DeSantis Highlights Efforts To Strengthen Florida Against Extreme Weather Events

last year

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signs legislation to strengthen Florida's resiliency against extreme weather events.

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Transcript

00:00 beautiful beach. How many places in the United States can beat that? Probably

00:03 not very many. So we're fortunate to be here. I want to thank everyone for

00:07 being here. Secretary Sean Hamilton, our Department of Environmental

00:11 Protection Secretary, Dr West Brooks, our chief resiliency officer, Senator

00:17 Nick to Sigley on representatives Chaney jocks. Uh, is Burfield is Kim

00:22 here? Oh, yes, that's right. Um, Mayor Lisa Hendrickson, town of Reddington

00:27 Shore. So thank you for for hosting us. We really appreciate it. We've done a

00:31 lot over the last 5.5 years to strengthen the state of Florida. We

00:36 recognize that we are in a tropical climate. We have different disturbances

00:42 that can happen during hurricane season. And while we always hope for the best,

00:48 we always prepare for the worst. And we want to make sure that the folks

00:52 throughout Florida have the tools that they need to be able to weather

00:55 whatever storms may come their way. We've done a lot, almost $100 million

01:00 for infrastructure projects in rural communities. And we've had storms like

01:06 Hurricane Idalia that have hit a lot of Florida's rural communities. We've also

01:11 distributed more than $400 million to help communities rebuild and

01:15 strengthen infrastructure following hurricanes that have hit Florida over

01:19 the last four years. Of course, Ian was the biggest one over the last 5.5

01:25 years. But we also had last decade Irma, which was significant. And then

01:32 Michael, which was catastrophic for the Florida panhandle. Uh, so we're been

01:37 very forward on that. We've also provided record tax relief through the

01:42 home hardening sales tax holiday. So that suspended the sales tax on items

01:48 such as impact resistant windows, doors, garage doors. So that was

01:52 approved in 2022 for a two year period of time. Uh, the sales tax holiday has

01:58 saved Floridians close to half a billion dollars since it's been there

02:02 and you still have time to realize these savings. The holiday is in effect

02:06 through June 30th of this year. So Floridians are doing things to harden

02:11 their homes. They're able to do that tax free, which we think is really,

02:14 really important. We've also enacted a program starting in 2021 called the

02:19 resilient florida grant program. And this is program. It's a program to

02:24 distribute grants to local communities to protect shorelines, inland waterways,

02:29 coastal reefs, protect against impacts of flooding, protect against impacts of

02:35 the surge that can come when you have these these storms. So over 300 grants

02:40 statewide have been used to develop an update, comprehensive assessments of

02:45 existing needs and in all 67 counties over 350 local projects have assisted

02:51 communities and protecting important infrastructure assets like emergency

02:55 response facilities from the impacts of storm surge and what we found on the

03:00 storms. I mean, I remember before I became governor when Hurricane Michael

03:04 hit Panama City, you could go and if the building was fortified and it was

03:11 newer, you wouldn't have even known a storm happened. You look right next

03:15 door to the building, an older construction that didn't and it was

03:19 like wiped off the face of the earth. I mean, it was so dramatic. I think you

03:23 saw similar with Hurricane Ian in southwest florida. They had had charlie

03:28 come through in 2004. A lot of the things that were rebuilt were rebuilt

03:33 stronger and they were more resilient. Uh, and those were the structures that

03:37 were really able to withstand a lot of what was happening. Part of the reason

03:41 that we were able to get the power on so quickly after that storm was because

03:47 you had companies like FPNL after charlie and some of the other things

03:52 that have happened, some of the substations, the way they built it, you

03:55 know, they raised them. So you had massive amounts of water and rain

03:59 coming and yet it didn't impact that and you're able to get people back

04:04 online. So, so we've seen that, that this stuff really is important and it

04:08 really does work. So I recently signed legislation, Senate Bill 16 38 which

04:14 took the seminal compact gaming revenue. Remember when I became governor, the

04:20 seminal tribe was not, was not providing any revenue share to the

04:25 state of florida at all. Even though the Tampa casino is the most profitable in

04:29 all of north America, their Hollywood casino does fantastic as well. And so I

04:35 thought it was important that that we get an agreement so that we can help

04:39 help the state. Uh, and so we did that. And so we're now looking at revenue

04:44 share in excess of what we even anticipated when we did the deal,

04:48 probably more than 750 million each and every year. And what that Senate Bill

