Chairman’s Message

On the Right Side of Civil Liberties

The erosion of civil liberties over the decades has gone into lightspeed in recent months with the Covid-related mask mandates, vaccine passports and shutdowns, taking it from the important realm of public health to the critical realm of personal freedom.

That’s why the battle being waged by Governor Ron DeSantis and other courageous, principled Republicans on behalf of the essential civil liberty of freedom is so vital and requires our support. In the case of mask mandates, it is a question of whether it is the right of parents to decide if their child should be masked, or government-run schools. Some union-beholden school boards in Florida want to make the decision, then dictate that on every student and parent. For Governor DeSantis, it’s the parents who should decide — they can mask their children or not mask them — and that is the side of individual freedoms.

It’s the same dynamic in vaccine passports. The Governor supports the vaccines and has been vaccinated. But he, like most Republicans, believes that the decision should be up to each individual, not government entities including public schools, and not corporations or businesses. In America, in the Republican Party, we treasure freedom and will fight to defend it.

As part of this fight, parental rights were strengthened this past week when the Florida Department of Health and State Board of Education issued Emergency Rules to protect parents’ freedom to choose what is best for their children. These rules are pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Order 21-175 to allow an effective, in-person learning environment for Florida’s schoolchildren during the upcoming school year, preventing harm to healthy students and safeguarding the rights of parents and their children.

This rule is to ensure Floridians’ constitutional freedoms are not violated, do not violate parents’ rights under Florida law to make health care decisions for their minor children; and protect children with disabilities or health conditions who would be harmed by certain protocols, such as face masking requirements.

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Note on our Third Quarter Meeting:

Omni Hotels & Resorts will continue with its current Safe and Clean protocols, but will follow state and local mandates pertaining to guest and associate requirements for mask wearing and social distancing while indoors. At this time there aren’t any mandates for Osceola or Orange counties.

Florida

Highlighting how Florida gives bonuses to law enforcement, not defunds it, Governor Ron DeSantis recognized several law enforcement officers, first responders and rescue teams in presenting them with one-time relief checks through the “Florida’s Heroes” initiative.

The initiative is an opportunity to recognize law enforcement officers, paramedics, emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and firefighters in the state of Florida with a one-time relief payment of up to $1,000 to 49,000 law enforcement officers as an appreciation of the selfless sacrifices made throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“First responders work every single day – no matter the conditions – to keep us safe,” Governor DeSantis said. “That was perhaps never more apparent than during the last year and a half during the pandemic. I am proud to deliver these checks to show our immense gratitude for their service.”

The Governor presented one-time checks to the Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces, who worked tirelessly after the Surfside tragedy.

“The men and women joining me here today from Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces 1 and 2 are the best of the best. We thank them for their tireless response in Surfside and hope these relief checks express our gratitude for all that they have done in our state.”

Read more: https://www.flgov.com/2021/08/10/governor-desantis-presents-first-responders-relief-checks-to-urban-search-and-rescue-task-forces-1-2/

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Governor DeSantis then distributed checks to first responders with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, where he was joined by Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry.

Read more: https://www.flgov.com/2021/08/10/governor-ron-desantis-distributes-bonus-checks-to-jacksonville-sheriffs-deputies-through-the-floridas-heroes-initiative/

And the Governor distributed relief checks to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, where he was joined by Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons.

Read more: https://www.flgov.com/2021/08/10/governor-ron-desantis-thanks-escambia-county-sheriffs-deputies-for-service-with-floridas-heroes-initiative-relief-checks/

Governor DeSantis also traveled the state to thank educators by distributing one-time disaster relief checks up to $1,000 in recognition of their hard work teaching students in the challenging 2020-2021 school year. The Governor kept the schools open last year for crucial in-person learning and Florida educators stepped up. These 177,000 Disaster Relief Payments represent the state’s gratitude.

“During the legislative session, I proposed $1,000 bonuses for all public-school teachers and principals because I recognized the important role teachers played in providing in-person learning,” Governor DeSantis said. “We recognized that teachers, principals and first responders have dealt with countless challenges over the past year. I think people are going to look back and say, ‘Florida stood by its kids and teachers’ while other states did not.”

