand, and North Florida will seemingly proceed its all-Republican make-up for the foreseeable future.
The most important loser: Brightline. The Miami Herald and WLRN teamed up for a fully stellar piece of journalism this week, displaying how Brightline trains — already recognized for killing many individuals in crashes since they started working — have killed way more folks than beforehand recognized.
Reporters pored by federal and native information to depend 182 deaths attributable to these trains since 2017. Greater than 40%, 75 in complete, had been dominated suicides. However much more — 91 — had been dominated unintended, with 10 extra undetermined and the ultimate six nonetheless pending rulings.
Accidents occur. However the reporters who worked like hell uncovering these totals shredded Brightline relating to culpability.
“The reporting crew discovered that Brightline has didn’t urgently tackle the practice’s risks, blamed victims for the excessive dying charge, and, as fatalities climbed, turned to the general public to pay for security upgrades,” the story says. “Even then, vital life-saving measures, together with fencing alongside the tracks and suicide-crisis indicators, haven’t been put in as a result of years-long delays within the launch of federal funds.”
There may be additionally blame to go round for native governments. And in response to the story, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy already promised to work on making these trains safer.
However clearly, one thing wants to alter. Both Brightline can willingly pay for extra security measures by itself, the federal government can present extra sources, or the federal government can place extra restrictions and drive the corporate to behave.
However motion must be forthcoming. In keeping with the report, an individual is killed each 13 days since Brightline started service, making it probably the most harmful passenger practice within the U.S.
Put up Views: 0
