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DeSantis signs voting law on Fox & Friends; lawsuits follow claiming voter suppression

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Florida's controversial new elections law during an interview on Fox & Friends Thursday.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Florida's controversial new elections law during an interview on Fox & Friends Thursday.

During a "Fox & Friends" interview Thursday, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that creates hurdles to voting by mail and restricts voter drop boxes.

Afterward, the only Florida Democrat elected to statewide office labeled him a "dictator" and said she plans to back a lawsuit against the new law.

DeSantis says the law means votes will be cast with "integrity and transparency."

It passed even though GOP leaders, including Senate sponsor Dennis Baxley of Ocala, say Florida's last election was a model for the country.

Democrats and voting rights advocates call it voter suppression.

The League of Women Voters and others promptly filed a federal suit. They say the law is crafted "to make it more difficult for certain types of voters to participate."

Secretary of Agriculture Nikki Fried says DeSantis held the signing in Palm Beach County near his "master at Mar-a-Lago."

"We are no longer a free state," she said at a press conference. "This governor has infringed upon our rights once again."

The NAACP, Disability Rights Florida and Common Cause have also filed suit, alleging voter suppression.

Joe Byrnes came to WMFE/WMFV from the Ocala Star-Banner and The Gainesville Sun, where he worked as a reporter and editor for several years. Joe graduated from Loyola University in New Orleans and turned to journalism after teaching. He enjoys freshwater fishing and family gatherings.