The Governor was in Bay County and Pinellas County to personally thank and encourage educators in those districts.

The historic gaming compact between the State of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida was approved by the U.S. Department of the Interior this past week. This agreement, the largest gaming compact in history, will generate a minimum of $2.5 billion in new revenue to the state over the next five years and an estimated $6 billion through 2030. The Tribe is not currently making any revenue payments to the state.

“The final approval of this historic gaming compact is a big deal for the State of Florida,” Governor DeSantis said. “This mutually-beneficial agreement will grow our economy, expand tourism and recreation and provide billions in new revenue to benefit Floridians.”

“Today is a great day for the people of Florida, who will benefit not only from a $2.5 billion revenue sharing guarantee over five years, but also from statewide sports betting and new casino games that will roll out this fall and mean more jobs for Floridians and more money invested in this state,” said Marcellus Osceola Jr., Chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. “We thank Governor DeSantis, President Simpson, Speaker Sprowls and the Florida Legislature for their leadership and hard work.”

Washington, D.C.

Republican Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott voted against the $1 trillion infrastructure bill that passed the Senate the day before voting against the even more massive $3.5 trillion budget framework.

“I support investing in roads, bridges, broadband, and efforts to mitigate against sea level rise, and I hoped there would be a bill I could vote for,” Rubio said. “But this bill was negotiated in secret, rushed through the process without meaningful opportunities to have input, and adds a net increase of $350 billion to the national debt. I can’t vote for a bill like that.

“The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would add a net $350 billion to projected deficits through 2031. The package follows the Democrats’ irresponsible American Rescue Plan, which prompted Obama Administration economists to raise alarms over inflation. And it will be followed by “a massive, $3.5 trillion spending proposal through the U.S. Senate that would fundamentally transform America into a far-left fever dream.”

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Senator Marco Rubio, who is the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, is calling on the director of national intelligence to investigate allegations that the federal government “unmasked” Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Rubio wrote that recent media reports that “Mr. Carlson was unmasked by a government agency” have “only fueled the perception that unmasking is being used as a political hammer or to satisfy curiosity.”

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/566207-rubio-presses-dni-to-investigate-alleged-unmasking-of-tucker-carlson

REMEMBER: @FloridaGOP and retweet and share. The Republican message must be spread around the state and you are integral to making that happen.

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Dear Members,

Earlier this week, Governor Ron DeSantis hosted a roundtable discussion with doctors, experts, a school administrator, a concerned parent, and a high school student about efforts by the federal government to require children wear masks in school.

During the discussion the participants shared their insights and experiences about how mask mandates and school closures harm children. Over the past 18 months, Governor DeSantis has been very clear about the importance of keeping Florida open and free.

He has also advocated for parents and students by ensuring they have choices – giving them the ability to make decisions that are best for their families.

Governor DeSantis opened up the discussion with the following:

As many of you know, there’s been talk amongst the CDC, the Academy of Pediatrics to force masking on school children — I think the academy even says teachers and school children, regardless of even immune status, even if they’ve recovered from COVID or even if they have been vaccinated.

And so, we in Florida, at this point, our school districts have, proposed the mask optional. But I think our fear is that seeing some of those rumblings, that there be an attempt from the federal level or even some of these organizations to try to push for mandatory masking of school children. And so, our view is that this should absolutely not be imposed. It should not be mandated. And I know our legislature feels strongly about it, such that if, if you started to see a push from the feds or some of these local school districts, I know they’re interested in coming in, even in a special session to be able to provide protections for parents and kids who just want to breathe freely and don’t want to be suffering under these masks during the school year. ~~ Governor Ron DeSantis

Participants of the discussion included the following:

Jay Bhattacharya, a Professor of Medicine at Stanford University and research associate at the National Bureau of Economics Research (NEBR). He is also a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, with an M.D. and Ph.D. Jay’s research has been cited over 11,000 times according to Google Scholar.
Cody Meissner, MD, a renowned pediatrician and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease and Professor of Pediatrics at the Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Meissner is a national authority on the well-being of children, having served on the AAP’s Committee of Infectious Disease, and the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and HHS National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC).
Mark McDonald, MD, a successful practitioner of over 14 years based out of Los Angeles who is a clinical psychiatrist with specific expertise working with children with autism, trauma, obsessive-compulsive and bipolar disorders. Dr. McDonald works closely with families, schools, pediatricians and therapists to aid in his treatments.
David Withun, Head of School of Jacksonville Classical Academy. He is also a veteran of the United States Army, he holds an MA and Ph.D. in Humanities from Faulkner University in Montgomery, Ala. Dr. Withun has taught History, Literature and Humanities and his writing has been published in several popular and academic outlets, including Classical Receptions Journal, Black Perspectives, Phylonand Forma Journal.
Anita Whitby Davis, a concerned parent and mother of two sons. Her sons attend the Governors Charter Academy in Tallahassee where she also works as a parent liaison at the school
Everett Thompson is a rising senior and lacrosse player at Maclay Highschool in Tallahassee and is very concerned about masks being required this year.
To watch the entire discussion or to read the transcript please click here.

Watch Roundtable Discussion: https://rumble.com/vkd74v-07.26-covid-19-roundtable.html

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Chairman’s Message

The Cuban people are peacefully protesting in historic numbers against the brutal Communist dictatorship that has made life deadly miserable for three generations. The people yearn to be free, to be heard, and Republicans will not equivocate: We stand for the Cuban people against the tyrants. We stand for freedom and against oppression. We stand for a new day for the island of Cuba, and against the old, bloody day. Let another Communist socialist tyranny be thrown into the dustbin of history.

We know the pivotal importance of this moment and are doing everything we can to support the people of Cuba.

Governor DeSantis sent a letter to President Biden Wednesday requesting federal assistance to provide Internet access to the people of Cuba who are standing up against Communist oppression and demanding a voice after decades of suffering under the yoke of a cruel dictatorship.

Read the full letter here: https://www.flgov.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/71421-Letter-to-POTUS.pdf

Senator Marco Rubio, a long-time tenacious opponent of the oppressive Communist regime, said on the floor of the U.S. Senate: “In 62 years of Communist tyranny on the island of Cuba, we have never seen, there’s never been, what now is up to 40 cities in which people took to the streets organically, unorganized, grassroots, to ask for the end of that tyranny.”

Do not be fooled. This is not about a failed response to Covid, as some in the Biden administration sadly want to claim. That may have been the spark, but the tinder of long suffering under a cruel despotism was waiting for any flare. This is about freedom for the 11 million people of Cuba, and the end of a long, dark era.

We Republicans stand with the Cuban people, and against the Cuban tyrants.

On Tuesday, Governor DeSantis was joined by Cuban-American leaders and elected officials in Miami for a roundtable supporting the Cuban people protesting the regime. The Governor called on the Biden Administration to take a strong stance against the oppressive, Communist regime.

Governor DeSantis said, “We stand with the people of Cuba. For far too long, a tyrannical Communist regime has oppressed its people and used its power to silence any dissidents. Now, the Cuban people are making their voices heard to demand freedom and an end to this dictatorship.”

So far, the Biden administration response has been predictably feeble.

“While the Cuban people are showing tremendous courage, the Biden Administration is showing cowardice. The Biden Administration has been weak in its statements, blaming COVID-19, and not mentioning socialism or communism. While the president and his spokespeople issue empty rhetoric, the federal government is inexplicably lifting sanctions in Venezuela. Right now, the Cuban regime is taking the measure of Washington.”

Read more of the Governor’s roundtable comments here: https://www.flgov.com/2021/07/13/governor-ron-desantis-holds-roundtable-to-support-the-cuban-people/

Florida Update

Team DeSantis launches @TeamRonDeSantis social media pages and merchandise store to connect with supporters and grassroots dedicated to Keeping Florida Free. The Team DeSantis store launch was a big big success–receiving national attention.

Team DeSantis “Dont Fauci My Florida” merchandise receives national attention.

Governor DeSantis has ensured Florida is an oasis of freedom, and we’ll be darned if we let federal bureaucrats and absurd government overreach mess with that! Team DeSantis is a great opportunity to have some lighthearted fun and give his supporters a chance to feel even more connected with his message of keeping Florida free.

