Gov. Ron DeSantis holds news conference in Tampa

Good morning So we're back Second day in a row and in Hillsborough County But it is a 1-3 day. So I guess this is a perfect place to be for what we're going to be doing today Joined here by our new lieutenant governor Jay Collins and from this area Your state attorney resoundingly reelected in November Susie Lopez and she's doing a great job Our host today sheriff Chad Chronister, thank you Chad We have senator Jim Boyd from nearby in Manatee County it's going to be the president of Florida Senate in a couple years and we also have rep Susan Valdez and we have Deputy Maria Gallegos who's here from the Florida Hillsborough Sheriff's Office and you are going to hear from her in a second So we Say we're a law-and-order state and I think that's better than like running on with this guy in New York City's running on running for Mayor wants to get rid of the NYPD and all that. So so it's good to at least be rhetorically, correct But it's one thing to talk to talk. It's another thing to walk the walk and no state has walked the walk more for safe communities law and order and supporting law enforcement Than the free state of Florida if you look over the past few years We've signed really land breaking or groundbreaking legislation to do a lot of different things including even making sure we're keeping a civil peace when you had around the country people are Demonstrating and that's getting out of it gets out of hand. It becomes violent. They take over bridges and streets Yet places that were defunding police in different municipalities And we said that is not going to happen in the state of Florida We're not defunding police and you are not going to be shutting down highways and roads and bridges To pursue your agenda And if you try to lay a finger on on law enforcement or if you lose or engage in mob violence You are going to pay the price for that and think about it You saw these Hamas protests that they were doing last year They were just going like take over a bridge in some of these cities It's like people just sit there twiddling their thumbs. They tried to get on take over a street In Miami, and it was 13 minutes and they were gone They tried it in Orlando, Florida Highway Patrol 11 minutes and they were gone We're not putting up with that. And first of all, you know, you don't have a right to engage in disorder You don't have a right to Be violent or to do that, but but especially when you're taking over roads It's like people have to pick up kids from school people have to get to work people have to get to hospitals They have to do all these other things You know, I think it's like the biggest sign of just Disrespect to your fellow citizens that you would think it's fine to just go take over some roadway Just to pursue your agenda And so I'm glad that we've we've had strong legislation for that now as you saw, Florida doing what we did So many other jurisdictions were we're really doing the opposite or not doing anything at all There were a lot of law enforcement folks that were not Appreciated I think and what they were doing and there are some areas of the country where they get they get almost no support For what they're doing and a lot of times they get blamed by the political leadership For things that are that are not their fault, so we've seen opportunities in Florida To show with our deeds that people that serve in law enforcement are engaged in a noble calling This is something that's important for our communities have good people in uniform But it's also something that could be very rewarding as a career And so we put our money where our mouth is the rebudget. I just signed we got About 50 million dollars in pay increases for our state sworn law enforcement officers and that includes increase in the minimum annual base pay for state law state leo's and a 15% increase for our veteran Law enforcement officers, which is very meaningful now. I had proposed 25 You know, we were supported by Jim and other senators We were not necessarily supported in the house and so we had a Compromise there where we were able to get 15% that's meaningful But I want to do more next year and we're proud of being able to do that. We've also done things like Our leo Explorer program It increases interaction between high schoolers and law enforcement officers to help build bridges and encourage Responsible citizenship once these students graduate go out of the real world, you know Some of this anti-police sentiment is based on narrative It's not based on fact and so when you get these kids who are able to come and see what people are doing It really is clarifying for them because you don't know what's being put into their into their heads About about law enforcement and it doesn't mean that everybody that wears the uniform No one ever makes mistakes and they're held accountable, you know when that happens But some of the garbage that gets out there is I think really unfair and it's not based on fact So this really helps I think expand people's horizons I think it allows these students to be able to see a lot of what hard work and dedication Goes in to this profession We also created the Florida Law Enforcement Academy scholarship program which covers tuition fees and up to $1,000 of eligible education expenses for trainees enrolled in LEO basic recruitment training program and we have things like the bright future scholarship for higher education Which which I'm I've been very supportive of in Florida And we don't we have not for you know, Florida residents tuitions the same as it was the day I became governor So you have the cheapest? Tuition in the entire United States at our State University system, which is really really good $6,300 on average That is something that if you got no financial help You would be able to work part-time job and be able to to afford that and some modest living But if you are good enough to get into a lot of these schools now, you're likely Qualified enough to earn these bright future scholarships 100% tuition 75% tuition Depending on the level and that's been a big boon for folks. I would much rather Graduate from one of our public universities with zero debt then go to some like third tier private school And go hundred and fifty thousand dollars in debt. I just I don't think there's any comparison to that. So that's a huge benefit So we're proud of that But it's like okay if we're doing that Why would we not also want to help with other pathways? and so the Florida Law Enforcement Academy scholarship program is one way to do it and it just our Token of appreciation that this is something that's really important. Remember during the kovat pandemic We did three years in a row $1,000 bonuses for every single sworn law enforcement officer in the entire state or Florida Municipal County and state and no other state was able to do that And you know, I would talk to people and they were thankful and obviously that was when bite inflation was really ramping up And so the things that you would go to the supermarket and all of a sudden, you know You compare your bill a year earlier to what it was there and it was like a noticeable change You know, I noticed I mean even today. I mean, I'm taking taking my kids to Walmart You know, they have school startings like okay We'll get we'll get you something man the toys like a lot more expensive than they used to be and all these toys are cheap to like in terms of how they're Made and yet the price so people were you know I've been getting pinched and so we did that so you just so look we wanted it to be helpful and we did but I'll tell most people that was not why they appreciated it because when they got that check from the state of Florida It just meant that the state cared about them the state had their back and the state believed in their mission So we were proud to do that three years in a row and maybe one of the most significant things that we've been able to do to show our appreciation and For law enforcement and the importance that we place on law enforcement is our Florida law enforcement Recruitment bonus program and that's why we're here today to have a great announcement That we've reached another major major milestone. We've now awarded over 8,700 Bonuses throughout this program. So these are bonuses of $5,000 to any leo recruit whether you're someone that's young in Florida or new to the profession from within our state which is the majority of them or if you're Experienced and you're transferring out of state from Chicago or New York City or Atlanta or wherever? You get a $5,000 bonus as well and here with me today are 40 members of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office who qualify for these recruitment bonuses and we'll be momentarily Hand-delivering those checks in addition to checks. I'm handing out today 715 more are in the mail and on their way to new law enforcement officers Across the state of Florida and when we do it for 5,000 that means you net 5,000 so we put in more for the taxes and everything like that and you know, Uncle Sam is Uncle Sam I wish I could do something about it We make sure we have no income tax in Florida and we'll keep it that way We're even gonna give you an opportunity to vote in 2026 on property tax relief. And so stay tuned for that I think that'll be really important for the state, but we've had a lot of success with this We've had about 2,000 recruits from out of state We've had recruits from 49 states and to US territories that have relocated to Florida we have more than 500 from New York California, Illinois and other like-minded states and I'll tell you, you know, you go out there and Some of these places in California that I've been to over the years You know walk in the streets of San Francisco The average San Franciscan may not be happy to see me Because they have a different view of terms of how they govern obviously have made much different choices than we have in, Florida But the law enforcement was very appreciative Of Florida being a place that was standing up for people then taking care of our folks in uniform the firefighters appreciated Southern, California You know police chief told me he's like I got all my police officers want to move to Florida now because of what you guys Are doing and so we're proud to do that I know it's been very beneficial for Sheriff Pronister other sheriffs as well as Police chiefs around the state and the state agencies. We've done a lot with that. So They will get so far the program has been awarded 58 million dollars to date So this is a major major deal. I think it shows, you know when I proposed it We had really strong support from the legislature, you know a few years ago And and I think rank-and-file you have overwhelming support you know you get into these these things and there was an effort to kind of kind of short-circuit it and Unfortunately, we were able able to get it done. So I'm really proud of that I want to thank Senator Boyd for what he did You know Jay Collins was a senator and was very supportive of this as well You know for those of you who didn't see our announcement yesterday, so we did it at the team house They so these are like a lot of them are Jays a green beret. There's a lot of these green berets You know created this like place for better. It's not just for army or just for green berets Everyone and so, you know, we said, okay, we'll do the