I enjoyed visiting the University of Alabama today to discuss our policy victories in Florida over the last eight years. Florida is proof that big results in education, infrastructure, and conservation can be achieved without sacrificing fiscal discipline. We have made transformative investments in core responsibilities, from disaster preparedness and public safety to teacher pay and cancer research. At the same time, we've reduced spending for four consecutive years, and we're on track to repay more than half of all state debt accumulated since statehood. Thanks to the Shelby Institute for Policy and Leadership for hosting us in Tuscaloosa for this great conversation.

Florida now leads the country in workforce education. We have seen record-breaking enrollment in career and technical education, as well as tremendous growth in registered apprenticeship programs. Now, we are focused on expanding these opportunities so that more Floridians can benefit from them. Students enrolled in workforce education and training programs in Florida can now access the same federal financial aid funding available to those pursuing traditional four-year degrees. Workforce Pell Grants help students get credentials that lead directly to employment in high-skill, high-wage, in-demand occupations. Florida has more than 100 eligible programs, and these will now be more affordable for students throughout the Sunshine State.

Great to be at Eastern Florida State College in Melbourne today to announce the statewide implementation of the Workforce Pell Grant, which will help students in eligible programs throughout our state earn career credentials with little to no debt. Florida is #1# in workforce education, and the Workforce Pell Grant funding enables us to build on our track record of success. The programs eligible for Workforce Pell funding are preparing students for high-wage, in-demand careers. We’re glad that thousands more Floridians will be able to take advantage of these opportunities without needing to take out loans or break the bank.

Happy Constitution Day! The US Constitution is designed to realize and secure the ideals articulated in the Declaration of Independence through a system premised on the need to separate, check and balance power. The framers understood that “if men were angels no government would be necessary” and “if angels were to govern men neither internal nor external controls on government would be necessary.” The constitutional architecture has witnessed many perversions throughout recent history, including extraconstitutional assertions of authority by courts, the impotence of Congress, and the endurance of a permanent and too often unaccountable bureaucracy. But it still remains the best framework for self-government ever devised. As we celebrate 250 years of the American experiment (with 239 of those under the Constitution), we should work to usher in a constitutional renaissance that will restore that great document to its rightful place at the center of American civic life.

Since 2022, when I signed first-of-its-kind legislation to increase law enforcement recruitment and retention, thousands of officers from all over the country have answered the call to serve in law enforcement agencies throughout Florida. We are grateful for their service, and we show our appreciation with bonuses, improved pay and benefits, and protections for the men and women who keep our communities safe. Today, we awarded more than $10 million in recruitment bonuses to 1,500 new officers across our state. We’re proud that Florida is the most law enforcement-friendly state in the nation, and we are committed to doing everything we can to keep it that way.

This is a foolish constitutional amendment proposal. We already have a maxed out rainy day fund and have run the largest surpluses in state history. Any additional revenue should be used for lower taxes, including assisting local governments with grants so that homestead properties can be exempt from local property tax. Surplus revenue could also be used to remove tolls once the property tax issue is settled. I recommend a NO vote.

In 2022, while some cities were reaping the disastrous results of “defund the police” experiments, I signed landmark legislation to strengthen law enforcement recruitment and retention in Florida. In the four years since, we have awarded nearly 12,500 bonuses totaling more than $83 million to our law enforcement officers. We have also made record-breaking investments in officer pay, benefits, training, and protections for the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect the people of our state. We continue to build on this foundation to keep Florida the most law enforcement-friendly state in the country. Today, I was proud to welcome new officers in Pasco County with $5,000 after-tax recruitment bonuses. Including these 38 new hires in Pasco, there are 1,500 new law enforcement officers throughout our state receiving recruitment bonus checks this week, totaling more than $10 million. Thank you to all who wear the badge and work hard every day to keep our communities safe.

Florida’s per-capita tax burden is one of the lowest in the nation. Since I became governor, we have enacted billions of dollars in tax cuts. This year’s hunting, fishing and camping sales tax holiday—ongoing through December 31—will provide Floridians with even more tax relief. We are proud to protect Floridians’ Second Amendment rights while helping hunters, anglers, and sportsmen keep more of their hard-earned money. Visit for a full list of items you can purchase tax-free for all your outdoor recreation needs.

Great to be in Lakeland today to break ground on the new Florida Archery Center at Teneroc and highlight the Hunting, Fishing, and Camping Sales Tax Holiday. Through December 31, Floridians can buy firearms, ammunitions, accessories, and a wide range of hunting, fishing, and camping equipment tax-free.   A full list of tax-free items is available at

Today marks 25 years since a group of Islamic Jihadists launched terror attacks that took 2,977 innocent lives. We gathered in Clay County this morning to honor the victims of 9/11 and the heroes who risked their lives to save others. At Ground Zero, firefighters, police officers, and EMTs rushed into the smoke clouds and rubble, braving unthinkable danger to rescue as many people as they could. Hundreds of first responders—and passengers on United Flight 93—made the ultimate sacrifice so that others could live. We will always remember their heroism and owe them a profound debt of gratitude. The 9/11 terror attacks were motivated by a foreign belief system that is still a major aspect of not just the Middle East, but increasingly Europe and even the United States. We should be clear-eyed about the threat posed by Islamic Jihad and do all we can to ensure Never Forget means Never Forget.

25 years later, the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001 seem both raw and distant. On the one hand, the news reports that day have been seared into the American consciousness like few, if any, events in American history. The heroism displayed by the civilians and first responders who risked — and in some instances gave — their lives to rescue others from burning towers represents the American spirit at its finest. This is also true of the selfless actions of the passengers on United Flight 93, who spared hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent civilians from a similar fate that befell those killed in the WTC. On the other hand, the unity displayed following those attacks seems like a distant memory. America has since been chastened by suboptimal outcomes in foreign conflicts, has foolishly imported foreigners who hate the US, and has largely forgotten the lessons of 9/11. We don’t commemorate today’s 25th anniversary because “somebody people did something,” as one member of Congress has claimed. The US was attacked by foreign Islamic jihadists who were willing to kill as many civilians as possible in furtherance of their religious and ideological agenda. That agenda is as present today throughout the world as it was in 2001. Indeed, it is much stronger within the borders of the United States than it was on the day of the terrorist attacks. Honoring the memory of those killed on 9/11 requires us to be clear-eyed about the belief system that precipitated the terrorist attacks and the ongoing threat posed by that belief system. Never forget should mean never forget

Florida is proud to be the beacon of freedom for those who escaped the terrors of communism. Today in Miami, I joined education leaders and survivors of communist regimes to celebrate the implementation of Florida’s History of Communism Standards. Since I signed legislation to mandate anti-communism education, Florida has developed the most comprehensive education standards on communism in the country. To graduate from high school, all Florida students are now required to learn about the devastation wrought by communism around the world. They will hear true stories of people who experienced oppression under communist regimes in Cuba, the Soviet Union, China, and elsewhere. We must always remain vigilant and never take our freedoms for granted.

As the new school year gets underway, Florida’s new History of Communism education standards ensure that students receive comprehensive instruction on the historical reality of communism. Thanks to legislation I signed, all high school students are now required to learn about the damage that this ideology has caused around the world and the experiences of those who suffered under communist regimes. It is our duty to make sure that the next generation understands the truth about communism, so they are less susceptible to the false promises of “socialists” who seek to subvert our way of life in service of a radical and dangerous agenda.