The NAACP issued a formal travel advisory Saturday (May 20) for Florida in “direct response to Governor Ron DeSantis' aggressive attempts to erase Black history and to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in Florida schools, a statement from the civil rights organization said.

"Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals,” The travel notice states. "Before traveling to Florida, please understand that the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color."

DeSantis, who is expected soon to launch a 2024 presidential bid, has grabbed national headlines for a series of controversial policies that negatively impact Black Floridians. He’s apparently branding himself as the far-right’s rising star who’s unafraid to embrace principles that critics say would turn back the clock on the Black progress.

Most recently, DeSantis signed into law on May 15 a measure restricting how race and gender can be taught in Florida's public higher education institutions and banning them from using state or federal funding for diversity programs.

He has emerged as the de facto leader of a trend among conservative governors to ban Advanced Placement African American Studies in high schools, which now includes Arkansas, North Dakota and Virginia. The wave started after DeSantis banned the course because he said it lacks educational value and violates state laws.

Speaking at a Jan. 23 press conference, DeSantis claimed that some of the course material includes critical race theory (CRT) and has an agenda to indoctrinate students, pointing to topics on Black LGBTQ studies, reparations, mass incarceration and the Movement for Black Lives.

CRT is a college-level academic framework to analyze systemic racism that is not taught at elementary or secondary schools. But the term “critical race theory” has been co-opted by DeSantis and other conservatives as a catch-all phrase to silence discussion about systemic racism.

In response to DeSantis’ ban of AP African American studies course, the NAACP said it distributed 10,000 books to 25 predominantly Black communities across Florida with the American Federation of Teachers' Reading Opens the World program. The majority of the books donated were titles banned under the state's newly restrictive laws

"Under the leadership of Governor Desantis, the state of Florida has become hostile to Black Americans and in direct conflict with the democratic ideals that our union was founded upon,” NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson said.

The NAACP isn’t the only civil rights group to issue a Florida travel ban. The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), a Latino civil rights organization, announced its ban on May 17, saying it “strongly denounces the anti-immigrant measures signed into law” by DeSantis.

LULAC President Domingo Garcia urged caution when encountering police while traveling with family members.

"We do not doubt that if Abuelita or Tia are with us and we are profiled, DeSantis' enforcement regulations will treat us like criminals, transporting a dangerous person who only wanted to visit family or enjoy Disney World," Garcia said.

Florida isn’t alone when it comes to NAACP travel warnings. The civil rights organization issued an advisory in 2017 warning people of color about traveling in Missouri “due to the sad passage of Senator Gary Romine’s Jim Crow Bill – SB 43,” a statement said.

CNN reported that Senate Bill 43 made it more difficult for employees to prove their protected class, like race or gender. It passed in the Missouri Legislature and the governor signed it into law.

According to the NAACP, the measure “legalizes individual discrimination and harassment in Missouri and would prevent individuals from protecting themselves from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in Missouri.”