Florida is led by a Republican governor and legislature determined to crush public schools. The state is overrun by unregulated voucher schools, where teachers and principals need no certification. Some of these openly discriminate and indoctrinate. The Orlando Sentinel ran a series about the voucher schools called “schools without rules.”
Florida has a thriving charter industry, many of them operated by for-profit corporations.
Now the state has passed a new law making it easier to open new charter schools and suck money out of the public schools.
As this rampant privatization continues, Governor DeSantis keeps up a barrage of attacks on public schools and their teachers, accusing them of “indoctrinating” their students with anti-racist views and “grooming” children to be transgender.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Public property usurper, Manny Diaz, is now leading education in the state. DeSantis has been undermining local school boards since he took office. The goal was always to push charter school approval up to the state level and weaken local governance.
Diaz is already in a dispute with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried. Diaz has been telling local school districts they can ignore Title IX since it should not apply to LGBTQ students. He even told districts they can refuse to serve free lunch to LGBTQ students. Nikki Fried is claiming that school districts must not interfere in what is a federal program. Fried also want Title IX posters displayed in public schools. This will be another states’ rights battle likely headed to court. https://news.wfsu.org/state-news/2022-07-29/floridas-education-commissioner-disputes-federal-guidance-on-sexual-discrimination-in-schools
Was it ever difficult?
Florida is the state where, five years ago, state education officials —folks who were following Florida’s existing charter school laws and regulations — allowed a woman whom they knew full well was a convicted felon — convicted of arson, writing bogus checks, and grand larceny — to open a charter a school.
Surprise, surprise, she ended up embezzling the charter school’s money, (money originating from Florida taxpayers, of course). Gee, who could have predicted THAT?
Did this lead the Florida legislators tightening up their approval process via legislation? Like ohhh, I dunno, doing fingerprinting or a background check on prospective operators, and then having convicted felons disqualified?
Nope, they didn’t change a thing.
This was covered here:
https://dianeravitch.net/2017/07/09/florida-charter-scandal-you-may-think-you-have-heard-it-all/
Here’s the paywall-protected story:
https://www.bradenton.com/news/local/education/article160181454.html
And now Florida education officials and legislators want to make it so that those applying to open a charter school WILL GET EVEN LESS SCRUTINY, OR FACE EVEN LESS BARRIERS TO CHARTER APPROVAL? How’s that even possible? Will they now allow charter schools to be opened by known convicted child abusers? Convicted murders?
As Leonie Haimson wrote in the Comments section in the BELOW link, convicted felons, in or out of prison, are not allowed to vote in Florida, but they can legally operate a charter school funded by Florida taxpayers:
https://dianeravitch.net/2017/07/09/florida-charter-scandal-you-may-think-you-have-heard-it-all/
Calling Bob Sheperd. You need to get that police record so you can start your school you are always talking about
Hey, Robert, come hang with me and we’ll get that police record that you need to open a true charter school! But first, let’s make sure we have enough backers to throw our bail and bankroll the lawyers needed.
So, Duane, Malcolm Turrell started feeling bad about the life he had led, so he went to see the priest at the lumber camp.
“You the padre?” said Malcolm.
“Yes, I’m Father Francis. How can I help you?”
“Well,” said Malcolm, “Something’s been weighing on my mind, and I just need . . . well, I need to talk to someone about it.”
“You’ve done the right thing,” said Father Francis. “What’s bothering you?”
“Well, Padre,” said Malcolm, “I’ve been stealing lumber.”
“Oh my, that is very serious,” said Father Francis. ‘How much have you stolen? Fifty dollars’ worth?”
“Oh, more’n that,” said Malcolm.
“A hundred dollars’ worth?”
“More’n that.”
“Five hundred dollars’ worth?”
“Padre, I’ve stolen way more than that. I’ve been stealing lumber for 20 years.”
“Oh goodness,” said Father Francis. “This is serious indeed. Would you like to make a novena?”
“Well, Padre,” said Malcolm. “If you’ve got the plans, I’ve got the lumber.”
los bandidos fritos y perditos?
los hermanos pollos?
The wilds of Missouri or the swamps of Flor-uh-duh? Which would be the best base of operations for our extralegal activities and schemes of world domination? And are we evil enough to start a charter school chain? Weighty questions, these, Señor Swacker.
As long as fascist Republicans rule Florida with a governor “dead-set” on replacing Traitor Trump as the leader of the MAGA fascists, it’s not a democracy.
And if the five-fascist justices on the US Supreme Court allow state legislatures to decide who wins elections regardless of the popular vote, Florida may never be a free state again. Florida’s fascists might even make it illegal to belong to the Democratic Party in that state and issue hunting licenses to shoot alleged liberals.