Would you travel to Florida if you and your friends had already made a significant, nonrefundable purchase?

I had a similar debate with myself on a smaller scale. I have friends in Florida whom I have not seen since the pandemic. I am going down this winter but only for a few days and staying with them. I would not want to buy real estate there or go for an extended period of time now.

However, since you already paid for the event and planned it, I would probably go if it were me. What do other members of the group think?

For me personally, I would allow the event to proceed, but I would not attend and lose that money. I would not travel to Florida at all.

@janbb, let’s say it’s a representative spread of opinions, including people who identify with protected classes and people who don’t have to.

I’d go but I’d be sure to never flush any of the toilets I used the entire time I was there in protest.

You and your colleagues are members of a certain religious community.
You have planned to attend a scientific conference in Germany to brush up on the newest scientific discoveries and developments.
Your hotel is already booked and paid for.
It is November 1938. The Reichskristallnacht has just occured.

I won’t be stepping a foot back in FL probably for the rest of my life!!! FL won’t go broke, but it’s a matter of principle for me!!! TX won’t be seeing my ass either!!!

Perhaps those who don’t feel it is ethical to go could be included in a Zoom meeting or conference session.

I might go, but I’d be very wary of where I spent my $. But Zoom is a good solution.

What is the point of avoiding Florida?

The people (restaurant owners, hotel workers, waitresses, store owners) are the ones who suffer.

Avoiding Florida is a meaningless gesture – De Santis doesn’t know or care, because he is an ideologist.

I would go to help the poor workers who are unable to relocate.

@elbanditoroso
Who do you think voted him into office?

Not 100% of the population, @ragingloli

One of our local doctors is telling his pregnant patients to AVOID even visiting any state that has strict abortion laws…just in case they have a medical emergency while there as it could mean that they could lose their baby or their life from lack of adequate medical care.

@elbanditoroso You have the right to go if that suits you. It does NOT suit me, so I still will NOT be going!!! And I refuse to ask every employee who they voted for before tipping them or spending my money in their business.

I’m in Florida! Yes, I would go to Florida. The state is great, except for the crazy shit going on. LOL.

Seriously, everyday life is great in Florida. We have one of the largest gay populations in the country. The state is 17% Black and 27% Latin American! Miami-Dade county is 69% Latin American. Give me a break, we are diverse here, some areas more diverse than others like any state. Lots of Jewish people too. Last I looked Boca Raton is close to 50% Jewish now, I don’t know the state statistic.

I’m totally pissed off that Democrats and various minority organizations are telling people to stay away from Florida, it just helps the Republicans in my opinion.

Many counties are Blue. What part of Florida are you going to? The people saying not to come are not here.

@JLeslie It is not our responsibility to come save Florida. That’s your job. Don’t foist that off so nonchalantly onto people who have every right to be repulsed by the “crazy shit” (to quote you) going on there.

@Hawaii_Jake There are horrible things happening in a lot of states right now. You don’t have to come here, I understand why people are boycotting, but some people are not coming out of fear or think they will have a run in with hateful people.

The only reason DeSantis is so dwelled on is because he has a chance of becoming president. The media helped create him during covid, now he has national recognizability. Very frustrating. Your perception of what it is like here is most likely not accurate. At the same time, I am worried myself about some of what is happening and hope we can correct course.

I hope the people boycotting going to FL also are not going to GA, AL, MO, ID, AR, KY, LA, MS, OK, SD, TX, WV, all with way worse than Florida abortion laws now. You happen to live in a very liberal state.

I am not asking people from outside the state to fix Florida, I am asking them not to sabotage Florida and the country. Florida was an important swing state, I hope we have not become so red that it gives the elections away for the next 20 years.

Anyone that wants to go can go and anyone that wants to abstain on some protest can abstain. Those that go can enjoy the vacation, those that abstain can lose the money. Pretty simple. I can’t see a group of, say, 10 people giving up on the vacation because 1 or 2 of them are in a snit.

Personally I would go strut my stuff as a group-with safety protocols, which I think is a more aggressive protest than giving up all the money in a silent protest.
Seeking out specific places to spend your money seems like a great idea.
If anyone feels unsafe, of course their decision should be respected, as much as the people who decide to attend. If I were told I was some kind of traitor for going, the friendship would end regardless of my choice.

