JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – At its statewide conference in Orlando, member organizations of the Florida NAACP voted unanimously to recommend that the national NAACP board issue a nationwide travel advisory against moving or visiting the Sunshine State.
The move was in response to several items that have become central to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ agenda — who is heavily rumored to be preparing a presidential run in 2024.
Much of his administration’s public focus has been attacking diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. That, in-part, led to the travel advisory vote, according to NAACP Jacksonville chapter president Isaiah Rumlin.
“We fought very hard to get diversity to get inclusion,” Rumlin said. “We fought very hard for voting rights. All of these policies and laws are trying to revert back to where we were in the past.”
In a Clay County appearance Thursday, DeSantis was asked about the Florida NAACP’s action, which he brushed off.
“This is a stunt to try to do that,” DeSantis said. “It’s a pure stunt, and fine, if you want to waste your time on a stunt. That’s fine. Look, I mean, I’m not wasting my time on your stunts.”
Rumlin pushed back on the idea that this move represents political grandstanding.
“If anybody is grandstanding, it’s the governor. He’s the one grandstanding as it relates to what he’s doing to the people in this great state we live in,” Rumlin said. “The Legislature is wrong. The governor is wrong.”
The question of whether to issue the travel advisory is now in the hands of the national NAACP board which could vote on the measure as soon as next month.
Calls and messages to the tourism authorities for the state of Florida and the city of Jacksonville went unreturned by publication time. This article will be updated if/when a response is received.