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. It acts with most of the same authority and responsibility as a county government. It includes the cities of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista,as well as unincorporated land.
Dennis K. Baxley is a state legislator in Florida who has served in the Florida Senate since 2016. 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. 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 others 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 (LGBT) 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,and transgender (LGBT) people in the U.S. state of New Mexico enjoy the same rights as non-LGBT 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 now enjoy the same rights as heterosexual married couples. 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.
Wilton Earl Simpson is an American politician who has served as the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture since 2023. From 2012 to 2022,he served as a member of the Florida Senate,representing areas around Citrus,Hernando,and Pasco Counties. He was elected Senate President for the 2020–2022 legislature.
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-LGBT 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.
Joe Gruters was the Chairman of the Florida Republican Party from 2018 to 2022,and is a member of the Florida Senate representing the 22nd District,which consists of Sarasota County and part of Charlotte County. He was previously a member of the Florida House of Representatives. Earlier in his career,Gruters worked on the campaign of U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan as campaign manager and was vice chairman of the Republican Party of Florida and chairman of the Republican Party of Sarasota.
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 Nevada is legal up to the 24th week of pregnancy,under the Nevada Revised Statutes chapter 442,section 250;and after 24 weeks if the pregnancy could be fatal for the pregnant woman. 62% of adults said in a poll by the Pew Research Center that abortion should be legal while 34% said it should by illegal in all or most cases. Legislation by 2007 required informed consent. Attempts were successfully made to pass abortion legislation in May 2019,being pushed through a largely Democratic controlled state legislature. The number of abortion clinics in Nevada has declined over the years,with 25 in 1982,seventeen in 1992 and thirteen in 2014. There were 8,132 legal abortions in 2014,and 7,116 in 2015. Due to the high level of support for abortion rights,continued access to abortion is supported by all parties,including the Republicans.
Abortion in Ohio is legal up to the point of fetal viability. A six week ban enacted prior to the passage of November 2023 Ohio Issue 1 is being challenged in court following abortion rights being placed into the Ohio State Constitution. In November 2023,a constitutional amendment was approved by a majority of voters that enshrined access to abortion in the Ohio Constitution. Despite the constitutional amendment,the Republican leaders of Ohio have defended the six-week abortion ban in courts.
Abortion in Florida is generally illegal after six weeks from the woman's last menstrual period,when many women do not yet know they are pregnant. 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 and only Democratic state legislators opposing. 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.
The Parental Rights in Education Act,commonly referred to as the "Don't Say Gay" law,is a Florida state law passed in 2022 that regulates public schools in Florida. The law is most notable for its controversial sections which prohibit public schools from having "classroom discussion" or giving "classroom instruction" about sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten through third grade or in any manner deemed to be against state standards in all grades;prohibits public schools from adopting procedures or student support forms that maintain the confidentiality of a disclosure by a student,including of the gender identity or sexual orientation of a student,from parents;and requires public schools to bear all the costs of all lawsuits filed by aggrieved parents.
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.
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.
