Florida Democrats try to use GOP’s book review, removal process against DeSantis memoir

Florida Democrats are trying to use a state law allowing certain books to be reviewed and possibly removed from school curricula to ban Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) memoir. 

The Daily Beast reported Monday that Democratic legislators are targeting “The Courage To Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival” based on language from HB1467, a law that DeSantis signed last year to allow parents to raise objections to books being taught and require materials to be age appropriate for the students. 

Critics have attacked the law as being vague and allowing for a wide range of materials to potentially be removed from a curriculum. 

State House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell (D) told the Beast that she is trying to have as many as 50 counties across the state review or potentially prohibit DeSantis’s book, arguing that it contains 17 instances that might violate the law. 

“The very trap that he set for others is the one that he set for himself,” she reportedly said. 

The outlet reported that the book includes the term “woke” 46 times and “gender ideology” 10 times, which could be considered “divisive content.” The book also reportedly includes references to a video showing “dead black children, dramatically warning them about ‘racist police and state-sanctioned violence’ who might kill them at any time,” systemic racism and violence, including the shooting of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) at a congressional baseball game in 2017. 

A spokesperson for DeSantis, Bryan Griffin, denounced the plan in a statement to Insider, sending the outlet a gif in which DeSantis says, “This is a stunt.” 

Griffin later tweeted a screenshot of the part of the Insider story sharing his comment along with the gif. 

“The gif continues to come in handy. Keep up your stunts; @GovRonDeSantis will keep putting wins on the board,” he said.

Democrats have previously slammed DeSantis and other Republicans who have instituted certain restrictions or provided for a process on potentially removing certain books from a school.

Insider reported that the number of school districts that have DeSantis’s book is unclear. 

The release of DeSantis’s book was seen as a possible prelude to him announcing a potential bid for the Republican nomination for president in 2024. DeSantis has not publicly confirmed that he is considering a run, but he has consistently placed second in most hypothetical GOP primary polls. 

His book topped The New York Times bestseller list last month.