Florida Lawmakers Vow to Make State ‘Second-Safest’ Place in the World for Jewish People

Tensions flared, and emotions ran high in a 3-day special legislative session in the Florida capital. Lawmakers from around the state united across the aisle on issues such as hurricane relief and security funding for ethnic organizations. They exchanged barbs, however, about the Israel-Hamas war. The Florida House and Senate met separately to debate bills on imposing extensive business sanctions on Iran and bolstering security for Jewish institutions and historically black colleges and universities. They talked about giving relief money to industries devastated by Hurricane Idalia and worked on expanding the number of students eligible for school voucher scholarships. Ultimately, they passed four bills to achieve those goals. The bills were sent to the desk of Gov. Ron DeSantis on Nov. 13. He has until Nov. 28 to act on them....