Transcripts For CSPAN2 Florida 20240705 : vimarsana.com

2024 gop president ial candidate delivered the state of the state address from the capital in tallahassee. The governor talked about the states population growth, the business sector and a state budget during his remarks before the legislature. This is 35 minutes. [applause] thank you so much. Great to see you all. You seem a little restless to start the year. Thank you so much mr. Speaker, madam president , members of the legislature and fellow citizens. 2024 is going to be a better year for the free statest of florida. [applause] now, this is somewhat of a unique start s to the legislatit session because every government building except this one is closed in tallahassee because of the weather and weve had a lot of weather move three northwest florida. We issued an executive orderue o declare a state of emergency and we do what we do in florida. We respond when those things happen so those just know the state of florida stands with you and we will handle whatever the fallout is from these dangerous tornadoes. We are as a country in the midst ofof a great upheaval and we see this throughout the land. Under the Current Administration in washington almost at record level, 62 of americans are living paycheck to paycheck and the federal budget deficit is expectedck to hit 2 trillion ts year. Of course more than 8 million illegal aliens entered the United States across the southern border and the past three years alone. That is due to fentanyl thats come across that border has reached record levels. Cities throughout the land have decayed. Washington, d. C. Has experienced its deadliest year in more than two decades and San Francisco has fallen into a doom loop whereby crime, homelessness and drug abuse have eviscerated the quality of life in the city. Other states have enacted policies that sparked an exodus of their residence out of the state. In illinois, residents are settled with high taxes while politicians continue to spend and borrow at some of the highest rates in the nation with massive unfunded liability that will require even higher taxes in the future. Of course a soft on crime polics have devastated Public Policies and major cities like chicago. Californias per capita tripled out of florida and yet they face a 68 billiondollar budget deficit. Their Violent Crime is up, robberies are up and a recent Stanford University study shows businesses are leaving in droves. Florida has millions of more residents than new york state yet the budget is twice the size of ours in florida. They have a 4. 3 billion deficit. E we have more manufacturing jobs in new york and our Unemployment Rate is close to 50 lower than that of new york. So its not surprising given that weve witnessed and continue to witness a great migration of americans away from cities and states pursuing these failed policies with florida serving as a refuge of freedom and sanity. [applause] these failures are not the result of chance. They are the result of choices made by elected officials to put ideology over sound policy. In this time for choosing, the statein of florida has chosen well. Weve chosen facts over fear, education over indoctrination. We have chosen law and order rioting and disorder, weve chosen fiscal responsibility over debt and our choices have produced results that are second to none in this country. [applause] we are we have earned rankings of number one for n education, number one for educational freedom, number one for parental involvement in education, number one for talent development, number one for public Higher Education, number one for domestic and migration for the third Consecutive Year and number one and business formation. Number one in gdp growth among large estates and better than aalmost all countries throughot the world. We are number one for entrepreneurship and we have set the standard for limited government. Florida has the fewest per capita and lowest State Government cost per capita in the entire United States. Our crime rate is at a 50 year low and we have the lowest Unemployment Rate of all large states. [applause] the 2023 legislative session was monumental and its incumbent upon us to build upon those accomplishments as we continue toas deliver results for the people that elected us. My message is simple. Stay the course. The state of our state is strong. Lets keep doing what works. Lets take florida the envy of the nation. [applause] florida is the education state. We lead the nation in School Choice. Last legislative session under speaker renter, we enacted the largestsi expansion of School Choice in all of american history. Florida has close to 1. 5 Million Students enrolled fulltime in various choice programs from private scholarships to Charter Schools to choice options within individual school districts. Through these programs we have delivered for people like harold varma who is here with us today. Please stand. 11 brothers and sisters making education somewhat difficult to afford for their parents but because of our School Choice scholarships,s, se and her siblings have been able to attend high quality schools. Today shes a college graduate. Her three older brothers are college graduates, two of her younger sisters are in college and the rest are on track to follow in her first steps. As she likes to say when people say School Choice doesnt work, i simply show them my family. Thank you. Great job. [applause] florida also leads the nation and protecting the rights of parents. School systems are important to but they exist to serve the students. Pagans in the community not to supersede the rights of parentsi to direct the education and not bring their own children. We were one of the first states in the country to enact a parents bill of rights and curriculum transparency. We protected womens sports as the father of two daughters i think its important that our girls and women athletes have the opportunity to compete with fairness and with integrity. [applause] we protected our children from indoctrination and the sexualization of the curriculum and stood up for parents against the woke mob that includes parents like those here with us today from the jacksonville area. Shes a mom of three who taught her children to be educated without having an agenda imposed on them and is proof that what parents and the state want is exactly what weve done. We must always protect the innocence of our children. Let kids be kids. Thank you. [applause] as we deliver historic winds for our parents weve also provided historic support for our School Teachers over the past four years weve invested a record 3 billion solely for the purpose of raising teacher pay. My budget for this year includes another 1. 