The Florida Department of Education has now revealed which books have been removed or discontinued from state schools as of the 2025-2026 school year.
The list examines removed books from across the state, though it turns out only 10 counties actually did so last school year.
They are as follows:
- Clay County: 261 removals
- Collier County: 2 removals
- Escambia County: 150 removals
- Nassau County: 102 removals
- Orange County: 1 removal
- Polk County: 33 removals
- Santa Rosa County: 32 removals
- St. Johns County: 11 removals
- St. Lucie County: 6 removals
- Sumter County: 22 removals
These removals stem from a 2023 law (HB 1069), which allows parents to object to instructional materials in schools that could be deemed “pornographic” or which “depict sexual conduct.”
Part of that law was struck down by a judge just last year, with the state pushing to appeal the decision. In the meantime, though, the FDOE is required to reveal annually which books were removed during the school year.
While some critics refer to these removals as “book bans,” districts have only removed the titles from the shelves of classrooms or school libraries. Students have not necessarily been prohibited from bringing their own copies onto campus.
NEW STATE MEMO
State education leaders issued a memo to superintendents across Florida late last month, reminding them of their duty to ensure that materials kept in schools are “age- and developmentally appropriate.”
“Unfortunately, parents continue to find a shocking amount of material that fails that test,” the memo reads. “Again, that is unacceptable.”
For example, the memo points to Hillsborough County, where some titles reportedly remained available in school libraries despite their sexual content, including:
- Call Me By Your Name
- Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts)
- Kingdom of the Feared
- Kingdom of the Wicked
- Kingdom of the Cursed
- IQ84
As such, state leaders argue “reactive” book bans aren’t enough, instead pushing school districts to take more initiative to identify and remove inappropriate titles.
WHICH BOOKS ARE BANNED?
Here is the list of all book removals in Central Florida between 2023 and 2026:
BREVARD — 32 Titles
| Title | Author | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| Homebody | Rupi Kaur | — |
| Milk and Honey | Rupi Kaur | — |
| The Sun and Her Flowers | Rupi Kaur | — |
| A Court of Frost and Starlight | Sarah J. Maas | K-12 |
| A Court of Mist and Fury | Sarah J. Maas | K-12 |
| A Court of Silver Flames | Sarah J. Maas | K-12 |
| A Court of Thorns and Roses | Sarah J. Maas | K-12 |
| A Court of Wings and Ruin | Sarah J. Maas | K-12 |
| House of Earth and Blood | Sarah J. Maas | K-12 |
| House of Sky and Breath | Sarah J. Maas | K-12 |
| Beautiful | Amy Reed | K-12 |
| Forever | Judy Blume | K-12 |
| Infandous | E. Arnold | K-12 |
| Red Hood | E. Arnold | K-12 |
| What Girls Are Made Of | E. Arnold | K-12 |
| Damsel | E. Arnold | K-12 |
| Jesus Land | Julia Scheeres | K-12 |
| Living Dead Girl | Elizabeth Scott | K-12 |
| The Infinite Moment of Us | L. Myracle | K-12 |
| The Nowhere Girls | Amy Reed | K-12 |
| The Perks of Being a Wallflower | Stephen Chbosky | K-12 |
| This One Summer | Tamaki | K-12 |
| Tilt | E. Hopkins | K-12 |
| Tricks | E. Hopkins | K-12 |
| People Kill People | E. Hopkins | K-12 |
| All Boys Aren’t Blue | George Johnson | K-12 |
| Breathless | J. Niven | K-12 |
| Last Night at the Telegraph Club | M. Lo | K-12 |
| Out of Darkness | Ashley Perez | K-12 |
| Sasaki and Miyanoo | Harusono | K-12 |
| The Haters | J. Andrews | K-12 |
| The Kingdom of Little Wounds | Susan Cokal | K-12 |
FLAGLER — 11 Titles
| Title | Author | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| A Court of Mist and Fury | Sarah J. Maas | — |
| Damsel | Elana K. Arnold | — |
| What Girls Are Made Of | Elana K. Arnold | — |
| Dreaming in Cuban | Cristina Garcia | — |
| L8r, G8r | Lauren Myracle | — |
| Lucky | Marissa Stapley | — |
| Me and Earl and the Dying Girl | Jesse Andrews | — |
| The Haters | Jesse Andrews | — |
| Precious/Push | Sapphire | — |
| The Nowhere Girls | Amy Reed | — |
| Tilt | Ellen Hopkins | — |
LAKE COUNTY
No titles listed as removed or discontinued.
