ICYMI

Airbnb users love Orlando (what housing crisis?), Gaetz’ racist ass, Magic power forward’s ideas are backward, and other news you may have missed.

» Orlando area makes Airbnb’s top 10 U.S. searches in 1Q22

The lovebugs have swarmed and tropical waves are forming off the coast of Africa, and our farmer’s almanac tells us that the tourists are next. A report from Airbnb sharing their first-quarter results found that the Orlando metro was one of the top 10 trending searches for stays among U.S. residents. The report singles out Four Corners, an area where the counties of Lake, Orange, Osceola and Polk meet, as uniquely hot. The area came in ninth, behind five other Florida destinations in the top 10. Those locations were Fort Walton Beach, Cape San Blas, Mexico Beach, Fort Myers and Cape Coral. While the report offers no justifications, the push for Airbnbs might be due in part to the dearth of budget resorts around the increasingly expensive parks. Of course, whole-house Airbnb rentals are only adding to Orlando’s ongoing housing crisis, which has reached levels that spurred local legislators to ask for a state of emergency declaration. But hey, enjoy your Dole Whip, newbies!

» Orlando Magic’s Jonathan Isaac explains his refusal to receive

COVID-19 vaccine

Jonathan Isaac hasn’t seen the court since suffering an ACL injury in 2020, but that hasn’t stopped the Orlando Magic star from making headlines. Isaac spoke last weekend at the ReAwaken America tour, a gathering of Trump dead-enders and conspiracy hawkers like Gen. Michael Flynn, Clay Clark and Trump’s son Eric. At the right-wing conference, Isaac touted his negative views of the COVID-19 vaccine as well as athletes who protest police brutality. He is one of the few NBA players who have famously refused the vaccine. “It seemed forced. It seemed like there was so much pressure in doing it,” Isaac said of his decision to forgo the coronavirus vaccine. “I’m young. I’m healthy. I’m an athlete and I already had COVID in the past.”

» Gaetz’s support of the ‘Great Replacement’ theory resurfaces following Buffalo shooting

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz’s support of the racist “Great Replacement” theory resurfaced after an adherent of the idea went on a racially motivated shooting spree in Buffalo last weekend. The Florida congressman supported the theory last year, after Fox News host Tucker Carlson landed in hot water for sharing it on his show. Subscribers to the theory believe that “powerful people” are willfully manipulating policies in the United States with the goal of making white Americans a minority. Carlson referred to white people as “legacy Americans” and said that they are being replaced by “more obedient people from far-away countries.” After those comments aired, Gaetz supported Carlson unequivocally. That support is now coming under fire after the Buffalo supermarket shooting spree that left 10 people dead. A manifesto purportedly written by the shooter mentioned a supposed decline in the white population of the U.S.

» Bill barring protest outside homes in Florida heads to Gov’s desk

A measure intended to prevent picketing and protests outside people’s homes was among eight bills forwarded to Gov. Ron DeSantis last Thursday. The protest bill (HB 1571), which was approved by lawmakers in March, would make it illegal to protest outside a person’s home “with the intent to harass or disturb that person in his or her dwelling.” The Legislature formally sent the bill to DeSantis Thursday as Republicans have accused the White House and Democrats of backing abortion-rights protests outside the homes of U.S. Supreme Court justices following the leak of a draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade. Under the state bill, people could face second-degree misdemeanor charges for violations. Law enforcement officers would have to tell protesters to leave before arrests could be made.

» Florida voting rights groups hope to rush redistricting case to state Supreme Court

Pointing to “urgency” as the 2022 elections near, attorneys for voting-rights groups requested Friday that a battle over a new congressional redistricting plan be put on a fast track to the Florida Supreme Court. The attorneys filed a court document seeking to essentially bypass the 1st District Court of Appeal, a procedural move known as seeking certification to the Supreme Court. The request came after Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration appealed a ruling Thursday by Leon County Circuit Judge Layne Smith, who issued a temporary injunction against the redistricting plan. The attorneys for voting-rights groups and other plaintiffs wrote that time remains to move forward with a “remedial” redistricting plan before the 2022 elections, but “that window will likely close within a few weeks.” Qualifying for elections will be held in mid-June, with primary elections on Aug. 23 and the general election on Nov. 8.