RPOF CHAIRMAN JOE GRUTER'S MESSAGE
Prayers for First Lady Casey DeSantis
After Governor DeSantis’ statement on First Lady Casey DeSantis' condition, there was an outpouring of prayer and encouragement from Floridians across the state and political spectrum. Thank you to all who have reached out to the Governor and First Lady. Please keep them in your prayers.
Governor Defends Parents' Rights
After the Department of Justice took the astonishingly anti-American step this week of mobilizing the FBI against dissenting parents who speak at school boards, Governor DeSantis showed again what a defender of freedom looks like.
The Governor tweeted that "Attorney General Garland is weaponizing the DOJ by using the FBI to pursue concerned parents and silence them through intimidation. Florida will defend the free speech rights of its citizens and will not allow federal agents to squelch dissent."
The principles in the Bill of Rights seem entirely lost on today’s Democratic leadership: Disagreement is not harassment and protesting is not terrorism. Florida law already prohibits harassment, and state law enforcement is perfectly capable of responding to crimes in Florida.
Governor DeSantis has made it clear that he will continually stand up to the authoritarianism that is running amok in Washington, D.C., and defend Floridians’ rights.
Governor Right All the Time
The Feds have admitted that Governor DeSantis’ decision to put seniors first was the right approach to vaccine distribution.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a report Wednesday finding that “efforts to prioritize and vaccinate” those 65 and older “helped prevent hundreds of thousands of new COVID-19 infections and tens of thousands of deaths among seniors” and “directly correlate[s] to saving lives.”
“As the COVID vaccines first became available, I made it clear that in Florida we were going to put Seniors First to make sure the most vulnerable received the protection they needed,” Governor DeSantis said. “Following Florida’s lead, earlier this year the federal government reversed course from prioritizing younger populations for vaccinations to recommending that states prioritize seniors age 65 and older. When I decided to put Seniors First, the data clearly showed that prioritizing vaccines for seniors would save the most lives. It was the right thing to do, and I am glad to see the federal government has continued to acknowledge this reality.”
The HHS study analyzed the estimated reductions in COVID infection, hospitalization, and death for seniors in the 20 most populous states through the end of May. At that time, only four of those states had higher senior vaccination rates than Florida and the study estimates that in Florida Seniors First reduced senior infections by 17,000, hospitalizations by 6,700, and deaths by 2,400. The full study can be found here.
Florida currently has the highest vaccination rate in the Southeast and one of the highest senior vaccination rates in the country. Over 4.5 million seniors have chosen to get vaccinated in Florida.
Washington, D.C. Dysfunction
Governor DeSantis says the Washington D.C. dysfunction and congressional inaction are beginning to have impacts on all types of transportation projects in Florida. The failure to pass a timely authorization to fund the Federal Highway Administration has resulted in halting federal support for construction on federal highway projects as well as furloughing most of the agency’s employees.
While Congress continues to fail to do its job, the Florida Department of Transportation is continuing to work on transportation projects because any undue delay on these projects will directly impact hundreds of thousands of Floridians. However, work that is currently being done on these projects will not receive federal funding or support, and may not be reimbursed – forcing Florida taxpayers to cover for the ineptitude of Washington.
“Yet again, the delays in Washington are impacting the lives of Floridians,” Governor DeSantis said. “It is unacceptable that Congress or the Biden Administration would use highway construction as a bargaining chip and leave Florida taxpayers to foot the bill. This is even more proof that the Democrats in leadership don’t want to help people, they don’t want to get anything done, they just want to follow a political agenda.”
Florida
Chairman Joe Gruters was on Facing South Florida with mainstream journalist Jim Defede to discuss Florida flipping red in voter registration, Covid policies, the Governor’s race and bills during the upcoming legislative session.
“It’s the Governor and the leadership that sets those policies that creates the environment for people to want to move here and be able to register as Republicans because they want that freedom and liberty that everyone else enjoys,” Gruters said, explaining why so many more people are registering as Republican.
Compliance
After alerting the City of Gainesville of their possible violation of the vaccination passport ban in Florida, the Florida Department of Health received a response that the City of Gainesville had rescinded its employee vaccine mandate. This reversal also follows an Eighth Judicial Circuit Court temporary injunction preventing vaccine mandates for city employees.
“In May, I signed SB 2006 to empower Floridians – not elected politicians – to take charge of their personal health decisions,” Governor DeSantis said. “We are not going to allow our first responders and government employees, many of whom have been on the front lines for over a year and a half, to be cast aside by local politicians’ mandates. This reversal by the City of Gainesville is a victory for liberty.”
“Floridians have the right to make their own decisions regarding the health of themselves and their families,” said Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo.
Washington, D.C.
Defending freedom never ends as Democrats mobilize the FBI against parents.
After the Department of Justice took the astonishingly anti-American step this week of mobilizing the FBI against dissenting parents who speak at school boards, Governor DeSantis showed again what a defender of freedom looks like.