MARION COUNTY — 36 Titles
| Title | Author | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| Flamer | Mike Curato | — |
| It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex and Sexual Health | Robie Harris & Michael Emberley | — |
| Milk and Honey | Rupi Kaur | — |
| The Sun and Her Flowers | Rupi Kaur | — |
| Not My Idea | Anastasia Higginbotham | — |
| Precious/Push | Sapphire | — |
| I Am Jazz | Jessica Herthel | K-8 |
| A Court of Mist and Fury | Sarah J. Maas | K-12 |
| All Boys Aren’t Blue | George Johnson | K-12 |
| Damsel | E. Arnold | K-12 |
| Infandous | E. Arnold | K-12 |
| Red Hood | E. Arnold | K-12 |
| Lucky | Alice Sebold | K-12 |
| Me and Earl and the Dying Girl | Jesse Andrews | K-12 |
| More Happy Than Not | Adam Silvera | K-12 |
| Nineteen Minutes: A Novel | Jodi Piccoult | K-12 |
| Out of Darkness | Ashley Hope Perez | K-12 |
| Sold | Patricia McCormick | K-12 |
| The Bluest Eye | Toni Morrison | K-12 |
| Killing Mr. Griffin | Lois Duncan | 6-12 |
| Almost Perfect | Brian Katcher | 6-12 |
| Beloved | Toni Morrison | 6-12 |
| George/Melissa | Alex Gino | 6-12 |
| Monday’s Not Coming | Tiffany Jackson | 6-12 |
| Real Live Boyfriends | E. Lockhart | 6-12 |
| The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian | Sherman Alexi | 6-12 |
| The Hate You Give | Angie Thomas | 6-12 |
| This One Summer | Mariko Tamaki | 6-12 |
| Two Boys Kissing | David Levithan | 6-12 |
| Being Transgender | Robert Rody | 9-12 |
| Rainbow Boys | Alex Sanchez | 9-12 |
| Rainbow High | Alex Sanchez | 9-12 |
| Rainbow Road | Alex Sanchez | 9-12 |
| The Black Flamingo | Dean Atta | 9-12 |
| This Book is Gay | Juno Dawson | 9-12 |
| Understanding Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity | Robert Rodi | 9-12 |
ORANGE COUNTY — 26 Titles
| Title | Author | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| Assassination Classroom Vol. 1 | Yusei Matsui | — |
| Gender Queer | Maia Kobabe | — |
| It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex and Sexual Health | Robie Harris & Michael Emberley | — |
| Let’s Talk About It | Erika Moen & Matthew Nolan | — |
| This Book is Gay | Juno Dawson | — |
| Water for Elephants | Sara Gruen | — |
| Blankets | Craig Thompson | PreK-12 |
| Shut Up! | Marilyn Reynolds | PreK-12 |
| A Clash of Kings | George R.R. Martin | K-12 |
| A Clockwork Orange | Anthony Burgess | K-12 |
| A Stolen Life | Jaycee Dugard | K-12 |
| All Your Perfects | Colleen Hoover | K-12 |
| And They Lived | Steven Salvatore | K-12 |
| Choke | Chuck Palahniuk | K-12 |
| Empire of Storms | Sarah J. Maas | K-12 |
| Forever | Judy Blume | K-12 |
| Forever For a Year | B.T. Gottfred | K-12 |
| Homegoing | Yaa Gyasi | K-12 |
| Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) | Lev A.C. Rosen | K-12 |
| Last Night at the Telegraph Club | Malinda Lo | K-12 |
| Red Hood | Elana K. Arnold | K-12 |
| Shut Up | Marilyn Reynolds | K-12 |
| Storm and Fury | Jennifer Armentrout | K-12 |
| The Carnival at Bray | Jessie Ann Foley | K-12 |
| The Duff | Kody Keplinger | K-12 |
| I Never | Laura Hooper | 9-12 |
OSCEOLA COUNTY — 21 Titles
| Title | Author | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| Assassination Classroom Vol. 1 – 21 | Yusei Matsui | — |
POLK COUNTY — 92 Titles
| Title | Author | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| Adjustment Day | Chuck Palahniuk | K-12 |
| Empire of Storms | Sarah J. Maas | K-12 |
| Half of a Yellow Sun | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | K-12 |
| Nineteen Minutes | Jodi Piccoult | K-12 |
| Storm and Fury | Jennifer Armentrout | K-12 |
| Brightest Night | Jennifer Armentrout | 9-12 |
| Every Last Breath | Jennifer Armentrout | 9-12 |
| Grace and Glory | Jennifer Armentrout | 9-12 |
| Tricks | Ellen Hopkins | K-12 |
| A Clash of Kings | George R.R. Martin | K-12 |
| Like a Love Story | Abdi Nazemian | K-12 |
| Kiss & Tell | Adib Khorram | K-12 |
| A Clockwork Orange | Anthony Burgess | K-12 |
| Out of Darkness | Ashley Perez | K-12 |
| Boy Toy | Barry Lyga | K-12 |
| Forever for a Year | BT. Gottfred | K-12 |
| Red, White & Royal Blue | Casey McQuiston | K-12 |
| Man O’ War | Cory McCarthy | K-12 |
| America | E.R. Frank | K-12 |
| Dime | E.R. Frank | K-12 |
| Damsel | Elana Arnold | K-12 |
| Infandous | Elana Arnold | K-12 |
| Red Hood | Elana Arnold | K-12 |
| What Girls Are Made Of | Elana Arnold | K-12 |
| Living Dead Girl | Elizabeth Scott | K-12 |
| Glass | Ellen Hopkins | K-12 |
| Identical | Ellen Hopkins | K-12 |
| People Kill People | Ellen Hopkins | K-12 |
| Perfect | Ellen Hopkins | K-12 |
| The You I’ve Never Known | Ellen Hopkins | K-12 |
| Tilt | Ellen Hopkins | K-12 |
| Traffick | Ellen Hopkins | K-12 |
| Juliet Takes a Breath | Gabby Rivera | K-12 |
| All Boys Aren’t Blue | George Johnson | K-12 |
| Game of Thrones | George R.R. Martin | K-12 |
| Grit | Gillian French | K-12 |
| Wicked | Gregory Maguire | K-12 |
| Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit | Jaye Robin Brown | K-12 |
| The Carnival at Bray | Jessie Ann Foley | K-12 |
| Looking for Alaska | John Green | K-12 |
| Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy | K-12 |
| Trans+: Love, Sex, Romance, and Being You | Kathryn Gonzalez & K. Rayne | K-12 |
| This is Kind of an Epic Love Story | Kheryn Callender | K-12 |
| Slaughterhouse Five (Graphic Novel) | Kurt Vonnegut | K-12 |