04:55 16 38 did was it takes the seminal compact gaming. Here's the thing, we're

05:00 running big surpluses in florida. I mean we're paying down debt, we've paid

05:04 down almost 20 actually probably now more than 25% of our state's total debt

05:09 from the founding of florida till the present. In just the last five and a

05:13 half years we've knocked off 25%. Uh, we're cutting taxes, we're doing moving

05:19 florida forward with the infrastructure infusion. So you have these road

05:22 projects, some in the Tampa Bay area, many in Orlando, some in Miami,

05:27 Southwest florida, all these places that were not even scheduled to start

05:32 some of them until next decade. Well, what is that going to do? So we're now

05:36 accelerating and so we're going to be able to complete some of these projects

05:40 7, 10, even 15 years ahead of schedule because we're doing that. So we're doing

05:46 all of those things which is really good. So the seminal compact money is

05:52 kind of gravy for us and so it is being dedicated under that bill uh to

05:58 conservation of florida's natural resources and protection of the state

06:02 of florida's environment and infrastructure. So there's different

06:07 ways that's being parceled out. Uh there's going to be $100 million for

06:12 different water quality. Uh but there is going to be $100 million every year

06:17 uh for this resilient florida and fortifying florida's infrastructure

06:24 which is really really significant. So that's that's a minimum. I mean the

06:27 legislature can always do more but that's going to be there every single

06:30 year. Uh we've also had the florida Department of Transportation place an

06:35 emphasis on strengthening infrastructure to withstand the impacts

06:38 of hurricanes and severe weather. So when you account when accounting for

06:42 projects funded since since I took office florida department of

06:45 transportation work program has supported over $3.8 billion to

06:50 reconstruct bridges to better withstand winds and over 1.1 billion to support

06:55 coastal seaports. Um and that's significant. I mean we had to redo

06:59 bridges in southwest florida. We had the pine island bridge was wiped out

07:03 and then the santa belle causeway was severed in three places. Uh those were

07:07 not state bridges. Those were local. Uh we assume the job of rebuilding it and

07:13 we're able to uh from the time we accepted the pine island project, we

07:17 were able to turn that around and open the bridge in three days and people

07:21 thought it was going to take six months. We did santa belle causeway from the

07:24 time the job was accepted until open for the general public. It was two weeks

07:29 to fix fix three breaks. Um and that was about three weeks from the day of the

07:34 storm. Again, people thought that was going to be six months. So we've been

07:37 very proactive on this stuff, but you don't want to be in that situation. I

07:41 mean if there's things you can do and so we've we've invested a lot of

07:44 resources in that and we're proud of that. Another thing that we've done to

07:49 strengthen florida is nourishment and re nourishment of our beaches and the

07:54 sand dunes. That's a very, very important. Sometimes these things can

07:58 get impacted. There's erosion that happens. The storms cause huge problems.

08:03 I mean I remember when Ian hit people are focusing on the southwest florida

08:08 impacts and understandably that thing rode the entire state and left in

08:14 Daytona Beach is like a category one. But then you look at the coast over

08:18 there in Daytona and that had been absolutely obliterated with the dunes

08:23 being wiped out. So we see these problems and we realize that um our

08:29 coastlines are the first line of defense against uh the big storms and

08:33 we got to ensure that we're supporting um the long term strength to withstand

08:37 impacts of the storm. So we've awarded 200 million to support beach

08:42 re nourishment projects in the aftermath of hurricanes Ian and Nicole

08:48 today. I'm announcing that as we go through the budget for next fiscal year,

08:52 I have approved in the budget an additional $50 million to support beach

08:59 re nourishment, bringing our total state investment in these efforts to over

09:03 $550 million since 2019.

09:08 We're also helping uh and understand the importance of having resilient and

09:19 strong private infrastructure. We have supported homeowners and again you see

09:25 this when the storms come the newer construction. I think that there was a

09:29 lot that was learned in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in the early 90s

09:33 about what type of buildings can can withstand. So we have my safe florida

09:39 home program which provides free wind mitigation inspections and if there's a

09:45 mitigation need there so you can get a matching grant to assist the homeowner

09:50 in mitigating future damage. Uh and that that could be the impact resistant

09:54 windows, the doors, it could be things involving roofs, there's a whole host

09:57 of things that can be done. So we are going to sign today, Senate Bill 70 28

