RPOF Newsletter RUSH LIMBAUGH A TRAILBLAZER

Chairman’s Message

Rush Limbaugh was a trailblazer in more ways than one. He not only revolutionized a dying communication medium by turning AM radio into a talk radio juggernaut, but he gave tens of millions of conservative Americans a voice they could find nowhere else in the media. No where. Fox News came nearly a decade later. Further, he gave the fledgling conservative movement of President Reagan a booming, articulate communicator to carry it forward.

He threw open the door for conservative talk radio locally and nationally, launching hundreds of imitators. He single-handedly broke the communications stranglehold of the liberal media, which has attempted to re-establish it ever since.

Rush had this unrelenting, endearing love for America and made it his life's purpose to keep the flames of liberty alive, reminding Americans of why our country is great. He did so with humor, sharp insights and optimism. He is irreplaceable. But he did his giant part to keep America great.

Rest in Peace Rush Limbaugh. America will miss you.

COVID-19 Update

Governor Ron DeSantis has a clear and unequivocal message for President Biden and the rest of the lockdown crowd: Florida WILL NOT be locking down.

The Governor was on FOX News responding to questions about a possible travel ban to Florida being floated by the Biden administration, and proved again why Florida chose the best governor in the nation.

“There’s no basis in medical, there’s no basis in economics, there’s no basis in reality to do this except to punish a state that is doing it better than what his experts have recommended,” said DeSantis. “Biden is a lockdowner. His experts are lockdowners. Lockdowns don’t work. We’ve demonstrated that. We’re not turning back.”

Our governor is focused on lifting people up, while the “lockdown states’” governors are putting people out of business, putting employees out of work, putting children out of school and making life miserable for no discernable gain, but considerable loss.

The numbers continue to show Florida, with its open-for-business freedoms, is doing as well or better than the lockdown states such as New York and California. This is shown with excruciating clarity in the following chart on total increases in mortality per capita.

Shutdowns don’t work.

“There’s a whole bunch of things we’ve been doing for COVID, but at the same time, we’ve lifted our state up, we’ve saved our economy and I think we’re going to be first out of gate once we are able to put COVID behind the country,” DeSantis

Again, we are blessed to have Governor DeSantis leading our state.

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Governor Ron DeSantis highlighted the establishment of a new senior living community vaccination event in Lakewood Ranch to bolster vaccine distribution in Manatee County.

Florida continues to make significant strides for vaccine accessibility for those 65 and older, as well as frontline health care workers. Vaccination sites in Manatee County include 17 Publix pharmacies, and a community POD serving approximately 6,100 vaccines per week. In addition to those sites, the vaccine event this week at Lakewood Ranch will be able to provide 3,000 vaccines over three days.

Vaccination sites in Sarasota County include 22 Publix pharmacies and a community POD that offers 7,000 vaccines per week. Sarasota County was also able to host a vaccination event last week at the Venice Community Center administering 3,000 vaccines.

Vaccination sites in Charlotte County include seven Publix pharmacies and a community POD that offers 2,600 vaccines per week. Additionally, Charlotte County hosted a vaccination event at Kings Gate which administered 3,000 vaccines last week.

Watch the press conference here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t6zN100X_I&feature=youtu.be

Florida Update

RPOF Chairman Joe Gruters named Chairman of the RNC's new Election Integrity Committee by Chair Ronna McDaniel

The Republican Party of Florida congratulates Chairman Joe Gruters on his appointment, by Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, to the newly formed Committee on Election Integrity dedicated to restoring election transparency and ensuring voters have confidence in future election processes.

“It is a great privilege for me, and an honor for the State of Florida, to be named by the RNC to such an important committee, coming as it does on the heels of a national election with so many irregularities creating distrust,” said Gruters, who is also a state Senator. “In Florida, we have created a system where we ensure that every legal vote counts, making it as easy as possible to vote and as hard as possible to cheat. We’ve shown clearly that even in a large, diverse state, elections can be fair, free and transparent with results delivered in a timely manner.”

Also appointed as a member of the Committee on Election Integrity is Florida National Committeewoman Kathleen King, further cementing Florida’s recognized success in election integrity.

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Led by Governor Ron DeSantis, Republicans are taking another major step against Big Tech, safeguarding Floridians against the unchecked power and intrusion of Tech companies.

Governor DeSantis was joined by House Speaker Chris Sprowls and State Representative Fiona McFarland to highlight proposed legislation that would increase data privacy and security and uphold the rights of Floridians over major technology companies. This follows the proposal from the Governor and legislative leaders earlier this month to increase technology transparency in Florida.

“For far too long, Big Tech companies have abdicated their responsibility of safeguarding and securing the data of Americans and Floridians; in fact, rather than protecting our data, they are profiting from it,” Governor DeSantis said. “This one-way street – where Big Tech has all the power and consumers have little to none – stops now. With the proposals announced today, we will finally check these companies’ unfettered ability to profit off our data and ensure the protection of Floridians’ personal and private information.”

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Governor Ron DeSantis announced this week the Florida Pathways to Career Opportunities Grants; $10 million that is awarded to school districts, colleges, state universities, and private training entities to start or expand registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs throughout the state.

Apprenticeships are a proven pathway for people to gain new skills and increase their earning potential.

“The Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant Program has been a priority of this administration since day one. Expanding registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs not only is a strategic investment in our state’s workforce, but it addresses the state’s skills gap, provides support for employers and residents impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Governor Ron DeSantis.

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Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis launched his re-election campaign this week after filing his paperwork to run in 2022.

CFO Patronis was appointed to the position in July 2017 by then-Governor Rick Scott. He then went on to defeat Democratic State Senator Jeremy Ring in 2018 for a full four-year term.

As CFO, Patronis oversees the Department of Financial Services, serves as the State Fire Marshal and sits as a member of the Florida Cabinet. The Department of Financial Services also oversees the state’s insurance department and treasury.

Social Media Highlights

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