In a state so often divided along partisan lines, Democrats and Republicans alike were moved to tears as they gathered in the Florida capitol Thursday to honor the life and legacy of Democratic state Sen. Geraldine Thompson, a longtime legislator, civil rights legend and educator who died on Feb. 13 at the age of 76.

Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature approved stiffer penalties against violent protesters on Thursday, handing a major legislative victory to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who began campaigning for the measure last year following a summer of turmoil across the country over the killings of Black people by police.