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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: https://www.flgov.com/2022/05/09/governor-ron-desantis-signs-legislation-to-honor-victims-of-communism-and-preserve-history-of-the-freedom-tower/
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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: https://www.flgov.com/2022/05/06/governor-ron-desantis-signs-largest-tax-relief-package-in-floridas-history/
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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: https://secure.winred.com/republican-party-of-florida/sunshine-summit
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: https://www.flgov.com/2022/05/11/governor-desantis-honors-floridas-police-force-and-their-families-during-national-police-week/
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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: https://www.flgov.com/2022/05/11/governor-ron-desantis-highlights-23-million-for-gilchrist-county/
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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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reach them with our message.
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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: https://freebeacon.com/democrats/house-dems-block-investigation-into-dem-senate-candidate/
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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: http://www.myfloridalegal.com/newsrel.nsf/newsreleases/929D6915862903458525883E00510E5C
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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.”
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