2024 FL Org Session adjourns after key remarks by new leaders

“Earlier this year, US News and World Report ranked Florida #1 in ‘economy.’ It’s easy to see why. Florida balances our budget every single year. Florida pays down debt. Florida saves for the future with significant reserves. Florida government knows that the money we spend isn’t ours. It’s your tax dollars.

“In Florida, we know private businesses, not government, grow and innovate, creating the jobs that support thriving communities. The strength of our economy impacts the decisions that families and businesses make every, single day. They’re looking for certainty, predictability and consistency in government. Not increased taxes, unchecked spending, or harsh regulations that hurt the bottom line for everyone.

“For the past several years, our balanced budgets and family-friendly tax relief measures passed unanimously. Together, we can continue to lead the fight to keep Florida’s economy #1.

“US News and World Report also ranked Florida #1 in ‘education.’ Year after year our college and university systems have earned our nation’s top ratings for affordability, low student debt, and on-time graduation – preparing young adults to enter the workforce with their best foot forward. In recent years, we’ve made many important, once-in-a-generation, investments to bolster this effort.

“We led the fight for school choice and are now a national model for empowering parents– because we know that Florida families, not government, should determine where their children are educated and what they learn.

“We also led the fight to cut the red tape bogging down our public schools. Now our schools can focus less on bureaucracy and more on academics, the basics of education. Together, we can continue to lead the fight to free our public schools to compete in our new school-choice environment. Our public school teachers deserve it.

“Together, we have led the fight against some big challenges and fended off some serious threats. As we look forward to the next two years, we have more challenges coming our way.

“In the days following Hurricanes Helene and Milton, I spent time with several Senators whose constituents were catastrophically impacted. The devastation is heart breaking. Florida agriculture was heavily impacted. And many of our coastal communities suffered from tornadoes, wind and flooding. What’s worse is that many of these communities were still recovering from Hurricanes Debbie, Idalia and Ian.

“Be assured, together, we are going to recover, and we are going to rebuild. However, we know that when a family loses everything, the first place they’re going to look for help is not the government – it’s their insurance company.

“Floridians have been faithfully paying insurance premiums for years, sometimes decades, and now they expect their insurance company to keep up its end of the bargain. I want to make sure that impacted Floridians and insurance companies hear me loudly and clearly – we are watching. We’ve made changes insurance companies said they needed to improve competition and stabilize rates.

“And, we’ve enacted pro-consumer transparency to protect homeowners. The proof will be in the results. I’m not going to sit idly by if legitimate claims get denied while rates continue to rise. Period.

“I’m a proud son of rural Florida, Florida’s Heartland, six generations deep. Our small, tight- knit, legacy communities are filled with some of the nicest, hardworking people you will ever meet.

“Rural communities look after one another and would give their last dollar and even the shirt off their own back to help a neighbor in need. Our rural communities are full of opportunity. When I travel across the Panhandle, the Big Bend, and the Heartland, I see so much of that unrealized opportunity.

“Opportunity in rural Florida doesn’t just mean development. What I see are opportunities to improve our rural quality of life, while preserving the time-honored way-of-life that has been deeply cherished generation after generation after generation. I’m asking you to join me in the fight for a rural renaissance in Florida.

“Rural communities are strong and proud. I can tell you the last place they’ll look for guidance is the government. But, I do believe there are things we can do to help. We can support innovation and help rural Florida invest in new technologies that expand education, health care, commerce, transportation, and support agriculture, and its supply chain.

“Technological advances have led to tremendous economic growth and innovation in other areas of Florida, its Rural Florida’s turn. With your support, I want to make certain that Floridians who call our rural communities home, have access to all the opportunities the rest of Florida has to offer.

“An important part of Florida’s Rural Renaissance includes an increased focus on our amazing farmers and the food supply chain in Florida. Farm families have always and continue to play an important role in our state. They serve all of Florida’s families, protect our environment, strengthen our national security, and feed the nation, and our state.

“As a 4th generation citrus grower, please join me in the fight to support our Florida farm families, our Florida food supply chain, and to save from extinction our iconic Florida citrus industry.

“We also know the droves of people coming to Florida for freedom and opportunity pose a serious risk to the health and supply of our state’s water. Our water is invaluable. It’s invaluable to our residents, our businesses, our economy, and our precious ecosystems. It’s invaluable to Florida’s DNA. We must continue to develop and advance solutions to rid Florida’s waterways of excessive nutrients from urban areas, septic tanks, wastewater, stormwater, and any other source harmful to nature.

“Few can deny we need more data about water. A renewed, data-driven focus on water will give us a close look at where we actually are, instead of where we think we might be. Fresh, accurate data will drive the solutions we need for the future.

“Efficiency and accountability are important to all of us in our daily lives. This holds true for state government as much as it does for Florida families making tough decisions about their own budgets. Florida has a great framework for accountability and transparency. And, we can leverage data and new technology to achieve even better outcomes; outcomes matter most.

“I believe in continuous improvement. We can always do better.

“Florida families face real challenges each and every day. While government cannot, and should not, try to provide every solution, we should always look to make certain Floridians know they have our support.

“We will continue to stand by our allies in Israel. They’ve been persecuted for centuries, and they are under attack today. They’re our greatest and most loyal ally. Anyone who knows me knows I value loyalty. I choose Israel.

“We’ll continue to honor our military and veterans. We’re blessed to have many here in our Senate Chamber. Including Senators Avila, Burgess, Collins and Truenow – thank you for your service and sacrifice. You’re all American heroes in my heart.

