CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE





Honoring the Victims of Communism

Ensuring their memory endures, including in our schools







Governor DeSantis signed HB 395 this week that creates “Victims of Communism Day” on November 7 to honor the hundreds of millions of people who have suffered under communist regimes across the world.



The Governor also announced that he will approve $25 million in the budget to support renovations and restoration of the historic Freedom Tower in downtown Miami. Additionally, the Governor signed SB 160 to approve road designations across the state, including three designations to honor brave Cubans who fought against the Castro regime.



“Honoring the people that have fallen victim to communist regimes, and teaching our students about those atrocities is the best way to ensure that history does not repeat itself,” Governor DeSantis said. “Through HB 395 and the funding announced today, we are guaranteeing that the history of those who fled communist regimes and their experiences are preserved and not forgotten by our students. While it’s fashionable in some circles to whitewash the history of communism, Florida will stand for truth and remain as a beachhead for freedom.”



While the bill establishes November 7 as “Victims of Communism Day,” it also calls for public schools to observe the day and teach its meaning. High school students will be required to receive at least 45 minutes of instruction in their required United States government class on topics related to communist regimes and how victims suffered at the hands of these regimes. Instruction on these topics will be required starting in the 2023-2024 school year.



“I stand here today to speak on behalf of the 120,000 students of Miami-Dade College, 75 percent of whom are Hispanic, and many whose parents and grandparents fled communism to give them the opportunity to come here,” said Madeline Pumariega, President of Miami Dade College. “Your investment here ensures that there will be someone standing here in the next hundred years, ensuring that the story of my parents, of our parents and our grandparents is told over and over again. We will continue to preserve the legacy of those that we know and those that we do not know.”



Read more:[link removed]



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Governor DeSantis signs largest tax relief package in history









Governor DeSantis signed into law more than $1.2 billion of tax relief for Floridians. The new law creates 10 sales tax holidays for a variety of items commonly purchased by Florida families, including fuel, diapers, disaster supplies and tools.



“Florida’s economy has consistently outpaced the nation, but we are still fighting against inflationary policies imposed on us by the Biden administration,” Governor DeSantis said. “In Florida, we are going to support our residents and help them afford the goods that they need. Florida has been fiscally responsible, so we are in a good position to provide meaningful relief for families, right now.”



The 10 tax holidays are:



- A one-month Fuel Tax Holiday from October 1-31, 2022, saving Floridians $200 million by lowering the price of gas by 25.3 cents per gallon.





- A 3-month sales tax holiday for children’s books from May 14 through August 14, 2022, providing $3.3 million in tax relief.





- A one-year sales tax holiday from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023, for baby and toddler clothes and shoes, providing $81.5 million in tax relief.





- A one-year sales tax holiday from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023, for children’s diapers, providing $38.9 million in tax relief.





- A 14-day Back-to-School sales tax holiday from July 25 through August 7, 2022, for clothing, shoes, backpacks and school supplies, providing $100 million in tax relief.





- A 14-day Disaster Preparedness sales tax holiday from May 28 through June 10, 2022, for supplies such as flashlights, radios, tarps, batteries and fire extinguishers, providing $25.6 million in tax relief.





- A 7-day Tool-Time sales tax holiday from September 3-9, 2022, for tools and other home improvement items, providing $12.4 million in tax relief.





- A two-year sales tax holiday from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2024, for impact resistant windows, doors and garage doors, providing $442.8 million in tax relief.





- A 7-day Freedom Week from July 1-7, 2022, providing a sales tax exemption for specified admissions and items related to recreational activities, providing $70.6 million in tax relief.





- A one-year Energy Star Appliances sales tax holiday from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023, for washing machines, clothes dryers, water heaters and refrigerators, providing $78.5 million in tax relief.



Read more:[link removed]



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Sunshine Summit announced







Governor Ron DeSantis and the Republican Party of Florida are pleased to announce the 2022 Sunshine Summit and Victory Dinner on July 22-23, 2022, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.



