RPOF CHAIRMAN JOE GRUTER'S MESSAGE
Protecting Floridians from Biden’s Wave of Illegal Aliens
Governor Ron DeSantis was joined by Attorney General Ashley Moody to outline three major steps being taken to protect Floridians from the open-border chaos that has been created by the Biden administration.
First, Governor DeSantis issued Executive Order 21-223 to prohibit all Florida agencies under the purview of the Governor from facilitating illegal immigration into Florida, unless otherwise required by federal or state law, and require the collection of information from state officials on the scope and costs of illegal immigration in Florida.
Second, Governor DeSantis announced the appointment of Larry Keefe, former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, as Florida’s Public Safety Czar to ensure the actions directed by the executive order are carried out.
Third, Governor DeSantis and Attorney General Moody announced that Florida has filed suit against the Biden Administration, challenging the legality of its “catch and release” policy.
“Since President Biden took office – which has been less than one year – the Border Patrol has released nearly a quarter million illegal aliens into the United States,” Governor DeSantis said. “This executive order makes it clear that Florida resources will not be used to prop up the failed open border agenda enacted by this administration. Attorney General Ashley Moody has also filed a lawsuit against the Biden Administration challenging its policy of catching and releasing the staggering number of illegal aliens apprehended at the border into the United States.”
New Public Safety Czar Keefe will ensure the state takes key steps to protect Florida taxpayers from bearing the burden of Biden’s reckless immigration policies. “We will continue to hold the federal government accountable for refusing to enforce the immigration laws of this country,” the Governor said.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said: “The Biden Administration’s brazen disregard for federal immigration law is jeopardizing the safety and security of our state and nation, all while costing Florida taxpayers. Biden’s lax border policy is an open invitation to dangerous criminals, human traffickers and drug traffickers to enter the United States—creating a crisis at the Southern Border like we have never seen.”
Florida Launches Investigation of Facebook
Governor DeSantis has directed the Secretary of State to investigate Facebook for alleged election interference based on a bombshell Wall Street Journal report. (Full letter above.) Floridians deserve to know how much Big Tech is influencing our elections, and that Florida will hold them accountable.
The Journal report shows that Facebook was impacting many state and local races by exempting a certain list of elite users from its own rules. So while many people were banned or blocked by Facebook rules, certain others were whitelisted and not held to those rules.
“It’s no secret that Big Tech censors have long enforced their own rules inconsistently,” Governor DeSantis said. “If this new report is true, Facebook has violated Florida law to put its thumb on the scale of numerous state and local races. Floridians deserve to know how much this corporate titan has influenced our elections. That is why I am directing Secretary Lee to use all legal means to uncover violations of Florida’s election laws.”
In the letter sent to Secretary of State Laurel Lee, Governor DeSantis directs the Secretary to investigate Facebook’s alleged failures to comply with Florida’s election laws.
“The thought of Facebook clandestinely manipulating elections is an affront to the basic principles of our republic. We the people have the right to choose our representatives, whether or not Silicon Valley approves,” Governor DeSantis said.
Floridians need to have faith that their elections are free from interference, including that of Big Tech oligarchs in Silicon Valley. Corporations like Facebook deserve to be held accountable for actions that erode the legitimacy of our institutions.
Spacecraft Manufacturing Expands on Space Coast
Governor DeSantis announced that Terran Orbital has chosen Merritt Island for construction of the largest satellite manufacturing facility in the world.
Terran Orbital will invest $300 million to build its Commercial Spacecraft and Constellation Facility, bringing spacecraft manufacturing opportunities to Florida and creating about 2,100 jobs with an average wage of $84,000.
“Satellite manufacturing is and will continue to be an important part of the economy in the Space Coast, and with this announcement we are upping the ante,” Governor DeSantis said. “In Florida we are going to continue to take the lead on space by investing in infrastructure, training highly skilled workers and maintaining an economic climate that allows companies like Terran Orbital to thrive.”
Environment
Florida is committing $114 million toward wastewater treatment to further clean up the environment.
Governor DeSantis announced awards for the Wastewater Grant Program, which was established in the Clean Waterways Act and funded in this year’s budget, for projects statewide to reduce nutrient pollution. Projects include those that upgrade traditional septic systems to include nutrient removal technology, provide advanced wastewater treatment, or convert septic tanks to central sewer.
Out of the total $114 million awarded, more than $53 million of the wastewater grants – 46 percent of the funding – is for the Indian River Lagoon area.
“Since I first took office, expediting water quality restoration has been one of my top priorities,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “The Indian River Lagoon covers 40% of Florida’s East Coast and is one of our state’s most iconic and critical natural resources, contributing an estimated $2 billion annually for tourism and recreation and $767 million to the marine industry.”
Washington, D.C.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio introduced a bill that would dismantle the Biden administration's vindictive political "equity" concept in the distribution of monoclonal antibody treatments for Covid.
Rubio introduced the Treatment Restoration for Emergency Antibody Therapeutics (TREAT) Act on Tuesday in response to the Biden administration’s politically motivated change that forces states to go through the Department of Health and Human Services to get treatments and puts caps on how much each state can receive. Before the punitive change, health care professionals could order the antibody treatments directly from the supplier.
Rubio's bill, which is co-sponsored by U.S. Senator Rick Scott, among other GOP Senators, would stop HHS from putting policies in place that prevent health care providers and hospitals from purchasing monoclonal antibody treatments directly from distributors and manufacturers.
"This abrupt change in policy from the Biden administration is nothing but an attempt to punish Florida," Senator Rubio said. "We cannot let vindictive, politically motivated actions by this administration jeopardize the health and safety of Floridians and others."
Congressman Posey's Statement on the Debt Limit
September 29, 2021
“Today’s ‘blank check’ debt limit increase helps pave the way for an additional $5.1 trillion sought by Speaker Pelosi and President Biden to fund their radical agenda and grow the size and power of the federal government. Washington cannot continue to spend money as if the bill will never come due – it always does. Since coming to Congress, I have voted against 85% of all final spending bills and have been a strong advocate for a Constitutional Balance Budget Amendment. It’s imperative for Congress to return to regular order when considering appropriations bills instead of waiting until the eleventh hour to make critical spending decisions. I will continue to fight to ensure that common sense prevails, and our nation’s debt does not become our children's and grandchildren’s burden.”
Florida Republicans Getting Involved
The Republican Party held 46 training sessions across the state to train 555 volunteers and prepare them to register voters during the National Week of Training. There were 222 voters registered just in these trainings. Our teams are continuously recruiting and training volunteers as we march towards flipping Florida red. The staff is energized coming off this huge week to finish this year strong going into 2022.
The energy level is very high as Florida Republicans know what is at stake in 2022.
ICYMI
The Wall Street Journal published Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls’ op-ed highlighting the Florida Legislature’s work on DNA privacy was featured on the Wall Street Journal’s website.
By Chris Sprowls
“Your DNA is among your most valuable assets, and you carry it with you everywhere. But it’s unsecured, easy to steal, and often freely given without a second thought about the consequences for unlocking your most private health information.
“That is why Florida recently passed the toughest criminal penalties in the nation and closed gaping loopholes to protect against DNA theft and misuse. It’s time for other states to follow Florida’s lead and protect their residents, too. If they don’t act promptly, Congress should make it a federal crime to steal someone else’s DNA.
“DNA reveals your identity and ancestry, along with unlocking predictions about what diseases you are likely to develop. Whether your DNA sample is stolen from a discarded water bottle or you give your sample to a direct-to-consumer genetic test, you’re handing over a highly personal glimpse into your future health—valuable intelligence that insurers and blackmailers would love to get their hands on…”
ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHLEY MOODY
Attorney General Ashley Moody gave her full support this week for Congressman Vern Buchanan’s Thin Blue Line Act. The legislation would make the intentional killing, or attempted killing, of a law enforcement officer, prosecutor, firefighter or other first responder acting in the line of duty an aggravating factor under the federal death penalty statute.
“Our brave law enforcement officers risk their lives daily to protect and serve their communities. The first seven months of this year alone resulted in unprecedented violent acts, resulting in dozens of line-of-duty deaths for officers across our nation,” Attorney General Moody said. “We cannot permit the anti-police sentiment and blatant disrespect for law enforcement to fester and grow. Violent attacks on officers not only affect those who wear a badge, it lessens the safety and security of our communities at large.”
Moody added: “This legislation will provide local and state law enforcement officers the same protection and support currently provided to federal officers—acting as a deterrent to anyone who would look to harm an officer.”
Congressman Vern Buchanan said: “Police officers and first responders put their lives on the line every single day to help those in harm’s way. I appreciate Attorney General Moody’s strong endorsement and advocacy for my bill, the Thin Blue Line Act. Together, we are sending a strong message to police and first responders that we have their backs, and those who target our frontline heroes should know that there will be severe consequences.”
Unity- Winning Depends On It
As we approach the 2022 mid-term elections and the 2024 presidential election, and in light of the abject failure of the Biden administration, we know that the very survival of our republic depends on the outcome of those elections. Therefore, we must stay unified. Never lose sight of who our political opponents are… the progressive left Democrats who are taking our country off a cliff with the active help of Big Tech and the old-line national news media. Our fellow Republicans are not the enemy!
HAPPENINGS