10:04 and this is going to provide an additional $200 million for the

10:10 program. So this has already helped 152,000 Floridians across the state,

10:15 but the program is over subscribed. There's a lot of demand, so there's

10:19 there's a lot of people on the waiting list. So this $200 million will go

10:23 towards clearing the folks that are on the waiting list and any additional

10:27 demand that comes and I have no doubt that that money is going to be going to

10:31 be used. The bill prioritizes seniors through the application process

10:36 because we understand many are on fixed incomes and very well may have older

10:41 homes. So approving the 200 million that we do today uh means that since may

10:48 of 2022 we've invested over $600 million in the my safe florida home

10:55 program and that's been meaningful for folks. It's improves their property,

10:59 it strengthens their property and if you look at the data um it is stabilized

11:04 and in some cases even reduced insurance rates as a result of those

11:08 improvements. Um and we are proud of that return. So this program was

11:15 popular, a lot, it's over subscribed but not every Floridian is a homeowner.

11:21 Some people own these condo units and so the legislature said we're gonna go

11:27 and create a pilot program for condos. So I'm gonna sign momentarily House

11:32 bill 10 29 which is the my safe florida condominium pilot program and I will

11:39 approve in the budget $30 million to institute that program. So this is

11:44 going to help the coastal condominium associations, hardened condo

11:48 infrastructure and protect against wind damage by creating a program similar

11:53 to my safe florida home. Uh and I think that that's innovative. I think it's

11:57 gonna work uh but but but we'll see as we as we get into that. So we've taken

12:02 huge steps over the last many years. I think what we're signing today and then

12:06 what we're approving in the budget is really really significant and I want to

12:10 thank the legislature for for stepping up and providing support for these

12:14 programs and passing the good legislation. I look forward to signing

12:18 this momentarily both of those bills into law. But before I do that we're

12:23 gonna hear from Secretary Hamilton, dr brooks and nick to sigley. So we'll

12:27 start with Sean.

12:28 Uh thank you governor again. Good morning. I'm sean Hamilton. I'm

12:34 pleasure serving as secretary of the florida Department of Environmental

12:37 Protection. Um obviously as you can attest to the governor has

12:41 consistently fought to make florida communities more safe and more

12:45 resiliency into some of your surprise. This is my third day with the governor

12:50 talking about billions of dollars going into our communities and into our

12:54 environment. So if you're wondering if I'm the happiest secretary on the face

12:58 of the planet, the answer is yes. So thank you governor for your commitment

13:01 and your continued support and definitely to our appropriators for all

13:05 of your leadership. Um obviously as a governor, we face unique challenges

13:09 here in our beautiful state. But I can tell you with hands down florida is

13:13 definitely the most proactive at facing those challenges and making sure our

13:17 inland and coastal communities are prepared for those challenges. The

13:20 governor noted, you know, creating the first chief resiliency officer dr brooks

13:25 is here today who is one of the, I would say maybe the best in that in that

13:30 role so far. But I'm a little bit partial because I've worked with dr

13:33 brooks and he works a lot with your communities to make sure they're

13:36 prepared. But he also created the office of resilience and coastal

13:39 protection within D. P. And again, that's if you think about the short

13:43 life cycle, they have done phenomenal work to bring on the 300 plus projects

13:47 the governor noted. They work with your communities day in day out and I

13:50 advise you whenever you have an opportunity, make sure your folks are

13:53 connected with them and taking advantage of the technical assistance.

13:56 And then lastly, the resilient florida grant program, hands down one of the

14:00 most proactive ways to continue to make sure our communities are prepared not

14:04 only for what you know may come in the future, but the impacts that they're

14:07 seeing today. And that's a big deal, right? Because if you don't have a

14:11 plan, you really don't know what you're planning to address. And so again, a

14:15 phenomenal program. So with the focus of florida futures budget for 24 25,

14:20 the governor noted he secured more than 1.8 billion to strengthen florida's

14:25 resiliency during his administration. I don't again, it's hard again. I talked

14:29 about this the other day. Points of reference that is amazing commitment

14:33 from our governor and from our legislature to make sure all of our

14:36 counties, not just one, not just to all 67 counties after this cycle will have

14:42 done something unheard of. They would have proactively identified the

14:45 critical assets, the things that is just holds the glue of their local

14:50 communities and the risk associated with those and seek funding to make

14:54 sure that they're prepared to address those things in the future. And that's

14:58 a big deal when you think about a program that has only been around for a

15:01 couple of years. And once they complete those assessments, then they'll be able