“During my time in the Florida Legislature, I have learned many, many lessons. I’ve been blessed by the opportunity to see a lot of Florida. To see what makes Florida tick. To see what makes Florida work.

“I’ve learned not every city or county is the same as every other. The needs of rural Florida are very different than urban Florida. The diversity of our state is both incredible and powerful. Remember, Key West is not Pensacola, Jacksonville is not Steinhatchee, and Wauchula is not Orlando.

“Probably the most important lesson I’ve learned is that to work together we must overcome talking past each other. Sometimes the noise in our system gets very loud. Naturally we’re all driven by our own perspectives.

“Wisdom tells me that being a great listener holds great value. As we join together to embrace the opportunities and fight the challenges facing the state we love, we can practice the greatest measure of respect to each other, by listening. In this, love prevails.

“A few pieces of wisdom to consider.

If you don’t measure it, you can’t manage it – data and outcomes matter.

Measure three times before cutting once -take your time – patience matters.

Don’t take down a fence before you know why it was put up – know what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and the consequences of doing it. Focus on the unknown, unkowns.

It’s easier to fool someone than it is to convince them they were fooled – truth matters, seek it.

Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson after – pay attention all the way through.

If you eat, you’re involved in agriculture – food matters.

You don’t have to be cruel to be tough – don’t mistake someone’s kindness for weakness.

“1 Corinthians 13:13 is very clear to me in my walk of faith... It reads, ‘And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.’

“I believe the majority of Floridians feel the same; to value love. As you begin this new term, I leave you with this. Let your faith guide you, have hope in Florida’s future, and love one another. Senators, know this, I value each of you, I respect each of you, and I love each of you. God Bless you all, Thank you for this incredible honor. Now let’s get to work!”

"Members, it is my honor to serve as your Speaker. There are many people that I need to thank, but I will do that privately. Today isn't about me or my personal journey.

And I'm not going to talk for very long because I feel like everywhere we turn people are talking. They are opining about what we should think or say or do. So many people talking; so few people listening. And as politicians, we are among the worst offenders. We use too many words but often say so little that matters.

In the last few weeks, reporters have endlessly asked, “What will your priorities be as Speaker?” I understand the question. If I mention 2 or 3 issues, then they have an easy framework for every story they write. It's what's expected. I make a speech, announce a priority, give it a fancy name, promise to spend a bunch of money, and then pat myself on the back when the bill passes, claiming that my speakership was a grand success. Except when the dust settles, the new law doesn't actually make a difference. It doesn't really solve the problem I claimed I was worried about. It's a game of labels and leverage for the purpose of ego and credit. I understand the game. I'm opting not to play.

Instead, let me answer that question in a different way: my priority for the 2025 and 2026 Sessions is to serve the people of Florida. The actual people of Florida. Not the online social media activists, not the lobbyists or interest groups, not the institutions that dominate our political conversations.

I'm more interested in talking about the small business owner in Jacksonville, the abuela in Miami-Dade, the single mother in Orlando, the entrepreneur in Tampa. We are the Florida House of Representatives. We are the People's House, and it is the people of our state who should be our priority. We aren't a debate society, and we shouldn't be the House of Talk. We should be the House of Action. We should pass laws that really matter to the lives of real people facing real problems.

So what do the people of Florida want? Since the creation of the Florida territory, our State has been a destination for people of all races, ethnicities, nationalities, and religions. Our growth and prosperity were linked to the network of highways that bound our state together. The people of Florida believe in the promise of the Open Road. Floridians want to decide their own destinations. They want the freedom to travel paths of their own choosing at 

their own speed. They expect the government to maintain the road, but they aren't looking for handouts or no- interest loans or income guarantees. The people of Florida do not need or want us to tell them what to think or how to live.

In my experience Floridians are realistic. They understand that there are tradeoffs. They understand that in a state battered by hurricanes, insurance will be a challenge. But they need to know that our state's insurance laws are not being written by and for the insurance companies. They want to own their own homes, not be tenants to private equity firms. They want to open up a business without jumping through endless bureaucratic hoops. They want to pick their own doctors and send their kids to good schools. And they want elected officials who are on their side.

Thousands of years before anyone coined the phrase “crowd sourcing,” humanity assembled in legislative bodies to try to take advantage of our collective wisdom. I'm not standing before you today to announce a program of legislation because that's not my job, it's our mission together.

But that mission isn't an easy one. After all, it is far easier to spend money than to save it. We talk about being fiscally responsible. But are we? Or are we just giving ourselves a free pass in Florida by pointing out that we aren't Washington D.C.?

State government has become so flush with cash that we have lost any sense of discipline. We make purchases following natural disasters with little to no inventory control. We buy land that we can't keep track of, much less manage competently. We spend millions of dollars on failed IT projects. How much money has been spent on Capitol renovations only to have parking garages that leak water and flood?

We need to build a state budget that values value. We need to ensure that the laws we write have actual meaning. For example, there has been some talk about taking the pieces of DBPR and redistributing them to other agencies. We reshuffle the pieces on the board, but we don't change the game. It's a headline not a solution. Let's have real conversations instead of changing the label, let's actually dismantle any license that stifles competition and keeps hardworking Floridians on the outside of jobs looking in.

Floridians want equality of opportunity. They want to believe that if they play by the rules that the deck won't be stacked against them. They want a system that isn't built around the needs of special interests, but one that treats the needs of everyday Floridians as special.

They want a House of Representatives that represents them, believes in them, fights for them. We have two years to show the people that we hear them. We have two years to act. We have two years to widen the Open Road to the Florida Dream. The time for talk is over. It’s time to get to work. God Bless you and God Bless the great State of Florida."