Joe Biden and D.C. Democrats have created a border crisis that jeopardizes our nation’s safety, stoked inflation that’s made
While Florida Republicans held legislative majorities last fall, the 2022 elections delivered supermajorities in both the House and the Senate, giving state Republicans the ability to pass legislation that served as an offset to the Biden Democrats' failed leftist policies.
When it comes to education, state Republicans kept their promises by expanding school choice, protecting parental rights, and increasing teacher salaries. Back in March, Governor DeSantis signed a universal school choice law that provides over $8,000 in scholarships for Florida students to attend the school of their choice. This is a monumental win for Florida parents by “eliminating financial eligibility restrictions and the current enrollment cap.” In addition, this law now allows parents to customize their children’s education through an ESA, so they can enroll in unique programs that best suit their children’s learning needs.
While parents are more empowered after this session, all Floridians continue to get hammered by inflation. Luckily, state Republicans were successful in getting a $2.7 billion tax cut package on Governor DeSantis’ desk that will provide relief to all Floridians, especially working men and women and families with young children. As a result, Florida ranks No.2 as the best state for business, in part for its “low tax” environment.
While Joe Biden and D.C. Democrats are supporting dangerous defund-the-police rhetoric, Florida remains a law-and-order state. Earlier this week, Governor DeSantis signed four bills that confirm Florida's tough on crime reputation, including protecting Floridians from weak bail reform policies and requiring a detention hearing to be held before trial for dangerous crimes. In addition, we ensured there are limits for conditional release prior to a defendant’s first appearance. We respect and admire our men and women in uniform, which is why we also passed legislation that would give $20 million in bonuses for law enforcement.
As Republicans, we stand with law enforcement, but Biden’s lax border policies have put our border patrol agents and country's national security in jeopardy. Thankfully, state Republicans have challenged Biden's immigration policy by enacting strong E-Verify policies along with money to transfer migrants to sanctuary cities in Democrat-led states.
As a result of its bold initiatives, Florida has become a national destination for many to call home. CBS Miami reported last month that thousands of Americans are fleeing blue states for red states, especially Florida. It should come as no surprise that the majority of new residents obtaining Florida zip codes are from Democrat-led cities such as San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Chicago. Nevertheless, the voter registration advantage for Republicans continues to grow.
The Florida legislature’s bold actions to protect freedom, expand opportunity, and preserve our great quality of life is why Floridians elected a record number of Republicans last November. This legislative session is a testament that Florida Republicans are fighting daily to make the lives of Floridians better and we are just getting started.
Florida House Speaker Paul Renner (R-Palm Coast) was elected by the House Republican Conference in September 2021 to serve as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives from November 2022 through November 2024. He previously served as Chairman of the Republican House Campaign Committee. He is a military veteran, former prosecutor, and business attorney and began his legal career as an Assistant State Attorney,