MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 1264 on the 63rd anniversary of the “Bay of Pigs” which will now require Florida public schools to educate students on the history and “evil accuracies” of communism and socialism.
“100 million were killed at the hands of communist regimes,” said DeSantis in a press conference at the Hialeah Gardens Museum on Wednesday. “Those are the facts, and those are what we need to be very clear-eyed about.”
The bill mandates the inclusion of the history of communism in public schools, beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year and will be implemented to students in an age and developmentally appropriate manner.
“It’s gonna give the students the truth about communism. We might as well tell them the truth while they’re in our schools,” DeSantis added.
The bill will also create the “Institute for Freedom in the Americas” at Miami Dade College, according to the Florida Senate’s website.
DeSantis was accompanied by Florida Department of Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr.
“For us to truly understand the evils and perils of communism, this bill will allow our students to not repeat history after so many lives have been shattered and separated due to the devil that is communism,” said Diaz. “This will continue to build on Florida’s moral legacy.”
In South Florida, communism and socialism are not just forms of economic theory but inextricably tied with dictatorship and regimes so many here know firsthand.
“Sometimes our students are taught that socialism is something good,” said Diaz.
“I think that we have here proof from the people who have fled and have the stories time and time again. History speaks for itself,” said Miami-Dade School Board member Monica Colucci.
Some on Miami Dade’s School Board have that first-hand connection and liken lessons about communism to Holocaust education.
“Throughout the state and throughout the country, we don’t have those real-life stories as these family members who went through this become older and pass away and stories fade away,” said Miami-Dade School Board member Robert Alonso. “We want to make sure the stories never fade away.”
“The bill will take the truth of communism and show what it does to communities. We need to pass these freedoms to our children because I will fight relentlessly to protect those we love,” said State Sen. Jay Collins.
The press conference is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and Local 10 viewers can watch it from the video at the top of this story.
DeSantis also paid tribute to ex-Senator and Former Florida Gov. Bob Graham who died on Tuesday.
“He (Graham) made a great contribution to society and I’m really thankful for his service to the state of Florida and the United States,” DeSantis said.
According to a news release from the governor’s office, SB 1264 does the following:
- Adds to existing Communist history standards with instruction on the history of Communism in the United States and the tactics of Communist movements.
- Authorizes the newly-established Institute for Freedom in the Americas at Miami Dade College to promote the importance of economic and individual freedoms as a means to advance human progress—specifically in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- This institute will partner with the Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom at Florida International University.
- Enables the Florida Department of State, in collaboration with the Florida Department of Education, to recommend to the Legislature the creation of a Miami-Dade based museum on the history of Communism.
- Prepares students to withstand indoctrination on Communism at colleges and universities.
Watch the press conference here: