(The Center Square) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis used his State of the State Address Tuesday in Tallahassee to spell out his conservative agenda and brag on what he feels are the state’s accomplishments.
“Florida is number one and working together, we will ensure that Florida remains the number one state in these United States.” the Republican governor told lawmakers.
Democrats said DeSantis signed bills giving tax breaks to wealthy corporations, refused to expand Medicaid and signed another bill that gave insurance companies, not property owners, a $2 billion bailout for damage suffered during Hurricane Ian.
According to DeSantis, Florida ranks tops nationally for net migration, new business formation and economic growth among the largest states.
DeSantis also noted that the unemployment rate is the lowest on record and significantly lower than the national average.
“We’ve seen the largest budget surpluses in the history of the state of Florida, and we do that with having the lowest per capita state tax and lowest per capita state debt burdens amongst all large states.”
Florida is ranked number one among large states for the quality of its roads and also boasts the top three cruise ports in the entire world.
“We rank number one in the nation in tourism and we just experienced yet another record-breaking year for visitors to the Sunshine State.” DeSantis said.
Medical freedom and innovation have also been a priority for the governor and the Legislature. As a result, space related development, manufacturing and flight all ranks top in the nation, and DeSantis took the lead in protecting the medical rights of citizens from vaccine and job mandates.
Florida was one of the first states in the U.S to reopen during the pandemic, and faced criticism from leaders in other states and the media for doing so.
“We defied the experts, we bucked the elites, we ignored the chatter, we did it our way, the Florida way. The result is that we are the number one destination for our fellow Americans who are looking for a better life.” DeSantis said.
Democrats said that DeSantis’ refusal to expand Medicaid prevented hundreds of thousands of Floridians from receiving access to affordable health care.
“Don’t forget, DeSantis signed a $2 billion taxpayer-funded bailout for property insurance companies that did not guarantee any amount of relief to homeowners,” said the Florida Democrats on Twitter.
DeSantis noted that Florida has forged ahead in spite of the many challenges facing America.
“Working together we have met big challenges, and we’ve led the nation on many big issues, we don’t make excuses, we don’t complain, we just produce results.” DeSantis said, adding, “We’ve worked together to reduce the pain of inflation by enacting over $1 billion in tax relief in this current year’s budget.”
DeSantis said that Florida is tops in law enforcement recruitment and support and a crime rate that stands at a 50 year low.
“Florida’s proud to stand for law and order, we are tough on crime and we support the men and women of law enforcement.” DeSantis said.
DeSantis hinted at a change to Florida’s bail laws to ensure violent criminals stay locked behind bars and also promised to continue to crack down on illegal immigration.
DeSantis said that Florida will not be allowing Chinese Communist Party affiliated businesses to get a foothold.
“We have put Floridians first and we will continue to do so.” DeSantis said.
