100 Central Florida
Our panel of 100 influential leaders discusses the most important issues affecting you.
TOP STORIES FROM LAST WEEK
BASIC PRINCIPLES AT RISK, Camille Evans, managing partner, Virtus LLP: The 2022 general election season was already complicated. But if this past week’s special session sets the tone for what to expect, I think the only conclusion is that nothing is safe. Among other things, the Florida Constitution was ordained and established to “perfect our government, … maintain public order, and guarantee equal civil and political rights to all.” Those principles should never be put aside — not for the sake of landing a punitive jab at opposition rightfully exercising its right to disagree, and most certainly not for the sake of racial and partisan gerrymandering. Protection of power should never be at the expense of our democracy.
VITAL TEXTBOOK BAN, John L. Evans Jr., Organizational behavior scholar; DeSantis appointee: ”Math is about getting the right answer, not about how you feel about the problem.” If this isn’t common sense, proclaimed by our governor as he promptly and properly rejected a batch of math books for Florida’s students — due to infiltration of critical race theory — then there’s no such thing. CRT, for the record, is undefinable, but you know it when you see it. Patrick Henry, a rowdy and iconic architect of our country and author of “Common Sense,” would approve. As my doctor deadpanned recently, “If you have two thumbtacks stuck in your fanny, and pull one out, you don’t feel 50% better.” Let’s eradicate 100% of CRT.
SEEING THE LIGHT, Glenton Gilzean Jr., president/CEO, Central Florida Urban League: With Yom Hashoah being commemorated Wednesday and Thursday, I was very pleased to read that the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center unveiled plans for a new $45 million museum which will open near downtown in 2025. According to the plans, a spotlight will shine above the museum which will be visible from I-4. The light will represent a beacon of hope and a constant reminder that the atrocities of the Holocaust must never happen again. Personally, I hope when drivers see this light, which is in clear contrast from the attractions I-4 is famous for, they take a brief moment of reflection and remembrance.
LIBERAL MEDIA SUFFERING, Francisco Gonzalez, host, Agents of Innovation podcast: Left-wing media institutions are under assault from an aggressive conservative pushback. Woke Disney is on the verge of losing its crony preferences from Florida’s government while its stock crashes. CNN+ is being ditched after less than a month after too few subscribers. It’s no wonder the anti-free speech Left is concerned what might happen to the media “power” they’ve controlled (for far too long) if Elon Musk purchases Twitter. Maybe freedom still works.
LAKE COUNTY FAIR, A.J. Marsden, assistant professor, Beacon College: After recent rains flooded the fairgrounds, it was uncertain whether the Lake County Fair — its 101st event — was going to happen. Luckily the fair manager, Lake County commissioners and a state representative from Tavares quickly pooled their resources to reconfigure the fair layout to open the fairgrounds on time. Many Lake County residents are grateful for their hard work, as the fair provides several family-friendly activities and events including a space adventure show, a variety of games and rides, local artists and musicians, and youth livestock shows. I hope you were able to make it!
PROFESSOR REVIEW, Muhammad Musri, president, Islamic Society of Central Florida: Ron DeSantis signed a new law Tuesday requiring tenured professors to go for review before their university or college’s board of trustees every five years. Some professors become unmotivated to teach and do research after getting tenure, which affects not just students but other professors. Looking at reviews on rate-my-professor sites reveal the fact that professors become complacent and have no incentive to grow and improve. This reformed review process is many years overdue; it should have been in place all along to make it easier for schools to fire the underperforming professors and reward those who deserve
recognition.
SECOND CHANCES, Pamela Nabors, president/CEO, CareerSource Central Florida: The White House recently declared April as “Second Chance Month” to recognize the importance of helping formerly incarcerated individuals reenter society. This national campaign could not come at a better time, for both jobseekers and businesses, as today’s tight labor market creates a new willingness for businesses to look past previous barriers to employment. Locally, our community benefits from nonprofit organizations like First Step Staffing, a unique staffing approach that is committed to lifting barriers for those otherwise “locked” out of employment. Experience and education, as well as the labor shortage, are opportunities to incentivize hiring of justice-involved applicants.
BOOKS AT RISK, Carol Wick, CEO, Sharity: In May 1933, book-burning Nazis targeted authors for their “un-German” ideas. But book burning and bans did not end with the Third Reich. In 1953, U.S. Sen. Joe McCarthy sent aides to search for “subversive” books. Now the Florida government is making national headlines for banning math books. And, in Walton County, the library is banning books by Toni Morrison along with award-winning classics like “The Kite Runner” and “Nineteen Minutes.” Are you worried yet? You should be.