Sen. Geraldine Thompson: Florida Is ‘Free Only if You Agree’ With Gov. DeSantis

After a contentious state Legislative Session with many controversial bills signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Thompson highlights an issue that has flown under the radar, yet can potentially affect all Floridians.

For more than 40 years Geraldine Thompson has been advocating for sensible gun and public safety laws, a strong educational system, and economic opportunities for all. In fact, Thompson, the Democratic state senator for Florida’s 14th district in West Orange County, was the sponsor of a recently signed law to promote safety in amusement park rides after Tyre Sampson, a 14-year-old, died after falling from the Orlando Free Fall in March of 2022. 

The road hasn’t always been easy, but she says that has never fazed her. That’s because Thompson calls herself not just a fighter for her community, but an “overcomer.”

“I’m an African American female. I’ve been in the minority all my life, and so being in the minority does not frighten me, it does not discourage me,” Thompson told Floricua during a one-on-one interview during which she discussed Gov. Ron DeSantis’ so-called culture wars, Florida’s new six-week abortion ban, and why so many across the state are worried about the current political climate.  

A Government Not of the People

Floricua: After a contentious legislative session with many controversial bills signed into law, is there an issue that has flown under the radar that you think merits more attention?

Thompson: One of the problems that I see is that in Tallahassee there’s a lot of preemption. 

[Editor’s note: Preemption is a legal doctrine that allows a higher level of government to limit or even eliminate the power of a lower level of government.]

In Orange County, for example, citizens voted on rent control caps. And that was nullified in Tallahassee, preempting the decisions to folks who are not from these communities, and who don’t necessarily know the challenges that people face in communities throughout the state. When you preempt decisions in Tallahassee to the Florida legislature, you’re taking away the judgment that you would expect local elected officials to be able to exercise. 

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In your opinion, has Gov. DeSantis been trying to take away power from local governments?

Oh, without question. There were so many preemptions bills this year! I think a lot of power has been concentrated in the governor’s office, and it has taken away the power of local elected officials. I think local elected officials should make local decisions for local problems.

Can you give an example?

We had a situation in Key West where in Monroe County they wanted to limit the number of cruise ships that came into Key West because of the pollution and garbage and traffic. And that bill was nullified in Tallahassee as well. Concentrating all of the power under the governor’s office does not make for a free state.

We have also seen what’s taken place at the New College of Florida, where the governor’s handpicked board of trustees eliminated the college’s diversity office, among other efforts to turn it into a far-right conservative institution. What are your thoughts?

The governor appoints all of the board members of certain groups. Essentially, these are people who are aligned with him. This does not recognize what local people are asking for. So, it really is not the free state of Florida where you take away the power of local elected officials. 

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Yet DeSantis calls Florida the freest state in the nation. What do you say to that?

Well, it’s free only if you agree with what he wants you to do. And it’s not free if you have a different viewpoint, a different outlook on what should happen. And when you’re banning books and doing all of the things that we see happening, you’re prohibiting any focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. We have a very diverse population of people in the state of Florida. But there appears to be a desire to only recognize the viewpoints and the wishes of people who are aligned with [him].

‘You Can’t Serve Two Masters‘

During this legislative session, DeSantis signed a bill allowing him to run for president without resigning. What are your thoughts on this?

Now we’re not in session and he’s in Iowa and he’s in New Hampshire and he’s flying people from New Mexico to California on the taxpayers’ dime, so that he can position himself as tough on immigrants, tough on the LGBTQ community, tough on African Americans or any segment of the population that he feels is not valued or desirable. Being governor is a full-time job, and running for president requires a lot of full-time effort moving throughout the country going to other states. I don’t think you can serve two masters. I think that we’re going to have an absentee governor here in the state.

What do you think Democrats need to do to have a chance to win statewide in 2024?

I think we have to be engaged with our communities year-round and not just wait for the election season. We need to be working now to get people to vote, working now to get people registered, working now to have them understand what the issues are and what would be beneficial to them. And so, I think it has to be a year-round sustained effort to get people engaged in the whole voting process.

Apart from “overcomer” you have also called yourself an optimist. Given the current political climate, do you still feel this way?

Yes, I’m optimistic and I think that some of the extreme positions that this administration has taken, for example, taking away a woman’s reproductive choice, are not going to sit well with women. And, certainly, I think that when you talk about a nationwide campaign, some of the things that have been allowed to happen in Florida are not going to be accepted in other states. So, I remain optimistic that people are going to wake up and look at what is happening and say, “No more!”