‘Demons,’ DeSantis and deluges: A pop quiz on news in Florida
It was another wild week of news in Florida. How closely were you paying attention?
One of Central Florida’s oldest brands, Tupperware, announced it may soon go out of business. That wouldn’t just be the end of the 77-year-old Osceola Countybased company, but the end of an era. What noise are Tupperware containers famous for emulating when their lids are sealed?
A. A gasp
B. A burp
C. A sneeze
D. A yawn
Answer: B. “Just burp a little air out, and you lock freshness in,” the company said in the 1970s commercials promoting Tupperware parties.
On Tuesday, the state’s top flood-management officials gathered for a conference in Miami. What happened? A. Their conference was flooded
B. They flooded the hotel bar
C. They got into a brawl with a rival hotel full of flood-insurance guys
D. They predicted a drought
Answer: A. The rainfall was so quick and heavy that the Miami Herald reported some flood-conference attendees couldn’t reach the hotel because of flooded streets.
Volusia County Rep. Webster Barnaby made national headlines when he went on a rant against transgender Floridians during a legislative hearing, calling them “mutants,” “demons” and “imps.” Barnaby’s fellow Republicans responded by doing what?
A. Apologizing on his behalf
B. Censuring him
C. Delaying a vote on the anti-transgender bathroom bill Barnaby wanted passed
D. Voting to advance the bill Barnaby supported
Answer: D. Republicans advanced the bathroom bill sponsored by Seminole County freshman Rep. Rachel Plakon on a party-line vote. Meanwhile, the top cop in Barnaby’s neck of the woods, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, said comments like his “put a target” on the backs of transgender citizens, adding: “It’s not OK to dehumanize people who aren’t hurting anyone.”
The region’s biggest movie event of the year, the Florida Film Festival, kicked off this weekend at the Enzian Theater in Maitland. Which ‘80s star is this year’s celebrity guest? A. Molly Ringwald
B. John Cusack
C. Anthony Michael Hall D. Michael J. Fox
Answer: B. Cusack will appear for a Q&A next weekend following a screening of his pop-culture hit, “Say Anything,” which taught those of us from a similar generation that the best way to declare our love for someone was to stand outside their house with a clunky boom box and play loud music by Peter Gabriel.
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential ambitions took some big hits this week. What happened?
A. A fourth member of Florida’s GOP Congressional delegation endorsed
Trump over DeSantis.
B. Polls showed DeSantis now trailing Trump by as much as 33 points.
C. Sensing weakness with DeSantis, a new Republican, S.C. Sen. Tim Scott, took a step toward running.
D. Trump declared DeSantis was at risk of becoming a pariah in his own party.
Answer: All of the above. DeSantis’ rough campaign week was summed up in this headline from The
Guardian: “DeSantis pleads with Florida Congress members to stop endorsing Trump.”
Speaking of DeSantis’ presidential ambitions, the governor also took heat for campaigning in Michigan and Ohio while South Florida was reeling from the historic flooding. To help DeSantis face less scrutiny in the future, GOP legislators advanced a bill that would do what?
A. Hide details about the governor’s travel even when it’s taxpayer-funded
B. Make it illegal for any natural disaster to occur while the governor is out of town
C. Formally blame any future natural disasters on Joe Biden
D. Prohibit news organizations from writing anything the governor dislikes
Answer: A. Republicans said the issue was about security, not wanting to publicize the governor’s travel plans. But open-government advocates said that sounded like a bunch of hooey since the bill would hide details even after the trip was over. Trump, meanwhile, referred to DeSantis’ travel as “taxpayer-funded globetrotting.”
The Orlando Magic finished this season with yet another losing record — their 10th losing season out of the past 11. What was the team’s record this year?
A. 40-42
B. 37-45
C. 34-48
D. 30-52
Answer: C. But this season’s losing record was actually better than the team’s last two losing seasons. So there’s that.
Fewer aspiring lawyers passed the Florida Bar exam this year. Here’s a two-part question: What was this year’s passage rate, and which university’s law school posted the best results?
A. 72.1% and Florida State University
B. 65.4% and University of Florida
C. 54.7% and Florida International University
D. 47.0% and Barry University School of Law
Answer: C. This year’s statewide passage rate was 54.7%, meaning nearly half the test-takers failed. That’s about 7 points lower than last year. And yes, FIU led the state with 72.2% of its students passing, just ahead of 70.8% at UF.
On Tuesday, I published a column about a nutty new immigration proposal that could lead to the arrest of nuns and other Good Samaritans who help undocumented immigrants but would give companies that profit off illegal labor a free pass on using E-Verify to vet their hires. The column made the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, very angry. He responded on Twitter by doing what?
A. Calling the column “ridiculous”
B. Calling me a “Typical liberal/leftist”
C. Saying he might change his bill to address the very loophole I’d highlighted for law-breaking employers
D. All of the above
Answer: D. Yes, after he was done fuming and name-calling — and after a bunch of Twitter users asked Ingoglia why he wouldn’t address the actual facts in the column — he responded: “Lemme work on that.”