In the News
Florida Democratic Party Responds to DeSantis Budget Rollout
Chair Nikki Fried calls Ron’s budget rollout “deleted scenes from last week’s debate”
Today, at a campaign-style rally in Marco Island, FL, Governor DeSantis previewed his 2024 state budget. In response, the Florida Democratic Party has issued the following statement:
“The irony of Ron’s ‘Focus on Florida’ budget is his complete inability to actually focus on Florida,” said FDP Chair Nikki Fried. “He spent more time ranting about the State of California today than proposing positive solutions for Florida — at times, his speech felt like the deleted scenes from last week’s debate.
“Ron says that his budget ‘respects the taxpayers’ of Florida, but his refusal to address property insurance, the housing crisis, and cost of living are a slap in the face to struggling Floridians. Instead of addressing the real crises facing Florida, Ron is planning to put 1,000 state employees out of a job while bragging about running a budget surplus. He’s pouring hundreds of millions of taxpayers dollars into efforts to train our teachers in government indoctrination. And the common sense ideas Ron is bragging about weren’t even his idea — such as investments in infrastructure and rural broadband funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“Ron spent much of his speech talking about the threat of antisemitism and touting initiatives to fund security efforts at Jewish Day Schools — efforts that I greatly appreciate. However — and I’m starting to sound like a broken record here — his support rings hollow when he still won’t condemn the neo-Nazis that support his campaign. His refusal to denounce a right-wing ideology that threatens Jewish people makes any other action feel like a political stunt designed to help his presidential campaign.
“Thankfully, Ron DeSantis will never be President of the United States. I look forward to seeing how the legislature treats his budget proposals now that that fact is obvious to everyone.”