announcement there, you know, so I'm pulling up and you know, look I did my first campaign Victory with 2012 when I got a nominated in Congress. I did it at the VFW over there in st Johns County, I've done so many events at American Legion So I'm a big fan of all those things, but you know when you go in there, it's a little bit different than You know, maybe like a high-class restaurant I mean, it's blue-collar and I like that. So I was kind of expecting that. I'll tell you this team house in South Tampa, man It's modern. I mean, it's nice. They got like a bar the flat screens I mean, I was like man people are gonna really enjoy being here Um, so but if you if you saw if you didn't see that event um, you know, we were able to talk a little bit about uh, jay and and kind of his um, His his record of service to this country, you know, he was a green beret for for 23 years He's doing these special mission units, which you know, they don't get fanfare. This is clandestine stuff Um, they're just going out doing it no recognition Uh, but just producing results and and defending the country but along the way, you know, he gets wounded in action He's awarded a purple heart. He also earned legion of merit bronze star all these other things um, but in the process of all this, um, he has a Fatal wound to his his leg Um, you know, I say he lost the leg. He says he knows where his leg is He just doesn't have it anymore But you know you you're without a leg and You have an opportunity to retire a medical retirement would have been very easy to do. That's not what he did. He Uh re-signed up as a green beret and served five more years as a green beret With a prosthetic leg how many people do that? Uh, not very many people and so he He finished 23 years of service and his wife served 20 years, um, and so They were um back in florida and eventually he runs and and I recruited him actually to run for the state senate Uh here in hillsborough county. It was honestly a difficult district to win a lot of people. He won overwhelmingly But he has been a key component of all these different things that we've been doing I mean down the line fighting illegal immigration law and order election integrity He authored the bill that I signed, uh best in the nation to say no Uh purchase of land by the chinese communist party in the state of florida All these different great things and so really produced An exemplary record and is and continue to do that. But yet in the midst of that You know, we have hurricanes hurricane ian hurricane helene Uh hurricane idalia the year before that and then obviously milton And he's involved with a relief organization That is on the ground almost immediately providing meals to displaced residents and first responders And so he's there a lot of times before you know, my i'm there now guthrie is usually there Um, but you know i'm usually there the next day they're already set up they're doing all this stuff and so just huge huge Support not trying to get in front of a camera But just trying to do what he can to help people be able to uh to get by in very difficult times and then uh, we've had operations over the years where floridians have been in Dicey situations in the middle east as well as in haiti Of course, I think people know earlier this year, uh, you had the 12-day war with israel and iran And so when that broke out, we had a lot of floridians that were in israel The ben-gurion airport totally shut down Rockets are raining down Obviously the parents you had some students and stuff parents are panicking Uh, and now they did know in florida at least you got you, you know, we're listening we were there So so I said, okay, we're gonna do it. We've done it before So we authorized these rescue missions and some of it was Boating them over to cyprus. Some of it was flying out from george There was a whole bunch of different things going on and i'm proud to have authorized that and i'm proud to have You know put the resources behind it, but i'm doing that in tallahassee so we do it and Then senator collins is in israel himself travels over there is in georgette and all these places personally rescuing People on the ground there in israel how many elected officials are doing that? Uh for you, and so that's why you know, I refer to him as the chuck norris of florida politics Because if you uh, there's a mission to be had he's going to accomplish it So I want him to come up and say a few words right now So hard to step up after that thank you for the kind introduction governor first off thank you for being here today It's incredible to be here in the 813 on 813 day And to talk about something that I know our community and our state stands up for each and every day For the men and women behind us and chad. Thank you for what you do. You are heroes in the community I know you hear it every day, but you can't hear it enough what they do and what collectively our law enforcement do across the state is absolutely incredible and Just know that without equivocation the governor myself our entire senate and house We have your back. We're going to stand with you with our law enforcement No matter what you matter your lives matter your families matter That is our promise to you So I want to talk just a hair on something that the governor said You know, he talked about the leg the loss and all of that But the truth is I have a mechanical advantage only one leg gets tired. So really it's not that hard You know, it's uh, it is what it is But the truth is when I did that somebody told me it couldn't be done. Someone said that's not possible because of this But you know what I love about the state of florida is we don't fall for that We don't listen to whatever the