@JLeslie Surely you must know that the issues with Florida, DeSantis and his legislature are not just about abortion. They are about book banning, trans rights, immigrant rights and the loss of academic freedom as well as whitewashing of history. I would agree that Texas is as bad and some of the others, but a) this question is about Florida and b) there’s generally no reason to go to most of the other red states. Florida’s economy is based largely on tourism and if the economy is hurting because of the racism and xenophobia that its governor espouses, it is up to the people of Florida to change things. No one else.

@janbb Hear, hear! All good points (especially the part about this question being about Florida and a specific circumstance.

And, @JLeslie, yes, you have in the past suggested that we fix Florida, when you have gotten upset and told us that we should go and move there to vote blue.

Come on, I am not suggesting that people outside of the state fix Florida. I have asked that people and organizations THINK more about ramifications before they speak out. I am not talking about anyone here. Do you like that MSNBC gave Trump a lot of time on their shows on 2016? They didn’t support him, but they essentially helped him.

People who are vacationing here does not change anything. Vacationers are not voting or changing policy. If you don’t want to contribute to the Florida economy by spending dollars here I can understand that. My family didn’t want to buy anything German for the first 30 years of my life, similar idea.

Of course I know abortion is not the only issue, it was just an example. I am pointing out that people are OBSESSED with Florida because of the media dwelling on Florida, even though other states have some pretty bad things going on. Florida was one of the biggest abortion states in the country, we are a destination abortion state, and we still are. DeSantis’ changes in laws are being challenged in court, in fact, I think it is happening this month, I need to check.

Moreover, people perceive what is happening in Florida incorrectly. You are not here, you are hearing sound bites. Just like everyone thinks there were no mask mandates in Florida, yes there were, but at the county level supported by DeSantis. If you think he fell short by not having a state level mandate, fine, but get the facts straight. Don’t edit and cherry pick to suit your purpose.

I have said this before, it made the news that To Kill a Mockingbird was banned in schools in FL; it is recommended reading by the state of Florida still to this day. It was challenged in one school system, and the challenge was dismissed, the book stayed. People are using the word banned, when it is actually is about books in school, not public libraries, not book stores. When I learned about banned books in history, books were burned, they wanted to ban books for the entire community. It is worrisome about the books, but in reality is less distressing than how it is being presented. I do hope we still stay on top of it though and fight against some of the absurd objections to great works of literature.

I was in a discussion about book banning this past Saturday, and they named some of the books under fire. I, and another woman in the group, didn’t like the idea of a few of the titles being assigned reading for high school, but certainly would not want to book banned. That had us thinking about the details of these efforts. When I was in school, my English teacher assigned different books than the other English teachers. In my school district, each teacher had a list they could pick from. I wonder if that is still the same?

I am not defending DeSantis, I think that he brought up school books as a dog whistle and it’s horrible, it was unnecessary to say anything at the state level and to make this such an issue. He empowered the lunatics out there not only in Florida, but other states too. Probably half of the people objecting to the books have not read the books.

If your state had a shitty governor for a while and put in some laws you hated, are you going to move out of state and tell your family and friends not to visit? Or, are you going to put on your rainbow shirt with your friends from every ethnicity and read excerpts from great works of literature in the park aloud to a crowd?

Stop feeling so high and mighty. Don’t spit in the wind, it will come back and hit you in the face.

@JLeslie I must defend their mindset to a degree though. If DeSants or supporters see it is hurting your economy, perhaps they’ll think twice.
For many people, including myself, our spending dollars are likely to have more impact. I do love your scenario in the park though!

@KNOWITALL Agreed. If the goal is to hurt the economy in protest it makes sense. I feel it is way more than that though. It feels like they think anyone living in the state supports DeSantis. Similar to people outside of our country thinking Americans are all Trumpers, or all of America is in a constant state of gunfire. Trump and gun violence worry me too, but generally our country is friendly and safe and welcoming.

I know people living in 95% white Chirstian communities who criticize The Villages for being very white. Somehow their white area doesn’t count. It’s ridiculous.