15:05 to apply for continued funding and support from the state. And then I love

15:08 the fact that the governor signed the compact for 16 38 to continue to

15:12 bolster that funding and to make sure because the need is high. But more

15:16 importantly, there's a commitment to continue to do that. So we've got 1300

15:20 miles of beautiful coastline as a governor noted, provides amazing,

15:24 amazing tourism opportunities, but they are the first line of defense for many

15:29 of our communities and they require a continued investment. And so the

15:32 governor noted the 50 million for beach restoration and again charged with the

15:36 program of getting that funding out. We will do everything we can. We make sure

15:40 we execute that mission timely and forthwith to make sure we bolster our

15:45 shorelines. I will note though over the years and since the governor's

15:48 administration, 17.2 has come to Pinellas alone during that time period

15:53 and trust me, pound for pound that sand makes a difference in that commitment

15:57 makes a difference. And so I think you guys should be proud of the commitment

16:01 from the governor, but specifically as it relates to Pinellas County. And so in

16:05 closing florida's better position than ever before to make sure we, you know,

16:09 we're prepared for the challenges that I noted as well as the governor. But

16:13 again, having the budget, having the resources, handing the plan is crucial

16:17 to be able to to adapt to those changes and make sure we fortify our critical

16:21 infrastructure again. I look forward to working with all of you in a continued

16:24 partnership. It will take all of us to make sure we deal with these challenges

16:28 statewide. But more importantly, I want to thank the governor and the

16:30 legislature for your continued support and definitely for your leadership, sir.

16:34 Thank you all.

16:35 Good morning. I'm Westbrook's florida's chief resilience officer. Thank you,

16:46 Governor. It's a pleasure to be with you. Secretary Hamilton, esteemed

16:49 legislators and our gracious hosts here in Reddington Shores. We all know

16:53 florida is a low lying storm prone state. Floridians who were born and

16:58 raised here understand firsthand the risk that come with that, including

17:02 coastal surge, torrential rains and hurricane winds for everyone else that

17:06 moves here. Well, they figure it out pretty quick. Governor, your exemplary

17:11 leadership during hurricanes Ian Nicole and I daily a and including the

17:15 subsequent recoveries across large areas of our state was well documented. But

17:19 what I want everybody here to understand is that our governor's

17:22 determined and solutions oriented approach means we all kept working long

17:27 after the news cameras went home. State agencies, including D. P. D. M. F. Dot

17:33 florida commerce and all five water management districts are still actively

17:38 supporting long term hurricane and flood recovery efforts. Importantly,

17:42 they're also ensuring that these efforts accelerate the resilience of

17:45 our communities and strengthen our infrastructure now and into the future.

17:50 And that reflects the fact that Governor DeSantis has guided state

17:53 government to become more proactive than ever before in preparing for the

17:57 impacts of flooding and hurricanes. This includes directives he's issued

18:02 through executive order 23 oh six that challenged the secretary and I to

18:06 support the completion of comprehensive flood vulnerability

18:08 assessments for all counties and municipalities in the state by 2026 to

18:13 establish a reef restoration and recovery initiative for florida's core

18:16 reef and to coordinate with F dot to ensure the consideration of water

18:20 quality and flood protection benefits that that through that agency's own

18:25 resilience planning. The state's resilience efforts are also multi

18:29 layered with regional and community projects often locally implemented with

18:33 state support. Innovative programs like the my safe florida home program are

18:37 now incentivizing homeowners to do their part in fortifying their

18:41 properties as well. And of course it's all being backed up with real

18:44 resources. As you've heard the funding numbers are governor is secured and

18:48 directed towards florida's coastal and inland resilience are nation leading

18:51 investments and that includes for critical beach nourishment projects

18:55 here in Pinellas County. You know the value of your world renowned beaches

18:59 that drive economic activity and protect coastal infrastructure from

19:03 damaging surf, tidal flooding and storms. And unfortunately you've also

19:08 come to know that core bureaucrats in Washington D. C. Don't understand their

19:12 mission, their attention and their urgency should be directed at working

19:17 with your communities to restore federal beach and shore protection

19:20 projects to their full design levels as quickly as possible before the next

19:24 disaster strikes. My office alongside Secretary Hamilton and D. E. P.