To register for this event:[link removed]









FLORIDA





Florida honors law enforcement and families for Police Week







From May 11-17 Governor DeSantis will honor the men and women of Florida’s law enforcement by lighting the Florida Historic Capitol blue in recognition of National Police Week. National Police Week recognizes those who have dedicated their lives to protecting our great state and pays special recognition to the officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.



“In Florida, we back the blue,” Governor DeSantis said. “While some states talk about defunding the police, we fund the police and then some because we respect the work they do to keep all of us safe. This week, we honor the men, women and their families who have dedicated their lives to protecting our communities.”



Read more:[link removed]



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$23 million for public safety and infrastructure for Gilchrist County



Governor DeSantis announced more than $23 million for public safety and infrastructure projects in Gilchrist County as part of his administration’s strong commitment to growing rural economies.



Governor DeSantis also announced his intent to approve an appropriation for broadband expansion, which will greatly impact rural communities, and rural infrastructure enhancements throughout the state. The approved funding for public safety and infrastructure needs in Gilchrist County will continue the administration’s ongoing commitment to investing in rural Florida communities.



“My administration is dedicated to supporting opportunities for Floridians in rural communities,” Governor DeSantis said. “Investing in infrastructure is a great way to give communities the tools they need to attract new industries and jobs. Each investment we make in Florida’s rural communities supports Florida’s future.”



Read more:[link removed]



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$6.5 million for Lafayette County public safety and infrastructure



Governor DeSantis highlighted more than $6.5 million for public safety and infrastructure projects throughout Lafayette County for the upcoming fiscal year. Each project furthers the Governor’s mission to foster growth in rural communities by making Lafayette County a more attractive place to live, work and raise a family.



Governor DeSantis also announced his intent to approve $400 million to support Florida’s Broadband Opportunity Grant Program and a $30 million appropriation for the state’s Rural Infrastructure Fund.



“We have consistently demonstrated our commitment to helping rural communities build infrastructure and expand opportunities,” Governor DeSantis said. “Fortifying infrastructure in our rural communities strengthens Florida’s economy, diversifies our workforce and benefits Florida’s families.”



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House Dems Block Investigation Into Dem Senate Candidate



The Washington Free Beacon reported on the Democrats blocking an investigation into Val Demings clear-cut violations:



Democratic leadership in the House is shutting down an investigation into illegal use of taxpayer funds by Rep. Val Demings (D., Fla.), who was caught abusing mailing privileges as she runs in a high-profile statewide race.



The Washington Free Beacon has learned that the bipartisan House Communications Standards Commission last month opened an investigation into Demings following a complaint that she sent a 12-page, campaign-style mailer to Floridians outside her district. The Democratic chairwoman of the commission, Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (Pa.), told her Republican colleagues in a letter obtained by the Free Beacon that she does "not believe that further inquiry is warranted" and on Tuesday will vote against investigating the matter further. Her vote against further action will effectively end the investigation.



Following the commission's initial investigation of the complaint, Demings in a three-page letter from attorneys at Elias Law Group obtained by the Free Beacon, admitted that the mailings went outside her district. The firm was founded by longtime Democratic operative Marc Elias. Scanlon's campaign also employed Elias for "legal services," having paid his previous law firm thousands of dollars since 2019.



"This is just the latest example of Democrats twisting rules, process, and precedent to cover up the violation of a member," a senior congressional aide with knowledge of the matter told the Free Beacon. "On top of that, the involvement of a partisan attorney like Marc Elias, who simultaneously represents the chair of the Commission, only further raises issues of a conflict of interest. This was a valid complaint filed with the Commission and a clear-cut violation of the rules, yet the Democrat members of the Commission are not only moving towards dismissing the complaint but are actively blocking any attempts to further look into the matter."



Read more:[link removed]







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AG Moody leading the fight against deadly synthetic opioid wave



Joe Biden’s disastrous open border policy has allowed a deadly and unprecedented wave of the most dangerous drugs in the world to flow into America and Florida. But our Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is leading the fight against this wave on multiple fronts.



