Florida has had a long history of being in the headlines. Things such as the “Florida man” headlines flooding the internet for the ridiculous things residents of Florida have done. More recently, however, Florida has been on the news due to the state being recognized as dangerous for people of color, specifically by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). 

The LULAC is the oldest Latin-American civil rights organization in the United States. The president of this organization, Domingo Garcia, issued a warning on May 17, 2023, regarding the danger Latinos may face in Florida. Garcia details the harmful anti-immigration bills put in place by Florida Governor, Ron Desantis. He mentions how cruel those bills are, and how it’s harmful to not just the economy, but it’s also harmful to the community of Florida. 

The LULAC organization isn’t the only organization to set warnings for Florida. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has issued a travel advisory for Florida as well. 

The NAACP is a civil rights organization founded in 1909. They’ve done so much to help fight for equal rights and were a crucial part of the civil rights movement in 1954. On May 20th, 2023 however, the NAACP issued a travel advisory warning for the state of Florida. The warning highlights the various anti-civil rights bills signed by DeSantis. It has become clear, through the various bills passed, that the state of Florida doesn’t value diversity and is actively trying to limit the rights of minorities. 

The NAACP formally advises that, “Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals.” The advisory further explains how the contributions of minorities are devalued and are basically undermined. The warning then goes into a large list that highlights various reasons why minorities shouldn’t go to Florida, and what to do if you do decide to visit Florida. In addition to these two large civil rights organizations, the Human Rights Campaign has also issued a travel advisory warning to the state of Florida. 

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an organization that focuses on advocating for the LGBTQ+ community. They are known to be the largest LGBTQ+ advocacy group in the United States. They issued a warning on May 23, 2023. In which they went into deep detail about the various laws passed within Florida that directly hurt the LGBTQ+ community. Additionally, they described other issues in Florida, such as gun problems and attacks on other minority groups. 

It is clear that Florida isn’t a safe place for minority groups. Additionally, DeSantis continues to pass laws that aren’t helping the situation in Florida at all. DeSantis just announced his 2024 presidential bid on May 24, 2023, despite all the advisories and backlash he’s received.