25 billion for even more pay increases and these initiatives are important because they help us recruit and retain great teachers. Including who is with us today our teacher of the year. Please stand up and be recognized. [applause] job well done. Congratulations. Fourth graders are on october 7th, israel suffered one of the worst terrorist attacks in modern history. We knewy. The effects would reverberate here in the state of florida. Many were stranded in israell after the war broke out without receiving adequate assistance from the embassy of the state department so the state of floridace stepped up and we organized the evacuation flights and rescued more than 700 americans and brought them back home to the state of florida that includes [applause] that includes her husband and two children that were on one of the flights that we brought back from israel. They were here joining us today and were able to come back safe and sound and they were able to help us get back home. [applause] but we didnt stop there thanks to the help of the legislature we were able to find legislation during a special session where we passed expanded of sanctionss on the country responsible from these heinous attacks. They recognized we were going to stop having money flow into that regime. Threats of violence continued here at home and we stood up to protect our state schools in the synagogues and jewish students ons university campuses. Theyve outright condoned antisemitism. Over the coming months they have a tough decision to make. Do they pack up and leave or stay and continuing to endure a hostile environment. If they do decide to come to florida i can tell you this, we will welcome them with open arms. This includes waving minimum credit our requirements for transfers, waving application deadlines for transfers and encouraging universities and colleges to use their existing Statutory Authority to provideui instate tuition for students with a financial hardship. [applause] throughout the country is exposed to the international thats developed on so Many University campuses over the years. In a florida our universities must be dedicated to the pursuit of truth. The promotion of academic rigor and integrity andd preparation f students to be citizens of our republic. Ub we reject the modern trend of universities that subordinate high academic standardsoo in far of promoting an ideological agenda. To this end we have eliminated the socalled from our public universities. [applause] the highlye ideological agenda and practicece stands for discrimination exclusion and indoctrination and that has no place in our Public Institutions and universities. [applause] the higher end to avoid the litmus test and require all tenured professors to undergo review every five years so poor performersrf can be terminated. A freshman baseball player at sarasota, take a stand which is well on its way colleges want to be in the premier classical Public Liberal Arts College in america and reforms instituted by the board of trustees and Richard Corcoran transferred the college from an outpost of ideological indoctrination into an institutiono rooted in truth. We have insured Higher Education in florida is affordable, freezing tuition for the past decade. Our outofstate tuition is less than instate tuition in many states across the country and weve also supported the Bright Future scholarships that make it even more affordable for the top students in florida to attend school. By the year 2030. And it with the support of legislature we are well on our way. Since 2019 florida students have earned more than 365,000 rapid credentials. Just last year more than 235,000 students earned in industry i certificate before they graduated high school. We have more than tripled our states capacity to train Truck Drivers with cdl licenses for thisr year set a record for cdl program completion. And we have now set a record of 229,000 students enrolled in career and Technical Education at florida colleges. There is no question that on this trajectory and with your continued support florida will soon be number one and the in the nationfor workforce educ. [applause] lord is the state for fiscal responsibility and for economic freedom. The recklessness of spending borrowing and printing of money over the pastin four years by te federal government has driven up the cost of everything from groceries to housing and a saddledamericans with high intet rates. The National Debt now stands at an astounding 34 trillion dollars. New york city theres a famous debt clock that shows the nationals debt going up in real time. I like to see one of this made for florida data florida debt clock would be counting down not up because we have paid down nearly 25 of our state debts over the past four years. Imagine that. [applause] indeed if you took the share of the National Debt and apportioned out to every individual american would be 100,000 and each american widow florida the average individual floridian share of our state debt wonder did thousand dollars at 661. The Lowest Per Capita debt and all of these United States. That is the way you do it. [applause] now we are able to reduce debt weve been fiscally responsible. But also we have embraced smaller government. Florida has the lowest number state employees per capita and the lowest cost per state residents or stateow governments and the entire United States. And yet we deliver Services Better than most states in facte when they move from places from new york the first thing they tell me is our roads are better, our services are better and now in our schools perform better as well. This year my Budget Proposal reduces the budget by 4 billion in the previous year. Placing 16. 