N.A.A.C.P. Joins Latino and L.G.B.T.Q. Groups in Issuing Florida Travel Advisory

Under Gov. Ron DeSantis, the state of Florida has become “openly hostile towards African Americans, people of colour, and L.G.B.T.+ individuals,” according to a travel alert issued by the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured persons on Saturday.

In addition to the League of United Latin American Citizens and Equality Florida, two other civil rights organisations, the N.A.A.C.P. has issued a travel warning against visiting Florida due to safety concerns.

The N.A.A.C.P. travel recommendation does not strongly discourage visitors from going to Florida. Travellers are cautioned to consider the state’s political climate, with one group claiming that “the governor and the state of Florida have shown that African Americans are not welcome in the state of Florida.”

The law Mr. DeSantis signed last week to defund diversity programmes at the state’s public universities and colleges is the impetus for the recommendation. The report also raised issues with other new laws in Florida, including ones pertaining to concealed carry and voting rights.

On Thursday, Disney announced that it will no longer proceed with plans to construct an office building in Orlando. The planned $1 billion project would have created thousands of jobs in the state.

While the League of United Latin American Citizens (L.U.L.A.C.) issued its travel advisory because of Mr. DeSantis’s recent immigration legislation, the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (N.A.A.C.P.) issued its advisory because of the new law restricting diversity, equity, and inclusion programmes in Florida schools.

If a private Florida business has 25 or more employees, they will be required by law to verify each worker’s legal status to work in the United States. It would oblige Florida hospitals accepting Medicaid to question patients if they are U.S. citizens or whether they are “lawfully present” in the nation, and it will render ID cards granted to illegal immigrants in other states, such as New York, null and void.

On Sunday, David Cruz, a spokesperson for L.U.L.A.C., said that the organization’s travel recommendation was either a warning not to go to Florida or an advisory to be careful when travelling there, depending on the individual’s immigration status.

Equality Last month, the state of Florida issued a travel advisory, citing a number of laws that cause concern, including the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which was passed last year and prohibits teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in some elementary school grades.

Last month, Equality Florida’s executive director Nadine Smith released a statement saying that her organisation issued a travel alert because “the laws strip away basic rights and freedoms.”

Officials from L.U.L.A.C. cited Arizona’s economic downturn after the passage of what was considered the nation’s harshest attempt to clamp down on illegal immigration in 2010. The law was also criticised for increasing racial profiling. After passing its act, Arizona lost around $141 million in conference revenue, according to a study conducted at the time.

Lydia Guzmán, director of L.U.L.A.C. in Arizona and head of the national immigration committee, claimed the state’s economy suffered greatly as a consequence of the legislation’s unfavourable reception.