election and why? >> the most important issue, this political season, is immigration. >> economics and the deficit. >> i think that homelessness is an issue that needs to be addressed. >> we invite you to share your voice, by going to our website, c c-span.org/campaign2024. select recorded video and tell us why.

south now to florida, for the state of the state address from florida governor ron desantis. he touted the business and state budget. while speaking to the legislature in tallahassee. he is currently in middle of his second term, having first been elected in 2918. this is 35 minutes. [ applause ] >> thank you. thank you so much. great to see you all. [ applause ] >> you all seem a little [ inaudible ] this time of year. right here. well, thank you so much, mr.

speaker, madam president, members of the legislature and our fellow citizens. 2024 is going to be a banner year for the free state of florida. [ applause ] now, this is somewhat of a unique start to the legislative session because every government building except this one is closed in tallahassee because of the weather. and we've had a lot of weather move through northwest florida. we've issued an executive order to declare a state of emergency and we just do what we do in florida, we respond when these things happen. so those who are impacted, just know, the state of florida stands with you and we'll handle whatever fallout from these dangerous tornadoes. we are in the midst of an upheaval. and we see this throughout the land. under the current administration and washington, homelessness is at serious levelless. 62% of americans are living

paycheck to paycheck. and federal deficit is expected to hit $62 trillion. and deaths due to fentanyl that have come across those borders have reached record levels. cities throughout the land have decayed. washington is experiencing its deadliest year in more than two decades. and san francisco has fallen into a doom loop, whereby crime, drugs, and homelessness have eviscerated the other crimes in the city. in illinois, residents are saddled with high taxes, while spendthrift politicians continue to borrow, with massive unfounded liabilities. of course, soft on crime

policies have devastated major cities like policy. california's per capita is triple that of florida. and yet they face a $68 billion budget deficit. their violent crime is up. robberies are up. and a stanford study shows businesses are leaving in droves. florida has millions more residents than new york state. yet new york's budget is twice the size of ours here in florida. they have a $3.4 million deficit. we now have manufacturing jobs in new york. and about twice as many in the past year. and our employment rate is close to 50% lower than that of new york. so it's not surprising, given that we've witnessed and continue to witness a great migration of americans in cities and states. florida serving as a refuge of freedom and sanity. [ applause ] of choices

made by elected officials to 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 state of florida has chosen well. we have chosen facts over fear. we have chosen education over indoctrination. we have chosen law and order over rioting and disorder. we have chosen fiscal responsibility over debt and proplagasy. we have chosen results that are second to none in this country. we are -- [ applause ] we have earned rankings of

number 1 for education. number 1 for education freedom. number 1 for parental involvement in education. number 1 for talent development. number 1 for public higher education. number 1 for domestic in- migration for the third consecutive years. number 1 in new business formations. number 1 in gdp growth amongst large states, and better than almost all country the throughout the world, we are number 1 for entrepreneurship. and we have set the standard for government. florida has the fewer per state per capita and the lowest state government 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 it's incumbent upon us to build upon those accomplishments, as we continue to deliver results for the people that elected us. my message is simple. stay the course. the state of our state is strong. let's keep doing what works. let's continue to make florida the envy of the nation. [ applause ] >> florida is the education state. we lead the nation in school choice. last legislative enacted the school choice in all of american history. florida has close to 4 million

students full-time in various choice programs fraprivate scholarships to charter schools. through these programs we have delivered for people like harra barmer, who is here with us today. please stand. hara. hara has 11 brothers and sisters. making education somewhat difficult to afford for her parents. but because of scholarships, she and her siblings have been able to attend college. today she is a college graduate. or older brothers are college graduates. three of her siblings are in college. and the rest are set to follow in her tracks. she says, when people say the

school system doesn't work, i simply show them my family. thank you. good job. [ applause ] florida also leads the nation in protecting school for parents. they exist to serve the students, parents and the community. not to supersede the rights of parents to direct the education and upbringing of their children. we were one of the first states in the to enact a parent's bill of rights and to enact curriculum transparency. we protected women's sports. as the father of two daughters, i think it's important that our girls and women athletes have the opportunity to compete with fairness and with integrity. [ applause ]