3 billion and reserves and paying down another 455 million state debt ahead ofo schedule but we have run a Budget Surplus and pay down debt while also enacting recordsetting taxas deduction. Even with tax savings given to our residents we still brought in 1. 3 billion in revenue over the projections just at the start of the fiscal year on jul. Last year asked the legislature reduce taxes on families as a way to mitigate the effects of the federal and government induced inflation and you delivered. We made itt taxfree to raise a child in florida by permanently removing sales taxes on all baby items. Cribs, strollers, diapers, wipes, Childrens Clothing issues among other items. We say we are Family Friendly we did not just talk the talk we walked the walk and families are benefiting as a result of what you did and last legislative session. [applause] [applause] we provided very timely relay relieffor commuters in the statf florida. In 2023 the Toll Relief Program reduce commuter3 costs by almost half a billion dollars. Helping nearly one point to million floridians save hundreds of dollars each on tolls. Mike honeycutt is here with us today. Er founder and owner of jet icu recently relocated to tampa from hernando county. Their business moved there still commuting to tampa while in the process of relocation he has taken on the burden of pain on his tolls but the t tolls of his staff as well and through our Toll Relief Program his staff and he were able to save almost 4000 in total saving so congratulations on that keep doing a great job. [applause] the governors budget recommendation i am proposing that we returned another 1. 1 billion to the people through additional tax cuts that will provide even more relief to families, individuals and retirees that just trying to get by during these uncertain times. Letsuc reduce the cost of Homeowners Insurance through tas relief. Lets continue read recordsetting sales tax always lets provide permanent tax relief for florida small business. In d. C. They are failing to get inflation underre control. We cannot control federal monetary or fiscal policy here in the state of florida will close per capita tax burdens in the entire t country make taxes lower l low tax burden has attracted families, businesses and retireesus alike. So too has the fact that in florida we are probably the law and order states. [applause] [applause] our policy is to support Law Enforcement personnel. To combat riots to keep criminals off thes, street to remove lawless prosecutors from office that cap florida at a 50 year low with the crane might have brought new Law Enforcement recruits to florida from all of the other 49 states but Law Enforcement officers like Rachel Richardson who is here with us today. [applause] [applause] now officer richardson left her home and her job in illinois to come to florida for a new career with the Venice Police department she wanted to work for d state that valued the difficult work Police Officers do every day to protect and serve. Officer richardson we welcome you to the great state of florida. Thank you for your service. [applause] i have not met any Police Officer the has regretted remote relocating to florida we must be doing something right for this years Budget Proposal includes some 20 million to provide signing bonus so we can recruit even more officers to the Sunshine State too. Now, too help our Police Offices and others achieve their dream of homeownership while here we also created the Hometown Heroes Program. Recipients of this program include detective franca jones who is here with us today. Where are you at . Thanks stand up frank. [applause] in 2020 when you saw a lot of places try to defend the police, detective jones moved from chicago to Collier County to work in a state where he knew his efforts would be respected and supported. Thanks her Hometown Heroes Program detective jones was able to achieve his dream of homeownership. And thanks to the leadership of president to the live local active record housing funding, countless Police Officers as well as other staples of the Community Like teachers and nurses will now be able to live in the communities in which they serve. Good job senator. [applause] we are proud of our successful efforts to provide law and order but we still see the impact of the open southern border that has made its way all the way to the state of florida. Here today is brianna ramose the victim of a hitandrun and tooe life of his friends at the age of 28. Where are you, stand up. The driver. [applause] the driver who ran over brian and niko was here illegally. They found he had been previously deported three times and had no right at all to be in this country. Theyve done theiren job but ths would not have happened in the first place. Also hear todays polyp paulafrederick the mother of Amy Frederick who was killed by fentanyl at just 25 years old. Fentanyl that has undoubtedly been trafficked across our southern border. Im sorry for your loss and unfortunately this is a loss that is all too common throughout these United States of america. Every community has become a border community. The fentanyl is laced in pills that people do not even realize would be in that. They take one pill but the fentanyl laced that could be enough to poison somebody to death. We are on your side and doing everything we can to combat the scourge of the fentanyl epidemic. So