Turning Point USA has approximately 100 chapters in high schools, colleges, and universities throughout Florida.
Hundreds gather at Florida State Capitol to remember Charlie Kirk
Hundreds of people gathered for a candlelight vigil to honor the life of Charlie Kirk outside the Florida State Capitol on Tuesday, October 14th.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced a partnership with Turning Point USA to allow Florida high school students to join campus chapters of the conservative youth organization founded by political commentator Charlie Kirk, who was murdered in early September.
At an Oct. 27 press conference in Sarasota, DeSantis said any high school student who wants to start a high school chapter of Club America, Turning Point, should be able to do so. DeSantis warned that if anything goes wrong, Florida authorities will be involved.
“More young people are getting interested and getting educated and now they want to get involved,” DeSantis said. “So since that tragic day, interest in them has increased tremendously.”
However, it is unclear what the governor meant by partnership. Turning Point USA did not respond to questions. Molly Best, the governor’s press secretary, did not specify the details of the partnership, but wrote in an email that it is a new initiative and more information will be released as it becomes available.
She referenced a press release discussing the Florida debate initiative, which states, “The winner of the upcoming Ronald Reagan presidential debate at the Florida Civil Debate Initiative (FCDI) State Championships will receive $50,000 and a trophy named in Kirk’s honor to emphasize the critical importance of teaching students the value of respectful debate.”
DeSantis also pointed to the administration’s increased oversight of school districts and teachers, overseen by Education Commissioner Anastasios “Stasi” Kamtzas. Mr. Kamtzas has gone after school districts and teachers on social media, for example by posting about perceived problems and threatening to get involved if they are not resolved.
Kamtzas, who attended the Sarasota news conference, said he believes in the importance of civil dialogue and debate. He added that Kirk’s assassination underscores the importance of respectful and civil debate, stressing that “accountability is paramount when it comes to education.”
“If you try to be a disability, if you become a hurdle, if you get in the way of students and teachers who want to start a Turning Point USA chapter, we will face you with the full force of the law,” Kamtzas said.
Turning Point USA has about 100 chapters at high schools, colleges and universities in Florida, according to its website. It has chapters at every public university in Florida except Florida A&M University in Tallahassee.
After Kirk’s death, state officials stress Florida’s civility
In the wake of Kirk’s assassination, educators across the country expressed a desire to foster civil discussion in schools and ensure free speech, especially conservative voices, is preserved on campus.
Florida lawmakers have since responded by introducing a bill to rename roads on college campuses after Kirk. New University of Florida in Sarasota announced it will install a statue of Kirk on campus.
Mr. DeSantis has long portrayed Florida’s universities and schools as bastions of free speech, but critics often disagree and say the policies actually stifle expression. Some examples come from measures that limit classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation or restrict minors’ access to social media.
DeSantis said in Sarasota that Florida will not tolerate any “discrimination” in its schools, including preventing Turning Point from starting. Neither the governor’s office nor the state attorney general’s office responded to calls seeking comment on whether any school districts do not allow chapters.
In late September, Florida Attorney General James Usmeyer posted a video on X with Duval County School Board Vice Chair April Carney, threatening legal action against public schools that prevent the creation of such chapters.
“This is discrimination. It’s wrong. We will not stand for this,” Usmayer said. “Our AG’s Office of Custody will take legal action as necessary to ensure that students’ rights to organize, organize, and engage in speech and debate are protected.”
Carney previously said at a policy committee meeting in September that parents had reported that students were having trouble forming Turning Point chapters because they couldn’t find sponsors in the district. She said at the conference on Sept. 25 that she believed it was “a violation of the First Amendment to say, ‘No, I’m not going to be a sponsor.'” ”
The Lake City Reporter reported there was a misunderstanding about students struggling to start a Turning Point USA chapter at Suwanee High School.
This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. USA Today Network-Florida First Amendment reporter Stephany Matat is based in Tallahassee, Florida. He can be reached at SMattat@gannett.com. About X: @stephanymatat.