| Camp | L.C. Rosen | K-12 |
| I Never | Laura Hoopers | K-12 |
| Shine | Lauren Myracle | K-12 |
| This Boy | Lauren Myracle | 9-12 |
| Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) | Lev Rosen | K-12 |
| Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure | Lewis Hancox | K-12 |
| Last Night at the Telegraph Club | Malinda Lo | K-12 |
| The Handmaid’s Tale: Graphic Novel | Margaret Atwood | K-12 |
| Flamer | Mike Curato | K-12 |
| Sold | Patricia McCormick | K-12 |
| Homebody | Rupi Kaur | K-12 |
| Milk and Honey | Rupi Kaur | K-12 |
| A Court of Silver Flames | Sarah J. Maas | K-12 |
| A Court of Thorns & Roses | Sarah J. Maas | K-12 |
| A Court of Wings & Ruin | Sarah J. Maas | K-12 |
| House of Earth and Blood | Sarah J. Maas | K-12 |
| The Perks of Being a Wallflower | Stephen Chbosky | K-12 |
| And They Lived | Steven Salvatore | K-12 |
| Homegoing: A Novel | Yaa Gyasi | K-12 |
| 100 Sideways Miles | Andrew Smith | 9-12 |
| 11-22-63: A Novel | Stephen King | 9-12 |
| Different Seasons | Stephen King | 9-12 |
| 21 Proms | David Levithan | 9-12 |
| 9 Days & 9 Nights | Katie Cotugno | 9-12 |
| As She Fades | Abbi Glines | 9-12 |
| Blood & Honey | Shelby Mahurin | 9-12 |
| Bronxwood | Coe Booth | 9-12 |
| Culpa Nuestra | Mercedes Ron | 9-12 |
| Deadline | Chris Krutcher | 9-12 |
| Did I Mention I Need You? | Estelle Maskame | 9-12 |
| Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close | Jonathan Safran Foer | 9-12 |
| Gods & Monsters | Shelby Mahurin | 9-12 |
| Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World | Kelly Jensen | 9-12 |
| I’m Glad My Mom Died | Jeanette McCurdy | 9-12 |
| Kingdom of the Cursed | Kerri Maniscalco | 9-12 |
| Lush | Natasha Friend | 9-12 |
| Me Being Me Is Exactly As Insane As You Being You | Todd Hasak-Lowy | 9-12 |
| Now I Rise | Kiertsen White | 9-12 |
| Rabbit and Robot | Andrew Smith | 9-12 |
| Serpent & Dove | Shelby Mahurin | 9-12 |
| Someone I Used to Know | Patty Blount | 9-12 |
| Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls | Lynn Weingarten | 9-12 |
| The Porcupine of Truth | Bill Konigsberg | 9-12 |
| The Scammer | Tiffany Jackson | 9-12 |
| This Is Why They Hate Us | Aaron Aceves | 9-12 |
| When It’s Real | Erin Watts | 9-12 |
| Yes Please | Amy Poehler | 9-12 |
| You Before Anyone Else | Julie Cross | 9-12 |
SEMINOLE COUNTY — 6 Titles
| Title | Author | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| Let’s Talk About It | Erike Moen & Matthew Nolan | — |
| Lucky | Alice Sebold | — |
| Exit Here | Jason Myers | 9-12 |
| Push | Sapphire | 9-12 |
| Triangles | Ellen Hopkins | 9-12 |
| Tricks | Ellen Hopkins | 9-12 |
SUMTER COUNTY
No titles listed as removed or discontinued.
