Winners & Losers 4/3/25
WINNERS
LUCY ADAMS STEVENSON The high school senior testified before Florida’s Senate Criminal Justice Committee supporting legislation to combat AI-generated exploitation. The Pensacola High School student body vice president shared her experience as a victim when her images were manipulated into explicit content. The perpetrator, described as a close family friend, faced no legal consequences because he only stored the manipulated images. Sen. Don Gaetz’s SB 1180 aims to close this loophole by making it a third-degree felony to “willfully and maliciously generate and possess hardcore pornography of an identifiable person without consent.” The committee unanimously approved the bill, with Gov. Ron DeSantis taking personal interest in the issue. A House companion bill, HB 757, is also advancing, indicating bipartisan support to protect potential victims.
DAVID BRINKLEY WUWF, the listener-supported public radio station licensed to the University of West Florida, has appointed Brinkley as its new executive director following Pat Crawford’s retirement after 42 years of service. Brinkley, who previously served as executive director of public media and general manager of the WKU Public Radio network in Kentucky for over a decade, brings extensive experience in broadcasting and education to his new role. During his 20+ years in broadcast television, he also taught broadcasting classes and managed the WKU-PBS television station. Brinkley will oversee WUWF operations as executive director, including staff supervision, university department interactions, fundraising and legislative relations. The transition has been planned with Crawford over several months.
MANNA FOOD BANK The 2025 Clover Pick A Bowl Fill A Bowl fundraiser generated nearly $69,000 for Manna Food Bank, providing approximately 41,400 meals for residents in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. The event, Manna’s largest annual fundraiser, featured handcrafted bowls from local artists and food from 15 area restaurants. Chef Matthew Brown from The Farm won the People’s Choice Award with his Black Garlic Smoked Gouda Mushroom Soup. Named after Bill Clover, the late Pensacola State College professor who founded the event 18 years ago, the fundraiser continues his legacy of community service and support for those facing food insecurity.
LOSERS
MUNICIPAL SERVICES Gov. Ron DeSantis has promoted the idea of eliminating property taxes. Sen. Jonathan Martin (R-Fort Myers) has proposed Senate Bill 852 that would require the Office of Economic and Demographic Research to study the impact of eliminating property taxes. Property taxes are the primary revenue stream for counties and cities. The taxes fund essential services such as schools, infrastructure and emergency services. Eliminating them would create a $43 billion revenue gap. At his weekly press conference, Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves said property taxes account for 35% of the general fund budget. Cutting off that funding would defund the police and fire departments. He said, “I have great concern about the conversation coming out of Tallahassee right now. We’d be curious to hear what the solutions are about how we continue to operate government under those circumstances.”
CONFEDERATE MONUMENTS A bill aimed at protecting Confederate monuments hit a roadblock when the Senate Government Oversight Committee adjourned without voting on SB 1816. The bill would create the Historic Florida Monuments and Memorials Protection Act to prevent the removal, damage or destruction of a monument or memorial located on public property falling into that age range. The bill faced similar opposition last year before being shelved.
PETE HEGSETH The Defense Secretary found himself in hot water after The Atlantic published additional messages from a Trump administration Signal group chat that inadvertently included the magazine’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg. The texts showed Hegseth shared specific timing for U.S. warplane launches and strike sequencing against Houthi rebels in Yemen, including when “the first bombs will definitely drop.” National Security Advisor Michael Waltz later informed the group that a target building had collapsed after intelligence confirmed the “first target” entered “his girlfriend’s building.” Vice President Vance responded with “Excellent.” Hegseth lashed out at Goldberg, characterizing him as a “deceitful and highly discredited so-called ‘journalist’ who’s made a profession of peddling hoaxes time and time again.” Facts trumped Hegseth’s spin.
