ACLU of Florida

Reminder: Early voting starts today! 🗳️

UPDATE: Erika Santos, a state employee who was fired over a social media post about Charlie Kirk, has secured a $250,000 settlement. The government is not permitted to punish Floridians for exercising their right to free speech.

ACLU of Florida@aclufl.bsky.social

UPDATE: A federal judge denied a motion to dismiss a critical First Amendment case. The lawsuit challenges a retaliatory firing over Charlie Kirk posts — and it's now moving forward.

Today is the last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot for Florida’s General Election. Life happens, vote early!

🚨 Broward County Commission will decide on two critical ordinances tomorrow, October 20th. Protect representation in our state & make your voice heard: Join us at 10 AM tomorrow at their regular meeting.

The designated month to celebrate the cultures and contributions of Hispanic and Latine people in this country has just ended. And as it ends, we are forced to face its irony.

Yet the state has aggressively expanded its use of 287(g) agreements, effectively deputizing local law enforcement to carry out federal immigration work and allowing routine traffic stops to drive deportations.

open.substack.comThe Irony Behind Celebrating Hispanic Heritage in FloridaACLU of Florida | By Gaby Guadalupe

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The designated month to celebrate the cultures and contributions of Hispanic and Latine people in this country has just ended. And as it ends, we are forced to face its irony.

Florida is home to more than six million Hispanic people, the third-largest Hispanic population in the country. Many are immigrants from Latin America, children of immigrants, or members of mixed-status families.

Today, on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we honor the resilience, cultures, and enduring contributions of Indigenous people. More than acknowledging the past, we must defend their rights, respect tribal sovereignty, preserve their histories, and stand against the erasure of their voices and communities.

miamiherald.comCivil rights organizations allege abuse, neglect at Florida’s ‘Deportation Depot’Baker Correctional Institution is inundated with complaints of medical neglect, insufficient food and water, and abuse, the letter says.

Thousands of people are being abused at Florida’s immigration detention facilities. We say it proudly: Shut down Baker Correctional Institution and every other torturous detention facility.

NEW: We sent a letter to Florida officials demanding the closure of Baker Correctional Institution. About 1,200 people are currently detained in this torturous facility, subject to life-threatening conditions and human rights violations.

aclufl.orgCivil Rights Groups Demand the Shut Down of the Baker Correctional Institution Citing Reports of Medical Neglect and Abusive Conditions - ACLU of FloridaLetter sent to state and federal authorities details pervasive conditions that deprive people of human dignity, medical care, and their constitutional rights

Florida has no business running immigration detention facilities. Read more here:

Spread the word! 🚨 Today is the last day to register to vote or update your current registration for Florida’s General Election.

aclufl.org2026 Florida Voter Hub - ACLU of Florida‎

Protect the sunshine in our state — make your plan to vote this election season.

registertovoteflorida.govregistertovoteflorida.gov

Are you registered to vote yet in the state of Florida? The deadline for General Election is approaching — register or update your registration here:

Florida's discriminatory law that takes effect three months from today: a thread

aclufl.orgCivil Rights and Community Groups Urge Cities and Counties to Protect Local Governance from Gov. DeSantis’ Intrusive Anti-Diversity Law - ACLU of FloridaLetter sent to local elected officials outlines the constitutional limits on Senate Bill 1134, which is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027

Last month, we, alongside several partner organizations, sent a letter to 156 cities and counties across the state highlighting the law's constitutional limits. Read more here:

We are calling on local elected officials throughout the state to stand with our diverse communities — and against SB 1134.

Florida's discriminatory law that takes effect three months from today: a thread

For example, we requested public records that show Leon County and Fort Myers have already terminated programs designed to support minority and women owned businesses, Jacksonville has changed their grant application guidelines, and Largo ended its Inclusive Workplace Committee.

However, Floridians have been fighting back. Last week Wednesday, Floridians banded together during city commission meetings to make their voices heard. Together, we got 2 big wins. Tallahassee and Miami Beach both refused to bend to this anti-diversity law.

Florida's discriminatory law that takes effect three months from today: a thread

SB 1134 is a harmful new law that restricts local government actions related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 🚨 It goes into effect on January 1, 2027.

The thing is, the law's restrictions are vague and some cities and counties have been cornered into complying early based on their fear of retaliation from the governor's office.