VOLUSIA COUNTY — 77 Titles
| Title | Author | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| Flamer | Mike Curato | — |
| Relish: My Life in the Kitchen | Lucy Knisley | — |
| Alice on the Outside | Phyllis Reynolds Naylor | 6-8 |
| Chosen | P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast | 6-12 |
| Clockwork Princess | Cassandra Clare | 6-12 |
| The Kite Runner | Housseini Khaled | 6-12 |
| A Clash of Kings: A Song of Fire and Ice | George R.R. Martin | 9-12 |
| A Stolen Life: A Memoir | Jaycee Lee Dugard | 9-12 |
| All Boys Aren’t Blue | George Johnson | 9-12 |
| Allegedly | Tiffany Jackson | 9-12 |
| Boy Girl Boy | Ron Koertge | 9-12 |
| Bumped | Megan McCafferty | 9-12 |
| Burned | Ellen Hopkins | 9-12 |
| Crank | Ellen Hopkins | 9-12 |
| Damsel | Ellen Hopkins | 9-12 |
| Glass | Ellen Hopkins | 9-12 |
| Identical | Ellen Hopkins | 9-12 |
| Perfect | Ellen Hopkins | 9-12 |
| Smoke | Ellen Hopkins | 9-12 |
| Collateral | Ellen Hopkins | 9-12 |
| Tilt | Ellen Hopkins | 9-12 |
| Emergency Contact | Mary H.K. Choi | 9-12 |
| Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close | Jonathan Safran Foer | 9-12 |
| Fade | Lisa McMann | 9-12 |
| Felix Ever After | Kacen Callender | 9-12 |
| Grown | Tiffany Jackson | 9-12 |
| Heroine | Mindy McGinnis | 9-12 |
| I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter | Erika Sanchez | 9-12 |
| I’ll Give You The Sun | Jandy Nelson | 9-12 |
| L8R, G8R | Lauren Myracle | 9-12 |
| Last Night at the Telegraph Club | Malinda Lo | 9-12 |
| Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me | Mariko Tamaki | 9-12 |
| Little and Lion | Brandy Colbert | 9-12 |
| Living Dead Girl | Elizabeth Scott | 9-12 |
| Looking for Alaska | John Green | 9-12 |
| Lullaby | Chuck Palahniuk | 9-12 |
| Me, Earl and the Dying Girl | Jesse Andrews | 9-12 |
| Monday’s Not Coming | Tiffany Jackson | 9-12 |
| More Happy Than Not | Adam Silvera | 9-12 |
| Native Son | Richard Wright | 9-12 |
| Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe | Preston Norton | 9-12 |
| Nineteen Minutes | Jodi Piccoult | 9-12 |
| Out of Darkness | Ashley Hope Perez | 9-12 |
| Ramona Blue | Julie Murphy | 9-12 |
| Scars | Cheryl Rainfield | 9-12 |
| Slaughterhouse Five | Kurt Vonnegut | 9-12 |
| Sold | Patricia McCormick | 9-12 |
| Song of Solomon | Toni Morrison | 9-12 |
| Storm and Fury | Jennifer Armentrout | 9-12 |
| The Bluest Eye | Toni Morrison | 9-12 |
| The Freedom Writer’s Diary | Erin Gruwell | 9-12 |
| The Handmaid’s Tale | Margaret Atwood | 9-12 |
| The Handsome Girl and Her Beautiful Boy | B.T. Gottfred | 9-12 |
| The Kite Runner (Graphic Novel) | Khaled Hosseini | 9-12 |
| The Letter Q | Sarah Moon | 9-12 |
| The Perks of Being a Wallflower | Stephen Chbosky | 9-12 |
| YOLO | Lauren Myracle | 9-12 |
| You Too? 25 Voices Share Their #MeToo Stories | Janet Gurtler | 9-12 |
| A Court of Mist and Fury | Sarah Maas | 9-12 |
| A Court of Thorns and Roses | Sarah Maas | 9-12 |
| Empire of Storms | Sarah Maas | 9-12 |
| House of Earth and Blood | Sarah Maas | 9-12 |
| Kingdom of Ash | Sarah Maas | 9-12 |
| Breathless | Jennifer Niven | 9-12 |
| Bronxwood | Coe Booth | 9-12 |
| Homegoing | Yaa Gyasi | 9-12 |
| Like A Love Story | Abdi Nazemian | 9-12 |
| Lonesome Dove | Larry McMurtry | 9-12 |
| Milk and Honey | Rupi Kaur | 9-12 |
| Red Hood | Elana K. Arnold | 9-12 |
| Sold | Patricia McCormick | 9-12 |
| The Freedom Writers Diary | Erin Gruwell | 9-12 |
| The Glass Castle | Jeanette Wall | 9-12 |
| The Nowhere Girls | Amy Reed | 9-12 |
| The Pact: A Love Story | Jodi Piccoult | 9-12 |
| Water For Elephants | Sara Gruen | 9-12 |
| Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West | Gregory Maguire | 9-12 |