FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (NewsNation) — A list of organizations urging people not to travel or move to the Sunshine State is growing after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis passed a flurry of laws that these groups said put the people they represent at risk.
The Florida Immigrant Coalition and Equality Florida have followed the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s (NAACP) lead, issuing travel advisories and warning people not to travel to the state.
Equality Florida, an LGBTQ advocacy group, said it is warning people that “Florida may not be safe.”
The organization said the reason is the state’s anti-LGBTQ laws, restrictions on access to reproductive health care and its repeal of gun safety laws, forcing it to take unprecedented action.
“I’m not familiar if any other state equality organizations have issued an advisory of their own. I know, I talked to the CEO of Equality in Texas, and his response was that it was heartbreaking to see that this was necessary,” Equality Florida press secretary Brandon Wolf said.
The Florida Immigrant Coalition also issued an advisory to those considering visiting the Sunshine State. The advisory asks people to “reconsider traveling to Florida due to unconstitutional laws which abuse civil liberties.”
It even cites a “heightened risk of harassment, possible detainment and potential family separation based on racial profiling.”
DeSantis has also been pushing some of the toughest immigration legislation in over a decade, calling on state lawmakers to pass an extensive package that would toughen the state’s immigration laws.
“We have had other immigrant coalitions in other states who are also concerned for their own neighbors, families and friends and have decided to also issue the advisory because it is such a dangerous approach that this bill is taking,” Rosa Elera with the Florida Immigrant Coalition said.
At the end of last month, the NAACP unanimously voted to issue a travel advisory urging Black Americans to avoid visiting or moving to Florida, citing concerns over what they call “anti-black legislation.” It was a direct response to several proposals from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push for legislation banning diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Tourism drives Florida’s economy. 137.6 million people visited the Sunshine State in 2022, according to Visit Florida. Tourism brought $101.9 million into the state economy in 2021.
That’s why the NAACP is pushing for the advisory. Yet, the notion didn’t come overnight. The NAACP National Board reconvenes in May, the earliest it will be able to discuss the travel advisory.
Florida’s NAACP said it exhausted all other options and this was a last resort.
The Florida governor said he was aware of the travel warnings, even laughing and calling the NAACP advisory a joke. He also reportedly called the other warnings political stunts.