The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD),formerly the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID),is the governing jurisdiction and special taxing district for the land of Walt Disney World Resort. It includes 39.06 sq mi (101.2 km2) within Orange and Osceola counties in Florida,encompassing the cities of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista as well as unincorporated land. It acts with most of the same authority and responsibility as a county government.
Dennis K. Baxley is a state legislator in Florida who served in the Florida Senate from 2016 to 2024. A Republican,he represents the 12th district including Sumter County and parts of Lake County and Marion County in Central Florida. He previously served in the Florida House of Representatives,representing parts of Marion County from 2000 to 2007 and again from 2010 until his election to the Senate in 2016. He served on the Belleview City Commission and as its mayor.
In United States politics,the Freedom of Choice Act was a bill which sought to codify into law for women a "fundamental right to choose to bear a child;terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability;or terminate a pregnancy after viability when necessary to protect her life or her health". It sought to prohibit a federal,state,or local governmental entity from denying or interfering with a woman's right to exercise such choices;or discriminating against the exercise of those rights in the regulation or provision of benefits,facilities,services,or information. Provides that such prohibition shall apply retroactively. It also authorizes an individual aggrieved by a violation of this Act to obtain appropriate relief,including relief against a governmental entity,in a civil action".
The legality of abortion in the United States and the various restrictions imposed on the procedure vary significantly,depending on the laws of each state or other jurisdiction,although there is no uniform federal law. Some states prohibit abortion at all stages of pregnancy,with few exceptions;others permit it up to a certain point in a woman's pregnancy,while some allow abortion throughout a woman's pregnancy. In states where abortion is legal,several classes of restrictions on the procedure may exist,such as parental consent or notification laws,requirements that patients be shown an ultrasound before obtaining an abortion,mandatory waiting periods,and counseling requirements.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Florida have federal protections,but many face legal difficulties on the state level that are not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Same-sex sexual activity became legal in the state after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Lawrence v. Texas on June 26,2003,although the state legislature has not repealed its sodomy law. Same-sex marriage has been legal in the state since January 6,2015. Discrimination on account of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment,housing and public accommodations is outlawed following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County. In addition,several cities and counties,comprising about 55 percent of Florida's population,have enacted anti-discrimination ordinances. These include Jacksonville,Miami,Tampa,Orlando,St. Petersburg,Tallahassee and West Palm Beach,among others. Conversion therapy is also banned in a number of cities in the state,mainly in the Miami metropolitan area,but has been struck down by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. In September 2023,Lake Worth Beach,Florida became an official "LGBT sanctuary city" to protect and defend LGBT rights.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender,and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of New Mexico enjoy the same rights as non-LGBTQ people. New Mexico has seen prominent advances in gay and lesbian rights in recent decades. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 1975. Same-sex marriage is legal statewide in New Mexico,as is adoption and access to fertility treatments for lesbian couples. Same-sex couples have had the same rights as heterosexual married couples since 2013. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is banned statewide in the areas of employment,housing and public accommodations. Additionally,conversion therapy on minors is prohibited in the state.
Raymond Wesley Rodrigues is the 12th chancellor of the State University System of Florida since 2023. Previously,he served four terms in the Florida House of Representatives,representing southern and coastal Lee County from 2012 to 2020 and one term in the Florida Senate from 2020 to 2022. His campaign website describes him as conservative.
A six-week abortion ban,also called a "fetal heartbeat bill" by proponents,is a law in the United States which makes abortion illegal as early as six weeks gestational age,which is when proponents claim that a "fetal heartbeat" can be detected. Medical and reproductive health experts,including the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists,say that the reference to a fetal heartbeat is medically inaccurate and misleading,for a conceptus is not called a fetus until eight weeks after fertilization,as well as that at four weeks after fertilization,the embryo has no heart,only a group of cells which will become a heart. Medical professionals advise that a true fetal heartbeat cannot be detected until around 17 to 20 weeks of gestation when the chambers of the heart have become sufficiently developed.
