DeSantis closes out 2023 session, praises legislature’s cohesiveness and accomplishments

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – Gov. Ron DeSantis praised lawmakers for passing bills in what he considered a strong agenda that centered around parents rights, protecting children, creating a “pro family” environment, and cutting down on crime.

“I don’t know that there was any meat left on the bone after this legislative session,” DeSantis said. “If you look on issue after issue, we jointly worked together to tackle this stuff head on.”

On the final day of session, the governor stood with Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, and House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, to tout the legislature’s work.

DeSantis said their combined efforts led to a $2.7 billion tax relief package. For example, it includes the permanent exclusion of sales tax for baby products and expanded tax-free holidays.

The legislature passed a slew of bills related to gender ideology. It included a ban on sex reassignment surgeries and medications for minors, pronoun restrictions in schools, expanding the Parental Rights in Education Act and increased penalties for businesses that allow children into adult live performances.

“It is wrong to be sexualizing these kids,” he said. “It’s wrong to have gender ideology and telling kids that they may have been born in the wrong body.”

Lawmakers also approved legislation requiring challenged school books to be removed from the shelves while the examination process is underway.

“We won the fight about parents rights,” DeSantis said. “We won the fight this legislative session to pass great legislation that conflicted with the woke agenda.”

The governor touted the ending of automatic teachers union deductions, school choice expansion, teacher pay raises, and the “Teacher Bill of Rights” legislation.

He did not waste time to slam the Biden administration for its immigration policies as he claimed Florida’s massive illegal immigration reform bill had the “most ambitious protections for Floridians.” The bill includes changes to E-Verify requirements and penalties for human smuggling.

“That is going to make it so that the incentives to come illegally in Florida have been dealt with,” DeSantis said.

“It’s a failure of the federal government and everyone else is left holding the bag,” he explained.

The legislation also includes 12 million from the general fund for an illegal immigration program that DeSantis used to send migrants to Martha’s Vineyard last year.

DeSantis already signed legislation this year to enact the death penalty for child rapists and increase penalties for fentanyl distribution.

Lawmakers approved legislation to prohibit countries of concern from buying agricultural lands and lands near military installations.

“The CCP actually has in different parts of this country their own police stations where they surveil basically Chinese nationals who are here going to school,” DeSantis said. “And this has been allowed to happen on U.S. soil. It’s absolutely outrageous.”

The governor highlighted Passidomo’s priority to incentivize affordable housing in Florida.

“I think the president’s top priority was making sure that people who really make our communities hum, the cops, the firefighters, the teachers, the workers, have the ability to live in the communities that they serve,” DeSantis said.

The governor did not anticipate any future special session, noting that the group had accomplished top priorities within the last several months.