19:29 Continue to press core leadership to adopt a new approach that values

19:33 Floridians homes and livelihoods over their own agency lawyers unfounded and

19:39 unsupported policy interpretations. I'm optimistic that we'll see some

19:42 progress in the upcoming water Development Resources Act towards

19:46 addressing the issue. But in the meantime we'll just keep modeling the

19:49 governor's successful approach here in florida to keep our communities safe,

19:53 secure and thriving for decades to come.

19:55 Thank you.

19:58 Good morning. Uh Nick Segley, state senator, District 18 governor. Welcome

20:07 back home to Pinellas County. Always good to have you here. I want to thank

20:11 you for for your leadership in your administration when it comes to beach

20:14 renourishment. It's likely one of the most important issues that our

20:17 residents here in Pinellas County faces and it's very, it's very troubling and

20:22 frustrating knowing that it's basically a rule making or a group of

20:27 bureaucrats who are making decisions to make it very difficult for us to

20:30 protect our shorelines here in Pinellas County. But right now I want to talk

20:34 about the great program and the bill that the governor is about to sign. Uh

20:39 and that is revolved around the my safe florida home condominium pilot program.

20:43 It's well documented that the program currently for single family homes is

20:48 incredibly successful. The legislature along with the support of the governor

20:52 have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to make sure that Floridians

20:56 are making their homes stronger to deal with these unfortunately inevitable

21:01 storms that that that all Floridians face here in our great state. Um And so

21:06 kind of many milliners are very unique. Um You know, a couple of years ago in

21:09 dealing with the tragedy at surfside, the legislature made sure that uh you

21:15 know, funds that are spent in these condominium associations are done

21:19 responsibly. We want to make sure that these structures are are strong and

21:23 that they're maintained properly and that that money is well spent in an

21:27 irresponsible way so that that tragedy does not happen again. And then you

21:31 throw in the increase in in property insurance for condominium owners and

21:36 they're getting squeezed on on both sides, throw inflation due to failed

21:41 economic policies coming out of Washington. And you've got a situation

21:45 for condominium owners that is very, very challenging and troubling from a

21:49 financial standpoint. So my partner in the florida House, Representative

21:53 Lopez, we got together and said, hey, how can we help condominium owners in

21:58 our state right here in Pinellas County? We have hundreds of condominium

22:02 associations that that hug our coastline. And so we thought, hey,

22:06 let's get a pilot program. Let's encourage these folks to replace their

22:09 windows, the associations to replace these windows, secure their roofs,

22:14 replace these doors. It's a pilot program. I anticipate anticipate this

22:19 pro program being incredibly successful. We want to gather some

22:23 data. We want to make sure that that process is going smoothly and then

22:27 hopefully in the next coming legislative sessions, we can we can

22:32 expand that program because I can guarantee you that that need is is

22:35 going to be there. So incredibly honored to sponsor that bill. Uh, and

22:40 incredibly happy that the governor is here in Pinellas County to sign that

22:43 bill into law. So thank you so much.

22:45 Everyone.

22:45 Thank you.

22:46 Today's date.

23:03 24.

23:06 Yeah.

23:06 What was that?

23:15 Hold down.

23:17 Condo program.

23:26 Anyone else?

23:27 All right. That's that. Here's the

23:32 my state Florida home.

23:35 Yeah.

23:35 All right.

23:50 Okay. All right. So there we go.

24:01 Yeah.

24:01 Yeah. All right.

24:08 So we've um we've had a really good week to be able to highlight what

24:24 we're doing to protect and conserve Florida's natural resources. We started

24:29 on on monday highlighting the record amount of funding we've been able to

24:35 dedicate to Everglades restoration into water quality improvements. We did my

24:40 first four years $2.5 billion, which is a billion more than the previous four

24:44 years was our was our promise and we actually delivered 3.3 billion. So then

24:49 in these four years, starting in January 2023, we said, well, we're gonna

24:53 try to 3.5 billion, which is like people never thought that was possible. Just

24:57 the first two years now, given that I've approved for the upcoming fiscal

25:02 year, we've done about 3.1 billion in the current fiscal year and what we'll

25:08 do next. And so we're gonna blow past that $3.5 billion, which is really,

25:13 really significant. We're very fortunate that that our natural resources are so

25:20 so nice. It's a gift and it drives our economy, it drives our way of life. So

25:26 we gotta be good stewards of that. And we were and then yesterday we were in

25:30 southwest florida talking about what we've done to establish and now expand

25:35 florida's wildlife corridor. What we're doing to be able to link those pieces

25:39 so that the wildlife is able to roam freely. Also what we did to continue and

