FL Rep. Clay Yarborough: Pro-Life, Anti-CRT, Fighting for DeSantis and Conservatism

Florida’s Conservative Voice is proud to present the public with much needed insight on the ground soldiers of a modern American conservative agenda in Florida. The series details various strong, active Republican lawmakers in the Florida legislature fighting for the DeSantis and conservative agenda. After all, there are no conservative victories in the Florida government without brave lawmakers like these.

Florida’s Conservative Voice spoke with Florida House Representative Clay Yarborough (R) to gain insight on his efforts and future goals in the Florida legislature. 

Yarborough, a conservative politician fighting on the state level, emphasized the resonance Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has with Americans.

“Governor DeSantis is America’s Governor and continues to do an outstanding job. Though serving in public office is affected by politics, Governor DeSantis takes the high roads versus devolving into petty political games because he is committed to a common-sense approach while fighting for the right priorities,” Yarborough explained.

“These include limited government, preservation of our freedoms and Constitutional liberties, keeping Florida open for business, defending life and families, and so many more important issues. This is why his efforts easily ring true with everyday Americans.”

His comments on DeSantis are referring to a variety of legal actions the State of Florida has taken on several culture war issues like rioting, COVID-19, and voting.

“What were some of your favorite bills passed last session?” FCV asked Yarborough. “Some of the best bills we passed during 2021 Session were HB 1, SB 72, and SB 90,” he responded.

House Bill 1 (HB 1) focused on strongly addressing consequences for rioters in Florida. As Yarborough describes, “If someone wants to peacefully protest on a public sidewalk, they can, but if they pick up a brick and throw it through the front of a local business or they decide to riot, this is unacceptable in our state. HB 1 also strengthens the penalties if someone harms a law enforcement officer.”

Senate Bill 72 (SB 72) dealt with protecting businesses who reasonably operates during the COVID-19 pandemic. If a business continues to put the safety of customers and employees first and has not being grossly negligent, it should not fear being served papers and taken on an arduous and unnecessary legal roller-coaster,” Yarborough pointed out.

Senate Bill 90 (SB 90) addressed one of the most hot-button culture war issues facing America post-2020 election: election security. Democrats oppose securing U.S. elections while Republicans support legislation like voter-ID and preventing ballot harvesting.

Yarborough justified his support for SB 90, saying, “SB 90 protects the integrity of Florida elections by requiring two-factor ID verification, increasing security at absentee ballot drop-boxes, and banning ballot harvesting.”

When asked what his goals are for the next legislative session, he touched on legally codifying the prohibition of Critical Race Theory in schools and banning eugenics-based abortion related to health defects of the baby.

“Though the state Board of Education approved a measure to push back on Critical Race Theory being taught in Florida’s schools, we must send legislation to Governor DeSantis to cement into law that it is unacceptable to allow this biased indoctrination into our children,” he argued.

On potential abortion laws, he said, “Being fiercely pro-life, I also hope we can see passage of a bill to prohibit eugenics-related abortions, specifically if a baby is perceived to have Down Syndrome or other concerning conditions.”

“If we allow innocent life to be snuffed out because of those characteristics, what prevents them from being targeted in the future based on race, sex, economic conditions, etc., which some other countries have been doing for years?”

FCV asked Yarborough what the most baffling legislation pushed by his liberal counterparts.

“Countless gun control bills have been filed each of the five years I have served in the State House, but, thankfully, those bills have not been brought to votes,” he recalled.

Yarborough went on to explain failed counterarguments to various bills he supported like SB 90 and HB 1.

“Regarding SB 90, the elections bill, we were reminded of the fact that Florida, thankfully, had great success with its handling of the 2020 election cycle, which begged the question as to why we thought it was so important to pass an election reform bill. Our response was that we wanted to be proactive and not wait for a disaster to necessitate corrective action,” he clarified. 

In recent memory, Democrats in government have typically opposed Republican efforts to secure U.S. elections at the local levels. 

In regard to HB 1 opposition by Democrats, Yarborough said, “we were accused of trying to stifle the American right to protest, but I cannot find anywhere in the bill where it does that. We were also told we didn’t need the bill because it is already illegal to vandalize property and hurt law enforcement. Our response was that clearly that fact has not been enough to deter some individuals from doing those things anyway.”

While these legislative efforts supported by Yarborough and other Republicans align with conservative values, Republicans have increasingly pointed out efforts like this are no longer political but common sensical, like prohibiting voter fraud and strengthening riot deterrence.

Clay Yarborough is a strong instance of what strong conservative leadership looks like in government. Through supporting conservative ideals and following Governor DeSantis’ lead, Florida remains at the top of the American totem pole in prosperity and freedom.