The store includes Don’t Fauci My Florida merchandise that highlights Fauci’s flawed and devastating policies. Universal lockdowns, the closing of schools, including places of worship in some states, masking mandates for children as young as three, are not only unnecessary, but also have a negative impact on mental health. In Florida, we are fortunate to have the bold leadership of Governor DeSantis to support Floridians in the best way possible and you can bet he isn’t going to allow anyone to Fauci our Florida.

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Corporate media continues to get covid wrong in Florida. They have suggested COVID-19 cases are spiking in Florida, which is absurd, especially when you consider how far we have come from a year ago. Because of Governor DeSantis’ focus to put seniors first and protect the most vulnerable, deaths and cases in long term care facilities have decreased precipitously:

Since vaccinations were initially available late last year in Florida:

Deaths overall have reduced by 95%.
Cases overall have reduced by 83%.
Deaths in long-term care facilities have reduced by 97%.
Cases in long-term care facilities have reduced by 91%.
Cases in individuals over 65 have decreased by 90%.
Deaths in individuals over 65 have decreased by 95%.
The total number of daily reported deaths with COVID-19 continues to hover under 35, as it has now for the past two weeks. In that timeframe, it has been the lowest 7-day average of deaths recorded since early April 2020 when the pandemic began.

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Great leadership is about more than the next election, it’s about building and maintaining foundations for a better future for coming generations. To that end, Governor DeSantis has made Florida a national leader in top quality civics education in our public schools.

With that in mind, Governor DeSantis announced $106 million to establish the Civic Literacy Excellence Initiative. The money will be used to award qualified teachers with the Florida Civics Seal of Excellence, which includes a $3,000 bonus for educators who complete training to earn the endorsement. The funding will also be used to expedite the implementation of Florida’s B.E.S.T. Standards civics curriculum in public schools.

“We have a responsibility to ensure our students are prepared to be great citizens,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “That is why we created a new civics curriculum in Florida and are making this important investment of more than $106 million. By July 4, 2026, our country’s 250th anniversary, we will make sure every K-12 student in Florida is educated with our new civics curriculum.”

The Florida Civics and Debate Initiative has been a huge success. More than 161 schools from 48 districts with more than 5,500 students expected to participate in the coming school year.

Read more: https://www.flgov.com/2021/07/13/governor-ron-desantis-launches-national-model-civic-literacy-initiative/

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In June, Governor DeSantis signed legislation that is setting the pace for civics education in America. You can read more about that here:

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The state of Florida has awarded grants totaling more than $30 million to improve infrastructure, community redevelopment and job creation in small and rural Florida communities.

Department of Economic Opportunity and Enterprise Florida Inc. awarded $29 million through the Small Cities Community Development Block Grant program, $1.2 million through the Community Planning Technical Assistance grant program, $280,000 through the Competitive Florida Partnership grant program and $198,500 through the Rural Expansion Toolkit initiative.

“Florida’s rural communities are vital to the wellbeing and prosperity of our state, and my administration is committed to helping them thrive,” Governor DeSantis said in announcing the grants.

Read more: https://www.flgov.com/2021/07/12/governor-desantis-announces-more-than-30-million-to-improve-infrastructure-community-redevelopment-and-job-creation-in-small-and-rural-florida-communities/

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Governor DeSantis announced that the Florida Department of Education awarded $44 million in federal Unified School Improvement Grant (UniSIG) funds to support 149 struggling schools in 29 districts.

“It can be hard for struggling schools to recruit and retain top talent, and today I’m proud to announce $44 million to address this problem,” Governor DeSantis said. “I have consistently said that the number one way to create great opportunities for our students is by ensuring they have great teachers. In Florida, we will continue to take a strategic, data-driven approach to make our schools the best in the country.”

Read more: https://www.flgov.com/2021/07/14/governor-ron-desantis-announces-44-million-to-support-floridas-most-vulnerable-students-and-schools/

Governor DeSantis made three judicial appointments this week, to the First Circuit Court, Eighteenth Circuit Court, and the Lee County Court:

David Oberliesen, of Niceville, was appointed to serve as Judge on the First Circuit Court;
Christopher Sprysenski, of Sanford, to serve as Judge on the Eighteenth Circuit Court;
Nicole Mirra, of Fort Myers, to serve as Judge on the Lee County Court.
Read more here: https://www.flgov.com/2021/07/12/governor-ron-desantis-makes-three-judicial-appointments-2/

Social Media Highlights

REMEMBER: @FloridaGOP and retweet and share. The Republican message must be spread around the state and you are integral to making that happen.

