Kudos to Gov. DeSantis, the Pinellas commission and former Gov. Bob Martinez | Editorial And a loud raspberry for Sen. Dennis Baxleyâs voting bill. Â Â Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis fist bumps with legislators as he enters the House of Representatives prior to his State of the State address at the Capitol in Tallahassee earlier this month. [ PHIL SEARS | AP ] This article represents the opinion of the Tampa Bay Times Editorial Board. Published Mar. 13 Updated Mar. 13 Some opinion-inducing highlights from the past week around Tampa Bay and Florida, and one notable lowlight. Moving in right direction. Good for Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet for removing the 5-year waiting period for felons to apply to have their rights restored. The unneeded and counterproductive measure was a vestige of the Gov. Rick Scott years. DeSantis also supported automatically restoring the right to hold office and serve on a jury to Floridians who complete their sentences, including paying off court debts. The moves acknowledge that felons need a path back to normalcy, that shunning them from parts of regular-day life does nothing to help them stay out of trouble. While we would like to see the state restore voting rights to felons who complete their prison time, these moves are a step in the right direction.