Primary Election Results – Now to the General Election

Keeping Florida and Collier County Red – Hats off to the Winners!

Russell Tuff
Chairman, CCCVPAC

Congratulations to the winners of the Primary Election.

Although Countywide turnout was only 29.7%, Republican turnout was 36.4%, beating the Democrat 32.5% turnout. No Party Affiliation and Other only turned out at 12.7%. 35% of the Republican vote came on election day.

With the Primary Election behind us, now is the time to unite. There were many good candidates who put it all on the line, but in the end we can only have one winner in each race, and we are fortunate to have such good candidates. Now is the time for us all to come together to make sure we win every race in November. To not do so is unthinkable.

See below as we highlight the Republican winners from Tuesday’s Primary elections.

The Leftists in our country have inspired a Red Wave of patriots not previously involved in politics. With a united Republican Party, we will be assured of victory in November.

I’m glad to see the CCCVPAC has had over 8,600 sessions on our website and 12,600 page views. They spent just a couple seconds less than four minutes on their visits.

Primary Election Winners

Federal Offices

Our Political Action Committee is not allowed to promote Federal candidates, but we are excited that Congressmen Byron Donalds (District 19) and Mario Diaz-Balart (District 26) won their elections handily to take on their Democratic opponent. Also representing a small portion of Immokalee is Scott Franklin who won and is unopposed.

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio will be taking on Democrat Val Demmings

State Offices

Governor Ron DeSantis will take on Democrat Charlie Crist

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody will take on Democrat Aramis Ayala

Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis will take on Democrat Adam Hattersley

Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson will take on Democrat Naomi Ester Blemur.

District 80 State Representative Adam Botana will take on Democrat Mitchel Schlayer

District 81 State Representative Bob Rommell – won with no opposition

District 82 Representative Lauren Melo – won with no opposition

Local County Races

Chris Hall

Collier County Commission District 2- Chris Hall Winner

Chris Hall won with a resounding 50.1% of the vote.

Hall had overwhelming support on Election Day with over 60% of his vote total on election day.

Hall had 5,728 total votes out of a total of 11,438.

He will face Democrat Bebe Kanter in General Election.

 

 

 

Daniel Kowal

Collier County Commission District 4 – Daniel Kowal Winner

Danil Kowal won by achieving 42% of the vote total of 10,402. He received 80% more votes than incumbent Penny Taylors.

Kowal will face write in candidate Bill Oppenheimer in the general election day in November.

He received 57% of the vote on Election Day.

Competing against three other candidates, Kowal’s vote total was 4,373 out of a total of 10,402 votes cast.

 

Chris Brown

Collier County Judge Group 3 – Chris Brown Winner

Chris Brown won his race with 52.7% of the vote. On election day he garnered 12,934 votes to his opponents 8,023 to put him over the edge.

Brown won with 35,502 votes to 31,823 for his opponent Pamela Barger

Chris Brown Website

 

 

Jerry Rutherford and Jory Westberry

Collier County School Board District 1 Run Off Winners

Jerry D. Rutherford and Jory Westberry will advance to the General Election in November.

Rutherford attained 44.6% of the vote. On Primary Election day, Rutherford captured more than the combined vote of his two opponents.

Jory Westberry obtained 33.1% of the vote

 

Kelly Lichter and Jen Mitchell

Collier County School Board District 3 Run Off Winners

Kelly Lichter and Jen Mitchell will advance to the General Election in November.

Kelly Lichter received 48.6% of the vote, while Jen Mitchell received 38.2% of the vote.

Jen Mitchell captured the most vote by mail ballots, while Kelly Lichter won the Early and Election Day totals to be the top vote getter.

 

 

Tim Moshier and Roy Terry

Collier County School Board District 5 Run Off Winners

Tim Moshier and Roy Terry will advance to the runoff in the General Election in November.

Moshier captured 39.6% of the vote, while Roy Terry Captured 27% of the vote totals.

CCCVPAC Candidate Ratings

August Primary Election Candidate Ratings

As stated at the origin of the Collier County Citizens Values Political Action Committee (CCCVPAC) was formed to ensure Florida remains red with Republican leadership. We based the ratings on how we believe the candidates embrace our values, which are: U.S. Constitution, Limited Government – Home Rule, Individual Freedom, Free Enterprise, Fiscal Responsibility, and Equality. These values are more fully described on the bottom of our website Home Page.  are shown on the bottom of the home page of this website.

CCCVPAC does not intend to endorse candidates, but rather to educate the voters by providing information on how we believe they embrace the values stated above.

There were 9 committees set up to review questionnaires and interview the candidates and their recommendations were forwarded to the CCCVPAC Board for final rankings.

Our State Representatives have no challengers for the Primary elections, so those candidates are not included in these ratings. In addition, many nonpartisan races will not be held until the General Election so those candidates also are not included in these ratings. We aren’t allowed to weigh in on Federal offices per our charter.

Below are the ratings for the Primary Election:

Collier County Commission District 2

(Closed primary, meaning only registered Republicans can vote)

The two top rated candidates were Reg Buxton and Chris Hall. Buxton received the highest rating based upon his long-term track record in the Republican Party, and his vast experience and contributions to the local community in many capacities. Chris Hall, although new to the area (registered to vote in Collier in 2019) did display strong support for our values.

Gerald Lefebvre also is in the race as a Republican but registered no votes positive or negative.

Candidate Nancy Lewis refused to be interviewed and was disqualified from consideration.

Reg Buxton Website

Gerald Lefebvre Website

Chris Hall Website

Collier Commission District 4

(Closed primary, meaning only registered Republicans can vote)

The top two rated candidates are Michelle McLeod and Daniel Kowal. McLeod has demonstrated adherence to Republican values in past roles, and has been highly engaged in various efforts to improve our community. Daniel Kowal has also served our community admirably for many years and espouses strong support for our values.

Candidates Penny Taylor and Daija Hinojosa refused to be interviewed and were removed from consideration.

Michelle McLeod Website

Daniel Kowal Website

Michelle McLeod

Daniel Kowal

Collier County Judge Seat 2

Both candidates Pamela Barger and Chris Brown are rated as sharing our values. Chris Brown was given the higher rating.

Chris Brown Website

Pamela Barger Website

Chris Brown

Pamela Barger

Collier County Schoolboard District 1

Although Kimberly Ann Boobyer and Jerry Rutherford both share our values, Kimberly Ann Boobyer receives the top rating.

There was concern about the physical stamina of Jerry Rutherford to undertake a board position.

Candidate Jory Westberry did not answer in a satisfactory manner in order to be considered

Kimberly Boobyer Website

Jerry Rutherford Website

Kimberly Boobyer

Jerry Rutherford

Collier County School Board District 3

This was a difficult race to rate. It was determined Jana Greer, Kelly Lichter and Jen Mitchell all support our values, and we were unable to rate one above the rest. Kelly Lichter was ranked lower than the other two based upon past behavior in School Board meetings, excessive legal procedures against anyone challenging her positions, and public appearances.

Jana Greer Website

Kelly Lichter Website

Jen Mitchell Website

Jana Greer

Kelly Lichter

Jen Mitchell

Collier County School Board District 5

This was another difficult race to rate. Three candidates, Timothy Moshier, Ana Turino and incumbent Roy Terry all indicated support for our values, but we feel that this might be a good time to bring a new person with a fresh outlook to the office. Jackie Keay, who is also a candidate in district 5, did not answer the questionnaire. It was noted that our ratings team was not favorably impressed with Mr. Moshier’s performance at certain candidate forums.

Tim Moshier Website

Roy Terry Website

Ana Turino Website

Tim Moshier

Roy Terry

Ana Turino

 

2022 Primary Election – What you need to know

Note – Be sure to check with the Supervisor of elections to make sure your information is correct so you will get your absentee ballot. Your vote-by-mail ballot cannot be forwarded. 

Check your voter status by clicking here

Things to Do Right Now

Here are a few things you should do right now:

Request a vote-by-mail (VBM) ballot if you will not be in town to vote in person or prefer the convenience of voting from home. You can do it online by answering a few questions and then printing out, signing, and mailing in a form. Or you can request a paper form to fill out from the Supervisor of Elections office by calling (239) 252-8683 or by emailing SupervisorofElections@colliergov.net.

What will be on the ballot?

View the Collier County Republicans on Ballot Here

From the Collier County Supervisor of Elections and Florida Department of State websites, the following offices — if contested — will be on the Collier County primary election ballot:

  • U.S. Senate: 1 senator
  • U.S. House: representatives for Districts 18, 19, and 26, based on the newly-drawn congressional district in which you live (map here)
  • Florida Governor, Attorney General, Chief Financial Officer, and Commissioner of Agriculture (elected by all voters statewide)
  • State Senate: 1 state senator (all Collier County voters live in the newly-drawn Senate District 28 – map here)
  • State House: representatives for Districts 80, 81, and 82, based on the new state House district in which you live (map here)
  • County Commission: representatives for Districts 2 and 4, based on the new county commission district in which you live (map here)
  • School Board: representatives for Districts 1, 3, and 5 (elected by all voters county-wide)

Other Non-Partisan Races such as Mosquito Control District and Fire Commissioners will be on the November ballot

Judicial Elections

In addition, there will be certain judicial offices on the ballot. Unlike the above positions, the qualifying period for the offices of state attorney, public defender, justices of the Supreme Court, and judges ended on April 29. So we already know which of them will be on the ballot.

Specifically, five incumbent State Supreme Court Justices and eight Second District Court of Appeals judges will be on the ballot for merit retention votes. One Collier County judgeship will also be on the ballot.

Unopposed incumbents who will be considered elected at the General Election are 20th Circuit State Attorney Amira Fox, 20th Circuit Public Defender Kathy Smith, and 20th Circuit Judges Shannon McFeeJames ShenkoNick ThompsonRamiro MañalichAlane LabodaJames SloanKyle CohenLauren BrodieRobert Branning, and Gilberto Perez.

Details on Voter Schedule

Voter Registration Deadline/Book Closing: July 25

Vote-by-Mail Ballot Mailings: July 9 (UOCAVA)/July 14-August 15 | Ballot Request Deadline: 5 p.m. on August 13

Early Voting: August 13-20  10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Election Day: August 23

During the Primary Election, electors will vote for state and federal representatives within their party affiliations. If opposed within their own parties, the Governor, State Cabinet Members, United States Senators, Representatives in Congress, State Representatives, State Senators and County Commissioners will be on the ballot.

The winning candidates of the Primary Election, who see opposition from another party, will then move on to the General Election in November.

Voters may also see non-partisan races including judicial candidates and candidates for school board depending on their jurisdiction.


FLORIDA IS A CLOSED PRIMARY STATE

Florida is a Closed Primary state. This means that only voters who are registered members of a political party may vote for their respective party’s candidates in a Primary Election. Voters without party affiliation are not eligible to vote for party candidates and voters who belong to a minor party can only vote for party candidates if those candidates are on the ballot in accordance with Florida Statute 101.021.

To make changes to their party affiliation, voters must notify the Supervisor of Elections office by completing and signing a new voter registration application form or other signed written notice that contains your date of birth or voter registration number. You cannot change your party at the polling place. To be eligible for a Primary Election, a party change must be made at least 29 days before the Primary Election as addressed in Florida Statute 97.1031.

Universal Primary: a universal primary is a contest in the Primary Election in which all candidates have the same party affiliation, but will not see opposition during the General Election. During a universal primary, all qualified electors may vote regardless of their party affiliation.

Update on Republicans and DeSantis Campaign

Sunday, May 8th marked exactly six months from Election Day 2022 and Governor DeSantis’s campaign continues to move full steam ahead!

Last week, Governor DeSantis signed the largest tax relief package in Florida history, reaffirmed his commitment to combatting red tide and investing in Florida’s beaches with nearly $14 million in funding to support red tide research and innovative mitigation technologies, and signed a record $30 million in funding to protect Florida’s manatees.

The campaign also announced a $5.3 million Hispanic media reservation because as Joe Biden and the Democrat Party continue to lose their footing with the Hispanic community, Republicans are gaining and growing. Spanish-speaking Hispanics in Florida and across the country are moving toward Governor Ron DeSantis because of his emphasis on economic opportunity, education, public safety, and other family-focused policies.

Republicans in Florida are energized like never before and as of this week, Republicans outnumber Democrats by over 133,000 registered voters.

Show your support for Governor DeSantis’s freedom agenda by signing our exclusive card HERE. We’re showing the Governor all the signatures from supporters at the end of May, so be sure to sign it before it’s too late!

Freedom Thursday with Senator Norm Coleman

Freedom Thursday – Keeping America Strong, Free and Prosperous

Joey D’s Restaurant – Green Tree Shopping Center

6 to 8 pm

2356 Immokalee Road | Naples, Florida 34110

Host Brendon Leslie – MC Rick Rice – Music by Jason Beal

Includes food, beer, wine and soft drinks

Reserve your tickets below:

Norm Coleman

Join Us Thursday, March 31 for Freedom Thursday

Senator Norm Coleman dedicated more than three decades to public service. He was a student activist in the 1960s, Minnesota’s chief prosecutor and Solicitor General in the 1970s and 1980s, and Mayor of St. Paul in the 1990s. He represented Minnesota in the U.S. Senate from 2003-2009. In 2011, Senator Coleman returned to his legal career, as Senior Counsel at Hogan Lovells.

During his six years in the U.S. Senate, Senator Coleman served on the prestigious Foreign Relations Committee. He was Chair of the Western Hemisphere subcommittee and ranking member of the Near East subcommittee, working to foster closer ties with our hemispheric neighbors and protect America’s interests in the crucial Middle East region.  Senator Coleman also Chaired the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Under his leadership, the Subcommittee identified more than $80 billion in waste, fraud, abuse, and potential taxpayer savings. He championed UN reform, investigating fraud and abuse in the Oil for Food program and in the North Korea UN Development Program. As Mayor of St. Paul, he had zero tax increases in his 8 years in office, helped start 20 Charter schools and led a revitalization of the Capitol City.

The concept of service is close to Senator Coleman’s heart; he is active in a variety of political organizations and nonprofits. Senator Coleman serves as National Chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition.  He is the Chairman of the Congressional Leadership Fund, an independent expenditure “super PAC” whose mission is to regain and expand the House Republican majority.  He also serves as Chairman of the Board of the American Action Network, a center-right “action tank” and sits on the Board of the Network’s sister organization, the American Action Forum, a forward-looking policy institute dedicated to keeping America strong, free, and prosperous.  He is currently Co-Chair of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and served for nine years on the Board of the National Endowment for Democracy.

About Brendon Leslie

Brendon Leslie

Brendon Leslie is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Florida’s Conservative Voice. He left his job as a reporter in mainstream media because he was fed up with the fact that someone else was always behind the scenes, pulling the strings.

His goal as an independent reporter based in Florida is to deliver the truth about both national and local stories that the mainstream media refuses to show. With no boss pulling the strings, Brendon’s highest priority is to maintain the trustworthiness and independence of Florida’s Conservative Voice.

About Rick Rice

Rick Rice and Nancy

Rick Rice is a Ravid Republicanran for the MN House in 2010 in a blue town where he got his ass kicked 65 to 35%,

  • Appointed the Co-Chair of the Elephant Club of MN from 2014 – 2016
  • Elected National Committeeman of the Republican Party of MN serving 2016 to 2020
  • Reappointed Co-Chair of the Elephant Club of MN from 2018-2020
  • He has a 32-year-old son who has served in Afghanistan, Kuwait and Iraq as a Crew Chief on a Black Hawk Medi-Vac for the MN Army National Guard and is still serving his country today.
  • He is married to Nancy & they moved to Estero in June of 2020
  • Rick is fond of saying “I’m so happy to be in Florida” I wish there were two of me!

 

Fill out my online form.

 

Fill out my online form.

Rally for US Senator Marco Rubio

Help us Keep Florida Red

Join us Friday, March 11th, 4 pm, at the VFW Post 7721 to have a Q & A with US Senator Marco Rubio. Limited to the first 200 Registrants.