>> thanks to the legislature, we have protected our children from indoctrination. and we stood up for parents against the woke mob. this includes parents like tia best, who is here with us today. where is tia? there she is. from the jacksonville area. she's a mom of three. she's fought for her children to be educated without having an agenda imposed on them. and tia is proof that what parents in this state want is exactly what we've done. we must always protect the innocence of our children. let kids be kids. thank you. [ applause ] and as we delivered historic wins for our parents. we have also provided historic

support for our schoolteachers. over the past four years, we've invested a record $3 billion solely for the purpose of raising teacher pay. my budget proposal for this year includes another $1.25 billion for even more pay increases. and these initiates are important because they help us recruit and retain great teachers, including who with us today. our teacher of the year, adriana swearingen. please stand up and be recognized. [ applause ] job well done. congratulations. and it is thanks to teachers like adriana, that our fourth graders are first in the nation on their scores. now, on october 7th, israel suffered one of the worst terrorist attacks in modern history. we knew the effects would reverberate here in the state

of florida. many floridians were stranded in israel after the war broke out and were not receiving adequate assistance from the u.s. embassy or state department. so the state of florida stepped up, ordered evacuation flights and rescued more than 700 americans and brought them back home to the state of florida. that includes -- [ applause ] that includes allison zur. her husband and two children that were on one of the flights that we brought back from israel. they are here joining us today. they were able to come back safe and sound. and we're glad we were able to help you get back home. [ applause ] but we didn't stop there. thanks to the help of the

legislature. we were able to sign legislation during, after a special session, where we expanded sanctions on the country responsible ultimately for these heinous attacks, the islamic republic of iran. they were behind the attacks, they funded the attacks. and the state of florida has recognized, we are going to do everything we can to stop having money flow into the coffers of that regime. as threats of violence continue here at home. we stood up to protect our jewish synagogues, students on campuses. but we realize that many universities outside of florida, have simply failed. this week, jewish students across the country are returning to campuses that have outright condoned anti- semitism. over the coming months, they have astition to make. do they pack up and leave? or do they stay and continue to endure a hostile environment. and if they do decide to come

to florida. i can tell you this, we will welcome them with open arms includes waving min mim hours for application transfers. and encouraging colleges to use their existing statutory authority to provide in-state tuition for students with a financial hardship. [ applause ] ies and rampant anti-semitism we have witnessed throughout the country on these campuses has exposed the intellectual rot the pro-hamas activities and rampant anti-semptism that we've witnessed around this country has exposed the intellectual rot that has developed on so many university campuses in years n. florida, our universities must be dedicated to the pursuit of truth. the promotion of academic rigor and integrity. and the promotion of communicate students to be citizens of our public.

we reject modern trends that support high academic standards in favor of promoting an idelodge kpal agenda. to this end, we have eliminated so-called dei from our public universities. [ applause ] deological agenda that deological [ applause ] d.e.i. is a highly ideological practice. it stands for exclusion, discrimination and practice. that has no place in our public institutions and universities. [ applause ] we have also overhauled faculty hiring to avoid ideological litmus tests and require all tenured

professors to undergo review every five years, so poor performers can be terminated. j.t. lano is here at new college in sarasota. take a stand. which is well on its way. -- [ applause ] new college is well on its way to being the premiere classical public liberal arts college in america. the reforms instituted by the new college board of trustees and by president richard corcoran have transferred the college into an institution rooted in truth. now, we have ensured that higher education in florida is affordable, freezing tuition for the past decade. our out-of-state tuition is les than in-state tuition in many states across the country. but we've also supported bright future scholarships that make it more affordable for top

students in florida to attend school. while higher education is important. a degree from a four-year brick and ivy is not the only path to success. and for many, it is not the best paáfgt way to success. when i took ofrls in 2019, i set the goal to make florida number 1 in workforce education by the year 2030. and with the support of legislature, we are well on our way. since 2019, florida students have earned more than 365,000 rapid credentials. and just last year, more than 235,000 students earned an industry certificate before they graduated high school. we have more than tripled our state's capacity to train truck drivers with cdl licenses, and this year, set a record for cdl program for 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 in the nation for workforce education. [ applause ] [ applause ] florida is the state for fiscal responsibility and for economic freedom. the recklessness of spending, borrowing and printing of money over the past four years by federal government, has driven up the cost from everything from groceries to housing and has saddled americans with high- interest rates. the national debt now stands at an astounding $34 trillion. in new york city, there's a famous debt clock that shows the national debt going up in realtime. i'd like to see one of those made for florida's debt. only a florida debt clock would be counting down, not up. because we have paid down nearly 25% of our state's debt

over the past four years. imagine that. [ applause ] indeed, if you took the share of the national debt and apportioned that to every individual american, it would be $100,000 a pop that each american would owe. florida? the average individual floridian share of our state debt? isn't $100,000. it's $661. the lowest per capita debt in all of these united states. that is the way you do this. [ applause ] now, we're able to reduce debt, because we have been fiscally responsible. but also because we have embraced smaller government. florida has the lowest number of state employees per capita,

