Florida Issues Warning To Far-Left

Florida is moving forward with a major expansion of classroom instruction on communism, bringing detailed lessons about communist governments, revolutionary movements and their historical consequences to middle and high school students across the state.

Republican Lt. Gov. Jay Collins says the goal is straightforward: Florida students should understand what happened under communist regimes before they encounter modern political arguments about socialism and communism without that historical context.

Collins, who sponsored the legislation while serving in the Florida Senate, discussed the new education requirements Saturday during an appearance on Newsmax’s “America Right Now.”

He argued that history provides extensive evidence about the consequences of communist governments and said Florida intends to make those lessons part of students’ education.

“We don’t have to take socialism and communism for a test ride. We know how it turns out. It destroys communities, countries, and cultures every single time,” Collins said.

Florida Expands Communism Education in Public Schools

The changes stem from Senate Bill 1264, which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law in 2024 on the 63rd anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion.

The law requires Florida public schools to provide age-appropriate education about the history of communism from kindergarten through 12th grade.

For younger children, the material is designed to be introduced at an appropriate level. Students in later grades will receive substantially more detailed instruction about communist ideology, revolutionary movements, governments and historical events.

Collins said Florida is concentrating on age-appropriate discussions about political ideology, major movements, government tactics and the consequences that followed.

The State Board of Education approved standards in November 2025 that include communist movements in the United States and Latin America, circumstances that preceded communist revolutions and atrocities committed under various regimes.

That includes material concerning Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution in China.

Students Will Learn About Stalin, Mao, Castro and Other Communist Leaders

Florida’s approach will also put names and historical figures at the center of the discussion.

Students are expected to learn about Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro and Pol Pot, among other figures associated with communist governments and movements.

The lessons will examine not only who these leaders were, but also how their movements gained political power and maintained control.

According to Collins, students will study subjects such as political violence, coercion, collectivism and dehumanization as part of understanding how communist systems operated.

That distinction could prove important for parents who want schools to move beyond simply defining communism and instead examine its historical application.

Survivors of Communist Regimes Will Help Shape Curriculum

One of the most notable elements of Florida’s initiative is the involvement of people who personally experienced life under communist governments.

Collins said survivors are being used to help develop the educational material and provide factual, firsthand perspectives.

“We have to be equally committed to make sure we teach the truth, using survivors to teach the facts,” Collins said.

For Florida, those accounts carry particular significance.

The state has long been home to families who fled Cuba and other countries affected by communist governments. Many Florida families have firsthand or generational connections to political upheaval in Latin America.

Including those experiences could give students a more personal understanding of events that otherwise might appear to be distant chapters in a history textbook.

Collins Rejects Claims Florida Is Politicizing Classrooms

The education mandate has also generated a familiar political debate over what public schools should teach.

When asked about accusations that Florida is bringing politics into classrooms, Collins pointed to the growing visibility of democratic socialist candidates and organizations in American elections.

He argued that the current political environment makes historical education about socialism and communism increasingly important.

Collins also called on other states to consider following Florida’s example.

“The DSA is out of their minds. They’re out of time,” Collins said before arguing that other states should adopt similar education policies.

For conservative parents and grandparents who have expressed concerns about political ideology in schools, Florida’s approach represents a considerably different philosophy: rather than avoiding controversial political systems, state leaders want students to study their historical records.

Florida School Districts Begin Putting New Requirements Into Practice

The policy is now moving from legislation into actual classrooms.

Six Florida school districts, including Orange, Broward and Hillsborough, have indicated that they are incorporating the communism material into existing social studies courses.

That means students generally will not need to enroll in a separate class devoted exclusively to communism.

Instead, the required material can become part of the history and social studies courses already offered by individual districts.

The Florida Department of Education is also continuing to develop an instructional guide for students in grades six through 12.

That guidance is expected to provide teachers with additional direction about presenting the material and meeting the state’s standards.

Collins Says Strong Oversight Will Be Necessary

Passing an education requirement is one thing. Making sure it is consistently taught throughout a large public-school system is another.

Collins said state education officials will need to remain involved in implementation.

He also took aim at teachers’ unions and pointed to Florida’s decision to prohibit automatic payroll deductions for union dues.

“You got to keep the teachers’ unions on their heels in Florida,” Collins said.

The remarks underscore the broader disagreement between Florida’s Republican leadership and organized education groups over control of public-school policy.

For DeSantis and other Florida Republicans, education has become a major part of the state’s governing agenda, ranging from curriculum standards to parental rights and the authority of school districts.

Florida Announces New Restrictions on Cash Assistance

The conversation also turned to a separate Florida policy involving how government assistance can be spent.

Florida this week became the first state to impose a new set of restrictions on purchases made using Temporary Cash Assistance funds under an amended Temporary Assistance for Needy Families plan approved by the federal Administration for Children and Families.

Under the changes, assistance funds cannot be used for tattoos, vaping products, pornography, video games, theme park admission, spa services or psychic services.

Florida officials say taxpayer-supported benefits should instead be directed toward essential needs.

Collins described the restrictions as a matter of common sense and fiscal responsibility.

“It’s not the government’s money. It’s the people’s money,” Collins said, adding that state leaders have an obligation to be responsible stewards of public funds.

The policy could appeal particularly to fiscal conservatives who have long argued that government assistance programs should include clear restrictions designed to ensure taxpayer dollars are used for their intended purposes.

Florida’s Education Fight Could Spread Beyond the State

The expanded communism curriculum could ultimately become more than a Florida education story.

Collins is openly encouraging other states to adopt similar requirements, potentially turning Florida’s approach into another model for Republican-led legislatures around the country.

Supporters believe American students should understand communist revolutions, the governments they produced and the experiences of people who lived under those systems.

Critics are likely to continue questioning whether political considerations could influence how those lessons are presented.

Either way, Florida has made its position clear.

Rather than leaving communism primarily to advanced history courses, the state is making the subject part of public education beginning at an early age and becoming increasingly detailed as students advance through school.

For parents and grandparents concerned about what younger generations are learning about American government, socialism, communism and 20th-century history, Florida’s new standards will be worth watching closely.

And if Collins gets his way, Florida will not be the last state to take this approach.