press says whatever the talking heads tell us We know what can be done because we do the work ourselves. We take the time to study Understand and then we act you heard the governor's mentioned something That is just a huge part of my life and has been for many years. It's about deeds not words I don't do this for the limelight. I know the governor doesn't do it for that either He does this because he cares about the people The people in our state in our community and that's why it's so important for us to do this $5,000 bonus for law enforcement because it's the person behind the badge You deserve every opportunity every bit of time tools and training necessary to complete your mission But more importantly complete your mission and go back home to your family safely Having walked in your shoes a little bit shoe. Maybe uh, it's uh It's a hard life and we can't thank you enough But just know that again We will always have your back you stand up for our law enforcement here in the state of florida and that must not and will Not ever change and jim. Thank you for being here today Thank you for your stance in leading the way in so many ways for our law enforcement It's noted and noticed and I appreciate you brother, but thank you guys god bless you and governor. Thanks for giving the mic. Okay Now this program We obviously are very committed to it. We think it's been very good for for the state. I know Chad will say it's been great here I can ask wayne ivy and bravard grady judd. I mean, they're all going to say say it's good So I think it's been pretty much universal, but I also think that coming up uh with this new york city mayor, you know, it's like Obviously some of these some of these cities are going to elect people that are going to see things differently than me I get the electorate's different but this guy is I think really really out there especially when it comes to Crime law and order and law enforcement and when you're somebody that doesn't think the nypd should exist, you know when you hate Uh law enforcement that way, you know, there's no way you can get an office and that's not going to come through So I think you're going to see a lot of these folks who are in nypd If that does come to pass, I mean, I absolutely think That the sheriff's departments and police departments in florida that have vacancies are going to be able to do very well recruiting You know and these folks a lot of them went through I've been through a lot a lot of them bring a lot of experience I know a lot of the nypd that have come down here have done very well And it's sad that that's the case look We know Doing things like defund police doesn't work. We know attacking police doesn't work We've seen that tried in this country and it hasn't worked and it's like, you know The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result You ain't gonna get a good result if you go down that path And so I think that's why with this program as well as just florida's overall culture and ethos I think we're going to have a lot of opportunities there to be able to fill whatever needs we may have In our agencies both at the state and at the local level and I know that our next speaker Will be sure to capitalize off that our hillsborough county sheriff. I want him to come up for a minute chad pronister. Thanks chad Thank you, good morning everyone State attorney lopez Thank you for being the greatest criminal justice partner in the world, thank you for everything you do lieutenant governor collins Congratulations on your nomination. Thank you for being relentless. I'm so grateful you called tampa home governor de santos america's governor So many other leaders around the country could benefit and be so much more successful If they would watch and learn how governor de santis governs and the strong policies he continues to create and implement the prosperity of any community Begins with law and order and the governor's priority policy of law and order has paid huge dividends For look for florida law enforcement and had a tremendous impact The governor's program now, let me back up Governor by giving florida law enforcement the laws The tools the resources benefits that we need to keep our florida community safe It's the reason that we've been able to post historic crime reductions year after year Another significant part of these historic crime reductions are your workforce and the people that you hire The governor's bonus program has allowed us and helped us hire 270 of some of the most passionate and skillful Individuals here at the hillsborough county sheriff's office. That's 221 individuals from around the state of florida that said I want to come work for the hillsborough county sheriff's office But that's also 49 Individuals That live throughout the entire country who said I want to be in the law enforcement profession But i'm not going to do it where I live They chose to move to florida more specifically tampa florida to begin their law enforcement career Seven years ago We had a law enforcement deputy deficit of 249 deputies Think about that The secret's out There's more people moving to the state of florida with each passing day And florida's not immune to this population boom or tampa's not immune to this population boom We had a 12 population growth the last two years and we're conservatively projecting Population growth of another 11 the next two years Your right amount of workforce the people you hire Is never going to be more critical than the time it is now Seven years ago. I spoke about being having a deficit of 249 law enforcement deputies I'm here to tell you For the first time in over 33 years that i've been here at the hillsborough county sheriff's office