Attorney General Moody is warning Floridians about the dangers of synthetic opioids in recognition of the first-ever National Fentanyl Awareness Day. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times more deadly than morphine — just two milligrams is enough to kill a full-grown adult — and oftentimes laced in counterfeit pills. The poisonous drug is now the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 45.



The National Institutes of Health reports that law enforcement across the country seized nearly 10 million counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl in 2021 — a 50-fold increase in just three years. The Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking says that Mexico is now the top importer of fentanyl into the United States. Drug cartels are exploiting the border chaos to traffic drugs into the country and killing Americans at alarming rates.



“The shocking increase in the number of counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl should concern everyone, especially President Biden, who continues to ignore federal immigration laws — paving the way for these dangerous drugs to flood into our country,” Attorney General Moody said. “Nobody should use illicit drugs. Not only are they illegal, but they can be lethal. On this first-ever National Fentanyl Awareness Day, I am demanding that Biden take action and reminding Floridians that just one laced pill can kill.”



According to the latest data available from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, since President Joe Biden took office, enough fentanyl has been seized at the U.S. southwest border to kill every man, woman and child in the U.S. seven times over.



In January, Attorney General Moody sent a letter to President Biden demanding the immediate enforcement of federal immigration law to stop the influx of this deadly synthetic opioid. That same month, the Attorney General urged the U.S. Department of State to take a tougher approach on stemming the influx of deadly fentanyl into Florida and the nation as a whole.



In April, Attorney General Moody brought a new multistate action against the Biden administration over its lack of enforcement of federal immigration laws. These lax policies are exacerbating the opioid crisis by allowing record amounts of fentanyl to flood across the southwest border.



Recently, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration issued a nationwide warning of fentanyl-related mass overdose events. The letter states that during a 12-month period, ending in October 2021, more than 105,000 Americans died of drug overdoses. More than 66% of those deaths were related to fentanyl or other synthetic opioids.



Read more:[link removed]



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CFO Jimmy Patronis awards $132,000



in decontamination equipment to Tampa area firefighters







CFO Jimmy Patronis presented nearly $133,000 in cancer decontamination equipment funding to 10 fire departments in the Tampa Bay area.



A top priority of CFO Patronis during the 2021 Legislative Session, the Cancer Decontamination Grant Program within the Florida Department of Financial Services was replenished to help protect the health and safety of firefighters by providing financial aid to mitigate exposure to hazardous, cancer-causing chemicals.



“These brave men and women protect Floridians everyday no matter the cost. Between digging through the rubble of Surfside in South Florida to suppressing wildfires in the Panhandle, our firefighters are always ready to run toward imminent danger to save the lives of others,” CFO Patronis said.



“As a result of their dangerous profession, firefighters are also more likely to contract cancer than you and me,” he said. “Our firefighters dedicate their lives to protect our communities and we must do everything we can to protect and support these heroes. Today, we sent a clear message that Florida stands with our firefighters.”







The decontamination equipment funding will go to:



- Inverness Fire Department

- Petersburg Fire Rescue

- Pasco County Fire Rescue

- Safety Harbor Fire Department

- Treasure Island

- Madeira Beach Fire Department

- Lake Alfred Fire Department

- Polk County Fire Rescue

- North River Fire District

- City of Sebring



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LG Nuñez at Honoring Victims of Communism signing







Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez spoke at the signing of HB 395 this week that creates “Victims of Communism Day” on November 7 to honor the hundreds of millions of people who have suffered under communist regimes across the world.



“Thank you, Governor DeSantis, for your continued leadership and to the Legislature for providing this critical funding for Miami’s Freedom Tower and designating November 7th as Victims of Communism Day,” said Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez. “House Bill 395 educates this generation of children and future generations about the ideology, history, and horrors of communism so that freedom will always remain alive in the Sunshine State.”











SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS







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