Plans

Here’s the Florida-specific strategy in Reddit comment format to counter Project 2025 at the state level.

How to Counter Project 2025 in Florida

🔥 Why Florida?

Florida has become a testing ground for Project 2025-aligned policies under Governor Ron DeSantis. Recent actions include attempts to revoke in-state tuition for undocumented students, conservative overhauls of public universities, and proposed restrictive immigration measures.   Despite a Republican-controlled state government, internal conflicts and urban resistance present opportunities to counteract these initiatives. The goal is to leverage local governance, grassroots activism, and legal challenges to resist and reverse these policies.

1️⃣ Mobilize Urban Centers for Local Resistance

Florida’s major cities—Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Gainesville—are progressive hubs capable of countering state-level policies.

🏙️ Actions for City Governments & Local Leaders: ✔ Enact local ordinances that protect undocumented residents, uphold DEI initiatives, and support LGBTQ+ rights, countering state rollbacks. ✔ Leverage economic influence by collaborating with local businesses to oppose state policies that harm community interests. ✔ Establish legal defense funds to support residents affected by restrictive state laws, particularly in areas like immigration and education.

📢 Messaging Strategy: • “Our cities stand for inclusion and progress.” Emphasize the contrast between local values and state-level regressions. • Highlight economic contributions of diverse communities to counter narratives that justify restrictive policies.

🚨 What to Watch For: • State preemption attempts to override local ordinances. • Economic retaliation from the state against dissenting cities.

2️⃣ Strengthen and Support Educational Institutions

Florida’s education system is under significant transformation, with conservative figures being appointed to leadership positions in public universities. 

📚 Actions for Educators, Students, and Parents: ✔ Organize coalitions to advocate for academic freedom and resist curriculum changes that undermine comprehensive education. ✔ Engage in public forums to raise awareness about the implications of these overhauls on educational quality and inclusivity. ✔ Pursue legal action against unconstitutional changes that infringe upon academic freedom and equal access to education.

📢 Messaging Strategy: • “Protect academic integrity.” Frame the issue as a defense of educational standards and critical thinking. • “Education, not indoctrination.” Highlight the importance of diverse perspectives in academia.

🚨 What to Watch For: • Further appointments of ideologically driven individuals to educational leadership positions. • Legislative efforts to limit academic freedom and restructure educational governance.

3️⃣ Advocate for Immigrant Communities

Recent proposals aim to revoke in-state tuition for undocumented students and implement stringent immigration measures. 

🛑 Actions for Community Organizations and Advocates: ✔ Mobilize public opposition through protests, petitions, and public commentaries to highlight the human impact of these proposals. ✔ Provide resources and support to undocumented students and families affected by policy changes. ✔ Collaborate with legal experts to challenge discriminatory laws and policies in court.

📢 Messaging Strategy: • “Education is a right.” Emphasize the importance of accessible education for all residents. • “Immigrants strengthen Florida.” Highlight the contributions of immigrant communities to the state’s economy and culture.

🚨 What to Watch For: • Implementation of restrictive immigration laws and their enforcement at local levels. • Backlash against immigrant communities stemming from state-level rhetoric and policies.

4️⃣ Leverage Internal Political Divisions

Recent events indicate a rift within Florida’s Republican leadership, with lawmakers opposing Governor DeSantis’s proposed immigration measures. 

🏛️ Actions for Political Strategists and Activists: ✔ Highlight divisions within the ruling party to weaken unified support for Project 2025-aligned policies. ✔ Build bipartisan coalitions on issues where moderate Republicans may disagree with extreme proposals. ✔ Support primary challenges against hardline incumbents to promote more centrist candidates.

📢 Messaging Strategy: • “Even their own party disagrees.” Use internal dissent to question the legitimacy of controversial policies. • “Floridians deserve consensus, not extremism.” Advocate for policies that reflect a broader agreement among citizens.

🚨 What to Watch For: • Emergence of moderate Republican voices willing to oppose extreme measures. • Potential for legislative gridlock stemming from internal conflicts.

5️⃣ Prepare for Legal Challenges

Many of the proposed policies may face legal hurdles due to potential conflicts with constitutional rights and federal laws.

⚖️ Actions for Legal Organizations and Civil Rights Groups: ✔ File lawsuits challenging unconstitutional aspects of new laws and executive actions. ✔ Provide legal assistance to individuals and organizations affected by restrictive policies. ✔ Educate the public about their rights and the legal implications of new state actions.

📢 Messaging Strategy: • “Defending our constitutional rights.” Frame legal actions as necessary defenses against governmental overreach. • “Justice for all Floridians.”