Stay for VFW for Fish Fry – $15 payable at the door

Live Music by Jason Beal

Here is a chance to hear from US Senator Marco Rubio as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere.

When Marco Rubio was first elected to the United States Senate in 2010, he set one objective for himself while in office: to help bring the American Dream back into reach of those who feel it is slipping away. That’s the goal line Senator Rubio strives toward with each new legislative effort, and it’s the measure he uses to keep score.

Senator Rubio is passionate about the American Dream because he’s lived it himself. His parents came to America from Cuba in 1956 and earned their way to the middle class by working humble jobs. Through their loving and powerful example, he learned the importance of work and family, and came to realize that all things are possible in America. Now more than three years into his second term, he continues that important work to make the American Dream achievable for all.

Fill out my online form.

City of Naples Candidate Ratings – How the Candidates Rate

Naples Candidate Ratings Based on Values

Let’s Begin

Chairman of Ratings Committee

Vote by mail ballots go out for the City of Naples at the end of this month. What’s the city been up to?

It’s been pretty dysfunctional as they are on their 3rd city manager in 9 months, lost other key employees, hold 14-hour marathon sessions, all while the City of Naples Community Well-Being index dropped this year from a top rating to #43.

What Are The Ratings?

The Collier County Citizens Values Political Action Committee (CCVPAC) promised to rate the candidates and compare them to the Republican Values (see values at bottom of page), and provide candidate responses to the questionnaire that we provided.

Only one candidate, John Dugan, completed our questionnaire. Apparently, the other candidates did not want to be rated on our values. (The Questionaire for City Council is here)

What is Bullet Voting?

Since that is the case, although you can vote for up to three candidates, we are recommending you vote for only John Dugan, who wasn’t afraid to state his values up front and have them communicated to the community.

By casting just one vote for John Dugan, and not casting votes for two other candidates, your one vote will be much more meaningful and will send a powerful message that we will not support candidates who fail to go on the record and answer questions that will clearly state the values that they do or do not embrace.

See John Dugan Website

Here’s What the Facts Say About The Candidates

 

John Dugan

John Dugan is a rock-solid Republican and not a “Party Switcher.”

He was instrumental in fundraising and getting out the vote for the Republican party during the last election cycle.

His conservative values are reflected in the Questionaire that we sent him. See a copy here.

Ray Christman was a registered Democrat until April, 2020 when he changed his registration to NPA (no party affiliation). His household provided campaign funds to Andrew Gillum against our governor Ron DeSantis. In addition, they contributed funds to Javier Estevez who ran against State Representative Dave Borrero. His values do not match the values we stated.

Ian Rudnick was a registered Democrat until December of 2020 when he switched to no party affiliation. He’s only voted in three of the last 16 Primary or General Elections. That history doesn’t match the values we’ve stated and shows a disinterest in the election process until he decided to run for office.

Beth Petrunoff registered as a Republican in February of 2020, and switched to No Party Affiliation 3 months later. She became a Republican again in September in order to be a Republican for this election.
Her primary objective seems to be stopping the Naples Beach Hotel (see document). This does not match the values we’ve stated. In addition to Petronoff refusing to fill out the CCCVPAC questionaire, she also refused to interview with Naples Better Government Committee (which has been evaluating candidates for more than 20 years)

Terry Hutchison has been a registered Republican since 2008. Mr. Hutchison “speaks” very Republican in a public setting with Republicans. He has indicated in his campaigns that he is against the city granting zoning variances and changing the rules on an ad hoc basis. However, when the City Commission was asked to consider a change to long-standing boat length requirements in Port Royal in order to satisfy one boat owner that exceeded the size limit, Mr. Hutchinson seconded the motion and voted to approve this change ignoring the strong objections of neighbors.
Within two weeks of Mr. Hutchinson’s vote, there was $10,000 provided to his campaign, all with the donors’ last names matching the person who received the variance. (See List of Donations). Perhaps this is a strange coincidence, but the voters should decide. In addition to Hutchison refusing to fill out the CCCVPAC questionaire, he also refused to interview with Naples Better Government Committee (which has been evaluating candidates for more than 20 years)

The Cure for Naples

Why are we here again? It is because Republicans have a poor voting record in the City of Naples elections and vote for candidates who are former Democrats and left leaning candidates who changed their political affiliation in order to be more palatable to the Naples Republican base.

We have the ability to remove those candidates that don’t have the same values on government’s role in our lives. See more on voter turnout issues

 

Stopping Woke Indoctrination in Florida

Governor DeSantis announced the Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (W.O.K.E.) Act, a legislative proposal that will give businesses, employees, children and families tools to fight back against woke indoctrination.

The Stop W.O.K.E. Act will be the strongest legislation of its kind in the nation and will take on both corporate wokeness and Critical Race Theory. Today’s proposal builds on actions Governor DeSantis has already taken to ban Critical Race Theory and the New York Times’ 1619 project in Florida’s schools.

“In Florida we are taking a stand against the state-sanctioned racism that is critical race theory,” Governor DeSantis said. “We won’t allow Florida tax dollars to be spent teaching kids to hate our country or to hate each other. We also have a responsibility to ensure that parents have the means to vindicate their rights when it comes to enforcing state standards. Finally, we must protect Florida workers against the hostile work environment that is created when large corporations force their employees to endure CRT-inspired ‘training’ and indoctrination.”

Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez has a particular disdain for the woke culture and the need to fight it. “As the daughter of Cuban exiles who fled from Marxist ideology, I am proud to stand alongside Governor DeSantis and support this proposed legislation that will put an end to the wokeness that is permeating our schools and workforce,” she said.

Chris Rufo, Senior Fellow and Director of the Initiative on Critical Race Theory at the Manhattan Institute, is perhaps more responsible than any other single person for unmasking the pervasiveness of the woke poison in schools and corporations. And he strongly supports what Governor DeSantis is doing as a model for other states.

“In the last year they have accelerated critical race theory in K-12 public schools and they have done something that no government should do, step between parent and child,” Rufo said. “Governor Ron DeSantis is not only protecting all of the employees and students in the state of Florida. He is providing a model for every state in the United States of America. Critical Race Theory is wrong; it offers nothing to improve the lives of anyone of any racial background.”

 

Read more here: https://www.flgov.com/2021/12/15/governor-desantis-announces-legislative-proposal-to-stop-w-o-k-e-activism-and-critical-race-theory-in-schools-and-corporations/

​​

Florida

Protecting Floridians from illegal aliens being shipped to Florida

Governor DeSantis continues efforts to stop the flow of illegal aliens being brought into Florida, and to protect Floridians from the ongoing border crisis created by President Biden.

The Governor announced proposals for the upcoming legislative session that will hold accountable private entities that knowingly or recklessly assist the Biden Administration in resettling illegal immigrants into Florida. The legislation would also strengthen E-verify enforcement and codify and build upon the steps he has taken to protect the state of Florida through executive orders. Additionally, Governor DeSantis announced that the Department of Children and Families (DCF) published an emergency rule to prohibit the issuance or renewal of any license to house unaccompanied alien minors who seek to be resettled in Florida unless there is a cooperative agreement between the state and federal government.

“We have a responsibility to stand up for the rule of law, we have a responsibility to the Constitution, and we have a responsibility to stand up against an administration that has decided they don’t want to have a secure border,” Governor DeSantis said. “These are a robust series of proposals and I believe we are going to get a lot of support from the legislature. The laws of our country require us to enforce the law and that is what needs to be done.”

Congressman John Rutherford of Jacksonville, where the Biden administration has been transporting illegal aliens under cover of night, joined the Governor at the announcement.

“This crisis at the southern border is not the result of a failed policy from the Biden Administration — it is their policy,” Congressman Rutherford said. “The decision to move illegal immigrants into Jacksonville threatens the lives of folks here in Northeast Florida. Enough is enough. I’m thankful that Governor DeSantis is putting the safety of Floridians first and is fighting back against the Biden open border agenda.”

Law enforcement also stands with the Governor.

“I am grateful that the Governor has not wavered in his efforts to keep Florida safe and in his support for those men and women on the front lines working hard at it every day,” said Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams.

Read more here: https://www.flgov.com/2021/12/10/governor-ron-desantis-announces-proposals-to-stop-the-flow-of-illegal-aliens-and-protect-floridians-from-the-ongoing-biden-border-crisis/

Governor DeSantis sends help to tornado-ravaged Kentucky

Governor DeSantis has offered Florida’s support in response to the deadly tornadoes that struck nine states over the weekend — and hard-hit Kentucky took him up on the offer.

Over the weekend, the Florida Department of Emergency Management coordinated with the emergency management offices of the nine affected states to identify resource gaps and offer support as needed. The State of Florida has resources and experience dealing with weather disasters, including emergency management personnel, Urban Search and Rescue Teams, ambulance strike teams and recovery disaster specialists. The State of Florida also proactively offered assistance for any mutual aid requests.

“The devastation left in the wake of the tornado outbreak over the weekend is an unthinkable tragedy, and Casey and I are keeping the victims and all impacted individuals in our prayers as initial recovery efforts begin,” Governor DeSantis said. “The State of Florida has been communicating with our partners in the impacted states since early Saturday morning and we stand ready to provide any assistance needed during this time.”

On Thursday, Florida deployed a nine-person State All-Hazards Incident Management Team from the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) as well as Clay, St. Johns, and Flagler counties to Kentucky to support the tornado outbreak response efforts.

The deployment team consists of an Incident Commander, Public Information Officer, Liaison Officer, Operations Section Chief, Deputy Operations Section Chief, Plans Section Chief, Logistics Section Chief, and two State of Florida Liaisons. The team will be embedded in the Kentucky State Emergency Operations Center and provide operational support to the Kentucky Emergency Management division. The team is anticipating a 14-day deployment.

Read more here: https://www.flgov.com/2021/12/14/governor-ron-desantis-offers-support-to-states-affected-by-tornado-outbreak/

Workforce education gets another boost

Governor DeSantis announced nearly $11 million in funding for the 2021 Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant and Apprenticeship State Expansion Grant recipients. This funding is part of Governor DeSantis’ efforts to make Florida the best state in the nation for workforce education by 2030.

Including these most recent grants, more than $30 million has been invested since 2019 to expand registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs. This creates opportunities for individuals to earn the high-value skills and nationally recognized credentials necessary for high-earning careers, and support our growing industries and globally competitive economy.

“By investing in career training and apprenticeship programs, Florida is expanding opportunities in a way that will strengthen key sectors of the economy,” Governor DeSantis said. “Through this program, we are offering alternatives to the traditional, and expensive, brick and ivy education experience and helping Floridians obtain good jobs without going into debt.”