and the lowest cost per state resident for state government in the entire united states. and yet we deliver services better than most states. in fact, when people move from places like new york, the first thing they tell me is that our roads are better, our services are better, and we know now our schools perform better as well. this year, my budget proposal, reduces the budget by $4 billion from the previous year. placing 16.3 billion in reserves. and paying down another 455 million in state debt, ahead of schedule. we have run budget surpluses and paid down debt, while also enacting record-setting tax reductions. and even with these tax savings, given to our residents, we have still brought in $1.3 billion in revenue over the projections, just since the start of the fiscal year on july 1st. last year, i asked the legislature to reduce taxes on families, as a way to mitigate

the effects of the federal government-induced inflation, and you delivered. we have made it tax-free to raise a child in florida by permanently removing sales taxes on all baby items. cribs, strollers, diapers, wipes, children's clothing, shoes, among other items. we say we're family-friendly. we didn't just talk the talk. we walk the walk. and families are benefit as a result of what you did last legislative session. [ applause ] >> we also provided very timely relief for commuters in the state of florida. in 2023, the tall-relief program reduced commuter cost by almost half a billion,

helping more than 1.2 million floridians save hundreds each on tolls. mike honeycutt is here with us today. he is the owner and founder of jedi that located from tampa to hernando county. their business moved. mike and his employees are still commuting to tampa while in the process of relocation. and he's taken on the burden of paying not only his tolls but also the tolls of his staff as well. and through our toll relief program. his staff and he were able to save almost $4,000 in toll savings. so congratulations on that and keep doing a great job. [ applause ] >> and the governor's budget recommendations, i'm proposing that we return another $1.1

billion to the people, through additional tax cuts that will provide more relief to families, individuals and retirees that are just trying to get by, during these uncertain times. let's reduce the cost of homeowner's insurance through tax relief. let's continue our record- setting sales tax holidays, and provide permanent tax relief for florida small business. in d.c., they're failing to get inflation under control. while we cannot control federal monetary or fiscal policy, we can take what is already one of the lowest-per-capita tax burden in the entire country, even lower. now, our triple a rate has attracted families, businesses and retirees alike. but so too, has the fact that in florida, we are proudly the law-and-order state. our policies -- [ applause ]

our policies to support law enforcement personnel, combat riots have kept florida at a 50- year crime low in the state. and have brought new law enforcement recruits to florida, from all of the other 49 states. law enforcement officers, like rachel richardson, who is here with us today. now -- [ 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 a state

that valued the difficult work that 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 don't know any police officer that has regretted moving to florida yet. so we must be doing something right. this year's budget proposal includes an additional $20 million to include signing bonus, to recruit more officers to the sunshine state. to help others achieve the dreams of home ownership while here. we also created the hometown heroes program. recipients of this program include detective frank jones, who is here with us today. where for you at? stand up, frank. so -- [ applause ] in 2020,

when you stau a lot of places try to defund the police, detective jones moved from chicago to collier county, to work in a state, where he knew his effort the would be respected and supported. thanks to our hometown hero the program, detective jones was able to achieve his dream of homeownership. and thanks to the leadership of president pasadomeo, through the live local act and 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 pasado mo. ceo provide law and order but we ceo [ applause ] and we're proud of our successful efforts to provide law and order. but we still see the impacts of the open southern border. but that's made its way, all the way to the state of

florida. here today is brian ramos. who is the victim of a hit-and- run, that tragically took the life of his friend, niko bagliha at age 28. where is he? stand up. okay. the driver -- [ applause ] tkraot the driver who ran over ryan and niko was here illegally. and when the suspect was arrested by the florida highway patrol, they found that he had been previously deported three times and had no right at all to be in this country. if the federal government had simply done its job, this would not have happened in the first place. also here today is paula frederick. 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. we're 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. these -- the fentanyl is laced in pillless that people don't even realize would be in that. and they take one pill with the fentanyl lace. and that would be enough to poison somebody. we're on your side and we're do everything everything we can to combat the fentanyl scourge. so glad bless you. thank you. continued to see a [ applause ] we can't just sit idly by, while we continue to see a massive invasion. federal government is not doing anything to stop this. we, in florida, are picking up the slack. we've now sent over 100 florida state troopers and dozens of fish and wildlife officers to

