Overview

• Nine Florida counties, including Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas, have removed hundreds of library and classroom books ahead of the 2025–2026 school year.
• The action follows House Bill 1069, enacted in May 2023, which allows interim removal of books alleged to contain sexual or obscene content pending formal objections.
• The Office of Parental Rights, launched in April, enables parents to file complaints that can trigger immediate purges of instructional and library materials.
• Attorney General James Uthmeier and Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. publicly accused Hillsborough schools of housing "pornographic" titles, intensifying pressure on districts.
• Advocacy groups warn that the sweeping preemptive purges disproportionately strip works by LGBTQ+ authors and people of color from school collections.