with the staffing of the next Couple upcoming law enforcement deputy academies, we will be fully staffed Governors those 270 law enforcement deputies that you've provided bonuses for Equates to a 1.35 million dollar investment that our governor has made in the hillsborough county sheriff's office Governor I thank you our county administrator our county commissioners and this incredible Community for your unwavering and your steadfast support It only fuels the nearly 4 000 employee workforce that we have To be even more tireless and our efforts to make this the safest community in the state of florida governor I'll turn it back over to you. Okay. Thank you And when are you getting that helicopter This year Okay They're getting this like I mean, I don't who else that broward has one. Is that who else has them in the state? Behind me and my and and you'll you'll help all the tampa bay region with it Yeah, yeah, so, um, you know came across the budget. This was uh, 24 And you know and I thought I was like I was like, yeah, okay So and it was it was a decent amount of money like seven and a half million. I'm like, okay, I get it um And then it came across a budget this year with another seven and a half but i'm like wait Didn't I already approve that? No. No, you approved the first tranche, but you got to do the second tranche And so and I talked to my staff i'm like man things are just you know, really expensive, but they say it's it's normal And um, and it is going to be something that's not just used in the hillsborough county But will be used all throughout the region. So, um, I was happy to be supportive of it And I know you guys will use that well, um also happy to see um, a lot of the great work that's being done at the state attorney's office and You know suzy lopez was obviously serving as a judge, uh duty called because of circumstances, uh, uh that that um required Action and she got in there and I think it's really really I got things going in a great direction working very closely With chad and law enforcement and that's really you know The name of the game and I think the people of hillsborough county have benefited tremendously And as I mentioned earlier got a got a very big election victory in november of 2024 So your state attorney suzy lopez Thank you governor, let me know that 50th state that we haven't gotten somebody for i'll pick up the phone and call him I want to thank governor de santis for always Always backing the blue and putting public safety at the forefront of everything that you and your team do every single day While other states are turning their backs on law enforcement. Florida is opening the door and saying come on in we've got your back There's even been a state that declared a state of emergency Because they didn't have enough law enforcement officers We don't have that problem here in florida This initiative will give sheriff chronister and his team the tools to recruit and keep the very best deputies Right here in hillsborough county without them. We can't protect the community Uphold the law and keep our families safe If you're thinking about wearing a badge in hillsborough county, let me give you another reason why it's a great place to be a deputy When you make an arrest here your partners at the state attorney's office will follow the law and pursue justice We do not play politics with public safety In some parts of the country soros back prosecutors choose which laws to enforce and which ones to ignore You don't have rogue prosecutors here in hillsborough county and you never will under my watch We want you to know that the hillsborough county state attorney's office works shoulder to shoulder with our law enforcement partners every single day Because we know that strong partnerships are the backbone to safer neighborhoods and to crime reductions like sheriff chronister mentioned Thank you to our sheriff sheriff chronister and your team for putting your lives on the line for us every single day We are proud to stand with you in everything that we do. Thank you Well, thanks so much and um, you know the um Being being willing to prosecute and hold people accountable Like california, you know, they did this thing where like you could steal up to 999 because they set the threshold at a thousand And basically you could get away with it because you couldn't be a felony And what happened they had to put all the stuff under glass and then a lot of the stores just ended up closing Then you have prosecutors who just won't bring Charges or drink cases, you know, i've met a fella. Um here in florida a couple years ago And he's like hey, you know, I moved to san moved from san francisco And i'm like why? And he said what the tipping point was These two guys broke into his house And and he he chased him out and all this stuff. They were trying to rob and maybe even do worse Um, the cops catch him catch these guys and they go to the guy like well, you're not pressing charges, right? He's like, of course I am they broke into my house He's like well, they're not going to prosecute and i'm just thinking to myself like you can break into somebody's house And there's nothing that happens at that point. Obviously, you're going to have a lot of problems there and people You know not going to feel safe when that happens. So I know that's not an issue here in hillsborough county or in the surrounding counties We may have an issue or two in other parts of the state, you know, we're always monitoring these things. Um, and so, uh, But but we obviously believe that uh, the laws are the laws, you know There may be individual cases where there may be some disagreement about the validity But what you can't do to say we're not prosecuting