The Governor tweeted that "Attorney General Garland is weaponizing the DOJ by using the FBI to pursue concerned parents and silence them through intimidation. Florida will defend the free speech rights of its citizens and will not allow federal agents to squelch dissent."
The principles in the Bill of Rights seem entirely lost on today’s Democratic leadership: Disagreement is not harassment and protesting is not terrorism. Florida law already prohibits harassment, and state law enforcement is perfectly capable of responding to crimes in Florida.
Governor DeSantis has made it clear that he will continually stand up to the authoritarianism that is running amok in Washington, D.C., and defend Floridians’ rights.
Fox News recently reported on Val Demings willingness to embrace the most extreme elements of the Democratic Party. Below is an excerpt:
Democratic Rep. Val Demings of Florida continues her embrace of far-left Democrats in her bid to unseat Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, holding a fundraiser on Monday hosted by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
Lightfoot, who succeeded in making Chicago one of the largest sanctuary cities in the country, has repeatedly sparked the ire of local law enforcement during her more than two years as mayor. Earlier this year, she signed a measure removing all exceptions that allowed police to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The congresswoman herself repeatedly voted against provisions in the Democrats’ hotly contested $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill that would prohibit illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds from obtaining legal status.
Demings, who served as one of seven managers in then-President Donald Trump's first impeachment trial, announced in June that she was throwing her hat in the crowded ring of Democrats, including former Rep. Alan Grayson, in the hopes of defeating Rubio next November.
Since then, she has aligned herself with several progressives while also condemning the Rubio campaign's attempts to label her a socialist.
ICYMI
Governor DeSantis said President Biden's catch-and-release immigration policy is intentional, during an appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show. The Governor said that if Florida’s lawsuit can end catch-and-release, it may result in the Biden administration being “forced to actually do the right thing for a change.”
The Governor said: “We have people from over 100 hundred nationalities that are making their way to Mexico, making their way to the southern border, because Biden's made it clear, if you just get here, we'll put you on a bus, we'll put you on a plane, we'll send you all over the fruited plain. So we have Americans having a hell of a time getting out of Afghanistan. And yet if you just come illegally, you basically get put on your way to communities all across the country.
It's a choice that they're making. This is intentional. And if our lawsuit succeeds and they have to end catch-and-release they may be forced to actually do the right thing for a change.”
Congressman Bill Posey
Congressman Bill Posey, joined by Representatives Louis Gohmert (R-TX) and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), introduced H.R. 5433, the Renew Effective Protection of Americans' Information Rights (REPAIR) Act, which gives internet consumers control of their own data and makes protecting privacy a top priority. Data collection by large tech companies has become a multi-billion-dollar industry that can leave Internet users exposed to identity theft, online targeting and exploitation, and severe loss of privacy.
“Many do not know that information is being collected even when your phone, computer or other smart device is completely powered down. Some of these data collection practices include scanning your emails and messages, recording every search you make and every video you watch, logging your travel through GPS Map applications - even when the app is not in use,” said Rep. Bill Posey. “With so much of our daily lives revolving around the internet, it’s important to define the rules for data use, give Americans the ability to control their own data, and protect personal privacy.”
Specifically, the REPAIR Act makes protecting privacy the top priority by:
- Giving individual consumers control of their online data and personal information
- Providing tools to limit or prevent data collection
- Gaining access to your own data and deleting your data
- Establishing your right to own your data
- Preserving states’ authority to regulate online data collection
- Increasing competition from small Internet startups
Senator Marco Rubio
MARXISM always:
- Divides people into a victim class & an oppressor class
- Forced every institution in society to serve the “revolution”
- Demanded control over what people were allowed to say & do
- And persecuted, silenced & punished anyone who resisted
Sound familiar?
ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHLEY MOODY
This week, we launched the virtual 2021 Human Trafficking Summit!
Every year, the Summit honors outstanding Floridians for their efforts to end human trafficking in Florida. This year is special because Floridians have rallied to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic to continue fighting this horrendous crime and help survivors heal.
In preparation for Super Bowl 55 in Tampa, we partnered with organizations, such as It’s a Penalty and Tampa International Airport, to place anti-human trafficking messages throughout major travel hubs. We also teamed up with Airbnb and Uber to provide hosts and drivers in the Tampa Bay area with information about how to recognize the signs and where to report suspicious activity.
These are all just a few examples of businesses and community organizations doing their part as we aim for victory in this important fight.
In the spirit of winning, I want to thank this year’s keynote speaker, Tampa Bay Buccaneer and Super Bowl Champion Chris Godwin, along with his wife Mariah, for their dedication to our cause. The Godwins were instrumental in our efforts leading up to the big game.
With more than 15 hours of presentations by speakers from across the nation, the nearly 4,000 attendees who registered are now equipped with the knowledge and tools to spot human trafficking, save lives and rescue victims.
By bringing individuals together to focus on how we can eradicate human trafficking from our state, we will build a Stronger, Safer Florida.
Unity- Our Goal
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