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At 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, the Surfside community and first responders marked the transition from rescue to recovery with a moment of silence. Please keep the Surfside community in your prayers. Please join Floridians and those around the country in continuing to pray for the victims, families, friends and first responders.

Governor DeSantis has been in Surfside almost every day since the tragedy happened, working with state and federal emergency personnel. There is so much work to be done to get closure for families. And then there will be a deep look at what went wrong to ensure it never happens again.

Florida Update

We were fortunate that Tropical Storm Elsa was not a worse storm. Early reports suggest damage was minimal, but the state was prepared because we Floridiana know better than anyone to take these storms seriously.

Governor DeSantis issued Executive Order 21-150 declaring a state of emergency for 15 counties that were in the path of Tropical Storm Elsa. Read his order here: https://www.flgov.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Executive-Order-21-150.pdf

For more information on the storm and help, visit https://www.floridadisaster.org/info/

Updates on the Florida Department of Emergency Management’s resources for Elsa recovery can be found here: https://www.floridadisaster.org/news-media/news/20210706-the-state-of-florida-issues-tropical-storm-elsa-updates/

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Republicans from around Florida were at the Sarasota County Fairgrounds in record numbers for President Trump’s Save America rally on July 3, to celebrate the birth of our nation.

The President delivered on the themes of patriotism and freedom.

Attending leaders included Congressmen Greg Steube, Vern Buchanan, Byron Donalds, Mike Waltz and other elected officials including RPOF Chairman Joe Gruters and Vice Chairman Christian Ziegler. While originally scheduled to speak, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called President Trump to let him know that he regretted not being able to attend due to the Surfside tragedy and what was at the time Hurricane Elsa which was threatening Florida. President Trump agreed with Governor DeSantis’ decision and asked the crowd to join him in a moment of silence to remember the victims of the Surfside tragedy.

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Florida’s monthly revenues continue to soar past expectations, driven by a strong state economy and an increase in tourism-industry tax collections, according to a new report from the Legislature’s Office of Economic & Demographic Research.

The May general-revenue collections were $3.6 billion, just roaring past expectations for the month by $573.8 million, or 18.9 percent.

“Most remarkable, almost 72 percent of the total gain for May came from sales tax GR (general revenue),” the report said. “For context, May 2020 was the lowest sales tax collection month during the entire pandemic.”

The May numbers marked the 10th consecutive month of exceeding revenue expectations as Florida recovers rapidly from the economic fallout of the response to COVID-19.

Read more here: https://thecapitolist.com/state-revenues-beat-expectations-in-may/

Florida Politics’ Joe Henderson: Gov. DeSantis gets an ‘A’ for leadership in a crisis

The political news site Florida Politics is no right-wing outfit by any stretch. But even they see the strength in Governor DeSantis’ leadership in multiple crisis:

“I think most people would agree the last couple of weeks in Florida scored high on the stress meter, what with the Surfside calamity and Tropical Storm Elsa. In times like this, politics should go out the window while leaders step up and, well, lead. That’s how we judge them.

“We don’t grade these things on the curve, though. The difference between success and failure can hinge on the choice of a word, good or bad. With that in mind, whatever your political leaning, if you’re scoring fairly, then Gov. Ron DeSantis gets an “A” for his handling of this twin crisis.

“He thankfully kept politics out of the mix at the condo collapse and struck a welcomed bipartisan tone with President Joe Biden. He worked well with federal relief efforts and was the compassionate, focused Governor all Floridians needed him to be.

“DeSantis quickly responded when Elsa started heading for Florida.”

Read the rest here: https://floridapolitics.com/archives/439635-joe-henderson-gov-desantis-gets-an-a-for-leadership-in-a-crisis/

Social Media Highlights

REMEMBER: @FloridaGOP and retweet and share. The Republican message must be spread around the state and you are integral to making that happen.

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