By Holly Bullard, Chief Strategy & Development Officer at Florida Policy Institute – July 25, 2022
On March 10, 2022, the Florida Senate passed the so-called “Stop WOKE” Act (CS/HB 7) along party lines and subsequently sent the bill to Gov. Ron DeSantis to be signed. For civil rights and education advocates, concerns are high. The bill’s provisions, which grant individuals the right to sue and receive damages over the content of school instruction and employee trainings, will reduce the quantity and quality of diversity, equity, and inclusion trainings and instruction for all Floridians and directly and indirectly restrict free speech for employers, educators, and students.