It seems like it's been ages since I had a chance to rattle on about the country's GREATEST FRICKIN' GOVERNOR - that would be Ron DeSantis. I can't believe I've neglected our Free State of Florida for so long, but I do have to admit things nationally have been pretty exciting.

That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.

Today, however, my girlfriend Amy found such a hilariously wicked karma story that I couldn't help but snicker and share it with you all.

So lemme set the stage (or bury the lede 'better than anybody,' as Mischief tells me all the time): it all starts back in January of 2023.

Fresh off his historic November shellacking of both Charlie Crist and his running mate, Miami-Dade teachers' union president Karla Hernandez-Mats, and the Miami-Dade teachers' union (United Teachers of Dade) itself...

...And therein lies the problem. For all Hernandez-Mats’ fist shaking, firebreathing, and “saying GAY,” bad news broke before Christmas – her member numbers aren’t cuttin’ the statute mustard.

Girlfriend needs to learn to read a room.

United Teachers of Dade, Florida’s largest teachers union, failed to meet the requirements of a new state law that requires at least 60% of union members pay dues — setting in motion a decertification process that could leave about 30,000 Miami-Dade public school educators without representation.

…In the statement, UTD condemned the new requirements, saying “we have not achieved the new 60% membership density mandated by the onerous anti-worker law.”

Governor DeSantis swung into Jacksonville, FL to tout his next steps in reconfiguring how education worked in the state. There was going to be long overdue better pay for teachers, offset by less pay and power for teachers' unions and their hierarchy. State audits were now going to be a requirement for union finances.

Governor Ron DeSantis announced his plan for a historic $1 billion investment to increase teacher pay here in Jacksonville Monday morning, but along with the money for salaries he also announced multiple new regulations on the unions that represent teachers.

The DeSantis wants to cap teachers’ union officials’ salaries, so they don’t make more than the top-earner among the members they represent.

...The DeSantis argued unions are too involved in politics and blamed them for delaying teacher pay increases and supporting policies like mask and vaccine mandates.

“Having partisan groups basically get special privileges for deductions and all these other stuff, you know, that doesn’t work and so, I think this will be a huge, huge boon for transparency and efficiency in our school system,” DeSantis said.

J-ville is in Duval County, and the head of the extremely powerful Duval County Teachers United had something to say about the governor's proposals. The union president, Terrie Brady, pointed out that they were the victims in this situation, as they always are, and asked, "Why is everybody always picking on us when everything we do is perfectly transparent?" The only thing she left out was a gratuitous 'and FOR THE CHILDREN.'

...But Terrie Brady, head of Duval Teachers United, argued teachers unions are simply there to advocate for the best interests of their members.

“We think we’re pretty transparent in the work that we do,” Brady said.

Brady said if the Governor proposal becomes law, unions will abide by it, but she questioned why teachers’ unions are being singled out.

“Why are others able to have payroll deduction through their cities, state, municipality? You see what I’m saying? Or within the district and we are not,” Brady said.

Like all the teachers union heads, once governments forced them to return to school, they were big maskers, and Brady was no different. Luckily, she was powerless in FL to do anything other than bitch about the governor.

Something must have been percolating under the surface because eight months after DeSantis laid the marker down in his Jacksonville appearance, the state, FBI, and the IRS descended upon the Duval Teachers United headquarters. In that September 2023 raid, the feds were seen removing 'boxes of financial materials' from the building of the 'pretty transparent' organization.

Things got really interesting by the last week of October, with the adjective 'abruptly' employed.

Duval teachers union leader retires abruptly

The longtime leader of Duval Teachers United, the union representing teachers and staff in Duval County schools, has retired.

Teresa Brady, who officially retired last week, had served as the union’s president for more than 20 years.

Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.

In a statement late Tuesday, Brady confirmed her retirement after more than 40 years in public education “and a rewarding 30-plus-year career with Duval Teachers United.”

“I have retired from my current position as president to spend more time with my family,” Brady’s statement reads. “It has been an honor to serve DTU, and I am confident the organization will continue to strengthen our public school system, enabling our members to provide the best education for all students in Duval County.”

Brady's Vice-President, Ruby George, also 'retired,' presumably to spend 'more time with family.'

And the teachers' union wasn't talking.

...No reason for the retirements has been given, and the union has not answered repeated requests from Jacksonville Today for more information. But the union did release a statement Tuesday saying Brady did “a lot of great work for Duval County teachers, staff and students over the past 40 years. She has earned her retirement.”  

The dust settled, and everyone went back to school. DeSantis continued his rampage over the state's educational landscape, sowing fear and unrest among the glittering woke academics cowering behind desks and cold cups of chai tea.

And then we woke up this morning to this.

Former president, VP of Duval teachers union indicted, accused of stealing more than $2M from union
/cont pic.twitter.com/eYFk7sx2I2

— Amygator 🐊 *not an actual alligator (@AmyA1A) January 14, 2025

Oh, get out!

President Transparent and her second in command have reportedly been signing each other's bogus vacation time cards FOR YEARS, ripping off both the union and the teachers (who are still sucker enough to pay dues when they don't have to) alike.

Federal prosecutors have indicted former Jacksonville teachers union leaders Terrie Brady and Ruby George on fraud and conspiracy charges that involved bilking the union for more than $2.4 million for non-existent vacation time.

The women, who respectively were president and executive vice president of Duval Teachers United for 24 years, could face the potential of decades of prison time if they're ultimately convicted.

The indictment, which was issued last month under seal and unsealed Monday, may answer questions that had lingered since agents from the FBI and Internal Revenue Service carried computers, credit card statements and boxes and bags of other material from the union headquarters in San Marco in September 2023. Brady and George retired weeks later.

...The 14-count indictment claimed Brady, 69, and George, 81, had ripped off the union from 2013 to 2022 by falsifying records of the leave balance they accrued and sold back as unused vacation. Each woman claimed more than $1.2 million "they had not accrued and did not earn," the indictment said, and added that they signed each other's leave buyback checks.

The indictment also charged Brady individually with making financial transactions derived from illegal activity, pressing two charges that involved covering about $44,000 in personal American Express bills.

The indictment also demanded forfeiture of $2.6 million described as "proceeds of the offenses."

WOWSAHS

None of this alleged graft would have ever been found without the governor's reforms. DeSantis has blown through the FL teachers' unions like a wrecking ball.

'Spending' time could well turn into 'doing' time for the pretty transparent union duo. 

Why did Ron DeSantis do this to these nice people?