Read more here: https://www.flgov.com/2021/12/14/governor-ron-desantis-awards-11-million-to-further-career-and-apprenticeship-opportunities/

​​Senator Marco Rubio

Demings admits she doesn’t have a message for Florida

Even Val Demings knows she doesn’t have a message for Floridians. Apparently she’s waiting on D.C to tell her what it should be. At a virtual event with the National Organization for Women last week, Demings admitted that she’s waiting for Democratic leadership in Washington to tell her what her message should be.

“Well, we have not figured it out yet ’cause we’re taking our time,” Demings said. “We have some of the greatest minds through the [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee] as well as the [Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee] and others around the nation who are working on, ‘What’s that simple message?'”

Watch Demings admit she has not figured out her message: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOvb5ZE5SyA

Attorney General Ashley Moody

AG Ashley Moody was on Fox Business’s Varney and Company discussing Florida’s efforts to fight crime. In Florida, The AG and Republican leadership are working diligently to ensure prevention of mass theft, and to support our law enforcement officers.

Watch her comments here: https://twitter.com/AGAshleyMoody/status/1471214608383987712

​​ICYMI

Governor DeSantis willing to send illegal aliens to Delaware

National Review reported on the Governor’s plans:

Florida governor Ron DeSantis on Monday called for legislation to block contractors that help fly illegal immigrants to Florida from doing business with the state.

“They’ve done over 70 flights in the last six months, dump people here. And we had—a few weeks ago—one of those people that Biden dumped, ended up committing a murder in northeast Florida,” DeSantis said in an interview on Fox News’s The Ingraham Angle. “Our view is, if they’re going to be dumping, we want to be able to facilitate transfer to places like Delaware, and, so, we have $8 million in my new budget to be able to do that.”

DeSantis said he is seeking to pass legislation to ban contractors who work with the Biden administration on these flights from doing business with the state government.

“We are going to pass legislation that says if you are facilitating Biden’s policies—which is effectively a mass human smuggling operation—you are not going to be able to do business with the state of Florida or other local governments,” DeSantis said.

Read more here: https://www.nationalreview.com/news/desantis-says-florida-will-boycott-contractors-that-help-feds-fly-in-illegal-immigrants/

Watch Governor DeSantis’ interview on Laura Ingraham’s show here: ​​https://www.foxnews.com/media/desantis-biden-effectively-running-human-smuggling-operation-with-secret-flights-into-florida

Governor DeSantis Announces Next Week Legislative Agenda

Governor DeSantis, Speaker Chris Sprowls and Senate President Wilton Simpson announced the legislative agenda for the special session of the Florida Legislature that will begin Monday to protect Florida jobs.

“No cop, no firefighter, no nurse, nobody should be losing their job because of these jabs – we must stand up for people and protect their jobs and livelihoods,” Governor DeSantis said. “What the federal government is doing is wrong. It is wrong to kick people out of work; it is wrong to try to micromanage businesses; and it is wrong to deprive key industries of people that we need. Most importantly, what they are doing is unconstitutional and we have a responsibility to stand up for the Constitution and protect Floridians.”

The legislative agenda includes:

Prohibiting private employer COVID-19 vaccine mandates. If employers do have a vaccine policy, they must offer the following exemptions to employees:

  • Employees with health or religious concerns;
  • Pregnant women or women who anticipate pregnancy;
  • Employees who have recovered from COVID-19;
  • Employers must provide all employees the option to choose periodic COVID-19 testing or PPE as an alternative to vaccine requirements at no cost to employees, with test frequency to be determined by the Florida Department of Health.

Employers who violate these employee health protections will be fined $10,000 per employee violation for small businesses of less than 100 employees or $50,000 per employee violation for businesses of more than 100 employees.

Protecting Florida families in schools:

  • Educational institutions may not require students to be COVID-19 vaccinated;
  • School districts may not require students to wear face masks;
  • School districts may not quarantine healthy students;
  • Students and parents may sue violating school districts and recover costs and attorney’s fees.

Speaker Sprowls said: “Authoritarian edicts from the Biden regime stop here. The ‘Keep Florida Free’ agenda represents the strongest response in America against attacks on personal health decisions, livelihoods and liberty.”

Senate President Simpson said: “As a parent and grandparent, I continue to be dismayed at school district bureaucrats who think they know better than parents. Enough is enough. Our legislation to keep Florida free inserts some common-sense and clarity into the chaos we have seen in Washington by giving workers more options to stay safe on the job and honoring the rights and responsibilities of parents.”

Read more here: https://www.flgov.com/2021/11/08/governor-desantis-joined-by-president-simpson-and-speaker-sprowls-to-announce-legislative-agenda-for-special-session-of-the-florida-legislature/

And here: https://www.flsenate.gov/Media/PressReleases/Show/4054

Florida

Governor DeSantis’ education budget plan for the 2022 legislative session 

Governor DeSantis announced his education budget proposals that will invest record funding in Florida’s public schools. The proposal includes a second consecutive year of $1,000 bonuses for Florida’s teachers and principals; $600 million to raise minimum teacher salaries for the third year in a row from $40,000 to $47,500 over those three years; and the highest per-student funding in Florida’s history at $8,000 per student.

