Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, a Palm Coast Republican, opened the 2024 Legislative Session of Florida’s 91st House of Representatives. In his remarks, Speaker Renner gave a glimpse of his priorities for the Session ahead.
“We achieved many long-standing goals last Session,” the Republican Speaker began his speech. “We protected life and the constitutional right of self-defense, reformed property insurance and ended Wild West litigation, closed Enterprise Florida as a source of corporate welfare, pushed back against ESG, and created more affordable housing for hard-working Floridians. Perhaps our biggest victory came through numerous measures and funding to protect children, defend childhood, and create an environment in which every boy and girl can thrive.”
He also spoke about the Florida legislature being good stewards of taxpayer money and rejecting “unnecessary spending.” According to Florida Republicans, that allowed the state to invest record amounts in infrastructure, including transportation, land conservation, and water quality. The legislature also raised salaries for teachers and other state workers and approved record spending for Florida’s education system.
But Speaker Renner also admitted new challenges and opportunities face Florida.
The top Republican in the Florida House mentioned health care, including mental health, as a top issue facing Floridians, with aims to bring greater transparency to the price and quality of health care. On other issues that Democrats claim are “culture war” issues and political distractions, the Republicans seem determined to take on their Democratic opponents.
“Call it a culture war if you want, but it is another battle to defend common sense against those who want to obliterate the distinction between adulthood and childhood,” Speaker Renner said. “It’s a battle we intend to win.”
In addition to cultural politics, the Republican legislature seems ready to tackle a variety of issues. “This Session, we will continue our commitment to keeping Floridians safe, empowering law enforcement to combat human trafficking, punishing flash mobs that target retailers, and taking a hard line against juveniles who steal guns and use them to commit crimes,” the House Speaker said.
Florida Republicans also want to extend penalties for anyone who commits violence against law enforcement and end citizen review boards that are “weaponized by defund-the-police activists.” They also want to pass new measures to protect children, address the “dangerous explosion” of antisemitism, and balance the budget to protect the state’s fiscal health.
“This Session, we will continue our work to help every Floridian reach their full potential and make Florida the envy of the nation today and for years to come,” Speaker Paul Renner concluded his speech about the Florida 2024 legislative session.
He also referenced submitting a letter to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) which is below:
Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, a Naples Republican, also opened the State Senate for the 2024 regular legislative session this week.
