Takeaways from Tallahassee — Women’s rights, right now (Video)

Women’s History Month

Women’s rights have come a long way, but Florida’s first woman Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried says the goal to be treated equally hasn’t been reached, and work remains to be done to eliminate the gender pay gap, establish the right of “bodily autonomy” and to promote the history and experiences of women of color and LGBTQ women.

Thursday marked the final day of the 2022 Women’s History Month, and on Wednesday, Fried honored eight women for their contributions to the history and rights of women in Florida.

In addition to honoring eight women, Fried’s office also commemorated two others: the late U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek, the first African American elected to Congress since Reconstruction, who died in November, and Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Joe Biden’s pick to replace Justice Stephen Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Jackson, whose expected confirmation in the coming weeks will make her the first Black woman on the Court, graduated from the same high school as Fried. And like Fried, she also was a public defender.

The first of the eight women Fried’s office honored was Regina Livingston, a Black, transgender woman who founded an organization advocating for the transgender and gender-nonconforming community was the first honoree Fried highlighted.

“I feel like, personally, this proclamation doesn’t go to just me,” she said. “It also goes to all of the most marginalized communities in America because they’re hurting, they’re depressed, they’re going through different things that are distracting their mental health. Our youth are under attack. So, there’s a lot of work that needs to be done.”

Fried also honored the former director of library services for Tallahassee Community College, Cherry Hall Alexander; reproductive justice advocate Stephanie Loraine Piñeiro; Brick Street Farms founder and CEO Shannon O’Malley; and medical marijuana advocate Roz McCarthy.

Additionally, Fried recognized University of Florida Political Science professor Sharon D. Wright Austin for her studies of African American women’s political behavior and activism. She also recognized Miami Dade College’s first female president, Madeline Pumariega, also the first female and Hispanic chancellor of the Florida College System.

“It is so important that we each lift each other up, especially in these difficult times when our rights are being attacked, and our freedoms are being stripped away, as we saw throughout this Legislative Session,” she continued. “While some may try to take away the progress that we all have made, we will remain united and keep pushing forward, and together we will keep shattering glass ceilings and protect the truth we all know, that women’s rights are human rights.”

To watch a video of the event, click on the image below:

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Coming up, the usual assortment of news, intel, and observations from the week that was in Florida’s capital city by Peter Schorsch, Drew Wilson, Renzo Downey, Jason Delgado, Christine Jordan Sexton, Tristan Wood, and the staff of Florida Politics.

Take 5

The “Takeaway 5” — the Top 5 stories from the week that was:

DeSantis signs parental rights bill — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the controversial parental rights legislation governing classroom instruction on LGBTQ matters Monday afternoon. After hours of impassioned debate and protest from students, the bill reached the Governor. The measure even garnered national flak, from the White House to Sunday night’s Oscar ceremony. DeSantis slammed bill opponents, saying those who disagree with the legislation “support sexualizing kids in kindergarten.” “What they’re doing with these slogans and these narratives is they are trying to camouflage their true intentions,” DeSantis said, referencing the “Don’t Say Gay” moniker used for the bill by critics.

DeSantis vetoes congressional maps, calls Special Session — Immediately after lawmakers sent DeSantis their proposed congressional redistricting map, DeSantis vetoed the measure and called for a Special Session, set for April 19 to 22. DeSantis published a seven-page message, drafted by General Counsel Ryan Newman, explaining his veto based on the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection clause found in the 14th Amendment. The Special Session call only addresses redistricting, but the Governor encouraged the Legislature to take up property insurance, data privacy and constitutional carry.

Federal judge rules election law unconstitutional — A U.S. District Court judge on Thursday declared parts of last year’s DeSantis- and Republican-backed law that changed the state’s voting codes unconstitutional. Chief Judge Mark Walker ordered the state not to enforce provisions that more tightly regulate the use of ballot drop boxes and third-party voter registration efforts. The 288-page ruling comes after two weeks of testimony in federal court in Tallahassee last month before Walker. He noted that the state portrayed the new regulations as “minor prophylactic changes” while the plaintiffs framed them as running “roughshod over the right to vote, unnecessarily making it harder for all eligible Floridians.” Florida is expected to appeal the ruling.

Lawmakers return campaign contributions from Disney — Republican lawmakers have started returning donations from Disney over the company’s position against the “parental rights in education” bill. Bill sponsor and Rep. Joe Harding became the first on Tuesday, returning $3,000 delivered to his political committee. The following day, Rep. Randy Maggard followed suit, returning $5,000 in donations from the entertainment giant. “As a company whose primary audiences are young children and families, Disney has let us down through their complicity with the false narratives pushed by liberal media, who have repeatedly mischaracterized the content of my legislation,” Harding said. Lawmakers have held multiple meetings discussing changes to a self-governing arrangement Disney has enjoyed with the state since 1967, a move DeSantis endorsed Thursday.