ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The NAACP over the weekend issued a travel advisory for Florida, joining two other civil rights groups in warning potential tourists that recent laws and policies championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers are “openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals.”
The NAACP, long an advocate for Black Americans, joined the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), a Latino civil rights organization, and Equality Florida, a gay rights advocacy group, in issuing travel advisories for the Sunshine State, where tourism is one of the state’s largest job sectors.
The warning approved Saturday by the NAACP’s board of directors tells tourists that, before traveling to Florida, they should understand the state of Florida “devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color.”
An email was sent Sunday morning to DeSantis’ office seeking comment. DeSantis is expected to announce a run for the GOP presidential nomination this week.
Florida is one of the most popular states in the U.S. for tourists, and tourism is one of its biggest industries. More than 137.5 million tourists visited Florida last year, marking a return to pre-pandemic levels, according to Visit Florida, the state’s tourism promotion agency. Tourism supports 1.6 million full-time and part-time jobs, and visitors spent $98.8 billion in Florida in 2019, the last year figures are available.
The NAACP’s decision comes after the DeSantis’ administration in January rejected the College Board’s Advanced Placement African American Studies course. DeSantis and Republican lawmakers also have pressed forward with measures that ban state colleges from having programs on diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as critical race theory, and also passed the Stop WOKE Act that restricts certain race-based conversations and analysis in schools and businesses.
In its warning for Hispanic travelers considering a visit to Florida, LULAC cited a new law that prohibits local governments from providing money to organizations that issue identification cards to people illegally in the country and invalidates out-of-state driver’s licenses held by undocumented immigrants, among other things. The law also requires hospitals that accept Medicaid to include a citizenship question on intake forms, which critics have said is intended to dissuade immigrants living in the U.S. illegally from seeking medical care.
“The actions taken by Governor DeSantis have created a shadow of fear within communities across the state,” said Lydia Medrano, a LULAC vice president for the Southeast region.
Recent efforts to limit discussion on LGBTQ topics in schools, the removal of books with gay characters from school libraries, a recent ban on gender-affirming care for minors, new restrictions on abortion access and a law allowing Floridians to carry concealed guns without a permit contributed to Equality Florida’s warning.
“Taken in their totality, Florida’s slate of laws and policies targeting basic freedoms and rights pose a serious risk to the health and safety of those traveling to the state,” Equality Florida’s advisory said.
How exactly does any of these policies elaffect a traveler to FL? Perhaps they should issue a warning against traveling to crime infested NYC and other large blue cities where people of color are more likely to be a victim of a violent crime.
Florida is a great state safe state and governed by a real American who puts its LEGAL CITIZENS first without any discrimination
Great news for Florida.
Less blacks coming to Fla. equals less muggings, less car jackings, less murders and rapes, and better all around quality of life.
Thanks a million NAACP, hope your lemmings take your advice
This is nothing nothing about civil rights. It is about right from wrong and good from evil.
In the last few years the democratic party became the liberal progressive. It is all about destroying mankind, human kind and normalcy as we knew it.
They are advocating:
Boys to become girls and vise versa. Kids to have their bodies mutilated with or without parents permission.
To teach young kids about the most gross disgusting things.
A man sleeping with another man is normal and to be accepted and to be proud about it.
To them, mankind are like animals.
The list is too long how this woke movement declared war against the Almighty the creator of the world.
Now these black so called civil rights leader wants to make it about racism
Because the states and cities with a large African American population are doing just wonderful. let them leave Florida if they don’t like it.
Here we go, the Trumping of DeSantis has begun. It’s too bad there’s bad blood between them because the rest of the GOP field is laden with Bush establishment types.
What exactly did Gov RDS do against Blacks and Latinos?
Maybe we should ask his appointees Dr. Joe Ladapo, Shevaun Harris and Manuel Diaz.
Great news for Florida, if that happens it would mean, less car jackings,less robbery and murder and rape,all in all a safer Florida.
Hope the lemmings follow their advice.
By the way that filthy treasonous America hating Communist leader of the NAACP, lives in Florida.
Is he gonna heed his own call and move out of state
Don’t hold your breath.LOL
A badge of honor to be called out by a child grooming organization
The fear tactics of the left are having little effect on us. The more the yell the more inoculated to their shouts we become
Florida has the correct prescription stay the middle and don’t allow the socialist self destruction to occur .
Mstbd that’s why Florida and Texas are two of the fastest growing states
“travel advisory”?! it’s called a “boycott”. these “human rights” groups have gotten very good at misrepresenting their truth for their own purposes.
FLORIDA: one of the 11 Slavery traitor states that joined the Confederacy . Occupied by Union forces until 1875. Jim Crow racial segregation enforced until 1965. Federal desegregation laws enforced in 1965. DeSanta 2023 racism laws enacted.
Ron has the right ideas and probably with the proper intentions. Problem is, he is a divider. His rhetoric is such that inflames and provocative. Same like trump. Not good for the country .
So if there is CVS another shut down in NYC will AOC not fly to FL to party unmasked now?
WARNING: to all frum people who bring house help to Orlando for Yom Tov or the summer. Under the new Florida immigration bill signed by DeSantis anyone who transports an undocumented alien across state lines into Florida faces five years of jail time. Please be aware before crossing the Georgia – Florida border.