these types of crimes And that's what they've done in different parts of the country to again very predictably catastrophic results Okay, one of our beneficiaries from this recruitment bonus is going to now come up to speak deputy maria gallegos Good morning. Good morning governor. Ron. DeSantis sheriff chad pronister and distinguished guest First I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak today Pursuing a career in law enforcement has always been a goal of mine. I wanted to do honest work that makes a real impact This career gives me the opportunity to serve with integrity and take pride in the work. I do every day I joined the hillsborough county sheriff's office because of a strong reputation for professionalism Community engagement and unwavering support for its deputies both on and off duty when I joined law enforcement I was grateful for the hiring bonus that was offered What I didn't expect was just how deeply personal and meaningful that support would become In october of last year. I lost my mother throughout my life. She would always say that if she won the lottery The first thing she'd do was give me the money so I could design and own the house. I've always dreamed of Spoiler alert she never did win the lottery Now as fate would have it i'm closing on my first home at the same time. I'm receiving this hiring vote The timing feels like more than just a coincidence and there's profound emotional connection for me in that Beyond my own experience one of my former classmates here today just became a father This bonus helps ease the financial stress that often comes with welcoming a new baby Others have planned to use the bonus to help cover child care costs Which is especially important as we all adjust to the demanding and unpredictable schedule that comes with a career in law enforcement It's not just about buying a house or child care It's about receiving the support towards our personal lives and dreams while we learn to navigate and succeed in this new career We are only a few of hundreds of new recruits here at the sheriff's office And throughout the state of florida that are positively impacted by this bonus I want to sincerely sincerely thank you governor ronda santos and everyone involved in supporting these hiring events The bonus is more than just a recruitment tool. It's an investment in real people with real stories. Thank you We also do did you do hometown heroes for your um the house did you get help from hometown heroes Are you in the have you closed yet? Okay, you should ask about hometown heroes Um, we have uh, I mean it just it helps so we have issues of like, okay, you want police nurses teachers? Uh, we had massive real estate boom Uh, so the prices were going and there was inflation in the in the u.s. Economy. Um more and it's interesting Um, you know because i've done some trade missions and we did the air show in france for the whole I mean amazing Uh Constellation and I was expecting like to be shocked by like, you know, you're in in paris you go to honestly I I was surprised at the prices not that it was cheap But I just think things over the last four or five years in the u.s I mean, they've gone up more than in most of these other places. I mean you definitely see that so You know, we didn't want a situation where you couldn't afford Uh to live in the general vicinity Commute an hour and a half, uh to go to work to be a teacher or police So hometown heroes was helping folks be able to afford and be able to get into uh to homes with down payments um, you know, I I think uh They uh, they they limited it to like, you know, the the core kind of things that that folks are are looking to attract Um, and so I would definitely look into that any of you guys back here I'll look into that and I know that there's probably a lot of realtors who are very well Well versed on the program, okay, so it's time to hand out the checks And so I guess is jay going to read the names from here or um, how are we going to do it? Okay, you got the list And then we're going to step over chad and I are going to step over here All right, ready to go all right first off we're gonna have deputy maria gallegos Congratulations deputy lindsey alexander Deputy brayden albright Deputy joshua allen Deputy eduardo aya Deputy sergey bevin deputy michael cotone Deputy jorge diez Deputy alex dixon Deputy adriana elmore Deputy elizabeth galindo Deputy noel garcia Deputy chloe garrett Deputy cole gill Deputy david gillespie Deputy zachary gleaton Deputy juan gonzalez molina Deputy colton gray Deputy amber hat hess Deputy brandon jewell Deputy jeanette johnson Deputy duncan levine Deputy william lear Deputy emma lewis Deputy stanley lewis Deputy zuri mccleary Deputy paul miller Deputy luis perez muniz deputy amari piatt Deputy carson reynolds Deputy anthony anthony propierski Deputy leonardo rubio Deputy miguel saez Deputy garrett steel Deputy andrew swiger Deputy brayden tasonic Deputy joshua venny And last but certainly not least deputy clement well off Congratulations everybody well deserved we appreciate what you're doing. We know how important it is and you can count on our support Since we are in tampa, you know, we stopped it at one of the sandwich places yesterday after we appointed jay to be lieutenant governor Did a cuban sandwich and and we started having the debate Do you put salami on a cuban sandwich or not? And people in tampa may have a view and people in miami. So I put on my social media on our ex uh a poll And so if you guys want to weigh in, um in the 813 in favor of salami if the 305 wants to weigh in Against salami, we'll see how it all uh shakes out I honestly didn't really notice much of a difference to be honest with