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Florida Recognized as #1 in Education Freedom for Second Year in a Row by Heritage Foundation

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Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Florida) answers questions about the Reedy Creek Improvement District during his press conference in The Villages, in which he announced legislation to lower drug prices at the Eisenhower Regional Recreation Center Thursday, January 12, 2023. Photo: J. Willie David III/Florida National News.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. This week, Florida was recognized by the Heritage Foundation as #1 in Education Freedom for the second year in a row. The Education Freedom Report Card, released annually by the Heritage Foundation, measures states across four categories – Education Choice, Teacher Freedom, Transparency and Return on Investment – and Florida was in the top five across all categories.
“By providing universal school choice, parental rights in education and curriculum transparency, we have ensured that parents are able to fully direct the upbringing of their children,” said Governor DeSantis. “Thank you to the Heritage Foundation for recognizing the importance of education freedom.”
“We are proud to once again receive the number one ranking for education freedom from the Heritage Foundation,” said Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. “Under Governor Ron DeSantis’ leadership, Florida continues to prioritize school choice and transparency within our education system, benefitting both our students and parents.”
To view the full rankings from the Heritage Foundation, click here.

Politics

Puerto Rico Republicans award Trump all 23 of their delegates

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s Republican Party held a district assembly on Sunday and awarded former President Donald Trump all 23 of their national delegates.

About 77% of the 1,340 members that make up the U.S. territory’s Republican Party participated, according to Angel Cintron, who heads the GOP there.

He said they held a caucus-style vote that decided how Puerto Rico’s delegates to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in July will pledge their votes. Twenty delegates and 20 alternates were chosen.

Trump effectively clinched his party’s nomination earlier this year.

As a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico does not participate in the presidential elections but does vote in primaries for the eventual nominees.

Politics in Puerto Rico is dictated by the political status people believe the island should have: statehood, independence or the territorial status quo. Several prominent members of the island’s Republican Party had announced ahead of the district assembly that they do not support Trump.

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Politics

Special Advisor on International Disability Rights Minkara Travel to Kenya

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Special Advisor on International Disability Rights (SAIDR) Sara Minkara is traveling to Kenya April 22 to 26 to meet with host government officials to support continued U.S.-Kenyan relations on the development of assistive technology, inclusive education, and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.

Additionally, SAIDR Minkara will meet with civil society to learn about the challenges and opportunities to participation for persons with disabilities in society. She will also participate in the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Business Summit in Nairobi, where she will discuss the importance of investing in disability-inclusive entrepreneurship and integrating disability rights into trading partnerships.

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Suspended Democratic State Attorney Andrew Warren Seeks Re-Election

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TAMPA, Fla. – In a video released Tuesday morning, State Attorney Andrew Warren announces he will seek re-election to a third term as State Attorney for Hillsborough County, Florida. Warren, a Democrat, points to his proven record of reduced crime, increased public safety, and improvements to the justice system as he declares his candidacy in the race, which will appear on the November 2024 general election ballot.

“Today, I’m running for election as State Attorney to serve the people—all the people—of Hillsborough County. I’m running to keep our neighborhoods safe. I’m running to fight for victims and to make our criminal justice system better,” Warren declares in the video.

Warren has twice been elected by Hillsborough County voters, in 2016 and 2020.

During his first 5 1/2 years in office, before he was illegally suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Warren worked with prosecutors, law enforcement, and community partners to:

· Reduce crime in Hillsborough County by more than 30%

· Make Hillsborough the safest large county in Florida, according to state statistics

· Invest in safety through prevention and rehabilitation, and by addressing mental health and addiction

· Target child predators, convicting an average of one predator every four days the courthouse was open

· Create and expand civil citation programs, disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline

· Establish a Community Council and a Racial Justice Work Group

· Become a national leader in transparency, launching a groundbreaking public Data Dashboard

· Reduce the criminalization of poverty

· Pursue drunk drivers with aggressive sanctions to reduce repeat offenses

· Adopt the Disarming Domestic Abusers policy to protect victims of domestic violence

A native Floridian and former federal prosecutor, Warren and his wife Alex are parents of three children—their daughters Elliot and Lucy, and their late son Zack.

The announcement video is now live on Warren’s Facebook and X/Twitter pages. It encourages supporters to visit Warren’s website, AndrewWarrenFL.com, to sign up for updates or contribute to the campaign.

While outlining his successes in office, Warren also highlights the suspension that installed an unelected political appointee into his position last year—an appointment that is illegitimate, according to prominent Florida legal experts, including a former Attorney General and Supreme Court Justice.

“On August 4, 2022, Ron DeSantis threw out your vote. He illegally forced me from office under armed guard,” Warren says in the video. “My late son. My beautiful daughters. My strong wife. They inspire me to serve others—to do good. That’s why I took DeSantis to court.”

As an image in the video quotes federal Judge Robert Hinkle’s January 20, 2023 ruling that Warren “was diligently and competently performing the job he was elected to perform,” Warren says, “The judge ruled that I did my job and the suspension was unconstitutional. But our fight is not over”—referring to Judge Hinkle’s conclusion that he lacked the authority to reinstate Warren. On January 11, 2024, the appellate court affirmed Judge Hinkle’s findings regarding the constitutional violation while clearly stating that Judge Hinkle has the authority to reinstate Warren.

Even as Warren awaits reinstatement, his announcement Tuesday affirms that in addition to winning in court, Warren intends to be back on the ballot so voters can emphatically make it clear that they decide who represents them—not a governor who broke the law and abused his power for a political stunt.

“I’m running to protect our values, for a woman’s right to choose, for a fair and just system, and—above all—for freedom and democracy,” Warren says. “I’m running to do what’s right. It’s what I’ve always done, as a former federal prosecutor, as a father, and as your State Attorney. I’m Andrew Warren, and together, it’s time we reclaim the future of this community—our community. Join us in this fight.”

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