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Rep. Matt Gaetz got in an argument with Florida state Rep. Chris Latvala that ended with Latvala accusing the Florida Republican of sleeping around.

The spat started Monday after Latvala posted a picture of himself with Al Sharpton with the caption, "It was an honor to meet @TheRevAl today."

Gaetz, 37, responded by tweeting out previous controversial comments by Sharpton. "Sharpton has called Cops 'pigs' Whites 'interlopers' Greeks 'homos' and Jews 'diamond merchants' So that is pretty disgusting," he said.

Latvala then dredged up old allegations against Gaetz. "And you created a game where members of the FL House got 'points' for sleeping with aides, interns, lobbyists, and married legislators. Hope DC is treating you well, [Congressman]," the Florida Republican said.

Gaetz slammed Latvala and maintained he had owned him on Twitter. "Don't confuse me for your daddy when it comes to abusing power for sex," he replied. "Also, I missed the defense of Sharpton in your reply."

"Have you been drinking tonight? I hope you dont get behind the wheel. I know you have had a rough few days up there," Latvala said, before Gaetz said that he had spent the day with President Trump, whom he described as his "friend & supporter."

Latvala's accusation against Gaetz came from a 2013 tweet by then- Miami Herald reporter Marc Caputo, who wrote, "Hey ladies! Source: young male FL Reps have point-system contest for having sex: 1=lobbyist 2=staff 3=other legislator 6=married legislator."

Gaetz later told the Tampa Bay Times that Latvala was "projecting" his own family's problems on someone else. "I know Jack Latvala has to resign in disgrace over demanding sexual favors from lobbyists in exchange for appropriations, so it was likely Chris projecting," the Florida representative said about Latvala's father. "I dont start conversations with people on Twitter about their sex lives. Especially Latvalas."

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'Don't confuse me for your daddy': Matt Gaetz fights with lawmaker over allegation he slept with aides - Washington Examiner

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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) On Tuesday, the fight for better conditions inside Alabama prisons was taken directly to lawmakers as criminal justice advocates marched on the Alabama State House.

Tuesday was the final meeting for Gov. Kay Iveys study group on criminal justice policy, before the meetings dozens marched from the Alabama Department of Corrections office to the State House.

Many of them described their efforts as fed up and wanting answers.

All I wanted was justice and I dont know if Ill get justice for seven or that well get justice for any of them, said Sandra Ray.

Ray was emotional talking about the death of her son, whom she said was killed while in ADOC custody.

Pastor Kenneth Glasgow, the founder of The Ordinary People Society and brother of Rev. Al Sharpton, led the march in Montgomery.

How many deaths how many suicides, how many overdoses, how many inmate-on-inmate killings, how many officer-on-inmate killings is it going to take, Glasgow asked.

While the demand for action was happening outside the State House, a meeting to address those concerns was happening inside.

Both Rep. Chris England and Rep. Connie Rowe are on different sides of the political aisle, but they both share the same goals of trying to fix Alabama prisons.

So I hope and I expect in our session that we deal with sentencing reform, I hope and expect in this session that we deal with oversight of the DOC, England said.

I helped send a lot of people prison, not an attorney, but as a police officer. I have less leniency than a lot of people do, Rowe said.

This was the final meeting of Iveys study group. Potential prison legislation could come at the end of the month.

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Prison reform advocates gather in Montgomery - WHNT News 19