you, but that's just me I I was just happy to be there. So it's uh, it's all good. Okay. We got any questions? So Well jay I think has been uh, you know clear like, you know, this is uh about doing a mission Politics will take care of itself. I mean we have a whole year before we even have a primary and so that's a lifetime in politics, uh what I said yesterday was There were two things that mattered to me About being appointed lieutenant governor, uh one You had to have demonstrated a support for conservative principles and policies and delivered results on those Jay, obviously has done that and two Uh, you have to be a leader. You got to be someone that wants to run towards the fire Uh, not sit on the fence not not duck and run and obviously he's done that in his life But when we needed him fighting illegal immigration when we needed him to stand up to the ccp Uh, he was there and so Uh, I have confidence that he could do the job as governor and do it. Well, and that was primarily it Uh in terms of kind of how you look at that now when you talk about someone running Yeah, there's people that could be a good governor who may not be able to be a good candidate There are some candidates who could be good who'd be lousy governors It doesn't necessarily go one one or one or the other right? I mean, but I will tell you having been at that event If you watch that video you watch the people come up and talk about jay A lot of people that didn't know much about him were really blown away by his story So, um, you know, we're happy to have him as part of the administration I know he's um, you know focused on that Uh, but I think there's a lot of people that are like man. This is the type of guy Uh that we need and if you think about it Uh, we've had appointments this year. So look at the appointments. We've made attorney general Uh, we probably have the most active attorney general in the country Um over the last four or five months, uh, james uthmeyer You look at chief financial officer. This is like less than a month old. This guy's a bulldog Showing up to dodge the doge the local governments Fighting for taxpayers fighting for property tax relief I don't think anyone's seen anything like it blazing golia And so that's just been fantastic and now with with jay collins as lieutenant governor, uh, you know We've got a really really strong team In uh in the state capitol in tallahassee and I put it up against anybody, uh throughout, uh the country But I think people that watch that, you know We put out a video to just kind of introduce him people people are like man that that's our guy So so he definitely has the ingredients of what it would take to be a compelling candidate that can grab attention Uh, but I know that um, you know, he's really interested in moving the ball forward on all these policies obviously law enforcement We're gonna have a big announcement tomorrow on on things that will probably be of many Interest to a lot of people here in florida and really uh beyond that Uh, and we've got so many other irons in the fire. So so stay tuned on all of that. It's going to be very exciting Well casey de santis his thoughts have always been people have asked her to do things because they know she's a dynamic uh Speaker very eloquent very accomplished Um, but I said at the beginning when people were doing that, you know, that's not anything She's like has ever out outwardly sought. Um, she's really happy making a difference And when we just did the cancer announcements with massive funding for pediatric cancer research, so I don't think it's necessarily, you know You know change anything with her per se but I think from the beginning until now has always been Um a lot of people like hey, hey, you know, can you get her to do it? Can you get her to do a kind of deal? Um, she just wants the state to do well. She wants to see You know continued success on overhauling how we approach, uh, helping people in need Which she's been a pioneer in uh continuing to do things to help us school children to help moms really really important But I don't think anyone who's been in that position has made more of an impact Uh than she has and I will tell you, you know yesterday After going through through all that, you know, she was really, um, you know excited and inspired with uh with what we saw yesterday when jay jay was announced, um, so uh, She she's going to be serving. Um, you know continuing to to help make a difference, you know in one way or another But I mean, you know the the thought around her has always been you know More exterior with people telling her she has to has to do all those things Which is funny because you see kind of you know The different stuff that gets percolated out there and then you know I'm getting ready to leave and and what is she doing taking the kids to the first day of school? Uh kindergarten second grade and third grade and so we're always up for adventures next What are they protesting Yeah Well, look, uh floridians have seen their their property tax bills go up that's not the state You know some you know, we're like I was announcing all these tax breaks like well, why didn't you know? I just got my property. Well, that's not coming from the state. I'm like we just we have record surplus We have record, uh rainy day. They're like we'll give you know, don't take as much problem We're not taking property tax at the state That's local And what happens is people's property values have gone up and they've had to pay more and more even with homestead It still goes up and heaven forbid you got to buy a new home because some people's jobs change They got to move to a different part of town different part of the state Then their tax basis