25:45 expand our red tide mitigation program where there's a lot of research. So we

25:50 established that back in 2019. Uh and there are certain things that have

25:55 been applied, but there's a lot of things that are going through these

25:58 trials about, we know red tides naturally occurring, but what can we do

26:02 to mitigate the impacts because it has a aesthetic impact, it has an economic

26:07 impact that when it does happen, it only happens effectively on the gulf coast

26:12 of florida. So we're going through that, we're going to continue that. Now

26:16 there's things that can help neutralize some of the some of the algal blooms,

26:22 but you got to see how that's going to impact the rest of the environment. You

26:26 don't want to go after red tide and then cause more problems. And so

26:30 they're they're going through all that to see what what could be done. But I

26:33 think it's a good use of resources to be able to mitigate. So, so we did that

26:38 and then today what we're doing to strengthen florida with our resiliency

26:42 programs and then with with the my safe florida home and condo program. So, so

26:46 congratulations to everybody that's been involved with that. Uh these are

26:50 really, really meaningful things to be able to get on the scoreboard. And with

26:54 that, I'm happy to take some questions.

26:56 Warren, the man you suspended a couple years ago, it's a little bit

26:59 constant attorney now he's running for reelection this fall. What are your

27:03 thoughts about that as well as the woman you help? You put some lips

27:07 joseph lopez when you campaign for our nation? Well, um you know, my action was

27:13 based on the the constitution authority I have as governor and it was

27:18 appropriate what we did and it has made Hillsborough County safer as a result.

27:24 Uh criminals are held accountable in a much more significant way since Susie

27:30 Lopez has been the state attorney there in Hillsborough County. That's just a

27:34 fact. Talk to any of the sheriff's deputies, talk to the sheriff himself

27:39 about the change that's happened, recycling criminals and letting them

27:44 out going easy. That doesn't work. And so uh you know, our actions were

27:49 appropriate. People can do whatever. But I will tell you this, people want to be

27:53 safe and Hillsborough County. No one would have thought this was possible

27:58 even five years ago. Hillsborough County probably by election day is

28:02 actually gonna have more registered republicans than democrats. Can you

28:05 believe that? No one thought that that would be possible. So

28:12 10 here when we talk about the popularity of the my safe florida

28:15 home program when it was re upped in 2022 every time it's been re upped with

28:21 money, it's gone out of um the way people have been signing up within days

28:25 as money is running out. Why is it going through this incremental process

28:29 when it's so popular? Do you plan on refunding this if this money goes out?

28:33 Well uh in my budget uh we I think we may have had a little bit more in my

28:38 budget rex um legislature did 200 million. That is significant amount of

28:42 money. I mean I you know if you look at what we've done just in from 22 to now

28:46 over half a billion over $600 million is really significant. And so so they

28:52 have done a lot. We do realize that there is a waiting list and I think

28:56 it's good that they re up the program. If there was nobody signing up for it,

28:59 then they probably wouldn't have appropriated more money for grants. So

29:03 so there's more help on the way. Uh they're gonna be doing this but we

29:06 understand it's been popular and it's been popular because it's been

29:09 effective. Uh so I'm I'm proud to sign the bill in the law and I know that

29:14 this this massive infusion of $200 million is gonna make a big difference.

29:17 Governor, how concerned are you given beach nourishment is so expensive about

29:23 the continued impact on our state and local budgets to keep re nourishing

29:27 these beaches as florida's storm seemed to get stronger and stronger and more

29:31 frequent. Well uh we've put our money where our mouth is on the state side. I

29:36 mean I think we're over 600 million in beach re nourishment in the last 5.5

29:40 years, another 50 million in the kitty this year. And I think that that's a

29:45 manageable expense for the state. Um I'd like to not have to do anything

29:50 with some. I mean I wish everything just ran itself right. But if you look

29:54 at how important these beaches are to this state, the fact that we could kick

29:59 in 50 100 million like we've done in the past uh in a budget that's running

30:03 massive surpluses uh in a budget where our revenue continues to exceed

30:08 whatever the forecasts are. Even though you know nationwide we have a lot of

30:12 problems with this economy and we've obviously not been immune to the

30:15 inflation that's been fueled by Washington. The interest rates have

30:19 been devastating uh to so many people. But with even with all that happening,

30:25 florida's outpacing the nation. It's not even close. If you go back I think

