One of the loudest complaints against the FAIRtax is that it will abolish the corporate income tax. According to the D.C. elites, it seems unconscionable that billion of dollars of corporate profits would go completely untaxed. They believe that the mega-rich corporations should be obligated to “pay their fair share”. An Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal by Phil Gramm and Mike Salon had some interesting points regarding corporate taxes:

* Americans don’t understand that corporations do not pay taxes and that corporate entities are owned by people – you and me.

* Corporate taxes are just like any other cost of doing business and when costs go up, the increase is passed onto different people in different ways – as higher prices to consumers, as lower wages to employees and/or as lower dividends to investors. Continue reading →

Good morning friends-

With the elections just around the corner, I wanted to share with you the constitutional amendments that will be on the ballot for the General Election on November 5^th, 2024.

Amendment One – Partisan Election of Members of District School Board – HJR 31 passed by the Legislature 2024…This will require members of a district school  board to be elected in a partisan election rather than a nonpartisan election and to specify that the amendment only applies to elections held on or after the November 2026 general election.

Amendment Two – Right to Fish and Hunt – CS/HJR 1157 passed by the Legislature 2024…Preserving the forever fishing and hunting, including by the use of traditional methods, as a public right and preferred means of responsibility managing and controlling fish and wildlife. Continue reading →

MARATHON, Fla.—Today, Governor Ron DeSantis highlighted Florida’s investments in coral reef protection and announced enhancements to the 2024 Lionfish Challenge and 2024 Lobster Mini-Season. Through the FY 2024-2025 Focus on Florida’s Future Budget, the Governor invested a historic $57 million for coral reef restoration and coastal protection, bringing the total investment in these efforts in the Governor’s second term to over $114 million.

The Governor also highlighted $5 million in funding to create additional artificial reef habitats through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). This funding will support the establishment of an innovative framework for installing, overseeing, and preserving artificial reef habitats in the Florida Keys. Continue reading →

HIALEAH, Fla. —Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced his commitment to approving a historic teacher salary funding increase of $1.25 billion in the budget for Fiscal Year 2024–25. Since 2019, Florida has invested over $4 billion in teacher pay increases and has raised starting teacher pay by nearly $10,000. To learn more, click here.

“Florida’s education system is number one in the nation, and we want to make sure good educators are attracted to Florida with attractive compensation,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “I am proud to have invested more than $4 billion for teacher pay increases since the beginning of my time in office, and I will continue to push for increased funding for Florida’s teachers.” Continue reading →

This week marked the last week in Washington for the month. Next week we celebrate Independence Day with events throughout the district, and I look forward to seeing many of you at parades and July 4th celebrations next weekend.

This week was another busy one in Washington, with many groups from Florida’s Third in town, from FFA students to the winner of our 2024 Art Competition. We showed some students from Bronson FFA around the Capitol and attended the celebration for our top artist as the 2024 art pieces were hung in the tunnel to the U.S. Capitol. You can see photos from those visits below.

On Tuesday, Olympic legends Michael Phelps and Allison Schmitt testified before the Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations about how other nations aren’t held to the same standard by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). As the Olympic Games in Paris approach next month, it’s important that the athletic competitions are fair. You can take a look at the remarks from the hearing below.  Continue reading →

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Early this morning, the House Agriculture Committee completed its full committee markup of the 2024 Farm Bill, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024. Congresswoman Cammack voted to pass the bill, joining her colleagues for a final bipartisan vote of 33 to 21.

Congresswoman Cammack spoke during the opening remarks for Members during the markup, lauding the bill’s provisions that will support Florida’s farmers, ranchers, and producers. View her full comments here.

Included in the bill are several wins for Florida’s specialty crop producers, including the establishment of a specialty crop committee, funding for the Specialty Crop Research Initiative, more funding for specialty crop mechanization and automation research. Additionally, the bill ensures AGI (adjusted gross income) waivers for disasters and eliminates the AGI limitation for farmers who make more than 75 percent of their income from agriculture. Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—As the deadline for award nominations rapidly approaches, Attorney General Ashley Moody is urging Floridians to submit applications and sign up to attend the 2024 Human Trafficking Summit. Friday, June 28, is the final day to submit nominations. Awards will be presented at the summit to individuals who made a difference in the past year to fight human trafficking in the state of Florida.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Each year, we recognize outstanding Floridians for their extraordinary work in the fight to end human trafficking. The deadline to submit award nominations is rapidly approaching, so don’t delay! You can learn more about each award and submit nominations, as well as reserve your spot for our virtual event, by visiting HumanTraffickingSummit.com.” Continue reading →

TALLLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution today secured a strong prison sentence against a woman operating a million-dollar pool contracting scheme. The Honorable Judge Dan L. Vaughn sentenced Chrystal Washburn, owner of Amore Pools, to 30 years in prison for defrauding Florida homeowners. Chrystal, alongside husband and co-defendant Brian Washburn, took deposits and payments for pools—often leaving dangerous debris piles and gaping holes in victims’ backyards. In total, the duo stole more than $1.2 million in unaccounted-for cash.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “This couple promised to deliver dream pools, but left holes in Floridians’ hearts and backyards, by abandoning pool projects and stealing more than $1.2 million in cash. Thanks to our Statewide Prosecutors, Chrystal Washburn, the owner of this pool company, will now serve 30 years in prison for operating this scheme.”  Continue reading →

This week, our Office of Statewide Prosecution announced the arrest of six fraudsters for stealing nearly $250,000 from Florida seniors through grandparent scams.

The defendants contacted seniors posing as lawyers or legal representatives of one of the victim’s grandchildren. The fraudsters told the targets that the grandchildren needed bail money after being arrested for hitting a pregnant woman with a vehicle, then arranged for the victim to send payment.

These fraudsters knew that most grandparents would do anything to help a grandchild in need, and through a convincing imposter scheme they used fear and family to extort Florida seniors—stealing nearly a quarter of a million dollars. Working with our great law enforcement partners in South Florida, we were able to shut down this far-reaching grandparent scheme and now the six fraudsters will have to answer for their crimes. Continue reading →

GAINESVILLE, Fla.—Today, Governor Ron DeSantis touted Florida’s success in maintaining order and ensuring student safety on Florida’s campuses. In Florida, pro-Hamas encampments were disbanded in minutes, and Jewish students were kept safe from harassment.

“In Florida, we prioritize order and student safety on campus,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “While other states allowed their college campuses to be vandalized and taken over by antisemitic agitators, Florida held the line.”

“The Florida Highway Patrol is proud to protect citizens from the intentional and unlawful criminal actions and antisemitic behavior that threaten the safety of our college campuses and communities,” said Executive Director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Dave Kerner. “Through the direction and support of Governor DeSantis, Floridians can rest assured that FHP will not tolerate antisemitic agitators and will not stand on the sidelines, but instead will take immediate action to ensure public safety from radicalized intimidation and violence.” Continue reading →