Florida Gov. DeSantis names Moms For Liberty co-founder to state ethics commission

Sept. 6 (UPI) -- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday appointed controversial Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich to the state's ethics commission.

That group was designated a hate group in a Southern Poverty Law Center report.

"I am honored to be appointed by Gov. DeSantis to this important statewide commission," Descovich said in a statement. "The Florida Ethics Commission is charged with serving as the guardian of the standards of conduct for public officers and employees, as well as safeguarding public trust. It will be a privilege to serve the state I love as a member of this commission."

Descovich was elected to the Brevard County Board of Education in 2016 and served as president of the Florida Coalition of School Board Members.

Moms For Liberty is a conservative group started in Florida that pushes to ban books from public-school libraries that don't conform to their far-right ideological beliefs about what should and should not be taught in schools.

In June, the Southern Poverty Law Center released a report that said hate groups are on the rise and are targeting public education through book bans as part of a larger effort to impose far-right standards on public schools nationwide under the guise of 'parental rights.'

The SPLC report named Moms For Liberty and eleven other so-called parent's rights groups as part of an effort to exert far-right control over local schools and other institutions.

"Since the group's 2021 founding, Moms for Liberty members across the nation have been making waves for intimidating and harassing teachers and school officials," the SPLC report said. "They have publicly battled teachers' unions, labeling them as 'cartels' and 'terrorist organizations.'"