god bless you, thank you. [applause] we cannot just sit idly by while we continued to see a massive invasion across this country. Federal government is not doing any thing to stop this. Weve sent over state troopers and dozens of fish and wildlife officers to help texas with Border Operations through your support we have banned the sanctuary cities and instituted policies to deter illegal immigration into our state in the first place. The fight it border crisis has made every state a border states. Thanks to your efforts, florida is fighting back on behalf of our people. [applause] florida is also the preparation state. Buster hundreds of philippians were destroyed uninhabitable by hurricane. We relic resources before, during, after this powerful category three madego landfall. They for preparation for the storm and among thousands of First Responders and natural guard who prepared to respond. There were members of the newly reformed Florida State guard that deployed for the First Time Since 1947. As a result of our preparations in less than a one week 96 of power was restored. A record for such a rural part of the state. Wee have with the Citrus County sheriff michael prendergast. You can stand up and be recognized back there. We stood sidebyside with the sheriff in the immediate aftermath of the storm. We will continue to standby Citrus County and the big band as the communities rebelled over the next weeks, months, years. As the big band recovers from this r past storm we still reman focused on the longterm recovery that is still going on in southwest florida after hurricane ian. Well have news cameras have long since left we are still there to support residents like rachel pierce an art gallery was destroyed by the storm. Rachel, thank you for coming here. [applause] after receiving a grant from the Florida Disaster Fund a few months ago rachel was able to reopen her art gallery, congratulations rachel. [applause] florida is also the conservation state with your support we make good on our promise to leave florida to god better than we found it. Home to more than 1300 miles of worldrenowned coastline floridas economic success is tied to a healthy environment. Since 2019 we have invested 5 billion to support everglades restoration and Water Quality efforts i am calling for another 1. 1 billion to continue these great efforts. Much of our state the Great Outdoors is a way of life we must preserve for generations to come which is why im calling for 125 million to project floridas Conservation Land and waterways. All across the nation activists have attempted to take away our godgiven right to hunt, fish, enjoy a Great Outdoors in florida we will continue to honor and protect those important traditions. [applause] [applause] before i close it is worth pointing out more accomplishments ive been able to deliver of got to run to these pretty quickly otherwise will be here all day. We have protected floridians against covid authoritarianism you have a right to breathe without have one put a mask on your face. You can count on that and the ie free state of florida. [applause] we have expanded Second Amendment rights with the constitutional carrabelle from last session. We have nick out esg environment social justice we will not let woke corporations impose radical policies on our citizenry. Together we work and pass legislation to protect the sanctity of life burden we had banned china from buying land in florida no farm that no land or military bases, nothing. [applause] [applause] we have provided hundreds of millions of dollars in relief for florida homeowners and instituted long needed reform against all odds attracted new Insurance Companies into the state of florida we have enacted a digital bill of rights to protect floridians Online Privacy we pass the best Election Integrity measures and all of the United States of america. We created a program to accelerate the protected floridians as imposition of a Central Bank Digital currency. We authorize the Death Penalty for pedophiles. [applause] we have brought accountability and transparency to pharmacy middlemen to lower drug costs for florida consumers. We won the fight finally after years and years with the federal government to be able to purchase less offensive drugs from canada. We will save 100 million plus dollars a year by doing that. [applause] recognizing we are a growing state we can pass the moving Florida Initiative for billion dollars to accelerate road projects we can alleviate trafficked up the state of florida. That is just scratching the surface of what we have accomplished. Lets see some other state match that list of achievement. I think you guys did very, very well. [applause] [applause] now, just outside of this Capitol Building there sits a replica of the liberty bell that rang and what is known as Independence Hall while Founding Fathers signed the declaration of independence and later crafted the u. S. Constitution. On that bell is inscribed a verse from leviticus. Proclaim liberty through all the land into all the inhabitants thereof. The replica sits here and thousand miles away or philadelphia reminding us of our task to proclaim liberty. Here in theer sunshine site we deliver Good Government that protects liberty and maintains publicmeme order. We have long the backing of a reflective of the country at large and put forth a blueprint of america revival that instills hope into new birth of freedom can emanate from this land once more. We are the heirs to the spirit of 1776, represented by the liberty bell. Over the next few months lets enact policies that focus on the future and keep faith with our nations founding ideals. Together we will keep florida free and provide hope for a revival of the american spirit of these United States but thank you, god bless you and best of luck in this legislative session. Thank you so much. [applause]us thanks buddy. 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