“Since day one, I have been focused on making Florida a leader in education, and I am proud to announce my proposals to invest record funding into our education system over the next year,” Governor DeSantis said. “By continuing to boost teacher pay, give bonuses to principals and teachers, prioritize workforce education, foster a strong civics curriculum, and replace the FSA with progress monitoring, we’re making a significant difference in the lives of our students.”

Here are some of the highlights:

  • A second round of $1,000 bonus checks for 177,000 teachers and principals in Florida. $600 million for teacher pay – a $50 million budget increase over the past year – continuing Florida’s efforts to reach a minimum starting teacher salary of $47,500.
  • An increase in per-student funding to raise this year’s budget to $8,000 per student. This will represent the highest amount of per-student funding in Florida’s history.
  • $421 million for school safety and mental health initiatives. That includes $210 million for the safe schools program – an increase of $30 million over the previous year; $140 million for mental health – a $20 million increase over the previous year; $42 million for school hardening; and $4 million for safety initiatives at Jewish Day Schools.

Governor DeSantis is also proposing three major investments in Florida’s new education programs:

  • Fully eliminate the Florida Standards Assessment and implement progress monitoring in its place, with $15.5 million in recurring funding to provide progress monitoring tools to schools.
  • $500,000 to expand access to the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative into every school district in the 2022-2023 school year, which is in addition to $106 million Governor DeSantis announced earlier this year to provide teacher bonuses for earning a Florida Civics Seal of Excellence.
  • To further efforts to make Florida the number one state for Workforce Education by 2030, $534 million to support workforce education programs is included in the proposed budget. And $100 million is proposed for the Workforce Development Capitalization Grant Program, which will create and expand workforce development programs at Florida’s school districts and state colleges.

Read more here: https://www.flgov.com/2021/11/10/governor-desantis-proposes-boosting-teacher-pay-ending-the-fsa-renewing-bonuses-for-principals-and-teachers-and-expanding-workforce-initiatives/

Court victories for parental and workers rights

In yet another victory for parents’ rights, the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings dismissed a case filed by six school districts who have disregarded the will of parents to make decisions for their children.

The Administrative Law Judge ruled that the Florida Department of Health had the legal authority to issue an emergency rule that empowers parents to decide if their children should wear masks at school and ensures healthy students can remain in school. This ruling follows an opinion issued by the First District Court of Appeals on October 29, which stated that School Districts “cannot stand between parents and their lawful right to make decisions on behalf of their children.” The courts are becoming crystal clear that parental rights to make decisions for their children’s health supersede school districts’ policies.

“There is no strong evidence of health benefits for children as a result of mask mandates in schools. The rights of parents continue to be protected in Florida, as we can see by this tremendous decision,” said Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo. “Florida will not make decisions out of fear, but rather out of close analysis of the data.”

“When you break the law there are consequences,” said Commissioner Richard Corcoran. “If these districts continue to break the law, we plan to fully hold them accountable.”

Since the ruling Friday, several school districts have withdrawn their mask mandates for children.

Read more here: https://www.flgov.com/2021/11/05/the-courts-are-clear-school-districts-must-comply-with-the-law-and-honor-parents-rights/

And here: https://thecapitolist.com/judge-slaps-down-school-board-challenges-to-desantis-ban-on-mask-mandates/

A federal appeals court on Saturday temporarily halted the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for businesses with 100 or more workers.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted an emergency stay of the requirement by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration that those workers be vaccinated by January 4 or face mask requirements and weekly tests.

Governor DeSantis called a special session of the Florida Legislature starting Monday to pass new laws that would block this unconstitutional overreach by the federal government. (See top story.) This court ruling is a temporary win, but Floridians need laws in place to protect them.

Read more here: https://apnews.com/article/appeals-court-stays-vaccine-mandate-coronavirus-biden-b235b6fa858bd23b02ab5f9c009428db

Florida also filed suit against the Biden administration’s actions.

“We started with 15 days to slow the spread and now it’s get jabbed or lose your job,” Governor DeSantis said. “We’re supposed to be a government of laws, not a government of men. This OSHA rule is 500 pages of a government of bureaucracy, a government that is being run by executive edict, not a government bound by constitutional constraints.”

“The remarkable ease at which this president will abandon the rule of law and separation of powers is astonishing and devastating to the autonomy of American workers,” said Attorney General Ashley Moody. “For this reason, I will take swift legal action to stop this unprecedented overreach by the federal government — to protect Florida and our workers from the unlawful edicts emanating from President Biden and his handlers.

Read more here: https://www.flgov.com/2021/11/04/governor-ron-desantis-announces-lawsuit-against-biden-administrations-unconstitutional-osha-employer-vaccine-mandate/

Governor DeSantis announced $481 million for 103 wastewater and springs projects. The projects will improve water quality in water bodies across Florida, reducing total nitrogen loading by a combined 700,000 pounds per year.

“These awards are going to make a big difference for our world-renowned springs and water quality all throughout the state of Florida,” Governor DeSantis said. “Florida’s water resources are what our economy runs on – they are an economic driver, but even apart from that, our environment is really integral to what these communities are all about. We’re blessed to have it and we have a responsibility to leave it better than we found it.”

Read more here: https://www.flgov.com/2021/11/09/governor-ron-desantis-announces-more-than-481-million-in-awards-to-improve-water-quality-across-the-state/

Governor DeSantis announced the launch of First Lady Casey DeSantis’ statewide anti-drug abuse initiative: The Facts. Your Future. This program directly engages youth in Florida to improve their understanding of the life-altering effects of drug abuse and empowers teens to reach their full potential. Through a series of school assemblies, the program will provide an interactive space for schools to educate their students on the consequential impacts of substance abuse.