is way higher. So the question is is you've seen a lot of bloat in budgets Uh, where's that money going to and they'll say it's for things that that we all agree on education public safety first responders But I can tell you there's a lot of stuff beyond that that some of these governments are spending this tax dollars on and so you absolutely can do Uh property tax relief and you know people are saying that like well, you know, why why uh, you know, someone has like Uh, some investor is buying why should they get a proper tax? They don't need to I mean I think it should apply to florida residents and their primary resident Fine if they want to tax the investors and and use that that's totally fine But you either own your home or you don't so I think this is all part of a process to show taxpayers You know, there is relief available now, you're going to have to vote for it Uh when it's on the ballot and it's going to need 60 It's not something that we can you know that jim boyd can pass through the legislature and I sign and then that's just how it is That's not the way florida's constitution is structured. So just know we're working, uh hard on this Uh, there's going to be a good proposal I know ben albritton and jim and the other leadership team in the senate Are very very interested in in getting something in front of the voters and so so that will happen but what they're going to say when that happens is You can't reduce people's property taxes because we're not going to have schools or we're not going to public and that's not true And what doge is doing is it's showing some of the things that have been done, you know on on local level and look not Every local government, you know has done poor there's some that have done good and there's it's a variety But I can tell you, uh, if you look at the growth of these budgets over the last three or four years It is not just because of public safety or education. It's just not I mean there's there's more to it than that And so, you know, do you need to be spending three million dollars on dei consultants? Would you rather them spend it on that or would you rather a property tax cut? Do you want them spending on some of the things that they're and so we've been able I think the blaze leading it Has been able to show, you know that there's a lot of different things And um, and I think there's going to be more and more to come now We've also done through the state even before these teams are going to local governments. We're doing the universities We're doing state agencies. We're doing different things and we're going to continue Uh to do it because I think it's important and we have found Grants that states have pulled down federally that we sent back to feds Uh, there have been other things that are going to need to be cleaned up as well So this is not just unique to like a city government. I mean the education Bureaucracies are big the universities are even we've held the line on tuition admirably But the reality is um, you know these things grow now we eliminated the I were the first to do that a few years ago And and I think like on the surface they comply But then some of them do it and they rename and they put it down they do all this stuff So it's constantly going through all this. So I think it's good I think what blaze is leading is good for taxpayers And I think it's going to be able to produce an ability for us to be able to say, you know You can own your own home We can do it in florida. We can make all this work Uh while meeting the priorities that we all agree on but for some of the stuff that is not necessary I'd rather that go to tax cuts I'd rather that go to relief for property and the thing is is When you have home values rise like and it's not just in florida Like we may have had more because we had more uh authentic demand people were fleeing these places coming here But they went up everywhere and I don't think we've ever had a higher home value average compared to average income or median income I mean, it's out of whack. It's hard to afford And then you have the cost of these other things insurance. You have the cost of property tax Well, the one thing we can't control the price of homes But the one thing that government through the people can control is the taxation. That's purely a government function That is not subject to market forces Uh that is within the control of the government and what happens is your property gets assessed higher and higher It's an unrealized gain. You haven't sold it for that much. They're just telling you it's worth that much and guess what happens When the market corrects which it inevitably does Do they rush in to assess your property at a lower level? I don't think so. I don't think not that i'm aware of So it's a one-way ratchet and so you're basically get stuck paying higher taxes. I think someone's personal residence If it's homesteaded property um I think you got to be able to own it free and clear of the government I I think that that is what living in a free state ultimately means no income tax And you can own your home free and clear without having to pay rent to the government and I think it's totally doable Uh, and also, you know, because I have people will say, you know, there's some of these people They're they're they're they're buying all these homes and they're renting them out all this stuff fine Well, guess what if the personal residence is tax-free and those can still be taxed Then it's a way to to say we're putting a premium on individual family home ownership. It'll make it more attractive It'll make the other stuff less attractive relative. So I think it would it would solve a lot of problems 100 All right, thanks everybody