Anti-LGBTQ curriculum laws are laws approved by various U.S. states that limit the discussion of sexuality and gender identity in public schools. In theory,these laws mainly apply to sex ed courses,but they can also be applied to other parts of the school curriculum as well as to extracurricular activities such as sports and organizations such as gay–straight alliances. In July 2022,a wave of anti-LGBT curriculum resurgence saw ten such laws beginning to take effect in six different states. Some states enacting these new laws appear to have mirrored similar laws from other states.
Mike Beltran is an American politician in the state of Florida. He is a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives representing the state's 70th district,which includes part of Hillsborough County.
Abortion in Florida is generally illegal after six weeks from the woman's last menstrual period,This law came into effect in May 2024,being approved by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis following its passage in the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate,with only Republican state legislators supporting. Additionally,pregnant women are generally required to make two visits to a medical facility 24 hours apart to be able to obtain an abortion,in a law approved by Republican Governor Rick Scott in 2015.
Ileana Ydolia Garcia is a Republican politician from Florida,who serves as a member of the Florida Senate.
Throughout the history of the United States,various topics have been censored and banned in education,including teaching about evolution,racism,sexism,sex education,and LGBTQ+ topics. Due to the federal system of the country being highly decentralized,states are delegated with much of the responsibility for administering public education,and it is often governments of the red states that have enacted such policies.
The Parental Rights in Education Act,commonly referred to as the Don't Say Gay law,is a Florida statute passed in 2022 that regulates public schools in Florida. The law is most notable for prohibiting public schools from having "classroom discussion" or giving "classroom instruction" about sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten through 3rd grade or in a manner deemed to be against state standards in all grades. It also requires that schools disclose to parents if their children have received mental health services via the school.
NetChoice is a trade association of online businesses that advocates for free expression and free enterprise on the internet. It currently has six active First Amendment lawsuits over state-level internet regulations,including NetChoice v. Paxton,Moody v. NetChoice,NetChoice v. Bonta and NetChoice v. Yost.
Florida Senate Bill 254 is a law that prohibits gender-affirming care for anyone under the age of 18,places restrictions on adult patients accessing this care,and allows the state to take temporary custody of children who may be receiving gender-affirming care now or in the future. In June 2024,a judge permanently blocked the law from taking effect. In August 2024,the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the permanent injunction while the matter is appealed.
Florida Senate Bill 266,also commonly known by its Florida House of Representatives counterpart House Bill 999,is Florida legislation relating to public universities within the state. Under the legislation,diversity,equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and certain college majors relating to DEI would be eliminated or heavily restricted;the legislation phrases such courses as being based on "unproven,theoretical,or exploratory content". The legislation would prohibit state universities from including DEI and political identity filters within higher education hiring processes,and bans the usage of critical race theory in hiring. The law was filed in the Florida House of Representatives on February 21,2023,by Republican representative Alex Andrade,while a Florida Senate version was filed seven days later by Republican state senator Erin Grall. The senate version of the legislation,which was noted as less intense in its requirements than the house version,ultimately passed and was signed by governor Ron DeSantis,concurrently with the similar Florida House Bill 931,on May 15,2023. SB 266 took effect on July 1,2023.
The Parental Rights Over the Education and Care of Their Kids Act is pending United States legislation introduced in both the House of Representatives and Senate of the 118th congress. Sponsored by Republican representative Tim Walberg and senators Rick Scott of Florida and Tim Scott of South Carolina and originating in the 117th congress,the bill is similar to and viewed of as a national version of the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act,itself known by its opponents as the Don't Say Gay bill.
Rosie's Law is a proposed legislative act in Texas aimed at restoring health insurance coverage for abortion care services. First introduced by Texas House Representative Sheryl Cole in 2019,the law seeks to lift the state Medicaid funding ban for abortion care,include abortion services in the Texas Medicaid program,and repeal the 2017 ban on abortion coverage through private insurance and federal health insurance marketplace plans.
In 2022 California passed The California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act or AB 2273 which requires websites that are likely to be used by minors to estimate visitors ages to give them some amount of privacy control and on March 23,2023,Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed SB 152 and HB 311 collective known as the Utah Social Media Regulation Act which requires age verification and if they are under 18 they have to get parental consent before making an account on any social media platform. Since then multiple bills have been introduced or passed in multiple states however very few gone into effect mainly due to court challenges including both laws in California and Utah.
