NAACP issues ‘travel advisory’ for Florida, claiming the state is ‘hostile’ to black people

“On a seeming quest to silence African-American voices, the Governor and the State of Florida have shown that African Americans are not welcome in the State of Florida,” the group said in a statement on Saturday.

"Due to this sustained, blatant, relentless and systemic attack on democracy and civil rights, the NAACP hereby issues a travel advisory to African Americans, and other people of color regarding the hostility towards African Americans in Florida," the NAACP added.

"Before traveling to Florida, please understand that the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color," the advisory said.

The statement follows recent policies signed into state law by Republican Gov. DeSantis which prevents colleges from having the ability to spend public funds on diversity, equity and inclusion-based programs, the New York Post reports.

In addition, Gov. DeSantis also signed the Stop Woke Act, which takes aim at educators and how they are able to discuss racial issues during trainings or instruction.

Gov. DeSantis, who plans to launch his campaign for the 2024 presidential election this month, defended these laws and said that NAACP's travel advisory was issued as a "stunt."

"What a joke," he said. "Yeah, we’ll see, we’ll see how effective that is."

"This is a stunt to try to do that. It’s a pure stunt and fine, if you want to waste your time on a stunt, that’s fine. But I’m not wasting my time on your stunts," DeSantis added.

Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, released a statement claiming that, "Under the leadership of Governor DeSantis, the state of Florida has become hostile to Black Americans and in direct conflict with the democratic ideals that our union was founded upon."

“Let me be clear — failing to teach an accurate representation of the horrors and inequalities that Black Americans have faced and continue to face is a disservice to students and a dereliction of duty to all,” Derrick Johnson President and CEO Derrick Johnson said in a statement.

"He should know that democracy will prevail because its defenders are prepared to stand up and fight. We're not backing down, and we encourage our allies to join us in the battle for the soul of our nation," Johnson added.

Chrisitina Pushaw, the former state press secretary and current aide to Gov. DeSantis, mocked the advisory on Sunday stating that she's "looking forward" to finally being able to make dinner plans without the hefty wait times.

“Does this mean no Urban Beach Week?" Pushaw said. "Keep the travel advisories coming. It's hard enough to get a dinner reservation in this [Miami] town."