30:30 from 2019 the present uh we definitely have the highest GDP growth amongst

30:34 large states. But I think we have the highest GDP growth period. Uh if you

30:38 look at the net net in migration, if you look at the we have the lowest

30:41 unemployment rate amongst all 50 or amongst large states uh that gives us

30:47 the ability to take care of these needs that are that are significant public

30:51 needs. And the way I view it is uh you go to some of these states like

30:55 California, they want to do handouts to individuals take from you kind of hand

31:01 out and then people end up that that creates a culture and I think it's part

31:06 of the reason they have budget problems. What we're doing is we're doing things

31:09 that are benefiting everybody. Having nice beaches benefits everybody

31:14 expanding our roadways so that we alleviate traffic that benefits

31:18 everybody doing what we've done on our seaports that benefits everybody. So

31:22 these are really really critical investments. I'm proud to do it. I I

31:26 would like to say that there wouldn't be a need for it but this would

31:30 definitely be something that I will keep as a priority. Look and maybe

31:33 because I grew up in Pinellas County, we maybe we just uh appreciate what we

31:39 have. I can tell you that I didn't, the beach was the beach to me growing up

31:43 like I didn't necessarily know because I had not been to very many other

31:46 beaches right. Um and then you go around and you go to other beaches and you

31:52 know some of these things are not as nice as this. That's just the reality.

31:55 And so we're very fortunate. Um here in Pinellas they can compete with anyone.

32:00 You know you go up to the florida panhandle, they can compete with them.

32:03 I mean these these are really really important. So we're going to continue

32:06 to make it a priority in florida. I understand um you know the local

32:11 governments have to battle through some of the bureaucracy. I understand what

32:13 the feds but but we want to be a partner in it and we're proud to do it

32:17 and anytime I get anything across my desk involving involving the beach

32:21 renourishment I've been supportive of

32:22 if Warren does get reelected, will you spend again if if in butts were candy

32:29 and nuts every day would be christmas.

32:31 We're I think it's all going to work out um and I think it will be good but I

32:38 do think it it underscores a larger issue of the places around this country

32:44 that have embraced the more ideological approach to law enforcement that

32:49 basically people just get let out, get rid of cash bail, go easy on repeat

32:54 offenders, don't take property crime seriously. The governor of Arizona just

32:59 vetoed a bill that we signed here in florida so that these squatters could

33:04 be ejected. What kind of a message does that send that you're saying you can

33:08 squat in somebody's house uh and basically they got to go through a six

33:13 month process. So so we've seen a lot of bad ideas be implemented. Uh we know

33:18 what works, we know florida's crime rates at a 50 year low, we know that

33:23 our retail theft is actually down since I've been governor but yet we just did

33:28 great legislation to hold these folks accountable. You should be able to go

33:31 to the pharmacy and be able to grab deodorant off the off the shelf without

33:36 that being behind plexiglass. You know this should not be fort knox but yet

33:41 that's what they have to do because people just go in and they loot the

33:43 stores that happens because of a weak approach to law and order and we have a

33:49 strong approach to law and order. I don't think people have a right uh even

33:53 if you're elected to just say there's certain laws you don't like and uh and

33:58 you're gonna go, you're not going to be uh prosecuting, maybe somebody is is

34:02 young so you're just not going to prosecute him for that. That's not what

34:05 the legislature has implemented in the state and so you have a duty to uphold

34:10 the law as it's written. You don't have the right to hijack the law to go on

34:16 some ideological joy ride and and do do whatever you want. You know you take an

34:20 oath to apply that law and we do uh in the state. I mean you know we enforce

34:26 it. Could there be laws that are on the books that I would tweak like sure if I

34:30 had a magic wand but that's not the way it works. So we as the state uh I think

34:35 are the best state for law and order. You look at what happened with spring

34:39 break in Miami beach. You know I told the mayor, I said don't let this happen

34:44 again. He's a new mayor and he's like don't worry, this is important to me.

34:47 We've got a plan and I was like we'll give you whatever resources you need. So

34:50 they had a plan, we provided support and all the businesses are saying it was

34:55 the best spring break they've ever had because not only would you have unruly

34:59 crowds, you have property damage. There'd be people I talked to a fella

35:03 down there who's got a restaurant, great restaurant and people would just storm

35:08 in, they eat, they leave without paying. It just was mayhem and that's not what

35:14 we want to promote it for. I want people to have a good time, want people to

35:16 enjoy but we don't want you know mobs to just run the streets and so you did it

35:20 and now everybody's looking back and say wow um you know minimal disruption.

