Miami
Florida lawmakers press issues on AI, fishing, tax relief and immigration
A Florida Politics roundup showed members of Florida’s congressional delegation weighing in on artificial intelligence, red snapper access, disaster tax relief and the detention of an exiled Nicaraguan journalist.
Florida’s congressional delegation spread its attention across a wide set of issues this week, including artificial intelligence, recreational fishing, disaster tax relief, rare diseases, voting rights, immigration and federal appointments, according to a roundup published by Florida Politics.
On artificial intelligence, Republican Anna Paulina Luna called for a special session of Congress focused on the technology’s impact and on how the country should manage the transition she believes will affect every American. Other Republicans argued for a slower approach: Rick Scott said AI companies should voluntarily slow down while the United States develops a broader strategy that does not cede ground to China, and Greg Steube said fear should not drive the country’s response.
That debate is also touching related legislation. The House is expected to consider Kathy Castor’s bill on electricity costs tied to large-load customers such as data centers. Jimmy Patronis, meanwhile, said Congress is poorly equipped to quickly regulate such disruptive technology, but argued that accountability for large tech companies could be increased by ending Section 230 protections.
On fishing, Ashley Moody and John Rutherford led a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick backing exempted fishing permit applications filed by Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. The goal is to improve data collection and move toward state-led management of the recreational red snapper fishery in federal waters in the South Atlantic. According to the letter cited by Florida Politics, anglers have faced extremely short seasons despite the stock’s recovery. Other signers included Scott, Gus Bilirakis, Aaron Bean, Byron Donalds, Randy Fine, Scott Franklin, Mike Haridopolos, María Elvira Salazar, Daniel Webster and Democrat Darren Soto.
On disaster relief, President Donald Trump signed the Doug LaMalfa Federal Disaster Tax Relief Certainty Act, legislation backed by Scott and Steube. The law is intended to shield disaster victims from unexpected tax burdens tied to assistance they receive. Steube said rebuilding should come before tax concerns, while Scott highlighted his work with Senator Adam Schiff and referenced both Los Angeles fires and damage suffered by people in Florida and elsewhere.
Florida Politics also noted a bipartisan effort on rare pediatric diseases. Bilirakis and Kat Cammack were among the sponsors of legislation to make permanent an incentive program first launched in 2012. The outlet reported that, in its first 14 years, the program helped treatments reach the market for 47 rare pediatric diseases, compared with only 4 approvals before then. Democrat Nanette Barragán is the lead co-sponsor.
On voting rights, Democrat Maxwell Frost took part in a town hall in his district and warned voters about changes to election rules ahead of the Midterms. According to Florida Politics, he pointed to new restrictions, redistricting, challenges to vote-by-mail and a Trump-backed election package.
On immigration detention, a report from the Homeland Security Department’s Office of Inspector General renewed scrutiny of the now-closed Alligator Alcatraz facility in the Everglades. According to Florida Politics, a surprise inspection in January found that 79 detainees had been held in small metal enclosures with about 18 square feet of floor space for periods ranging from several minutes to nearly two hours. Democrat Lois Frankel called for accountability over the conditions at the facility.
In a separate immigration-related case, Salazar criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement for detaining exiled Nicaraguan journalist Luis Galeano in Florida, as his wife told Expediente Público. The Republican lawmaker said Galeano had been persecuted for reporting on abuses by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, and called for an immediate review of the case.
On foreign politics, Carlos Giménez took a side in unrest in Spain by backing the far-right party Aliança Catalana in its dispute with left-wing protesters in Barcelona. Florida Politics reported that the party later publicly thanked him and referenced its president, Sylvia Orriols.
The roundup also listed federal appointments sent by Trump to the Senate, including businessman Austin Holmes for U.S. Ambassador to Haiti, Judge Robert E. Long Jr. for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, and William Toti as Under Secretary of the Navy.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
