Florida’s book banning problem is rising — with no end in sight.
Currently, Florida ranks first in the country for volume of book titles prohibited in public school libraries, as by the American Library Association and the advocacy group PEN America.
These efforts, often framed as a way to protect children, fail to acknowledge the real harm caused by censorship and the misplaced priorities of those advocating for these removals. While commonly referred to as “banned,” the books are instead removed from shelves if the school board approves the challenge.
This book battle hits close to home as the Alachua County School Board has been actively addressing challenges to books within its school libraries. In October 2024, the board voted to retain nine challenged books on library shelves, following a review by the District Library Advisory Council.
In April, the Alachua County School Board unanimously approved the removal of two books, "The Sun and Her Flowers" by Rupi Kaur and "Haunted" by Chuck Palahniuk, due to objections over sexual content.
To manage the increasing number of book challenges, the district revised its review process in February 2024. Now, challenges are directed to school principals, then sent to a district-level advisory council for evaluation.
The Escambia County School Board has spent almost half a million dollars fighting to defend itself from multiple lawsuits regarding the removal of certain books from school libraries and classrooms.
One of the lawsuits has cost the district $200,000 and centers around the book “And Tango Makes Three.”
This book is based on the real-life story of two male penguins that successfully raised a baby penguin while living at the Central Park Zoo.
Perhaps they were inspired by the 1980s classic movie, “3 Men and A Baby,” an iconic film, also set in New York City, where bachelors Ted Danson, Steve Guttenberg and Tom Selleck raise an infant found on their doorstep.
Regardless of your stance on male penguins raising penguin chicks, or “3 Men and A Baby,” smart folks on both sides of the debate are shocked when they see the money being spent trying to figure this out, and many people are thinking that this money could be better spent elsewhere.
Shielding students from these challenging topics doesn't make it disappear; it only makes the topics harder to discuss in an open and informed way.
In Polk County, these book removals also come with a hefty price tag. In December, the county allocated significant resources to review, challenge and defend the removal of several books that have been in our schools for decades.
Interestingly, while these lawsuits in Florida have sprung up fairly recently, the books in question are nothing new, and have, in many cases, been there forever.
“And Tango Makes Three” has been in our schools for almost 20 years, as it was published in 2005.
I’ve talked to people on both sides, but most people agree the legal costs associated with defending these book removals could have been used to update aging textbooks, fund after-school programs or even — dare we say — give teachers a much needed raise.
And it’s not just about “And Tango Makes Three.” Other books involved in the lawsuits include books like “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, which won the Nobel Prize, and “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley.
The Florida Department of Education proudly touts its commitment to fiscal responsibility. Yet, somehow, that commitment doesn't seem to extend to the legal fees piling up like overdue library books.
Escambia County’s half million dollar tab is just the beginning. Add in Alachua County, Polk County, St. Johns, Miami-Dade and others, and the statewide cost of this legal fight is staggering.
Meanwhile, Florida's student funding sits at around $9,205 for the 2025-2026 fiscal year — one of the lowest in America. We clearly can’t afford these costly court battles. Imagine what the money spent defending lawsuits could do if it were spent on STEM programs, mental health services or arts education.
Most Floridians care much more about these issues than they do about two male penguins raising a penguin chick in New York City.
Unfortunately, legal proceedings often drag on for years, and we don’t have any idea when this will end. There are also administrative costs and school staff pulled from their regular duties to serve on review committees, costing time and money that could otherwise support student learning.
Another problematic piece of this is the negative impact it’s having on our teachers. Classroom teachers and administrators are caught in the middle of this huge battle and don’t know how to feel, what to say to kids or what to do.
Many teachers report feeling pressured to self-censor, fearing legal repercussions for inadvertently violating vaguely worded policies.
And to make it even worse, most of these lawsuits often end in settlements that require the books to be returned to library shelves.
So, not only are we spending money to fight these battles, but we’re also losing them. It’s like paying for an expensive dinner you didn’t even get to eat, or a new car that you never get to drive or buying an old VHS copy of “3 Men and A Baby,” when you have no VCR to play it on.
Even worse, these lawsuits are expanding.
The American Civil Liberties Union and several advocacy groups have filed additional suits against multiple Florida school districts, arguing the removals disproportionately target books by minority authors and those discussing LGBTQ+ themes.
Politicians on both sides of the aisle and Florida law firms are profiting from these lawsuits. But what is it costing our schools and our students, and more importantly — how can we do better?
Rather than engaging in costly, fear-driven battles over literature, we should be investing in policies that genuinely support children’s well-being and education.
Our focus should be on broadening access to books, not restricting it.
In doing so, we can nurture a generation that is informed, empathetic and capable of thinking critically — rather than one that has been shielded from reality, at the expense of true learning and Florida’s taxpayers.
So, no matter how you feel about these particular book titles, male penguins or which side should be victorious, we should all realize these continued legal battles are hurting the very people that we are supposed to be protecting — our children.
Andrew Carswell is a writing professor at Florida State College in Jacksonville. His Instagram is @thewritingprofessor904.