35:27 Anyone that got out of line was held accountable and it just set a culture.

35:31 You actually had a lot fewer arrests this year than in the previous two

35:36 because people knew what the what the rules were and they understood what was

35:40 going to happen. Uh you look at what we've done by by holding people

35:44 accountable, trying to come to this country, our state illegally, you know,

35:48 we just interdicted like another 40 Haitians illegally coming and there were

35:53 human smugglers on the boat. We stopped them, they're not on the shores of

35:57 florida, they got stopped and they got sent back. Uh and so people and I think

36:02 one of the reasons you haven't seen an influx of vessels from Haiti since

36:05 you've had everything really go, I mean it's always been problematic but it's

36:09 gone south even more in the last couple of months is because people know why

36:13 would you want to get in some boat chart for the florida keys knowing

36:16 you're going to get stopped, turn around and sent back to where you came from.

36:19 It's not worth it, it's not worth doing. If that was the attitude for our

36:23 southern border, we'd be much better off because people would know, you know,

36:28 it's probably not a smart idea to pay some coyote six grand to get me to the

36:33 border. If all that's going to be happen is I'm going to be sent back

36:36 anyways, you would see the numbers decline. But what they do, they know if

36:40 they just get here, they get a free pass going in to this country and that's

36:45 wrong. So it's all about putting doing what works. The law enforcement folks

36:52 have had my support. You remember when people are talking about defunding the

36:56 police in 2020, you remember those BLM riots, we didn't allow that in florida,

37:02 we said no, you're going to be held accountable. Uh, we did not turn our

37:06 backs on law enforcement like many elected officials did at the time. And

37:10 what's the been the result of that? People are flooding into florida from

37:15 N. Y. P. D. From Illinois, from California. In fact, we've done over 400

37:21 new police officers coming to florida state, local and um and municipal

37:27 agencies. Uh, since we did our $5000 bonus program from just new york

37:33 Illinois and California. So these are folks that had jobs, uh, probably most

37:39 of them have families and that they pick up and move here to do it because

37:42 they know they have the support of the community and that makes a huge

37:46 difference. It makes you safer when they feel like they can do their jobs

37:51 appropriately. You think about what happened when you have these Hamas

37:55 demonstrators out, they're taking over bridges and they're taking over roads.

38:01 Um, and first of all, you don't have a right to do that. You have someone get

38:06 stuck in traffic. How do you know if someone, someone may need to get to a

38:10 hospital, someone may need to pick up a child somewhere and you're just going

38:14 to commandeer the road because you're, you have this, uh, this ideological

38:19 prediction. They tried to do that in Miami and what happened in 10 minutes,

38:24 they got dragged off the road where they belong and we're not going to

38:28 tolerate that. You look at,

38:30 you look at these universities, we, when we have students who are doing things

38:40 that, I mean, some of the stuff with the Hamas, I think it's absurd that

38:46 someone would go out and demonstrate on that. But you know, when you're chasing

38:50 jewish students around, when you're not letting a jewish professor enter a

38:54 building, when you're targeting people like that, that's not, that's not free

38:58 speech. I mean, that's harassment that violates appropriate conduct. And yet

39:03 at Columbia, at Yale, all these places, those guys, those folks rule the roost,

39:08 they do whatever they want. And these administrators and the presidency's

39:13 universities are weak. Uh, they're scared and they don't do anything. You

39:18 do that in florida at our universities, we're showing you the door, you're

39:23 going to be expelled when you're doing that stuff. And you know what? The

39:27 minute people start to face consequences, you are not going to see

39:31 this nonsense going on. So I think the approach is very important. We know the

39:37 approach that these prosecutors have taken in san Francisco, Chicago,

39:42 Baltimore has failed and of all the actions you can take, uh, the

39:47 suspension in Hillsborough and in orange counties with those state

39:52 attorneys, you talk to law enforcement on the ground, lives have been saved

39:57 because we have people in there now who take the law seriously and put the

40:02 protection of the public above their personal political agenda. And that

40:06 makes a huge difference. And we're going to continue to stand for law and

40:10 order. Thanks everybody.

40:11 Thank you.

40:12 Thank you.

40:13 Yeah.

40:13 Mhm.

40:14 Yeah.

40:15 Yeah.

DeSantis Highlights Efforts To Strengthen Florida Against Extreme Weather Events

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