help texas with border operations through your support, we have banned sanctuary cities. and we've also instituted policies to deter illegal immigration into our state in the first place. the biden border crisis has made every state a border state. and thanks to your efforts, florida is fighting back on behalf of our people. [ applause ] had their homes destroyed or rendered florida is also the preparation state. last year, hundreds of floridians had their homes destroyed or rendered uninhabitable by hurricane idalia. we rallied resources to the big ben region before, during and after this powerful category 3 storm made landfall. and my direction, nearly 30,000 utility linemen were staged for preparation for the storm. and among thousands of first

responders who prepared to respond. there were members of our newly reformed state guard that deployed for the first time since 1947. as a result of our preparations, in less than one week, 96% of power was restored. a record for such a rural part of the state. we have with us today, citrus county sheriff, mike prendergast. we stood side by side with the sheriff in the immediate aftermath of the storm. and we'll continue as the communities rebuild over these next weeks, months and years. and as the big ben recovers from this past year's storm. we still remain focused on the long-term recovery that is still going on in southwest florida. after hurricane ian. while the news cameras have long since left, we are still there to support residents like

rachel pierce. a santa bel-based artist, whose art gallery was erased by the storm. rachel, thank you for coming here. [ applause ] after receiving a grant from the florida disaster fund just a few months ago, rachel was able to reopen her art gallery in november. congratulations, rachel. [ applause ] florida is also the conservation state. with your support, we have made good on our promise to leave florida to god better than we found it. as the fishing capital in the world, and home to more than 1300 miles of world-renowned coastline, florida's economic success is tied to a healthy environment. since 2019, we've invested $5 billion to support everglades restoration and water quality efforts. and i'm calling for another

$1.1 billion to continue these great efforts. in much of our state, the great outdoors is a way of life. and we must preserve that way of life for generations to come. which is why i'm calling for $125 million to project florida's conservation lands and waterwaysful while across the nation, activities have attempted to take away our god- given rights to hunt, fish and enjoy our great outdoors, in florida, we will continue to honor and protect those important traditions. [ applause ] now, before i close, it's worth pointing out, some more accomplishments that we have been able to deliver. in other words, i'll be here all day. we have protected floridians against covid authoritarianism. you have a right to breathe,

without having someone put a mask on your face. and you can always count on that in the free state of florida. [ applause ] >> we have expanded second amendment rights with the constitutional carry bill from last session. we have knee-capped so-called esg, environment social governance. we are not going to let these woke corporations impose radical policies on our citizenry. together, we worked and passed legislation to protect the sanctity of life. we have banned china from buying launderstand in the state of florida. no farmland, no land near military bases, nothing. [ applause ] we have provided hundreds

of millions in relief. and instituted long-needed reforms that have, 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 passed the best integrity measures in all of the united states of america. we created a program to accelerate repayment of our state debt. we have protected floridians against the impsition of a central bank digital currency. we have authorized the death penalty for pedophiles. [ applause ] we have brought accountability and transparency to pharmacy pháeultsdz men to lower drug costs for middle american consumers. we won a fight with the federal government to be able to purchase less expensive drugs

from canada. and we will save $100 million plus dollars a year by dos that. recognizing that we are a growing state, we passed the moving florida forward initiative, to dedicate $4 billion to accelerate road projects so that we can alleviate traffic throughout the state of florida. and that is just scratching the surface of what we have accomplished. let's see some other state match that list of achievements. i think you guys did very, very well. [ applause ] now, just outside of this capitol building, there sits a replica of the liberty bell that rang in what is now known as independence hall, where our 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 throughout all the land, unto all the inhabitants thereof. the replica sits in tallahassee, thousands of miles from philadelphia, reminding of us of our task to declare liberty. we have provided a government that protects liberty and maintains public order. we have won the backing of the population at large. and put together a blueprint for revival that has instilled the hope of millions. we are the heirs to the spirit of 1776, represented by that liberty bell. over the next two months, let's enact policies that focus on florida's future and that keep faith with our nation's founding ideals. together, we will keep florida free and provide hope for

revival of the american spirit throughout these united states. thank you. god bless you, and best of luck in this legislative session. thank you so much. [ applause ] >> thanks. c-span now is a free app. featuring your unfiltered view of what is happening in washington. live and on demand. keep up with the day's big events of live streams from floor proceedings and hearings from u.s. congress. white house events, the courts, campaigns, and more from the world of politics, all at your fingertips. you should also stay current with the latest episodes of washington journal. and find current information from c-span's tv networks. now available at the apple store and google play. scan the qr code or download to play. visit our website.

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