“Substance abuse is one the major reasons some of our youth fail to reach their true potential,” Governor DeSantis said. “As the First Lady continues to advocate and support Florida’s youth, this new initiative is another key step to protect and educate our children. We must ensure teens across our state have the tools and knowledge to make good decisions that will positively impact the rest of their lives.”

The Facts. Your Future empowers Florida students with the facts needed to make informed decisions for their future,” First Lady Casey DeSantis said. “The earlier teens start using drugs, the greater their chances of continuing to use them and developing substance abuse problems later in life.”

Read more here: https://www.flgov.com/2021/11/05/governor-ron-desantis-announces-launch-of-anti-drug-campaign-to-prevent-substance-abuse-among-florida-youth-spearheaded-by-first-lady-casey-desantis/

​​Washington, D.C.

Val Demings violated federal campaign finance law by fundraising with Terry McAuliffe’s political action committee, “Common Good Virginia,” according to a new complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission by the nonpartisan group Americans for Public Trust.

In October, Val Demings for Senate, a federal campaign committee, sent fundraising solicitations with Common Good Virginia, a non-federal “soft” money PAC.

“These fundraising solicitations, which were paid for by non-federal funds, represent an illegal use of non-federal (or ‘soft’) funds to raise money for a candidate for federal office,” the complaint reads. “As such, Representative Demings’ campaign has accepted an in-kind contribution and thereby violated the federal soft money ban.

“Demings hitched her wagon to one of the biggest opponents of parent involvement in education, and she appears to have broken the law in the process. As Demings said herself, ‘Nobody is above the law.’ Demings and her campaign must comply with any investigation that follows from these claims,” said Elizabeth Gregory, communications director for Marco Rubio for Senate.

ICYMI

Americans have seen enough of the Biden’s unmake America agenda

A USA Today/Suffolk University Poll reveals devastating poll numbers for the Biden/Harris administration. According to reporting from USA Today:

“A year before the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans hold a clear lead on the congressional ballot as President Joe Biden’s approval rating sinks to a new low of 38%.

“A USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll, taken Wednesday through Friday, found that Biden’s support cratered among the independent voters who delivered his margin of victory over President Donald Trump one year ago.”

The poll found that:

  • Nearly half of those surveyed say Biden has done a worse job as president than they expected. Amazingly, Independents, by 7-1 (44%-6%), say he’s done worse than they expected.
  • Nearly two-thirds of Americans, 64%, say they don’t want Biden to run for a second term in 2024. That includes 28% of Democrats.
  • Vice President Kamala Harris’ approval rating has plummeted even further, standing at an embarrassing 28%.
  • Two-thirds of Americans (66%) say the country is on the wrong track; one in five (20%) say it is headed in the right direction.

A new Rasmussen Reports survey found more than half of U.S. voters said recently that they would be less likely to vote for a candidate in their state if that candidate were endorsed by Joe Biden. The survey found that just 27% of respondents reported being more likely to vote for a candidate endorsed by Biden, while 51% reported being less likely to vote for such a candidate.

In fact, Biden’s endorsement would be much less valuable in a state or local election than would be an endorsement from former President Donald Trump, especially with independent voters.

The shocking poll indicates that Biden’s rapidly sinking popularity has now become a political liability for the Democratic Party as a whole and could prove to be a major factor in the upcoming 2022 midterm elections.

Tweets

Governor DeSantis introduced new policy items he hopes to pass in the upcoming legislative session to further secure Florida’s elections

Team DeSantis
@teamrondesantis
“A recession is when your neighbor loses his job; a depression is when you lose yours; a recovery is when Dr. Fauci loses his.”

His proposal outlines 4 primary prongs to help strengthen Florida’s election integrity:

  • Establish an investigative unit to investigate election crimes and reports of fraud;
  • Elevate the crime of ballot harvesting to a third-degree felony;
  • Establish a timeline for local supervisors of elections to clean the voter rolls;
  • Secure locations for Florida’s drop boxes
PALM BEACH – Today, Governor DeSantis introduced new policy items he hopes to pass in the upcoming legislative session to further secure Florida’s elections.

“A recession is when your neighbor loses his job; a depression is when you lose yours; a recovery is when Dr. Fauci loses his.”

His proposal outlines 4 primary prongs to help strengthen Florida’s election integrity:

  • Establish an investigative unit to investigate election crimes and reports of fraud;
  • Elevate the crime of ballot harvesting to a third-degree felony;
  • Establish a timeline for local supervisors of elections to clean the voter rolls;
  • Secure locations for Florida’s drop boxes

 

Governor DeSantis also embraced the “Let’s Go Brandon” frenzy, dubbing Joe Biden’s administration the “Brandon administration.”

“If you look at all the things that are going on and you see Big Tech, corporate media. If you look at what’s going on with some of the big corporations with their woke agenda. If you look at the Biden, or Brandon administration in terms of what they’re doing…bottom line is, we’ve got a lot of things that we’re facing. We’ve now seen after Virginia that people are willing to fight back. You know I’m willing to fight back.”

Florida’s DeSantis dubs Biden admin the ‘Brandon administration’

 

“What we need now more than ever, with all the stuff that’s going on, we need people to stand for the right things. They need to stand up and they need to display courage and backbone and not back down in the face of all the things we need to deal with.”

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