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Pour Some Sugar On Me

Writer's picture: Pierce OutlawPierce Outlaw

Sponsored by: Patriot Home Funding





Earlier this week, the Florida legislature convened a special session called by Governor DeSantis to coordinate the state's pending cooperation with President Trump to address illegal immigration enforcement. The special session lasted 20 minutes.


Then, House Speaker Daniel Perez, who ended the special session, gaveled in his own special session, with the express purpose of putting forth his own bill, not DeSantis.' The bill that Perez and Senate president Kathleen Passidomo then introduced, insultingly called the TRUMP Act, as in "Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy," a bill of goods sold under President Trump's name that takes immigration enforcement out of the Governor's hands and gives it to the Commissioner of Agriculture. The bill is likely unconstitutional, but there is more.


It allocates about $500 million to the commissioner's office to create "more badges and beds" in the words of former RPOF chair and current state senator Joe Gruters. There goes your state budget surplus and your insurance against the next hurricane disaster. 

 

It fails to mandate that state and local law enforcement cooperate with ICE. In fact, FDLE was never contacted about the bill, was never consulted, and never asked whether they were on board with it.


The bill mentions agriculture 36 times but does not once mention deportation. The bill mandates that ALL state law enforcement personnel are prohibited from entering to any agreement, memorandum of understanding, or even dialogue with federal immigration or law enforcement agencies unless they have the express permission of the Commissioner of Agriculture. It mandates that if a law enforcement agency apprehends an illegal alien, they must immediately release the illegal alien to the Commissioner of Agriculture's office, not ICE.


Now a reasonable person might ask why would an illegal immigration bill take power away from the best and most popular governor of our generation, and our heroes in law enforcement, cut Trump's Immigration forces and ICE out of the loop, and give that power to the agriculture commissioner? 


If you watched the TV show Yellowstone, you understand. When John Dutton became governor, he made his son Kayce Dutton the Livestock Commissioner who then deputized all his cattle farmer friends so they could overlord their industry, overlook, and memory hole a lot of illegal stuff. Rank corruption. It exists here, too.


So who is Wilton Simpson, the current Commissioner of Agriculture, who would, if this bill becomes law, wield extraordinary power over law enforcement, the state budget, and benefit from an unprecedented power grab from the chief executive of the state?


Among Simpson's many benefactors in his rise to become Ag Commissioner are marijuana giants Trulieve, Surterra Florida, and Curaleaf Florida,  who have combined contributed over $100,000. As a side note, Speaker Perez received about $45,000 from Trulieve.  In the 2022 election cycle, PAC's associated with or led by Simpson took over in $4 million from the Big Sugar companies. That's $4 million for the Ag Commissioner's election that he could have won for $250,000 just off DeSantis' coattails. What do you think they were buying for that $4 million?


When Simpson was in the state senate he voted in favor of red flag laws, in state college tuition for illegal aliens, driver's licenses for illegal aliens, and admitting illegal aliens to the Florida Bar. He also tweeted his support for George Floyd in May 2020. As Ag commissioner he has basically turned his head on enforcement of E-Verify laws with regards to the agriculture industry. What makes anybody think he would enforce immigration laws when he has failed to enforce E-Verify? 


The immediate past majority leader of the state senate, Ben Albritton, received $245,000 from Trulieve, $150,000 from United States Sugar Corp, $75,000 from Florida Crystals Corp, and $50,000 from the Chamber of Commerce. 


Just like with the continuing resolution situation in congress in December, backlash to this power play on social media was fast, massive, and overwhelmingly one-sided in favor of Governor DeSantis and against Simpson, Albritton, Passidomo, and Perez. Many of the legislators have rethought their votes due to the backlash, and since the bill hasn't been presented to the Governor for signature yet, perhaps the sponsors and legislative leadership are having second thoughts, too, given the absolute tsunami of opposition from the GOP voters.


Fret not, though. They still have one cheerleader, far left Rep Carlos Gullermo Smith from District 49, who took to the floor to voice his support for their bill. Betcha' didn't have that one on your legislative bingo card, did you? 


Senator Moody, Rep. Donalds, Rep Luna, and Rep Mills are among our federal reps have spoken out against the bill. I am anxiously waiting to see which side of the fence our other Florida congressional reps fall on.


This is a classic case of our elected officials not representing the interests and listening to those who elected them, who they swore to serve. Rather, this is a blatant power grab, perhaps unconstitutional, and it is certainly selling our legislature to special interests. It is also NOT what we the voters of Florida voted for when we re-elected Governor DeSantis by the largest margin in the history of the state and President Trump this past November by 13% points. This is a return to our past of being run by special interests during previous democrat and Chamber of Commerce RINO GOP administrations. This is not what we voted for and not what any of the legislators pushing this atrocity campaigned on.


So hopefully this power grab fails, and it will if we the voters speak up by calling, e-mailing, and posting to our representatives. And when that day comes and it dies the death it deserves, perhaps we can change the name from taking Trump's name in vain, to something more appropriate like the WIMP Act, short for "Wilton's Illegal Migrant Protection Act," or maybe just the Amnesty Sanctuary State Act, and I'll leave it to you to figure out the acronym for that one, which is the best description of all.        

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