Ahead of Iowa caucuses, DeSantis urges Florida lawmakers to ‘stay the course’
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis served up familiar themes in his sixth State of the State address Tuesday with an eye toward presidential primary voters, proclaiming Florida to be a conservative model for the country as severe weather pummeled the Panhandle.
The address came at the start of Florida’s 60-day legislative session and about a week before Iowa’s first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses.
As he has done many times in the past, DeSantis declared Florida to be a success story that stands in stark contrast to the federal government and Democratic-run states and cities.
“My message is simple: Stay the course,” he said. “The state of our state is strong. Let’s keep doing what works. Let’s continue to make Florida the envy of the nation.”
DeSantis delivered the speech shortly after a tornado warning for Tallahassee expired, and emergency crews responded to storm damage in Marianna and Lower Grand Lagoon south of Panama City Beach. He declared an emergency for 49 counties and vowed the state “will handle whatever fallout there is from these dangerous tornadoes.”
State office buildings in Tallahassee were closed because of the weather, but DeSantis’ speech proceeded as scheduled.
The Republican governor’s campaign is facing an uphill battle as DeSantis trails former President Donald Trump in the polls. Political analysts say he needs a strong showing in Iowa’s caucuses on Monday and will need to upstage former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
Haley is contending to be the leading Trump alternative. Haley and DeSantis will clash in a CNN presidential debate Wednesday night.
DeSantis touted familiar policy items in his speech, including expanding school choice programs, targeting university “diversity, equity and inclusion” initiatives, banning transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports and combatting what he called “COVID authoritarianism.”
He took aim at President Joe Biden, slamming him for his approach to illegal immigration and the nation’s rising debt. He blasted Democratic-run states and cities, saying they have enacted “soft-on-crime” policies and saddled their residents with high taxes.
“It is not surprising that we have 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 for freedom and sanity,” DeSantis said.
Democrats blasted DeSantis as an “absentee” governor who has failed to tackle skyrocketing property insurance rates and other pocketbook issues, while cutting off access to abortion and pushing “extremist” positions.
“The Republican Legislature and DeSantis traded our freedoms, taxpayer dollars and reputation as a state to advance one man’s political career,” said Rep. Fentrice Driskell, Democratic leader in the Florida House. “While that damage cannot be undone overnight, we can change course and make better choices for Florida’s future.”
DeSantis is proposing a $114.4 billion budget for 2024, which includes $409 million in temporary tax and fee relief for property insurance premiums, as well as increases in education, environmental and infrastructure spending. The 2024 budget recommendation is $4.6 billion less than the current state budget, but includes a $3 billion increase in the state reserves, bringing them up to $16.3 billion.
Legislative leaders outlined their priorities in speeches. Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said she wants to expand the health care workforce and improve medical care in the state. Her plan doesn’t include expanding Medicaid, which about 40 other states have chosen to do under former President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
“Medicaid expansion is not going to happen,” Passidomo said. “It is not a quick fix. It is not a panacea. In fact, if you cannot actually schedule an appointment with a health care provider, Medicaid expansion is nothing more than a false government promise.”
Passidomo’s priorities also include a public school “deregulation” push that seeks to cut bureaucratic red tape in education.
Florida House Speaker Paul Renner called for child-safety legislation to regulate social media use by youths, and age restriction rules to block underage users from accessing online pornography. Similar laws in other states are being challenged in the courts.
“Call it a culture war if you want, but it is another battle to defend common sense against those who want to obliterate the distinction between adulthood and childhood,” Renner said. “It’s a battle we intend to win.”