Today, Florida Governor DeSantis and other state officials voted to designate two leading Muslim civil rights nonprofits as “domestic terrorist organizations.” The state's actions are baseless and unconstitutional.

If the courts do not intervene, the groups will be forced to shut down their operations in the state under threat of severe criminal penalties. This is an egregious abuse of power and a clear mishandling of government authority — full stop.

aclu.orgCAIR and CAIR-Florida Denied Opportunity to be Heard Before Florida Cabinet Vote to Approve Unconstitutional Terrorism Designation | American Civil Liberties UnionTALLAHASSEE — At Tuesday’s Florida Cabinet meeting, Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state officials followed through on their campaign to designate two...

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CAIR and CAIR-Florida are being targeted not because they pose a threat to public safety, but because doing so serves a political agenda — at the expense of Floridians' rights.

VICTORY: Yesterday, Miami Beach and Tallahassee refused to bend to a Florida anti-diversity law, choosing to preserve inclusive funding for diverse communities.

It's official: there are 4️⃣0️⃣ days until Election Day. Tap this thread to make sure you're registered to vote this election season.

aclufl.org2026 Florida Voter Hub - ACLU of Florida‎

16 Sept

WIN: The Leon County Commission voted unanimously to remove Flock cameras and other automated license plate readers from county property. These creepy cameras must be removed in the next 30 days.

aclu.orgGet The Flock OutAutomatic license plate reader (ALPR) companies like Flock Safety are quietly trying to build a nationwide mass surveillance system. If there are Flock cameras in your city, they are tracking, logging...

16 Sept

Inside or outside of Leon County, mass surveillance has no place in our state. We the People have a right to privacy. Join the movement to Get the Flock out of Florida: aclu.org/GetTheFlockOut

10 Sept

VICTORY: The Tallahassee City Commission voted unanimously to immediately suspend their contract with Flock and Motorola — removing all 150 of the invasive ALPR cameras within the city.

10 Sept

Mass surveillance does not make us safer when we drive to work, drop our kids off at school, or go to church. We must protect our communities across the state from these invasive cameras. We say it proudly: get the Flock out of Florida.

9 Sept

BREAKING: We're suing the City of Key West for falsely identifying residents as having submitted code complaints against their neighbors, after they challenged the City's selective enforcement practices in court.

aclufl.orgACLU of Florida Sues Key West for Retaliating Against Residents Who Challenged the City’s Censorship of Rainbow Protest - ACLU of FloridaLawsuit argues city officials falsely attributed code violation complaints against neighbors as retribution for exercising First Amendment rights

9 Sept

No one should face government retaliation for exercising their First Amendment rights. Read more here:

sun-sentinel.comIn the ‘free state of Florida,’ fear of Flock cameras | EditorialSurveillance cameras used by law enforcement have been greeted with distrust across the political spectrum. With little reassurances from some police agencies, that distrust is warranted.

2 Sept

People have a right to travel freely without being surveilled by the government — get Flock out of Florida.

@danielrivero.bsky.social

28 Aug

ICE OFF FIU & every other Florida college and university.

ACLU of Florida reposted

Danny Rivero

wlrn.orgFederal judge says FIU violated First Amendment rights of anti-ICE student protestersSeven FIU students scored a major free speech victory over their university, days before the start of the Fall Semester.

BREAKING: Major free speech ruling. Federal judge says FIU likely violated First Amendment rights of anti-ICE student protesters. She's ordered the university to stop disciplinary actions and to halt enforcing its policy against "expressive activities" indoors. www.wlrn.org/government-p...

UPDATE: A federal judge agrees — FIU's blanket ban on protected speech is likely unconstitutional, and it is now blocked from being enforced against these students while their case goes to trial.

ACLU of Florida@aclufl.bsky.social

BREAKING: Students have filed a lawsuit against FIU for violating their right to protest on campus. They silently stood against the university's decision to contract with ICE while wearing "ICE OFF FIU" t-shirts—and they got punished for it. That's unconstitutional.

The court didn't mince words: "For at least sixty years, the standard has been the same: student speech cannot be curtailed unless it materially disrupts the educational mission or involves substantial disorder or invasion of the rights of others."

aclufl.orgFederal Court Grants Preliminary Injunction Blocking FIU’s Blanket Ban on Constitutionally Protected Speech Inside University Buildings - ACLU of FloridaThe injunction was issued in a lawsuit challenging the university’s disciplinary action against seven students who silently protested the university’s contract with ICE

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