The 60-day legislative session kicks off Tuesday, and while whats known as the process has evolved over the years, some things remain the same.Lawmakers, lobbyists and aides will scoop up shrimp and swill cocktails at Associated Industries of Floridas Monday evening gala.Flowers will festoon the House and Senate chambers, as part of Tuesdays opening-day pageantry.The governor will deliver the State of the State address, as a rapt audience looks on.Keeping with tradition, a cast of thousands over the next two months will flood the Capitol and its courtyard in an attempt to curry favor with the 120 House members, 40 senators, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet --- all before the session wraps up on March 13.The Florida Education Association is ushering in the session with a march and rally on Monday, with the crowd including parents, teachers, students and national leaders, including the Rev. Al Sharpton.People searching for sustenance will encounter some transformations inside the hallowed halls of state government.After a decade, Sharkeys Capitol Cafs on the 10th floor and the lower level of the Capitol are no longer.Lobbyist Jeff Sharkey last month announced on Twitter that he was shuttering his eateries because the state had chosen a new vendor --- Earleys Kitchen, a local soul-food spot.In his tweet, Sharkey thanked his great customers and workers.Proud of our great staff and honored to have met, fed and caffeinated the fabulous capitol employees and visitors from every corner of Florida, he said.LAWYERS, GUNS AND MONEYLegislators technically only have one job to complete during the 60-day session: passing a state spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1.Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed a $91.4 billion budget, touting plans to set minimum teacher salaries at $47,500 a year and to continue addressing environmental issues.The governors proposal is a starting point for the House and Senate, which will make changes as they negotiate a final version. Lawmakers also will consider potential election-year tax cuts, with DeSantis proposing sales-tax holidays for back-to-school shoppers and for hurricane preparations.But the Republican-dominated Legislature will also debate myriad other issues.For example, lawmakers are considering a controversial proposal that would require parental consent before minors could get abortions.The state already requires parents to be notified if their daughters plan to have abortions, but a consent requirement would be more far-reaching. The full House could vote early in the session to approve the proposal, which also is moving forward in Senate committees.Education will also be a major focus --- DeSantis has dubbed 2020 the year of the teacher.The governor is pushing the $602 million plan to set minimum teacher salaries at $47,500, and he wants to establish a new $300 million bonus program for teachers and principals.But legislative leaders have expressed concerns about the costs of the proposals and what Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, has described as practical issues. Those issues include the longstanding practice of teacher salaries being set at the local level rather than at the direction of the Legislature.Meanwhile, House Speaker Jos Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, will continue his drive to revamp the states health-care industry. As an example, the House this year will pursue a measure that would allow advanced practice registered nurses to provide care independently of physicians, though the Senate has opposed such proposals in the past.And the always-thorny issue of guns is also on the horizon, along with immigration, insurance and Visit Florida, the states tourism agency that Oliva and other GOP House leaders continue to target.

The 60-day legislative session kicks off Tuesday, and while whats known as the process has evolved over the years, some things remain the same.

Lawmakers, lobbyists and aides will scoop up shrimp and swill cocktails at Associated Industries of Floridas Monday evening gala.

Flowers will festoon the House and Senate chambers, as part of Tuesdays opening-day pageantry.

The governor will deliver the State of the State address, as a rapt audience looks on.

Keeping with tradition, a cast of thousands over the next two months will flood the Capitol and its courtyard in an attempt to curry favor with the 120 House members, 40 senators, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet --- all before the session wraps up on March 13.

The Florida Education Association is ushering in the session with a march and rally on Monday, with the crowd including parents, teachers, students and national leaders, including the Rev. Al Sharpton.

People searching for sustenance will encounter some transformations inside the hallowed halls of state government.

After a decade, Sharkeys Capitol Cafs on the 10th floor and the lower level of the Capitol are no longer.

Lobbyist Jeff Sharkey last month announced on Twitter that he was shuttering his eateries because the state had chosen a new vendor --- Earleys Kitchen, a local soul-food spot.

In his tweet, Sharkey thanked his great customers and workers.

Proud of our great staff and honored to have met, fed and caffeinated the fabulous capitol employees and visitors from every corner of Florida, he said.

LAWYERS, GUNS AND MONEY

Legislators technically only have one job to complete during the 60-day session: passing a state spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed a $91.4 billion budget, touting plans to set minimum teacher salaries at $47,500 a year and to continue addressing environmental issues.

The governors proposal is a starting point for the House and Senate, which will make changes as they negotiate a final version. Lawmakers also will consider potential election-year tax cuts, with DeSantis proposing sales-tax holidays for back-to-school shoppers and for hurricane preparations.

But the Republican-dominated Legislature will also debate myriad other issues.

For example, lawmakers are considering a controversial proposal that would require parental consent before minors could get abortions.

The state already requires parents to be notified if their daughters plan to have abortions, but a consent requirement would be more far-reaching. The full House could vote early in the session to approve the proposal, which also is moving forward in Senate committees.

Education will also be a major focus --- DeSantis has dubbed 2020 the year of the teacher.

The governor is pushing the $602 million plan to set minimum teacher salaries at $47,500, and he wants to establish a new $300 million bonus program for teachers and principals.

But legislative leaders have expressed concerns about the costs of the proposals and what Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, has described as practical issues. Those issues include the longstanding practice of teacher salaries being set at the local level rather than at the direction of the Legislature.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Jos Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, will continue his drive to revamp the states health-care industry. As an example, the House this year will pursue a measure that would allow advanced practice registered nurses to provide care independently of physicians, though the Senate has opposed such proposals in the past.

And the always-thorny issue of guns is also on the horizon, along with immigration, insurance and Visit Florida, the states tourism agency that Oliva and other GOP House leaders continue to target.

