NAACP warns against Florida travel due to governor’s anti-“woke” agenda.

NAACP Issues Travel Advisory for Florida

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has issued a “travel advisory” warning people to avoid Florida due to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’s legislative campaign to stop “woke” and racially-charged diversity trainings and to punish riotous behavior.

The NAACP advisory reads, “Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals. Before traveling to Florida, please understand that the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color.”

Reasons for the Travel Advisory

• The “Combatting Violence, Disorder and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act” criminalizes rioting that causes damage to property or injury to other persons, bars protesters from blocking roadways, makes it a misdemeanor to harass people at a public accommodation like a restaurant, and brings Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) liability against those who organize or fund violent or disorderly public assemblies.
• The “Stop WOKE Act” bars schools and businesses from teaching students and employees that they are morally superior or inferior to one another or oppressive by virtue of their race, color, sex, or national origin and that they are inherently racist, sexist, or otherwise oppressive or responsible for a past historic wrong by virtue of these attributes.
• The “Constitutional Carry Act” allows adults to carry a concealed firearm in public without a permit.
• A bill that prohibits public higher education institutions from funding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
• A 2019 election bill that imposes signature verification, sets a uniform list of crimes for which convicted felons cannot see their voting rights restored, and sets a requirement for all other felons to complete every term of their sentence before they can see their voting rights restored.

The NAACP is also aggrieved by the DeSantis administration’s recent criticism of a pilot Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies course.

Florida Republicans Respond

DeSantis’s office has indicated they are not phased by the NAACP’s “travel advisory” and noted they continue to see strong tourism and large numbers of people moving to Florida.

The NAACP’s travel advisory for Florida has caused quite a stir. The advisory warns people to avoid Florida due to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’s legislative campaign to stop “woke” and racially-charged diversity trainings and to punish riotous behavior. The NAACP listed several bills passed by the Republican supermajority state legislature and implemented by DeSantis as reasons for the advisory. These bills include the “Combatting Violence, Disorder and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act,” the “Stop WOKE Act,” and the “Constitutional Carry Act” gun bill. The NAACP is also aggrieved by the DeSantis administration’s recent criticism of a pilot Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies course. Florida Republicans have responded by stating that they are not phased by the advisory and continue to see strong tourism and large numbers of people moving to Florida.