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Education, abortion, sports betting on 2020 Florida legislative agenda - WESH 2 Orlando

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. In a move designed to elevate public education into a major issue this session and campaign season, a Florida teachers union has issued a call to action with a protest planned for Monday, the eve of the start of the state Legislatures 2020 session.

The Florida Education Association said it will bus thousands of teachers, parents and public education supporters to Tallahassee for a Take on Tallahassee march on the Capitol while a state Senate Education Committee discusses how to boost pay for classroom instructors.

The teachers union and its allies say a decade of inadequate funding has decimated Florida's public education system. It cites state statistics that indicate more than 300,000 students started classes last fall without a full-time permanent teacher.

When the new school year began, districts scrambled to fill more than 3,500 teaching vacancies statewide.

It is time to speak truth to power, said Fedrick Ingram, president of the FEA. We have seen more than a decade of disinvestment in public education in this state, and that has to stop."

Fedrick Ingram, president of the FEA, says we have seen more than a decade of disinvestment in public education in this state."(Photo: James Call)

Florida ranks among the bottom 10 states in teacher pay with many school staff earning a wage below the federal poverty line and in funding for students with per-pupil spending in constant dollars about $300 less than it was in 2007 ($8,490 to $8,817 when adjusted for inflation).

And while Gov. Ron DeSantis has proclaimed this the Year of the Teacher with a $600 million proposal to boost starting pay for classroom instructors to $47,500, which would be the second most in the nation, and another $300 million in bonuses educators want lawmakers to commit to a decade of progress" by spending an additional $2 billion a year in each of the next 10 years.

'Historic': Chicago teachers approve contract that ended 11-day strike

Lets not pretend theres not politics involved with this, DeSantis said of the unions criticism of his proposal.

Im a Republican. Theyre not. What Im doing is never going to be enough, DeSantis said when he rolled out his budget proposal.

My job is not to do what the union wants, its what I think is best for education and particularly for individual teachers, DeSantis said.

The Florida Education Association said it will bus thousands of teachers, parents and public education supporters to Tallahassee for a Take on Tallahassee march on the Capitol.(Photo: Joe Rondone/Democrat files)

Allison Tant, the former state Democratic Party chair, candidate for statehouse, and mother of two high school students, said she plans to join the demonstration.

We need a strong public education system for our economy, the health of the state and for peace of mind, said Tant, who has wrestled with an education bureaucracy to provide services for a special needs child.

It is the underpinning of our society. How can someone go to work when they are worried about their child? How can a policeman do his job, or anyone for that matter, if they are worried about their child at school? Tant said.

Speakers at the rally will include Lily Eskelsen Garcia, president of the National Education Association, and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.

Posts on Facebook promote activist and television personality Al Sharpton as a speaker for the event, but as of Thursday morning Sharpton's appearance had not been confirmed.

The NEA and AFT are the nation's largest unions. They are on something of a roll with teachers in the past year pressuring lawmakers in West Virginia, Kentucky and Arizona to increase spending on schools.

Follow James Call on Twitter: @CallTallahassee.

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Florida teachers plan to march on Capitol demanding more money for schools - USA TODAY

TallahasseeThe Reverend Al Sharpton will join leading educators from across the nation to rally for public schools at the Florida Capitol January 13, 2020. Sharpton, a renowned civil rights advocate, MSNBC commentator and President of the National Action Network will keynote the event according to Florida Education Association President Fedrick Ingram. We are pleased to announce Reverend Sharptons participation in our fight. When you go to battle you need warriors. He joins other educators who know this effort is important to the future of this great state, according to Ingram.

Florida has a severe and ongoing shortage of teachers, and as many as 300,000 students started school in August 2019 without a full-time, permanent teacher. Every student in Florida deserves to attend a fully staffed, fully funded school. Ingram has conducted a series of town halls and a bus tour to hear public concerns, garner support and received positive feedback.

We want Florida lawmakers to know that we are serious about providing a quality education to our children in public schools. To do anything less would be to surrender them to failure. Thats not an option Ingram said.

The Republican-controlled Legislature has drained 1.3 billion tax dollars from public schools and funneled the revenue into a host of voucher programs and private schools.

Thousands of supporters are expected to attend the march that begins at the Leon County Civic Center at 1:00 pm and proceeds to the rally on the steps of the Old Capitol at 1:30 pm. For more information go to FEAWeb.org/jan13.

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Sharpton to Join Take on Tallahassee Rally Free Press of Jacksonville - Jacksonville Free Press